Antenna for electronic payment terminal

Abstract

The invention relates to an antenna for an electronic payment terminal (2), which includes: - a support member (4) comprising a plurality of support elements (10), in the general shape of a straight cylinder with a concave base, articulated pairwise at axial ends about pivot connections (12) having parallel axes of rotation, each support element (10) having a receiving cavity; and - an electrically conductive member (6) configured to be accommodated in the receiving cavities.

Description

Antenna for electronic payment terminal

[0001] The invention relates to the technical field of electronic payment terminals. More particularly, the invention relates to an antenna for an electronic payment terminal, a method for assembling such an antenna and an electronic payment terminal comprising such an antenna.

[0002] Known in the prior art is an electronic payment terminal equipped with an antenna allowing the transmission and reception of waves necessary for the operation of the electronic payment terminal. Generally, such an antenna is produced by manufacturing an electrically conductive member from a cut metal sheet cooperating with a support member allowing its integration into a housing of the payment terminal. The sheet is cut according to a predetermined shape to adapt to the geometry of the housing of the payment terminal.

[0003] This way of making the antenna can pose certain problems. Indeed, the cutting is generally carried out starting from a large surface area sheet, so that if the shape of the antenna is relatively complex, the cutting generates scraps constituting material losses that can be significant, which it is preferable to avoid. In addition, the fixing of the electrically conductive member in the support member generally involves steps of folding, fixing by riveting and cutting of fixing means rendered useless after fixing, which constitutes time-consuming operations, thus generating an additional cost in the manufacture of the antenna. Furthermore, the general way of making the antenna in the form of a cut sheet and a support member does not easily allow the production of antennas of more or less complex shapes, which can be a hindrance in the design of the architecture of the payment terminal.

[0004] The invention aims in particular to remedy these problems by proposing an antenna for an electronic payment terminal whose manufacture generates less unused waste and allows the production of more elaborate shapes than those of the prior art, in an inexpensive manner.

[0005] To this end, the invention relates to an antenna for an electronic payment terminal, comprising:

[0006] - a support member comprising several support elements, generally in the shape of a straight cylinder with a concave base, articulated two by two at axial ends according to pivot connections having parallel axes of rotation, each support element having a receiving housing, and

[0007] - an electrically conductive member configured to be housed in the receiving housings.

[0008] Thus, an electrically conductive member is manufactured in a simple shape to be inserted into the receiving housings of the support elements, then the support member is folded using the pivot connections in order to give the antenna the desired shape. It is understood that producing the electrically conductive member in a simple shape makes it possible to limit material waste if it is manufactured by cutting a sheet metal, so that material losses linked to the shape of the antenna are limited compared to the situation of the prior art. In addition, thanks to the flexibility conferred by the pivot connections and the modular nature of the support member, it is possible to give a large number of shapes to the antenna by as many folds as necessary, whether these shapes are complex or not. Finally, the antenna according to the invention only uses elements that are simple to produce and arrange, which makes it inexpensive.

[0009] Advantageously, the pivot connections are distributed in the support member so as to allow the support elements to be organized by forming the edges of a closed contour.

[0010] The support member thus has a simple shape that can accommodate a complementary member inside the closed contour.

[0011] Advantageously, the support member comprises a number greater than or equal to 4 of support elements, among which n-2 central support elements, each articulated to two support elements, and two end support elements, each articulated to a single support element.

[0012] The support member thus comprises support elements which are generally not very different from each other, so that it is of simple design.

[0013] Preferably, the central support elements each have a receiving housing in the form of a rectilinear groove.

[0014] The receiving housings are thus simple to produce and allow the electrically conductive component to be housed efficiently.

[0015] Preferably, the end support members each have a groove-shaped receiving housing having an open angled end.

[0016] This allows the support member to provide an input and an output, located respectively on the end support elements, to facilitate the connection of the electrically conductive member to other components of the payment terminal in which the antenna will be installed. In other words, the integration capacity of the antenna is improved.

[0017] Advantageously, the support elements are beveled on either side of the pivot connections.

[0018] This facilitates the folding of the support member at the pivot connections. In addition, by dimensioning the bevel angle, it is possible to create rotation stops for the pivot connections, these stops being formed by the contact of the beveled parts of two adjacent support elements, which facilitates the assembly of the antenna.

[0019] Advantageously, the pivot connections are made in the support member by areas of smaller cross-section, so that the support member is in one piece.

[0020] This makes the manufacturing of the support member easier while making it inexpensive.

[0021] Advantageously, the support member comprises material recesses on either side of the pivot connections.

[0022] The support member thus has recessed areas near the pivot connections which persist after bending. These recessed areas make it easier to bend the electrically conductive member once inserted into the support member, since the electrically conductive member can occupy the space of the recessed areas by deformation. This makes it possible to reduce the stresses experienced by the electrically conductive member when bending the support member, and thus reduces the risks of damaging the antenna during bending.

