Metal IC card with improved antenna characteristics and method for manufacturing the metal IC card

Abstract

The present invention relates to a wireless IC card having a wireless IC chip mounted thereon and including a metal body, the wireless IC card including: an IC chip accommodating portion formed as an opening in the metal body and accommodating the wireless IC chip; a slit portion formed by cutting from one side of the IC chip accommodating portion toward an outer edge of the metal body; and an antenna formed on a lower surface of the metal body and electrically connected to the wireless IC chip, the antenna being formed such that one or more antenna patterns are wound around the IC chip accommodating portion, and one end of a first pattern is electrically connected to a first joining position of the metal body adjacent to the slit portion by a predetermined first distance, thereby extending in a direction continuous with the winding direction of the antenna, and the first joining position is a position preset such that at least a portion of the metal body having the slit portion forms the winding of the first pattern.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a metal card and a method for manufacturing a metal card, and more specifically to a metal IC card with improved antenna characteristics and a method for manufacturing a metal IC card. [Background technology]

[0002] Generally, credit cards can be used in place of cash, and in recent years have been developed as smart cards with built-in IC chips that can store large amounts of information. These cards are not only used for payment but also as various membership cards.

[0003] In the smart card market, special cards made of various materials have been developed. In particular, differentiated metal credit cards have been developed for VIP customers, and metal cards have realized high-quality credit cards with a metallic luster and have been provided to special customers.

[0004] However, due to the characteristics of metal, conventional metal cards often have limitations on RF functionality and ATM use, as the antenna is difficult to operate when communicating with a reader device in a contactless manner. Furthermore, because metal cards are manufactured using a thin metal sheet or a thin coating of metal powder, it is difficult to form patterns and letters on the surface of the metal card, and if the card is made of a material that is too light, the sense of weight that metal has is lost. Therefore, there is a need for the development of a metal card that overcomes these limitations and can express the weight and beauty unique to metal.

[0005] For example, the prior art metal thin film plastic card in Korean Registered Utility Model No. 20-0382725 discloses a card in which metal thin films smaller than the core sheet are attached to the top and bottom surfaces of a core sheet made of synthetic resin, and margins are formed around the top and bottom surfaces of the core sheet, with an antenna coil installed along the margins. However, this prior art has limitations in that the metal is placed in a part of the center of the card to avoid contact between the antenna and the metal, which reduces the overall aesthetic appeal and makes it difficult to express a metallic texture throughout the card.

[0006] To solve this problem, metal cards have recently become popular, which have a metal sheet layer made of stainless steel and a separate antenna layer, and connect the antenna layer to a contact IC chip via wire or wirelessly, allowing for wired and wireless payments.

[0007] However, the structure for the wireless function of a metal card has the drawback that a shielding layer must be formed in the middle to prevent the frequency signal received by the antenna coil from interfering with or being blocked by the metal material of the metal card, which makes the structure thick during manufacturing and results in poor antenna sensitivity.

[0008] Due to these drawbacks, current wireless communication-enabled metal cards have a high degree of difficulty in post-processing, such as frequency tuning that takes into account the shielding layer, which increases the manufacturing cost. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0009] The present invention has been devised to solve the above-mentioned problems, and its object is to provide a metal card and a manufacturing method thereof, which can provide improved antenna sensitivity and easy frequency tuning, and can provide a thin, completely metal card without a separate shielding layer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention to achieve the above object, there is provided a wireless IC card including a metal body and having a wireless IC chip mounted thereon, the wireless IC card including: an IC chip accommodating portion formed as an opening in the metal body and accommodating the wireless IC chip; a slit portion formed by cutting from one side of the IC chip accommodating portion toward an outer edge of the metal body; and an antenna formed on a lower surface of the metal body and electrically connected to the wireless IC chip, wherein the antenna is formed so that one or more antenna patterns are wound around the IC chip accommodating portion, and one end of a first pattern is electrically connected to a first bonding position of the metal body adjacent to the slit portion by a predetermined first distance, thereby extending in a direction continuous with the winding direction of the antenna, and the first bonding position is a predetermined position such that at least a portion of the metal body having the slit portion forms the winding of the first pattern.

