Card reader
A card reader to read information in an integrated circuit (IC) card includes a housing, a first antenna, a control circuit, and a switch unit. The first antenna is disposed inside of the housing to communicate with the IC card. The control circuit communicates with the IC card within a communication range of the first antenna and performs at least a process that acquires data from a memory in the IC card. The switch unit includes a radio frequency (RF) tag having a second antenna and functions as a switch that performs a predetermined function by causing the RF tag to communicate with the control circuit via the second antenna and the first antenna when a predetermined condition is satisfied. The second antenna of the switch unit is in a side lobe of the first antenna.
1. A card reader to read information in an integrated circuit (IC) card, the card reader comprising:
a housing;
a first antenna disposed inside of the housing;
a control circuit communicating with the IC card via the first antenna, the control circuit performing at least a process that acquires data from a memory in the IC card; and
a switch including a radio frequency (RF) tag that includes a second antenna, the switch performing a predetermined function by causing the RF tag to communicate with the control circuit via the second antenna and the first antenna when a predetermined condition is satisfied, wherein:
the first antenna is a loop antenna in a shape of a loop, the loop antenna having a loop area inside of the loop, an outer periphery of the loop area being defined as an outer perimeter of the loop antenna;
the housing has outer faces including a front face that the loop area of the loop antenna faces;
the front face contains an antenna-projection area that is defined as a projection of the loop area of the first antenna in a direction orthogonal to the loop area;
the RF tag and the second antenna are contained internally in the switch; and
the switch is externally fixed to a position on a different area that is separated from the antenna-projection area of the front face, and offset at a position outside of the outer perimeter of the loop antenna.
2. The card reader according to claim 1 , wherein:
the switch includes a manipulation portion configured to receive a press manipulation by a user, the predetermined condition being satisfied when the press manipulation is received via the manipulation portion; and
the switch is a button switch into which the manipulation portion, the RF tag, and the second antenna are integrated.
3. The card reader according to claim 1 , wherein:
the front face of the housing contains: (i) the antenna-projection area, and (ii) the different area that is separate from the antenna-projection area; and
the switch is externally fixed to the position on the different area contained in the front face.
4. The card reader according to claim 1 , wherein:
the outer faces of the housing include the front face and a different face that is different from the front face; and
the switch is externally fixed to the position on the different area contained in the different face of the housing.
5. The card reader according to claim 1 , wherein:
the housing is installed to a wall; and
the switch including the second antenna is externally fixed to the position on the different area that is adjacent to the wall.
6. The card reader according to claim 1 , wherein:
the second antenna is maintained in a dissonance state when the predetermined condition is not satisfied; and
the second antenna is moved to a resonance state when the predetermined condition is satisfied.
7. The card reader according to claim 1 , wherein:
the housing includes a cover; and
the switch is attached to the cover.