Inlay with improved antenna performance and card capable of bidirectional communication, including same

Abstract

The present invention relates to an inlay with improved antenna performance and a card capable of bidirectional communication, including same. The inlay comprises; an antenna inlay which has an opening therein and which has an antenna with a first end part and a second end part; a first metal member disposed in the opening of the antenna inlay; and a second metal member which disposed on the circumference of the antenna inlay, and of which at least a portion is separated to have an open-loop shape, wherein the first and second end parts of the antenna are electrically connected to different positions of the second metal member, respectively.

Description

Inlay with improved antenna performance and card capable of bidirectional communication including the same

[0001] The present invention relates to an inlay having a structure with improved antenna performance and a card capable of two-way communication.

[0002] Credit cards can generally be used as a substitute for cash. Recently, smart cards with embedded IC chips capable of storing large amounts of information have been developed, and are being actively used not only for payment but also for various membership cards. In this smart card market, specialized cards using various materials are being developed.

[0003] In particular, differentiated metal credit cards are being developed for VIP customers, but the characteristics of conventional metal cards often make it difficult for the antenna to operate during contactless communication with the reader, which limits RF functions and ATM use.

[0004] Furthermore, because metal cards are manufactured using thin metal sheets or thin coatings of metal powder, it has been difficult to create patterns and text on their surfaces. Furthermore, if the material is too light, the inherent weight of the metal cannot be perceived. Therefore, there is a pressing need to develop metal cards that overcome these limitations and express the unique weight and aesthetics of metal.

[0005] For example, the metal foil plastic card of the prior art Korean Utility Model Registration No. 20-0382725 discloses a card in which a metal foil smaller than the core sheet is attached to the upper and lower surfaces of a core sheet made of synthetic resin, so that a margin is formed around the upper and lower surfaces of the core sheet, and an antenna coil is installed along the margin. 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 metal texture throughout the card.

[0006] Accordingly, to solve this problem, a front metal material card using a metal sheet made of SUS material and an antenna connection has recently emerged.

[0007] However, the front metal material card has the disadvantage of only being able to make contactless payments in one direction because the antenna coil is only provided toward the front of the metal card, and the antenna sensitivity is poor.

[0008] Accordingly, research is being conducted to configure a metal card to enable two-way communication, but to date, the increased thickness and complex antenna connection structure have made it difficult to design it elegantly, and in particular, the increased thickness leads to an increase in volume and area, which has the problem of reduced usability and productivity.

[0009] The present invention is intended to improve the above-mentioned problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an inlay having improved antenna performance, and a card including the inlay having a weight characteristic of metal and capable of two-way communication.

[0010] An inlay having improved antenna performance according to an embodiment of the present invention for solving the above-described problem includes: an antenna inlay having an opening therein and an antenna formed therein having a first end and a second end; a first metal member arranged in the opening of the antenna inlay; and a second metal member arranged around the periphery of the antenna inlay, at least a portion of which is separated and has an open loop shape; wherein the first and second ends of the antenna are electrically connected to different positions of the second metal member, respectively.

[0011] The above antenna inlay is made of a material having a lower density than the first and second metal members, and the first metal member is made of a material having a higher density than the second metal member.

[0012] Additionally, the inlay may further include a first connecting member for connecting the first end of the antenna to a first position of the second metal member; and a second connecting member for connecting the second end of the antenna to a second position of the second metal member.

[0013] The above inlay may be included in a card according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Meanwhile, a card capable of two-way communication according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an inlay having an antenna formed therein and a portion of which is made of a metal material; and an IC chip connected to the antenna of the inlay by wire or wirelessly; wherein the inlay has an opening therein and includes an antenna inlay having the antenna formed therein, the antenna inlay having a first end and a second end; a first metal member disposed in the opening of the antenna inlay; and a second metal member disposed around the antenna inlay, the first and second ends of the antenna being electrically connected to each other at different positions.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a metal member is arranged inside and around an antenna inlay, and an antenna of the antenna inlay is connected to the open-loop-shaped metal member arranged around the periphery, thereby improving the antenna performance of the inlay.

