JPH09319850A - Card for data recording - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To practically prevent forgery or a card, alteration of data, etc., by in effect disabling a person from modifying data after data write. SOLUTION: One or plural arrays of data coils 3 like closed loops are arranged with a prescribed pitch in the lengthwise direction on the surface of a card 1, and plural coils 3 in each array constitute a data coil group 4, and a protective layer is laminated on all the forming surface of data coil groups 4 on a mount 2. At the time of data write, partial data coils 3 constituting data coil groups 4 are disconnected; and disconnected data coils and data coils left as closed loops are read by a detection coil 10 which consists of mutual induction coils and is constituted by winding a primary coil 12, to which a high-frequency current flows by an oscillation circuit 9, and a secondary coil 13 where mutual induction occurs, around a core 11 made of a magnetic material like a ferrite.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a card reader, such as a prepaid card, for reading data on the type and authenticity of a card, the usable frequency, the used frequency, etc., and the history of use. The present invention relates to a data recording card capable of writing data such as.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, so-called prepaid card payment methods have been widely adopted for payment of telephone charges for public telephones, payment of transportation charges for transportation means such as railroads and buses. As described above, in a prepaid card or the like, at least a cryptographic code that enables identification of whether the card is a genuine product or a counterfeit product, and data for recognizing the type of the card are stored in advance by a predetermined recording unit. If the card is written and read from this data, whether the card can be used and what kind of service can be received, for example, in the case of a telephone fee prepaid card,
The usable frequency is recognized. Then, at the latest at the end of use of the card, the frequency used at this time and the charge to be paid are settled, and data about the remaining usable frequency is written. Further, depending on the type of prepaid card, there is also a card in which data such as a use start date and a use place is written at the time of first use.

Here, the magnetic recording system is widely adopted as a device which can easily and surely read and write various data recorded on a card by a reader having a simple structure. . That is,
A magnetic recording film is formed on all or part of the mount of a predetermined shape that composes a card, and necessary data is written in advance on this magnetic recording film, and when read by a reader, the data is read by the magnetic head. , Again when using
Necessary data such as the used frequency is written. Furthermore, in order to prevent forgery of the card and alteration of the data such that the used card is changed so that the used card is unused, and for the card user to recognize the remaining used frequency. However, there is also one in which, for example, a card is perforated every predetermined number of times of use.
In this case, the card reader is provided with a punching means, which not only reads and writes magnetic data, but also punches the card at a desired position by punching and punches the punched portion. Is read by an optical means to check the card usage frequency and the like.

[0004]

Data magnetically written on a card can be easily read by using a magnetic head, a magnetoresistive element, a Hall element, or the like, and written on the card by them. It is also possible to modify the existing data. Therefore, various measures are taken to prevent the written data from being read or the data from being modified. For example,
Various guards are provided for decryption and modification of data, such as pre-recording of encrypted data for preventing reading or writing of data by a device other than a reader.

However, there is a risk that information regarding this type of guard encrypted data and the like may leak to the outside, and if this type of information leaks, it is not necessary to use a particularly large-scale device and special skill is required. It is extremely easy to forge and forge a large number of cards. Therefore, in order to prevent forgery and alteration of data, the guard method must be changed frequently. In short, there is a high possibility that the data will be modified as long as it is magnetically written and read. Further, although the punching is performed every predetermined number of times of use, it is relatively easy to close the punching portion, and thus it cannot be an effective means for preventing alteration or forgery of data.

The present invention has been made in view of the above points, and an object of the present invention is to provide a data recording card in which it is extremely difficult to forge or alter data.

[0007]

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, the present invention has a data coil group in which a plurality of coils having conductors formed in a closed loop shape are provided on the surface of a mount, Data is written by breaking some of the coils that make up this data coil group, and is written by detecting whether each coil is in a closed loop or is broken by a detection coil that passes a high-frequency current. The feature is that the data recording medium is a data readable medium.

By the way, if the data coil group is exposed to the outside, it may not look good and the coil may be easily broken by rubbing the surface of the card. Therefore, it is preferable to stack a protective layer on the surface of the mount on which the data coil group is formed. Here, the protective layer is not limited as long as it is made of a material other than the conductor forming the coil, but the magnetic recording film can be formed as the protective layer, and thus the magnetic recording film can be used as the protective layer. For example, this magnetic recording film can be used as another data recording medium for reading and writing magnetic data.

[0009]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. First, FIGS. 1 and 2 show the structure of a data recording card. The card 1 has a mount 2 having electrical insulation such as paper or plastic, and a large number of closed loop data coils 3 are formed on the surface of the mount 2. Here, the data coil 3 may be a thin wire or a band having a predetermined width.
When a wire is used, it can be fixed to the backing sheet 2 by adhesion or the like, and when it is a band, it can be formed by means of printing, etching or the like. The data coil 3 may have any shape such as a circle, an ellipse, and a quadrangle as long as it has a closed loop shape. The data coils 3 are arranged at a predetermined pitch along the longitudinal direction of the mount 2, and the data coil group 4 is formed from the plurality of coils 3 in each row. The data coil group 4 is provided on the mount 2 in one to plural rows.

