Registers – Records – Conductive
Reexamination Certificate
1999-06-24
2002-11-12
Lee, Michael G. (Department: 2876)
Registers
Records
Conductive
C235S487000, C235S488000, C235S441000, C235S442000
Reexamination Certificate
active
06478228
ABSTRACT:
TECHNICAL FIELD
The present invention relates to a card mounted with a circuit chip, and a circuit chip module. Particularly, the present invention relates to a circuit chip mounted card and a circuit chip module realizing improvement of reliability and reduction in fabrication cost.
BACKGROUND ART
A non-contact type IC card is used in automatic examination for lifts in skiing grounds and railroads, automatic sorting of parcels, and the like. An example of a conventional non-contact IC card is shown in FIG.
7
. An IC card
2
shown in
FIG. 7
is a one-coil type IC card, including a coil
4
used as an antenna, capacitors C
1
and C
2
, and an IC chip
8
.
Capacitors C
1
and C
2
and IC chip
8
are mounted on a film-like synthetic resin substrate. The substrate mounted with capacitors C
1
and C
2
and IC chip
8
is referred to as a tab (tape automated bonding)
10
.
FIG. 8A
is a sectional view of IC card
2
. A core member
12
of synthetic resin is sandwiched by a pair of surface layer members
14
and
16
. Tab
10
mounted with capacitors C
1
, C
2
and IC chip
8
is fixed to surface layer member
14
exposed within a cavity
18
provided in core member
12
. The junction between tab
10
and IC chip
8
is covered with an encapsulant
9
formed of epoxy resin and the like.
Coil
4
is located between surface layer member
14
and core member
12
. Coil
4
and tab
10
are connected by a wire
20
.
FIG. 8B
shows a circuit diagram of IC card
2
. IC card
2
receives an electromagnetic wave sent from a reader/writer (write/read device, not shown) by a resonant circuit
22
formed by coil
4
and capacitor C
1
as the power source. It is to be noted that capacitor C
2
is the capacitor for smoothing power.
The transmitted information overlapped with the electromagnetic wave is decoded by a control unit (not shown) provided in IC chip
8
, and then sent back. This response is effected by altering the impedance of resonant circuit
22
. The reader/writer identifies the contents of the response by detecting change in impedance (impedance reflectance) of its own resonant circuit (not shown) corresponding to the impedance change of resonant circuit
22
of IC card
2
.
By using IC card
2
, information can be transmitted/received without power provided in the card and in a non-contact manner.
The above-described conventional IC card has problems set forth in the following. IC card
2
is often carried in a wallet or pocket of trousers, easily susceptible to a relatively great bending force, torsional force, or pressing force. The thickness t of IC card
2
shown in
FIG. 8A
corresponds to the standard dimension, and is not so thick. Therefore, the rigidity with respect to bending, twisting, and compression is not so great. This means that the strain is extremely great when IC card
2
is subjected to a great bending force and the like. Accordingly, IC chip
8
will be greatly deformed. This deformation causes a crack in IC chip
8
to degrade the function as an IC card.
When an impact is exerted on IC card
2
, that impact will be conveyed to IC chip
8
to damage the same. Thus, there was a problem that the conventional IC card was difficult to handle and lacks reliability.
Furthermore, assembling is labor-consuming to increase the fabrication cost since coil
4
and tab
10
must be connected by wire
20
. Disclosure of the Invention
An object of the present invention is to provide a circuit chip mounted card and the like of high reliability and low fabrication cost by solving the above conventional problems.
According to an aspect of the present invention, a circuit chip mounted card of the present invention achieving the above object includes a reinforcing body that improves the rigidity of the card in the proximity of a circuit chip. The card is characterized in that an antenna that communicates utilizing an electromagnetic wave is provided at the reinforcing body.
According to the present invention having such a structure, a strong bending, torsional, or pressing force, when exerted, will not cause the card to be greatly deformed in the proximity of the circuit chip. Therefore, the circuit chip per se will not be greatly deformed. When a bending force, twisting force, pressing force or the like is exerted, the occurrence of the circuit chip being damaged to degrade the function can be relatively prevented. In other words, reliability of the circuit chip mounted card can be improved.
The provision of an antenna that communicates using an electromagnetic wave at the reinforcing body allows the circuit chip, the antenna and the like to be connected to facilitate integration. Therefore, the fabrication cost can be reduced due to improvement of the workability during fabrication.
In a preferable embodiment, a circuit chip mounted card of the present invention having the above structure includes a frame arranged so that the reinforcing body surrounds the circuit chip in the direction of the plane perpendicular to the direction of the card thickness.
According to such a structure, the rigidity of the card in the proximity of the circuit chip can be improved effectively while maintaining the space to store the circuit chip.
Further preferably, the reinforcing body includes a tabular body coupled to at least one side of the cavity surrounded by the frame body in the thickness direction. The circuit chip is arranged in a cavity of substantially a recess formed of the tabular body and the frame body.
According to this structure, the rigidity of the card in the proximity of circuit chip can further be improved. The desired rigidity can be ensured even when the dimension of the reinforcing body in the plane direction is relatively increased. When an antenna is provided at the reinforcing body, for example, a larger antenna can be provided.
In the circuit chip mounted card of such a structure, the circuit chip is further preferably supported within the card by a buffer member that alleviates the impact.
According to a circuit chip mounted card of such a structure, any impact, when exerted, will be alleviated in transmission. Therefore, damage of the circuit chip caused by an impact can be relatively prevented.
According to another preferable embodiment of the inventive circuit chip mounted card having the above structure, an antenna for communication utilizing an electromagnetic wave is provided at the buffer member.
By such a structure, the circuit chip, antenna, and the like can be connected integrally. Therefore, the fabrication cost can be reduced by improving the workability in the fabrication process.
Since the position of the wire connecting the circuit chip and the antenna can be accommodated within the range of the reinforcing body of high rigidity, cut off or disconnection of the wire caused by the card being bent is less likely to occur. Therefore, the reliability of a non-contact type circuit chip mounted card with an antenna can be improved.
Preferably, the antenna in the circuit chip mounted card is formed of a looped metal wire fixed to the reinforcing body or buffer member.
By such a structure, the antenna can be formed more easily by printing or etching. As a result, the fabrication cost can further be reduced.
According to another preferable embodiment of the circuit chip mounted card of the present invention having the above structure, the reinforcing body is formed of ceramic.
According to the circuit chip mounted card of such a structure, the rigidity of the reinforcing body can further be improved. Therefore, the rigidity of the card in the proximity of the circuit chip can be further improved.
An insulator does not have to be used in providing the antenna at the reinforcing body since ceramic is highly insulative. Therefore, an antenna can be directly provided at the reinforcing body by printing and the like to allow reduction in the fabrication cost.
According to another aspect, a circuit chip mounted card of the present invention includes a first substrate, a reinforcing body arranged on the first substrate and having a through hole in the thickness dir
Chimura Shigemi
Ikefuji Yoshihiro
Komuro Toyokazu
Arent Fox Kintner Plotkin & Kahn
Le Uyen-Chau N.
Lee Michael G.
Rohm Co., LTD
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