Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha

Mitsubishi Electric Engineering Industrial Co., Ltd.

Kiyotaka Nishino

Shigeo Onoda

Makoto Omori

Tetsuro Washida

Jun Ohbuchi

Tomomi Morii

Katsunori Ochi

Takashi Arita

Takaaki Okidono

There is provided an IC card and manufacturing method thereof assuring a highly reliable fixed portion in fixing upper and lower panel members to a frame made of resin as well as an advantage in terms of manufacturing cost. In the IC card in which a pair of upper and lower panel members covering card planar portions are respectively fixed to the upper and the lower surfaces of a resin frame which supports a peripheral portion of an electric circuit board and a connector attached to an end portion of the electric circuit board, the panel members have their peripheral edge portions which are provided with a bent portion extending along the peripherial edge portions and are formed by bending the panel material at a specified angle, and a welding use resin layer is formed on the surface of the bent portion and the periphery of the planar portion of the panel member. On the other hand, the frame is provided with a groove portion for receiving therein the bent portion, and the welding use resin layer is melted in a pressurized state while making the welding use resin layer abut against the frame with the bent portion fitted in to the groove portion, thereby fixing the panel members to the frame.

IC card and manufacturing method thereof

There is provided an IC card where a pair of, upper and lower metal panels are respectively fixed to the frame; edge portions of the metal panel are provided with bend portions; grooves each of which comprises a pair of uneven vertical walls having a plurality of depressions and projections extending in the direction of the width of the frame are provided on the top and bottom surfaces of the frame; the distance between the projections on both the uneven vertical walls in the direction of the width of the frame is set so as to be smaller than the thickness of the bend portions by a given amount; and the metal panel is fixed to the frame with the bend portions press-fitted into the grooves along the projections. The IC card is advantageous in the manufacturing cost and is capable of stably providing a fixing force sufficient to withstand a long-term use, with regard to the fixation of upper and lower panel members to a frame.

IC card

An IC card includes a first cover including a first flat panel portion and a first upright wall portion formed therein adjacent a perimeter of the flat panel portion so as to extend transverse to the flat panel portion, and a second cover including a second flat panel portion and a second upright wall portion formed therein adjacent a perimeter of the flat panel portion so as to extend transverse to the flat panel portion. The first upright wall portion defines a chamber in cooperation with a portion of the first flat panel portion. The first and second covers are mated together with the first and second upright wall portions bonded together in a butt fashion.

IC card and method of making the same

An IC card comprises a module with an electric circuit and two panels adhered to each other to cover the module between them. The two panels are adhered with an adhesive with a sufficient adhesion strength and seals the module with no path of air to the outside of the IC card. Airtight sealing of the IC card in realized in various ways. For example, a groove having a varying width is provided in one of the panels for applying an adhesive, while a groove engaging to the groove is provided in the other of the panels. When the two panels are adhered to each other, gas channels may be formed in the groove at portions with narrower widths, while an adhesive in the groove at portions with wider widths fills the gas channels due to viscosity. In another way, a protrusion provided in one of the panels has an edge opposite to a groove provided in the other of the panels. Thus, the groove is kept air-tight. In a different way, an adhesive having a high viscosity at curing temperature is used. In a still different way, all the space inside the IC card is filled, or a sufficient amount of an adhesive is filled in a space between the two panels around a peripheral thereof. In a further way, the panels are adhered in a thermostat. In a still further way, the panels are adhered with melting at a peripheral thereof.

An IC card includes a circuit board for mounting electronic parts, a frame surrounding the circuit board, and panel covering each of the front and back sides of the circuit board and the frame. Spacers serving as supporting members are adhered to the circuit board by soldering. Soldering can be performed by the same process as soldering electronic parts to the circuit board so as to prevent deformation of the panels and application of excessive force to the electronic parts even if an external force is applied to the panels.

An IC card includes a main substrate and a plurality of sub-substrates. Each sub-substrate has two surfaces on which electronic components are installed. The sub-substrates are mounted on both surfaces of the main substrate within the IC card. Openings in the main substrate receive electronic components installed on the sub-substrates. Such an arrangement makes it possible to provide four layers of electronic components within an IC card.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Kiyotaka Nishino