Further, a protective layer 5 is laminated on the mount 2 over the entire surface on which the data coil group 4 is formed. The protective layer 5 covers the data coil group 4 so that it cannot be seen from the outside and also prevents the loop of the data coil 3 from being inadvertently disconnected. Therefore, the protective layer 5 is preferably formed of an opaque layer, and the material thereof may be different from the material forming the coil 3, and for example, a resin film or the like can be used, and the magnetic recording can be performed. The film layer can also be configured as the protective layer 5. When a magnetic recording film layer is used as the protective layer 5, magnetic recording constitutes another data recording means capable of magnetically writing a record or reading the written record in a portion avoiding the arrangement portion of the data coil group 4. It can be a region.

Here, the data coil 3 forming the data coil group 4 functions as a unit element forming a binarized signal. That is, it is possible to generate two states, that is, the state in which the data coil 3 maintains the closed loop and the state in which a part of the data coil 3 is broken. Therefore, by using a mechanism for disconnecting the data coil 3 and a data reading mechanism for detecting whether the data coil 3 maintains a closed loop or has a disconnection, data writing and
The written data can be read.

First, as a typical mechanism for disconnecting the data coil 3, there is a punching means. The piercing means,
As shown in FIG. 3, a punch 7 driven by a driving means 6 such as a solenoid, and a through hole 8 arranged so as to face the punch 7 are provided at an intermediate position of a transport path for transporting the card 1.
and a punch receiver 8 having a. Then, when the card 1 is conveyed to a predetermined position along the conveying path, the driving means 6 lowers the punch 7 to punch the card 1. Here, the perforated portion of the card 1 only needs to include a part of the data coil 3, and it is not necessary to form a punch hole extending over the entire data coil 3. In order to disconnect the data coil 3, in addition to the punching means, for example, embossing means may be used to form a concave portion or a convex portion on the card 1 and the mount 2 may be deformed in its thickness direction. It is possible to break a part of the wire 3.

Next, in order to detect whether the data coil 3 maintains a closed loop or is partially broken,
For example, a reader having the configuration shown in FIG. 4 can be used. In the figure, 9 is an oscillation circuit, 10 is a detection coil, and this detection coil is a mutual induction coil, and a high frequency current is passed by the oscillation circuit 9 to a core 11 formed of a magnetic material such as ferrite. Primary coil 12
And a secondary coil 13 in which mutual induction occurs, are wound.

When a high frequency current is supplied to the primary coil 12, an induced current is generated in the secondary coil 13 due to the magnetic field generated by this current. The induced current output from the secondary coil 13 has the same frequency as the input current to the primary coil 12. However, when the detection coil 11 is brought close to the data coil 3, as long as the data coil 3 maintains a closed loop, the data coil 3 is induced by the induced electromotive force.
Current flows into the secondary coil 13 and the impedance of the secondary coil 13 changes. As a result, the amplitude and phase of the output current of the secondary coil 13 change. On the other hand, when the data coil 3 is disconnected and the loop is open, current does not substantially flow in the data coil, so the secondary coil 1
The output current of 3 does not change. Therefore, by detecting changes in the amplitude and phase of the secondary coil 13, it is possible to detect the presence or absence of disconnection of the data coil 3.

Here, the electrical conductivity of the data coil 3 and
The amount of change in the amplitude and phase of the output current of the secondary coil 13 varies depending on the material such as magnetic permeability and the shape such as width and thickness. Even if the disconnection of the data coil 3 is repaired, it is extremely difficult to create the same state as the data coil 3 which is in the closed loop state from the beginning. Therefore, if the amount of change in the current of the secondary coil 13 is accurately detected, the alteration of the data can be detected. Therefore, in the reader, it is preferable to output the phase change combined with the amplitude change in the form of output.
If the tuning capacitor C is connected to the output side of, the change in phase can be combined with the change in amplitude without performing synchronous detection or the like, thus simplifying the circuit configuration.

The output signal from the secondary coil 13 is amplified by the amplification circuit 14 and further detected by the detection circuit 15. Then, the output signal from the detection circuit 15 is compared with a predetermined threshold value in the comparison circuit 16, and as a result, a pulse signal corresponding to the position where the data coil 3 in the closed loop state is present is obtained. Then, the pulse signal is taken into the output circuit 17, and a synchronization signal sent separately,
For example, based on the clock pulse of the transport mechanism of the card 1, it is determined whether each data coil 3 forming the data coil group 4 maintains a closed loop or is broken. This detection signal is sent to the microcomputer 1
The data written in the card 1 is read by loading the data into the card 8 and performing predetermined signal processing in the microcomputer 18.

Now, as shown in FIG. 5, among the many data coils 3 forming the data coil group 4, the data coil indicated by reference numeral 3N is in a state of being broken by punching P in the card 1. Assuming that the card 1 is conveyed in the direction of the arrow and the data written in the data coil group 4 is read by the reader during this time, its operation will be described below with reference to the signal waveform diagram of FIG. To do.