[0016] According to another embodiment of the present invention, by constructing a card capable of two-way communication using an inlay having the above structure, a card capable of two-way communication with improved performance while having a sense of weight can be provided.

[0017] FIG. 1 is a drawing for explaining one embodiment of a card according to the present invention.

[0018] FIG. 2 is a drawing for explaining embodiments of the laminated structure of a card according to the present invention.

[0019] FIGS. 3 to 8 are drawings for explaining the configuration of an inlay according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0020] FIGS. 9 to 12 are drawings for explaining embodiments of a method for connecting an antenna of an antenna inlay and a second metal member.

[0021] The following merely exemplifies the principles of the present invention. Therefore, those skilled in the art will be able to implement the principles of the present invention and invent various devices within the scope and spirit of the present invention, even if not explicitly described or illustrated herein. Furthermore, all conditional terms and embodiments listed herein are expressly intended, in principle, to facilitate understanding of the present invention, and should be understood as being in no way limiting to the specifically enumerated embodiments and conditions.

[0022] For example, throughout the specification, when a part is said to be "connected" to another part, this includes not only cases where it is "directly connected" but also cases where it is "indirectly connected" with other elements intervening. Furthermore, when a part is said to "include" a component, this does not exclude other components, but rather implies that it may include other components, unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0023] Furthermore, all detailed descriptions of the principles, aspects, and embodiments of the present invention, as well as specific embodiments, should be understood to encompass structural and functional equivalents thereof. Furthermore, such equivalents should be understood to encompass not only currently known equivalents but also equivalents developed in the future, i.e., all devices invented to perform the same function, regardless of structure.

[0024] The above-described purposes, features, and advantages will become more apparent through the following detailed description, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will be able to readily implement the technical concepts of the present invention. Furthermore, in describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of known technologies related to the present invention will be omitted if they are deemed to unnecessarily obscure the gist of the invention.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating one embodiment of a card according to the present invention, and shows an example of the front side of a card (100).

[0026] Referring to FIG. 1, the card (100) may be a card having a sense of weight, and may include at least one layer containing metal for that purpose.

[0027] Meanwhile, the card (100) is a card that has a contact or non-contact IC chip (115) mounted on the front and can be used for payment, membership verification, point accumulation, etc., and may be a credit card, check card, prepaid card, membership card, transportation card, or point card, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0028] The IC chip (115) may be equipped with a dual interface combination chip that enables contact / contactless payment, and for this purpose, a space for inserting the combination chip may be formed on the front of the card (100) using NC processing or the like.

[0029] The metal material included in the card (100) may be composed of a metal or metal alloy such as SUS (steel use stainless), titanium, tungsten, or duralumin, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0030] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating another embodiment of the laminated structure of a card according to the present invention.

[0031] Referring to FIG. 2, a first layer in which an epoxy sheet (130), a front printing sheet (140), and a front overlay (150) are sequentially laminated can be placed on the front side of the inlay layer (110) on which the antenna is formed.

[0032] Meanwhile, on the back of the inlay layer (110) where the antenna is formed, a second layer may be arranged in which an epoxy sheet (170), a back printing sheet (180), and a back overlay (190) are sequentially laminated.

[0033] In addition, an adhesive sheet that takes into account the adhesive strength of the inlay layer (110) containing a metal material and the epoxy sheet (130, 170) can be formed between the inlay layer (110) and the front epoxy sheet (130), and between the inlay layer (110) and the rear epoxy sheet (170), and can be implemented as a hotmelt sheet with a material suitable for the metal material.

[0034] The inlay layer (110) has an antenna embedded in it ultrasonically, and the antenna is connected to a combi chip (not shown) to be mounted later, either wired or wirelessly, to enable contactless payment using NFC, etc.

[0035] For example, the inlay layer (110) is a sheet including a radio frequency (RF) antenna coil, and the number of turns of the coil is determined to exhibit optimized sensitivity through an RF communication (e.g., NFC) sensitivity test.

[0036] The epoxy sheet (130, 170) is made of synthetic resin and is implemented as an epoxy sheet to minimize deformation due to heat during the subsequent laminating process.

