Integrated circuit card reader with coupling circuit to limit th

Details Integrated circuit card reader with coupling circuit to limit th Integrated circuit card reader with coupling circuit to limit th

1997-05-30

2000-08-08

Hajec, Donald

Registers

Records

Conductive

G06K 1906

Patent

active

060988886

DESCRIPTION:

BRIEF SUMMARY
The invention relates to a smartcard reader, particularly a reader connected by radio to information transmitters. The readers to which the invention relates are, more generally, readers that must fulfil a different function from that of serving as an interface for a smartcard.
Until now, readers have been based on an architecture for which ISO standard 7816-3 is met by a program operated by a microprocessor, herein called CPU for short. This standard defines the dialogue protocol between a smartcard and the reader.
For certain applications, particularly in the case where the reader is also receiving high-speed information (frequency-modulated information for example), the CPU has to manage and process these data in real time, and it may be impossible for it to dialogue with the card at the same time as it is receiving information.
In one example, the smartcard is used to access paid services: subscription to traffic information, radio subscription, or television subscription.
The transmitters sending such information monitor either continuously or randomly, without the reader or the card knowing when a check is being made. The purpose of this monitoring is to check the registered subscription status of the card. Hence, the reader may have to dialogue with the card while it is receiving radio data.
Today's card readers are made with a microcontroller which also manages the bit. This design makes it necessary to choose a dual processor architecture since the application associated with the reader requires greater speed of execution and reaction than the bit or octet exchange time with the card (calibrated procedure imposed by the standard and hence not interruptible).
Certain commercial components, for example the ST20-TPI made by SGS Thomson Microelectronic, integrate a smartcard interface known as Smart Card, whose input-outputs are fully controlled by the microprocessor. However, this type of architecture does not allow the interface to be monitored automatically.
The goal of the invention is to relieve the CPU microprocessor while retaining flexibility for implementing the various possible protocols for dialoguing between a reader and a smartcard.
The present invention is based on a different type of architecture. This architecture causes all the functions of standard 7816-3, which require synchronization constraints and bit handling, using software to manage all the functions of this standard that are specific to the various protocols, to be carried out by a coupling circuit.
With this goal, the invention relates to a card reader having: contact pads; signals available in the coupling circuit; the reader and with the set of buffer memories; and with the set of buffer memories; set of registers; electrical states stored in the set of registers.
The invention will be better understood by reading the description which follows and examining the accompanying figures. The figures show:
FIG. 1: a reader according to the invention.
FIG. 2: a flowchart of actions executed by the sequencer according to the invention.
FIG. 1 shows a reader 1 of a smartcard 2 according to the invention. Reader 1 has contact pads such as 3 to 7 to make into contact with corresponding contact pads 8 to 12 of a smartcard. The number and positions of these pads are provided by the standard so that electrical contacts are established as soon as card 2 is inserted into a reading slot (not shown) in reader 1. Reader 1 also has a coupling circuit 13 to apply or pick up electrical signals to or from the contact pads. The electrical signals are normally managed or processed by a microprocessor 14 which is also associated with peripheral circuits inside a processing unit 15 of reader 1. The peripheral circuits have, for example, an antenna 16 with its associated receiver circuit and its circuit for communicating with microprocessor 14. They also have, for example, a keyboard 17 or a display 18 connected to microprocessor 14 under the same conditions.
Other circuits, particularly input-output circuits 19, can enable the microprocessor to beco

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