[0011] Further, according to an embodiment of the present invention to achieve the above object, there is provided a method for manufacturing a wireless IC card including a metal body and having a wireless IC chip mounted thereon, the method including the steps of: opening an IC chip accommodating section in the metal body to accommodate the wireless IC chip; processing a slit section by cutting from one side of the IC chip accommodating section toward the outer edge of the metal body; and connecting an antenna electrically connected to the wireless IC chip to the underside of the metal body, wherein the antenna is formed so that one or more antenna patterns are wound around the IC chip accommodating section, and one end of a first pattern is electrically connected to a first joining position of the metal body adjacent to the slit section by a predetermined first distance, thereby extending in a direction continuous with the winding direction of the antenna, and the first joining position is a predetermined position such that at least a portion of the metal body provided with the slit section forms the winding of the first pattern. [Effects of the Invention]

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the shape of the metal sheet of a metal material card is formed into a slit structure, and at least one end of the antenna coil is extended to a position adjacent to the slit, and the metal sheet is configured to have an extended winding pattern of the antenna coil, thereby providing improved antenna sensitivity and easy frequency tuning, and providing a thin, completely metal material card without a separate shielding layer, and a method for manufacturing the metal card. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0013] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram showing the front surface of a wireless IC card according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] 3A and 3B are diagrams specifically illustrating the contact coupling relationship between a wireless IC card and an antenna according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 10 illustrates the relationship between contact positions according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating the correspondence relationship between contact positions and test results according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 5] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a case where a single contact point is formed according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 6] 10A and 10B are diagrams illustrating a case where a contact point is formed on a side surface of a slit according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 7] 3 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a wireless IC card according to an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0014] Since the present invention can be modified in various ways and can have various embodiments, specific embodiments will be shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail.

[0015] However, it should be understood that this is not to limit the invention to any particular embodiment, but to include all modifications, equivalents, or alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the present invention.

[0016] The terms used in this specification are merely used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. A singular expression includes a plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprise" or "consist" are intended to specify the presence of features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood not to preclude the possibility of the presence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, operations, components, parts, or combinations thereof.

[0017] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein, including technical and scientific terms, have the same meaning as commonly understood by a person of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention pertains. Terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should be interpreted to have a meaning consistent with the meaning they have in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined in this application.

[0018] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the present invention, in order to facilitate overall understanding, the same reference numerals will be used for the same components in the drawings, and duplicate descriptions of the same components will be omitted.

[0019] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing the front surface of a metal card 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a diagram showing in more detail the antenna connection structure on the rear surface of the metal card 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, a metal card 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be exemplified as a credit card having an IC chip 110 of a wired / wireless dual interface communication method supporting contact and contactless communication mounted on the front surface as shown in Figure 1, and characters identifying the card company can be formed by various methods (printing, marking, etching, NC processing, laser processing, etc.).

[0021] In addition, the material of the metal card 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be made of any one of conductive metal materials such as super titanium, scantium, SUS, aluminum-based, copper-based, etc., which have good elastic restoring force.

[0022] In particular, the metal body 150 of the metal card 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention is a core sheet that expresses the material and weightiness unique to a metal card, and can be made of SUS (steel use stainless steel), titanium, aluminum, or copper material.

[0023] The metal material of the core sheet of the metal body 150 can be selected taking into consideration not only the quality and weight required to express the metal's characteristics, but also the durability, wear resistance, and degree of denaturation required to withstand the processing process. In one embodiment, the core sheet made of SUS can be a material that is corrosion-resistant and can be heat-treated. Heat treatment refers to an operational process in which metal is heated to a certain temperature and then cooled at a certain rate to improve the metal structure and desired properties. The core sheet of the metal body 150 can have unevenness on part or all of its surface for adhesion. In addition, the core sheet can be processed through a heat treatment process to improve its strength and resilience during the manufacturing of the metal card 100.

[0024] The metal body 150 of the metal card 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention may be provided with an IC chip receiving portion 111 that is formed as an opening in the metal body 150 and receives the IC chip 110. The receiving portion 111 may be formed by opening the metal body 150 by a punching process, an etching process, an NC process, or the like, with an area and depth corresponding to the position and shape of the IC chip 110.

