US RE35,992 EGranted

Card reader contacts and non-contact coils on a printed circuit board

AssigneeAmphenol-Tuchel Electronics GmbH

InventorsHeinrich Huis, Bernd Schuder

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Abstract

A reader for contactless data cards includes a printed circuit, contacts for establishing contact with a contact-type data card, and at least one drive coil for transmitting in contactless manner energy and data between the printed circuit and a data medium on the data card. The at least one drive coil forms a component of the printed circuit and the printed circuit in turn includes a flexible portion which establishes an electrical connection to outside the reader for both the contacts and the drive coil, thereby reducing the height of the reader. A variety of carriage configurations may be provided to bring the drive coils and/of contacts into proximity with the card, or for bringing the card into proximity with the drive coils and/or contacts in order to avoid wear on the contacts and ensure a good electromagnetic coupling between the drive coils and the card when the card is of the contactless type.

Claims8

Dependent claims

A reader for a contactless data card, comprising:

a printed circuit including at least one drive coil;
at least one corresponding magnetic yoke, wherein the at least one drive coil forms a means for establishing a contactless connection for transmitting energy and data between the printed circuit and a data medium on the data card, and wherein the magnetic yoke is positioned to establish a magnetic return for the at least one drive coil;
a carriage arranged to descend toward a data card being inserted into the reader, and
a printed circuit board which carries said printed circuit and which is affixed to the carriage, said circuit board including a flexible connection zone extending out of the reader,
wherein the printed circuit board comprises contact strips electrically connected to corresponding contacts which project toward the card in an inserted position of the card, and wherein an electrical connection for both the at least one drive coil and the contact strips to an electrical connector is established by means of the flexible connection zone.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.