Integrated circuit smart card with display device

摘要

The integrated circuit card (10) carries an electronic display panel (12) on one face. The display can show information stored in the memory (11) in the card. The display is erased by signals emitted from the card reader (20). Erasure is by electrical signals acting on the ferroelectric layer of the display. The ferroelectric material can be formed from a variety of bistable materials, including liquid crystals dispersed in polymer, bistable ceramic crystals, an electro-chromatic material or a thermo-chromatic material. Alternatively the ferroelectric material can be formed of a layer of monostable liquid crystals or an electro-chromatic material without memory effect, with the card supplied by a battery and a switching circuit that maintains the display.