[0025] The metal body 150 according to the embodiment of the present invention may include a slit portion 130 formed by cutting from one side of the IC chip receiving portion 111 toward the outer edge of the metal body.

[0026] Here, the slit portion 130 may be a cutout region that prevents the metal body 150 from blocking wireless signals while improving the antenna characteristics of the metal card 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. For example, the slit portion 130 may include a slit structure formed to an outer edge of the metal body 150 with a predetermined width corresponding to the width of the IC chip receiving portion, and may have various shapes such as a straight line, a zigzag, a diagonal line, a sawtooth structure, etc. Here, the predetermined width may be set to be narrower, wider, or the same as the width of the IC chip receiving portion.

[0027] Here, due to the structure of the slit portion 130, the metal body 150 has an inductance corresponding to a wireless electromagnetic signal. Therefore, when one end of the antenna 120 according to an embodiment of the present invention is connected to the metal body 150, the metal body 150 can function as a single winding coil provided in the antenna 120. As a result, the metal body 150 itself can be used as a coil for the antenna 120, which improves the wireless antenna transmission / reception performance of the metal card 100 while shortening the tuning process. Furthermore, since a separate shielding layer can be eliminated, a thinner and more advantageous metal card 100 can be manufactured. The formation of the antenna 120 and the method and structure for joining and connecting the antenna 120 to the metal body 150 will be described in more detail below.

[0028] In addition, the slit portion 130 may be filled with an electrically insulating material or may be left open. For example, a PVC reinforcing pin, a connector, or a rubber reinforcing material may be inserted into the slit portion 130, thereby maintaining the overall shape and durability of the metal card 100.

[0029] 2, an antenna 120 may be provided on the lower surface of the metal body 150, electrically connected to the wireless IC chip 110 and configured to transmit and receive wireless signals to and from an external device such as a card reader.

[0030] Here, the antenna 120 may include one or more antenna patterns wound around the IC chip receiving portion 111 so as to be electrically connected to the IC chip 110 and perform a communication function while transmitting and receiving wireless signals to and from an external device.

[0031] Furthermore, since the antenna 120 can be joined and connected to the metal body 150 as described above so as to form one turn of the antenna pattern, one end of each pattern of the antenna 120 can be connected to at least one of the first joining position 121 and the second joining position 122 of the metal body 150.

[0032] More specifically, the antenna 120 may be configured such that one end of the first pattern is electrically connected to a first joining position 121 of the metal body adjacent to the slit portion 130 by a predetermined first distance, and one end of the second pattern is electrically connected to a second joining position 122 of the metal body adjacent to the slit portion 130 by a predetermined second distance, so that each of the first and second patterns is formed to extend in a direction continuous with the winding direction of the antenna 120.

[0033] Here, the first and second joining positions 121 and 122 may be formed adjacent to each other and spaced apart by the first and second distances around the slit portion 130. The first and second distances may be the same or different.

[0034] In addition, one end of each pattern may be electrically connected to the first and second bonding positions 121 and 122 of the metal body 150, and an adhesive material having anisotropic conductivity may be used. For example, electrical connection methods such as anisotropic conductive film (ACF), anisotropic conductive paste (ACP), conductive adhesive, and SMT (Surface Mount Technology) may be used.

[0035] In addition, the metal body 150 may typically be anodized in advance for insulation, but for such electrical connection, each of the first and second bonding positions 121 and 122 may be locally etched in advance.

[0036] In addition, the other end of the first pattern connected to each first joining position 121 or the other end of the second pattern connected to each second joining position 122 can be connected to the first contact portion 112 and the second contact portion 113 of the IC chip 110, respectively.

[0037] However, the contact portions 112 and 113 in Figure 2 are an example of a case where the antenna 120 and the IC chip 110 are electrically connected by wire, and if the antenna 120 and the IC chip 110 are electrically connected by wireless, the configuration of the contact portions 112 and 113 may be omitted.

[0038] By connecting at least one end of the antenna 120 pattern to the metal body 150 in this manner, the metal body 150 can be formed as a single winding pattern extending along the direction of current flow in the antenna 120 .