[0023] Advantageously, the concave base of the support elements has a general U shape so as to form a guide for receiving a complementary member.

[0024] The antenna thus includes a guide that can accommodate another component of the payment terminal, for example a screen, which gives an additional function to the antenna. This helps to improve its integration into the payment terminal and make the latter more compact.

[0025] Advantageously, the antenna comprises, for each pivot connection, fixing means configured to secure the two support elements adjacent to said pivot connection.

[0026] This prevents any unwanted unfolding of the antenna once assembled, ensuring its mechanical integrity.

[0027] The invention also provides a method of assembling an antenna as defined above, in which the following steps are implemented:

[0028] - the support elements of the support member are arranged so that the main axes of each of the support elements are parallel,

[0029] - the electrically conductive organ is inserted into the receiving housings, and

[0030] - the support member is folded using the pivot links to give a predetermined shape to the antenna.

[0031] The invention also provides an electronic payment terminal comprising an antenna as defined above. Brief description of the figures

[0032] The invention will be better understood on reading the following description, given solely by way of example and with reference to the appended drawings in which:

[0033] is a top view of an antenna for an electronic payment terminal according to the invention,

[0034] is a bottom view of the antenna of the,

[0035] is a perspective view of an antenna support member of the,

[0036] is a perspective view of an electrically conductive member of the antenna of the,

[0037] is a sectional view of the antenna of the,

[0038] is a partial perspective view of the antenna before folding it,

[0039] is a partial perspective view of the antenna after folding it, and

[0040] is a perspective view of means for attaching the antenna of the. Detailed description

[0041] An antenna 2 for an electronic payment terminal 1 according to one embodiment of the invention is shown. The antenna 2 comprises a support member 4 defining a general shape of the antenna 2 and an electrically conductive member 6 housed in the support member 4. The electrically conductive member 6 is intended to be connected with one or more components of the electronic payment terminal 1 to allow the transmission and reception of waves necessary for the operation of the electronic payment terminal, in a manner known per se so that the operation of the electrically conductive member 6 will not be described further in the following. The support member 4 here has a general shape of a rectangular frame, the electrically conductive member 6 being arranged on a peripheral external surface of the support member 4.

[0042] The antenna 2 here comprises a screen 8 which is arranged inside the support member 4 and is framed by it as shown in and in which shows the antenna 2 from the other direction. The screen 8 is thus integrated into the antenna 2 thanks to the support member 4.

[0043] The support member 4 is shown in more detail in the. The support member 4 comprises several support elements 10 of general shape of a right cylinder with a concave base. The support elements 10 are articulated two by two at axial ends thereof according to pivot connections 12 having parallel axes of rotation 13. The pivot connections 12 are made in the support member 4 by zones of smaller cross-section, so that the support member 4 is in one piece. The pivot connections 12 are distributed in the support member 4 so as to allow the support elements 10 to be organized by forming the edges of a closed contour by folding the support member 4 at the pivot connections 12. Here, the closed contour is the rectangular frame illustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and mentioned above.

[0044] The support member 4 here comprises five support elements 10, among which are three central support elements 10a, each articulated to two adjacent support elements 10, and two end support elements 10b, each articulated to a single adjacent support element 10. More generally, the support member 4 comprises a number greater than or equal to 4 of support elements, among which n-2 are central support elements 10a and two are end support elements 10b.

[0045] The support elements 10 each have a receiving housing 14 configured to receive a portion of the electrically conductive member 6. As illustrated in the, the receiving housings 14 communicate with each other in a continuous and planar manner when the support member 4 is arranged flat, or in other words when each of the pivot links 12 is arranged at an angle of 180°. The central support elements 10a each have a receiving housing 14 in the form of a straight groove, while the end support elements 10b each have a receiving housing 14 in the form of a groove having an open angled end. The receiving housings 14 are thus configured to be positioned on the peripheral external surface of the support member 4 in the assembled state illustrated in FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0046] The electrically conductive member 6 is shown in more detail in the figure. When it is not in the assembled state in the antenna 2, the electrically conductive member 6 has a planar shape and is configured to be able to be inserted into the receiving housings of the support elements 10 of the support member 4 when the latter is arranged flat, or in other words when each of the pivot links 12 is arranged at an angle of 180°. The planar and relatively simple shape of the electrically conductive member 6 makes it possible to manufacture it by cutting a sheet metal with a minimum of scrap or loss of material.

[0047] A sectional view of the antenna 2 is shown. This figure, which corresponds to an assembled configuration of the antenna 2 as in Figures 1 and 2, illustrates the concave base of the general right cylinder shape of the support elements 10. Here, the concave base of the support elements 10 has a general U shape so as to form a guide 16 for receiving a complementary member, in this case the screen 8. The concavity is located on a side of the support elements 10 opposite the side of the support elements 10 having the receiving housings 14. In other words, the guide 16 and the receiving housings 14 are arranged on opposite sides of the support elements 10. In this way, the guide 16 is positioned on the inner side of the support member 4 and the receiving housings 14 are positioned on the outer side of the support member 4 in the assembled state of the antenna 2.