[0037] The front printing sheet (140) and the back printing sheet (180) are used to print and display card information or to print and display images such as card information, patterns, or designs, and can be manufactured by printing desired information on a PVC (Polyvinyl Chloride) sheet, for example.

[0038] In addition, the front printing sheet (140) may further include a hologram layer, and a hologram pattern formed on the card may be printed by hot stamping a hologram foil by transfer, by laminating a plurality of moldings having a hologram pattern formed thereon, by depositing a molding having a hologram pattern formed thereon, or by including a coating layer in which a hologram pattern is finely processed by UV resin coating.

[0039] The front overlay (150) may be a coating layer for protecting the front of the card (100), and the rear overlay (190) may be a layer including a magnetic stripe (MS) and may be manufactured by forming the magnetic stripe (MS) at a specific location of a PVC sheet.

[0040] As shown in FIG. 2, a card (100) can be sequentially laminated with an epoxy sheet (130), a front printing sheet (140), and a front overlay (150) centered on an inlay layer (110) on the front, and an epoxy sheet (170), a rear printing sheet (180), and a rear overlay (190) sequentially laminated on the back, aligned, and then attached to each other through a single laminating process.

[0041] Meanwhile, an IC chip (115) that enables contact / contactless payment can be mounted on the front of the card (100) manufactured as described above, and for this purpose, a space for inserting the IC chip (115) can be formed on the front of the card (100) using NC processing or the like.

[0042] The IC chip (115) can be configured to be connected to an antenna formed on the inlay layer (110) by wire or wirelessly, so as to enable contactless payment using a wireless communication method such as NFC.

[0043] For example, the IC chip (115) may be wirelessly connected to an antenna formed in the inlay layer (110) using a magnetic induction wireless signal transmission method, or may be wiredly connected by spot welding an antenna coil pulled out of the inlay layer (110) through an insertion space and a COB contact.

[0044] Hereinafter, the configuration of an inlay according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 8. The inlay (300) described below can be used as an inlay layer (110) of a card (100) according to the present invention as described with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2.

[0045] Referring to FIG. 3, the inlay (300) may be configured to include an antenna inlay (310), a first metal member (330), and a second metal member (360).

[0046] An antenna (311) is formed in the antenna inlay (310), and an opening (318) is formed inside.

[0047] The first metal member (330) is inserted and placed into the opening (318) of the antenna inlay (310), and the second metal member (360) can be placed around the antenna inlay (310) to form an outer region of the inlay (300).

[0048] Here, the antenna inlay (310) is made of a material having a lower density than the first and second metal members (330, 360), and may be implemented as, for example, a PVC sheet, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0049] Meanwhile, the first metal member (330) may be composed of a metal material having a higher density than the second metal member (360). For example, the first metal member (330) may be implemented with tungsten, and the second metal member (360) may be implemented with SUS. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the first and second metal members (330, 360) may be implemented with the same metal material.

[0050] According to the configuration described above, the inlay (300) can be implemented in the form of a single sheet, as shown in FIG. 4, and can have a structure that has a weight according to the metal members (330, 360) and enables two-way communication through the antenna (311) formed in the antenna inlay (310).

[0051] Referring to FIG. 4, the second metal member (360) arranged around the periphery of the antenna inlay (310) may be separated by a cut portion (361) located at least in a portion, so as to have an open loop shape rather than a closed loop.

[0052] Meanwhile, if the antenna (311) is located on the left side of the inlay (300) in which the IC chip connection area (315) to which the IC chip (115) is connected wired or wirelessly, the cut portion (361) may be located on the right side of the inlay (300), but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the position or number of the cut portions (361) may be changed.

[0053] Referring to FIG. 5, the antenna (315) formed in the antenna inlay (310) may have a first end (312) and a second end (313).

[0054] According to an embodiment of the present invention, in the configuration of the inlay (300) as described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 5, the first and second ends (312, 313) of the antenna (3101) are electrically connected to different positions of the second metal member (360), respectively.