[0039] As a result, good antenna characteristics can be formed without providing a separate shielding layer on the metal card 100 or without undergoing a complicated manufacturing process.

[0040] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating the relationship between contact positions according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0041] Referring to FIG. 3, the first and second joining positions 121 and 122 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be set to face each other with the slit portion 130 at the center, and may be formed spaced apart from the slit portion 130 by a predetermined first distance D1 and a second distance D2, respectively.

[0042] As a result, the antenna 120 pattern can be wound around the IC chip accommodating section 111, taking into account the connection position between the first joining position 121 and the second joining position 122, and the winding direction can correspond to the current direction due to the electrical connection with the IC chip 110.

[0043] In particular, the first and second joining positions 121 and 122 may be located diagonally opposite each other with a certain inclination, taking into consideration the direction of current flow, and the antenna can be formed as described above if the direction of current in the antenna coil pattern formed by the antenna 120 is the same as the direction of current flowing in the metal body 150 having the slit portion 130.

[0044] Therefore, by positioning the metal body 150 in consideration of the antenna characteristics and current direction as shown in FIG. 2, the metal body 150 can function as a part of one antenna electrically connected to the IC chip 110.

[0045] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the correspondence relationship of contact positions and test results according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0046] As shown in FIG. 4, second bonding positions 122 numbered 1 to 9 corresponding to first bonding positions 121 numbered 1 to 9, respectively, can be formed.

[0047] The bonding positions according to the present invention are formed to face each other with the slit portion 130 at the center, and the positions are not limited and may be formed at various positions as long as they can maintain the direction of current flowing into the metal body 150. Therefore, Fig. 4 shows various embodiments of the first bonding position 121 and the second bonding position 122 formed at various positions spaced apart according to the present invention.

[0048] In addition, as shown in Table 1 below, a test was conducted by connecting the antenna 120 to each contact point, and it was confirmed that a generally high recognition distance and appropriate antenna frequency characteristics were formed for all positions. [Table 1]

[0049] Meanwhile, as mentioned above, when the current direction of the antenna coil was reversed at position 3, the VSWR was 26.8 MHz / 2.1, and it was confirmed that wireless recognition failed. This result can be understood as a sufficient explanation that the metal body 150 can smoothly function as a single coil rather than a simple metal body, and the metal card 100 can be easily and quickly manufactured by the frequency tuning process for the antenna 120 integrally combined with the metal body 150.

[0050] FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating the case where a single contact point is formed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0051] Referring to FIG. 5, according to an embodiment of the present invention, the contact point between the metal body 150 and the antenna 120 may be formed only at one point, the first contact position 121, and the other end of the antenna 120 may be formed in an open structure.

[0052] In this case, coupling can be formed in the open region between the metal body 150 and the antenna 120, and antenna characteristics and tuning can be more easily achieved by adjusting the coupling. In order to securely form an open structure that is not electrically connected to the coupling region, a third bonding position 123 according to an embodiment of the present invention can be further formed, and the bonding material can be made of an insulating material such as PVC or a plastic adhesive.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a case where a contact position on a side surface of a slit is formed according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] Referring to FIG. 6, the slit portion 130 according to an embodiment of the present invention may be formed by cutting the metal body 150, and may further include a side portion 131, and the first bonding position 121 according to an embodiment of the present invention may also be provided on the side portion 131.

[0055] 6, at least a portion of the antenna 120 located in the antenna layer below the metal body 150 may be joined to the side portion 131 of the slit portion 130. The position and direction of the joined first joining position 121 may be formed in a direction extending in the direction of current flow in the winding pattern of the antenna 120, so that the metal body 150 may be configured to function as a coil.

[0056] FIG. 7 is a flowchart illustrating a method for manufacturing a wireless IC card according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] Referring to FIG. 7, first, the metal body 150 is anodized for insulation and etched at the first bonding position 121 (S101).

[0058] Then, the metal body 150 is milled at a position and depth for accommodating the IC chip 110, thereby forming an IC chip accommodating portion 111 having an opening (S102).

[0059] Thereafter, the metal body 150 is processed to form a slit portion 130 by cutting from one side of the IC chip receiving portion 111 toward the outer edge of the metal body 150 (S103).