[0048] We will now describe a method of assembling the antenna 2 according to one embodiment of the invention.

[0049] A partial perspective view of the antenna 2 is shown before folding it. The support elements 10 of the support member 4 are first arranged so that the main axes of each of the support elements 10 are parallel. In this way, the support member 4 is arranged flat, or in other words each of the pivot connections 12, moreover illustrated on a larger scale in the, is arranged at an angle of 180°. The electrically conductive member 6 is then inserted into the receiving housings 14. At this stage, the electrically conductive member 6 and the receiving housings 14 are flat in shape.

[0050] A partial perspective view of the antenna 2 after folding is shown. To obtain this shape of the antenna 2, the support member 4 was folded along the pivot links 12 to give a predetermined shape to the antenna 2, corresponding here to the rectangular frame shape mentioned above. The pivot links 12 are thus folded at an angle of 90° to form the corners of the rectangular frame, the support elements 10 forming the edges of this frame.

[0051] Lamontre shows that the support elements 10 are beveled near each side of the pivot connections 12. This beveling allows two adjacent support elements 10 to come into contact when the folding has been carried out over a sufficient angular range, here of the order of 90°. The beveling then forms a stop system 18 allowing an operator or a machine to carry out the folding of the support member 4 at each pivot connection 12 in a precise and controlled manner.

[0052] It also shows that the support member 4 comprises material recesses 20 on either side of the pivot connections 12. These material recesses allow the electrically conductive member 6 to deform when the support member 4 is folded, which makes it possible to reduce the presence of residual stresses in the electrically conductive member 6 after folding which could weaken it. Once the folding has been carried out, the antenna 2 has the desired shape.

[0053] A perspective view of the antenna 2 is shown once the folding has been carried out. The antenna comprises fixing means 22 arranged to maintain the shape and mechanical integrity of the antenna 2 and its constituent elements. The fixing means 22 here comprise a male part 22a and a female part 22b arranged on two adjacent support elements 10 and secured to them respectively. The male part 22a and the female part 22b are positioned and dimensioned so that once the antenna 2 has been fully folded, the male part 22a can be inserted, and preferably locked reversibly or not, in the female part 22b to secure the two support elements 10 and prevent any unfolding of the antenna 2. Each pivot connection 12 of the antenna 2 is provided with such fixing means 22. The antenna 2 is then ready to be installed in an electronic payment terminal. List of references

[0054] 1: electronic payment terminal2: antenna4: support member6: electrically conductive member8: screen10: support element10a: central support element10b: end support element12: pivot connection13: rotation axis14: receiving housing16: guide18: stop20: material recess22: fixing means22a: male part22b: female part

Claims

Antenna for electronic payment terminal (2), characterized in that it comprises: - a support member (4) comprising several support elements (10), generally in the shape of a straight cylinder with a concave base, articulated two by two at axial ends according to pivot connections (12) having parallel axes of rotation (13), each support element (10) having a receiving housing (14), and - an electrically conductive member (6) configured to be housed in the receiving housings (14). Antenna (2) according to the preceding claim, in which the pivot links (12) are distributed in the support member (4) so ​​as to allow the support elements (10) to be organized by forming the edges of a closed contour. Antenna (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the support member (4) comprises a number greater than or equal to 4 of support elements (10), among which n-2 central support elements (10a), each articulated to two support elements (10), and two end support elements (10b), each articulated to a single support element (10). Antenna (2) according to claim 3, in which the central support elements (10a) each have a receiving housing (14) in the form of a rectilinear groove. Antenna (2) according to claim 3 or 4, wherein the end support elements (10b) each have a groove-shaped receiving housing (14) having an open angled end. Antenna (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the support elements (10) are bevelled on either side of the pivot links (12). Antenna (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the pivot connections (12) are made in the support member (4) by areas of smaller cross-section, so that the support member (4) is in one piece. Antenna (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the support member (4) comprises material recesses (20) on either side of the pivot connections (12). Antenna (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, in which the concave base of the support elements (10) has a general U shape so as to form a guide (16) for receiving a complementary member. Antenna (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising, for each pivot connection (12), fixing means (22) configured to secure the two support elements (10) adjacent to said pivot connection (12). Method for assembling an antenna (2) according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the following steps are implemented: - the support elements (10) of the support member (4) are arranged so that the main axes of each of the support elements (10) are parallel, - the electrically conductive member (6) is inserted into the receiving housings (14), and - the support member (4) is folded by means of the pivot connections (12) to give a predetermined shape to the antenna (2). Electronic payment terminal (1) comprising an antenna (2) according to any one of claims 1 to 10.

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