[0055] According to the embodiment of the present invention as described above, first and second metal members (330, 360) are arranged inside and around the antenna inlay (310), and the first and second ends (312, 313) of the antenna (311) of the antenna inlay (310) are connected to the second metal member (360) in the shape of an open loop arranged around the periphery, so that the second metal member (360) forming the outer periphery of the inlay (300) can function as an antenna, and accordingly, the antenna performance of the inlay (300) can be improved.

[0056] Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, a first connecting member (380) for connecting a first end (312) of an antenna (311) to a first position (363) of a second metal member (360), and a second connecting member (381) for connecting a second end (313) of an antenna (311) to a second position (364) of a second metal member (360) may be additionally provided in the inlay (300).

[0057] At least one of the first and second connecting members (380, 381) may include a conductive adhesive, and may be implemented with, for example, silver paste, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and may be implemented with various conductive materials to electrically connect the first and second ends (312, 313) of the antenna (311) and the first and second positions (363, 364) of the second metal member (360), respectively.

[0058] Meanwhile, as illustrated in FIG. 8, the first and second ends (312, 313) of the antenna (311) may be physically directly connected to the first and second positions (363, 364) of the second metal member (360), respectively.

[0059] In the above, referring to FIGS. 6 to 8, the first and second ends (312, 313) of the antenna (311) are electrically connected to the first and second positions (363, 364) adjacent to the two ends of the separated cut portion (361) of the second metal member (360), respectively, as an example of an embodiment of the present invention. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the first and second ends (312, 313) of the antenna (311) may be connected to positions spaced apart from the two separated ends of the second metal member (360).

[0060] In addition, if necessary, a cross-shaped connection may be possible in which the first end (312) located on the upper side of the antenna (311) is connected to the second position (364) on the lower side among the separated ends of the second metal member (360), and the second end (313) located on the lower side of the antenna (311) is connected to the first position (363) on the upper side among the separated ends of the second metal member (360).

[0061] Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12, embodiments of a method for connecting an antenna (311) of an antenna inlay (310) and a second metal member (360) will be described.

[0062] Referring to FIG. 9, the first end and the second end of the antenna (311) formed in the antenna inlay (310) can be electrically connected to positions (363, 364) adjacent to the separated ends of the second metal member (360).

[0063] Meanwhile, when the IC chip connection area (315), which is the part where the antenna (311) is connected to the IC chip (115) by wire or wirelessly, is located in the left area of ​​the inlay (300), the separated part of the second metal member (360) may be located in the right area of ​​the inlay (300) as shown in FIG. 9, in the upper area of ​​the inlay (300) as shown in FIG. 10, or in the lower area of ​​the inlay (300) as shown in FIG. 11.

[0064] Additionally, the first end and the second end of the antenna (311) may be connected to the separated ends of the second metal member (360) in a direction that intersects each other. Accordingly, the two lines of the antenna coil may intersect each other in some areas, and in this case, the antenna (311) is formed in the antenna inlay (310) so that the two intersecting lines do not come into contact.

[0065] For example, as illustrated in FIG. 9, the upper first end of the antenna (311) may be connected to a second location (364) adjacent to the lower end of the second metal member (360), and the lower second end of the antenna (311) may be connected to a first location (363) adjacent to the upper end of the second metal member (360).

[0066] In addition, as shown in FIGS. 10 and 11, the left first end of the antenna (311) may be connected to a second location (364) adjacent to the right end of the second metal member (360), and the right second end of the antenna (311) may be connected to a first location (363) adjacent to the left end of the second metal member (360).

[0067] According to another embodiment of the present invention, the first and second ends of the antenna (311) may be respectively connected to positions spaced apart from both ends of the separated portion of the second metal member (360).

[0068] Referring to FIG. 12, a first connecting portion (366) and a second connecting portion (367) may be formed in positions spaced apart from a cut portion (361) where the separated ends are located in the second metal member (360).

[0069] In this case, the first end of the antenna (311) may be electrically connected to the first connection portion (366) of the second metal member (360), and the second end of the antenna (311) may be electrically connected to the second connection portion (367) of the second metal member (360).