[0060] Then, at least one end of an antenna 120 electrically connected to the wireless IC chip 110 is bonded to the first bonding position 121 pre-etched on the underside of the metal body 150, and the metal body 150 having the slit portion 130 is configured to extend the winding of the antenna pattern.

[0061] Furthermore, frequency tuning is performed taking into consideration the antenna characteristics of the metal card 100 (S107).

[0062] As described above, the drawings and specification disclose the best mode for carrying out the present invention. Although specific terms are used herein, they are used merely for the purpose of describing the present invention and are not used to limit the meaning or the scope of the present invention as described in the claims. Therefore, a person skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and equivalent embodiments are possible. Therefore, the true technical scope of protection of the present invention should be determined by the technical spirit of the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0063] 100 Metal Cards 110 IC chips 111 IC chip storage section 130 Slit section 150 metal body 120 Antenna 121 1st contact position 122 2nd contact position

Claims

1. A wireless IC card equipped with a wireless IC chip and including a metal body, an IC chip housing portion formed as an opening in the metal body and housing the wireless IC chip; a slit formed by cutting from one side of the IC chip receiving portion toward the outer edge of the metal body; an antenna formed on a lower surface of the metal body and electrically connected to the wireless IC chip, the antenna includes a first pattern and a second pattern wound around the IC chip receiving portion, one end of the first pattern is electrically connected to a first bonding position of the metal body, and the other end of the first pattern is connected to a first contact portion of the IC chip; one end of the second pattern is electrically connected to a second bonding position of the metal body, and the other end of the second pattern is connected to a second contact portion of the IC chip; the first joining position and the second joining position of the metal body are disposed to face each other with the slit portion therebetween; A wireless IC card including a metal body.

2. 2. The wireless IC card including the metal body according to claim 1, wherein the slit portion is formed to a predetermined width corresponding to the width of the IC chip accommodating portion up to the outer edge of the metal body.

3. One end of the first pattern is electrically connected to the metal body by using an adhesive material having anisotropic conductivity or conductive properties at the first bonding position, or by using an electrical adhesive connection method corresponding to the adhesive material; The electrical adhesive connection method is any one of anisotropic conductive film (ACF), anisotropic conductive paste (ACP), conductive adhesive, and SMT (Surface Mount Technology); A wireless IC card comprising the metal body according to claim 1.

4. A method for manufacturing a wireless IC card having a metal body and a wireless IC chip mounted thereon, comprising: forming an opening in the metal body to form an IC chip housing portion configured to house the wireless IC chip; forming a slit portion by cutting the metal body from one side of the IC chip receiving portion toward an outer edge of the metal body; connecting an antenna electrically connected to the wireless IC chip to a lower surface of the metal body, the antenna includes a first pattern and a second pattern wound around the IC chip receiving portion, one end of the first pattern is electrically connected to a first bonding position of the metal body, and the other end of the first pattern is connected to a first contact portion of the IC chip; one end of the second pattern is electrically connected to a second bonding position of the metal body, and the other end of the second pattern is connected to a second contact portion of the IC chip; the first joining position and the second joining position of the metal body are disposed to face each other with the slit portion therebetween; 10. A method for manufacturing a wireless IC card including a metal body, comprising:

5. The step of processing the slit portion includes:

5. The method for manufacturing a wireless IC card including a metal body according to claim 4, further comprising the step of forming the slit portion by cutting the metal body up to the outer edge to a predetermined width corresponding to the width of the IC chip accommodating portion.

6. The connecting step includes: electrically connecting one end of the first pattern to the metal body at the first bonding position using an adhesive material having anisotropic conductivity or conductive properties, or using an electrical adhesive connection method corresponding to the adhesive material; The electrical adhesive connection method is any one of anisotropic conductive film (ACF), anisotropic conductive paste (ACP), conductive adhesive, and SMT (Surface Mount Technology); A method for manufacturing a wireless IC card including the metal body according to claim 4.

7. anodizing the metal body; 5. The method for manufacturing a wireless IC card including a metal body according to claim 4, further comprising the step of pre-etching the anodized metal body so that the first joining position is electrically connected to one end of the first pattern.

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