First, the detection coil 10 is arranged at a predetermined position. Here, a plurality of rows of data coil groups 4 are provided on the card 1.
In the case where the data coil group 4 is provided, the detection coils 10 are provided by the number of rows of the data coil group 4. The card 1 is passed through the position where the detection coil 10 is provided by an appropriate conveying means. Then, the card 1 is conveyed accurately by a motor or the like in order to obtain a synchronization signal. It is also possible to provide a comparison coil group in parallel with the data coil group 4 and obtain a synchronization signal from this comparison coil group.

As shown in FIG. 6 (a), the data coil group 4 of the card 1 is scanned by the detection coil 10, but a constant output current is obtained in a portion where the data coil 3 does not exist. Then, when facing the position of the data coil 3 that maintains the closed loop, an induced current flows in the data coil 3, so that the output current of the detection coil 10 on the secondary coil 13 side is as shown in FIG. As indicated by E,
The amplitude changes so that it becomes smaller. This output signal changes because the data coil 3 is a closed loop.
At the position of the broken data coil 3N, as shown by N in FIG.
The output signal of does not change.

The output signal from the secondary coil 13 is amplified by the amplifier circuit 14 and input to the detection circuit 15. Then, the detection circuit 15 obtains the signal waveform shown in FIG. 6C from which high frequency components have been removed. This signal is compared with a predetermined threshold value in the comparison circuit 16 to obtain the pulse waveform shown in FIG. 6 (d). This pulse waveform corresponds to the position where the closed loop data coil 3 exists, and the broken data coil 3N
No pulse is generated at the site where is located.

The above pulse waveform is captured by the output circuit 17 and transmitted from the feeding mechanism of the card 1.
If the clock pulse and the detection pulse are compared with each other as compared with the clock pulse shown in FIG. 6E and the clock pulse and the detection pulse match as shown in FIG. Output signal becomes H, and if a detection pulse does not occur even though there is a clock pulse, the output signal becomes L, and the output signal is held at L until the next clock pulse and the detection pulse match. To be done. Then, when the clock pulse and the detection pulse match, the output signal of the output circuit 17 becomes H. Therefore, FIG.
The signal (f) is taken into the microcomputer 18 and it is possible to detect at which position the data coil 3 forming the data coil group 4 is disconnected.

Therefore, for example, when used as a prepaid card for a public telephone, that is, a telephone card,
The data recorded on the card includes its type, possible usage frequency, and its unit price. These data are written in advance and are not rewritten later. Such fixed data can be recorded in the magnetic recording area forming the protective layer 5, but a dedicated coil group for that purpose may be provided and the coil group may be provided with necessary data in advance. . In this coil group, it is not necessary to provide data coils at all positions corresponding to the coil groups that form the synchronization signal and disconnect the wires as necessary. good.

On the other hand, some data in the card needs to be rewritten. For example, the actual usage frequency,
Alternatively, the usage frequency and the remaining usable frequencies must be rewritten at the time of use. Therefore, the data coil group for the data that needs to be rewritten is initially provided with the closed-loop data coil 3, and the data is written by disconnecting the data coil 3 as necessary. For example, each time a predetermined frequency is used, as described above, the data coils 3 forming the data coil group 4 are sequentially broken by means such as punching.

As described above, when the data coil 3 constituting the data coil group 4 is disconnected, it is extremely difficult to repair it later. For example, even if the perforated portion is filled with a conductive member, it may be buried. , The data coil 3 may not always be restored to the closed loop state, and depending on the material to be filled and the like, when read by the reader,
Since it is not possible to obtain the same output signal as the original data coil 3, it is extremely difficult to forge the card or modify the data.

[0025]

As described above, according to the present invention, a large number of data coils are formed on the mount, and a part of the data coils are cut off so that predetermined data can be recorded on the card. Once the data coil is disconnected, it becomes difficult to restore it to the original closed loop shape, and there is an effect such that it is practically impossible to forge a card or modify data.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is an external view of a card in a disassembled state.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of a main part of a card.

FIG. 3 is a structural explanatory view of a mechanism for disconnecting a data coil provided on a card.

FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram of a configuration of a data reader.

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an operation when reading data.

FIG. 6 is an output signal waveform diagram of each circuit member in the data reader.

[Explanation of symbols]

 1 Card 2 Mount 3 Data Coil 4 Data Coil Group 5 Protective Layer 7 Punch 10 Detection Coil

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A data coil group is formed by providing a plurality of coils, each of which has a conductor formed in a closed loop shape, on a surface of a mount, and data is obtained by disconnecting a part of the coils forming the data coil group. It is characterized in that it is configured to record the data that can be read by detecting whether each coil is in a closed loop shape or is broken by a detection coil that has been written and passed a high-frequency current. Data recording card. 2. The data recording card according to claim 1, wherein a protective layer covering a surface of the mount having the data coil group is laminated on the mount. 3. The data recording card according to claim 2, wherein the protective layer is a magnetic recording film capable of magnetic recording.