[0070] In the above, examples of a method for electrically connecting the ends of the antenna (311) of the antenna inlay (310) to the second metal member (360) have been described with reference to FIGS. 9 to 12, but the present invention is not limited thereto, and the position or shape of the ends of the antenna (311) connected to the second metal member (360) may be changed. For example, the ends of the antenna (311) and the second metal member (360) may be connected through connecting members (380, 381) as described with reference to FIGS. 6 and 7.

[0071] A card capable of two-way communication according to the present invention may be configured to include an inlay (300) as described with reference to FIGS. 3 to 12, and an IC chip (115) connected to an antenna (311) of the inlay (300) by wire or wirelessly.

[0072] By constructing a card capable of two-way communication using an inlay (300) having the structure described above, a card capable of two-way communication with improved performance while having a sense of weight can be provided.

[0073] Although the preferred embodiments of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments described above, and various modifications can be made by those skilled in the art without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Furthermore, such modifications should not be understood individually from the technical idea or prospect of the present invention.

Claims

1. An antenna inlay having an opening inside and an antenna formed therein having a first end and a second end; A first metal member arranged in the opening of the above antenna inlay; and A second metal member is disposed around the periphery of the antenna inlay, and at least a portion of the second metal member is separated and has an open loop shape; An inlay having improved antenna performance, characterized in that the first and second ends of the antenna are electrically connected to different locations of the second metal member, respectively.

2. In paragraph 1, An inlay having improved antenna performance, characterized in that the antenna inlay is composed of a material having a lower density than the first and second metal members.

3. In paragraph 1, An inlay having improved antenna performance, characterized in that the first metal member is composed of a material having a higher density than the second metal member.

4. In paragraph 1, A first connecting member for connecting the first end of the antenna to the first position of the second metal member; and An inlay having improved antenna performance, characterized by further comprising a second connecting member for connecting the second end of the antenna to a second position of the second metal member.

5. In paragraph 4, An inlay having improved antenna performance, characterized in that at least one of the first and second connecting members comprises a conductive adhesive.

6. In paragraph 1, The first and second ends of the above antenna An inlay having improved antenna performance, characterized in that it is connected to positions adjacent to each end of the separated portion of the second metal member.

7. In paragraph 1, The first and second ends of the above antenna An inlay having improved antenna performance, characterized in that it is connected to positions spaced apart from both ends of the separated portion of the second metal member.

8. In paragraph 1, When the part of the antenna of the above antenna inlay that is connected to the IC chip by wire or wirelessly is located in the left area of ​​the above inlay, The separated portion of the second metal member An inlay having improved antenna performance, characterized in that it is located in at least one area among the right, upper and lower sides of the inlay.

9. A card comprising an inlay as described in any one of paragraphs 1 to 8.

10. For cards that can communicate bidirectionally in the front and rear directions, An antenna is formed, the inlay being partly made of metal material; and An IC chip connected to the antenna of the above inlay by wire or wirelessly; The above inlay is An antenna inlay having an opening inside and an antenna formed therein having a first end and a second end; A first metal member arranged in the opening of the above antenna inlay; and A card capable of bidirectional communication, characterized by including a second metal member arranged around the periphery of the antenna inlay, wherein the first and second ends of the antenna are electrically connected to each other at different positions.

11. In paragraph 10, When the antenna of the above inlay and the IC chip are connected in the left area of ​​the above inlay, The above second metal member A card capable of bidirectional communication, characterized in that at least one area among the right, upper, and lower sides of the inlay is separated and has an open loop shape.

12. In the 10th paragraph, the inlay A first connecting member for connecting the first end of the antenna to the first position of the second metal member; and A card capable of bidirectional communication, characterized in that it further includes a second connecting member for connecting the second end of the antenna to the second position of the second metal member.

13. In paragraph 10, A first layer disposed on the front side of the inlay and comprising at least one of an epoxy sheet, a front printing sheet and a front overlay; and A card capable of bidirectional communication, characterized in that it further comprises a second layer, which is disposed on the back of the inlay and includes at least one of an epoxy sheet, a back printing sheet, and a back overlay.

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