Data carrier for transmitting data with different repetition frequencies

• US 20030095033A1
• Filed: 11/12/2002
• Published: 05/22/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Koninklijke Philips Electronics N.V. (Koninklijke Philips N.V.)
• Inventors: Amtmann, Franz
• Granted Patent: US 7,049,934 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0707 the arrangement being capable of collecting energy from external energy sources, e.g. thermocouples, vibration, electromagnetic radiation G06K19/0702 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0712 the arrangement being capable of triggering distinct operating modes or functions dependent on the strength of an energy or interrogation field in the proximity of the record carrier active means for hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07336
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10198 setting parameters for the interrogator, e.g. programming parameters and operating modes

Abstract

A data carrier (1) for contactless communication with the communication station comprising firstly a reception stage (3) for receiving an interrogation signal (IS), secondly a generation stage (17) for generating a response signal (RS) upon reception of the inquiry signal (IS), thirdly a processing circuit (18) for processing the response signal (RS) into a transmission signal (MCRS) suitable for transmission to the communication station,fourthly a determinating device (22) for determi (REP1, REP2), said representative value (REP1, REP2) representing the field strength of the field acting on the data carrier (1), and fifthly a control connection (25) between the determinating device (22) and the generating stage (17), which generating stage (17) can be influenced via the control connection (25) in order to vary, as a function of the at least one representative value (REP1, REP2), the repetition frequency with which the transmission signal (MCRS) is transmitted.

Claims

1. A data carrier (1) for contactless communication with a communication station (40), the data carrier (1) comprising the means listed below:

reception means (3) for receiving an interrogation signal (IS), which interrogation signal (IS) can be generated by a communication station (40) and can be transmitted to the data carrier (1) in a contactless manner by a field produced by the communication station (40) and acting on the data carrier (1), and

generating means (17) for generating a response signal (RS) upon reception of the interrogation signal (IS), and

processing means (18) for processing the response signal (RS), said processing means (18) being designed to process the response signal (RS) into a transmission signal (MCRS) suitable for transmission to the communication station (40), which transmission signal (MCRS) is recurrently transmitted to the communication station (40) with a specific repetition frequency, and

determination means (22) for determinating calculating at least one representative value (REP1, REP2), the representative value (REP1, REP2) representing the field strength of the field acting on the data carrier (1), and

control connection means (25) between the determination means (22) and the generating means (17) and/or the processing means (18), said control connection means (25) being designed to controllably influence the generating means (17) and/or the processing means (18) as a function of the at least one representative value (REP1, REP2), i.e. to vary, as a function of the at least one representative value (REP1, REP2), the repetition frequency with which the transmission signal (MCRS) is transmitted to the communication station (40).

2. A data carrier (1) as claimed in claim 1, wherein control means (26), which interact with the determination means (22), which are designed to generate control data (CDA) as a function of the at least one representative value (REP1, REP2), and which interact with the generating means (17) and/or the processing means (18) in order to vary the repetition frequency with which the transmission signal (MCRS) is transmitted to the communication station (3), are provided in the control connection means (25).

3. A circuit (2) for a data carrier (1) for contactless communication with a communication station (40), the circuit (2) having the means listed below:

connection means (6) for receiving an interrogation signal (IS), which interrogation signal (IS) can be generated by a communication station (40) and can be transmitted to the data carrier (1) and hence to the circuit (2) for the data carrier (1) in a contactless manner by a field produced by the communication station (40) and acting on a data carrier (1), and

generating means (17) for generating a response signal (RS) upon reception of the interrogation signal (IS), and

processing means (18) for processing the response signal (RS), said processing means (18) being designed to process the response signal (RS) into a transmission signal (MCRS) suitable for transmission to the communication station (40), which transmission signal (MCRS) is recurrently transmitted to the communication station (40) with a specific repetition frequency, and

determination means (22) for determinating at least one representative value (REP1, REP2), said representative value (REP1, REP2) representing the field strength of the field acting on the data carrier (1), and

control connection means (25) between the determination means (22) and the generating means (17) and/or the processing means (18), said control connection means (25) being designed to controllably influence the generating means (17) and/or the processing means (18) as a function of the at least one representative value (REP1, REP2), i.e. to vary, as a function of the at least one representative value (REP1, REP2), the repetition frequency with which the transmission signal (MCRS) is transmitted to the communication station (40).

4. A circuit as claimed in claim 3, wherein control means (26), which interact with the determination means (22) and which are designed to generate control data (CDA) as a function of the at least one representative value (REP1, REP2) and which interact with the generating means (17) and/or the processing means (18) in order to vary, by means of the control data (CDA) generated, the repetition frequency with which the transmission signal (MCRS) is transmitted to the communication station (40), are provided in the control connection means (25).

5. A communication station (40) for contactless communication with a data carrier (1), the data carrier (1) being designed for contactless communication with the communication station (40) and comprising the following means:

reception means (3) for receiving an interrogation signal (IS), which interrogation signal (IS) can be generated by the communication station (40) and can be transmitted to the data carrier (1) in a contactless manner by a field produced by the communication station and acting on the data carrier (1), and generating means (17) for generating a response signal (RS) upon reception of the interrogation signal (IS) and processing means (18) for processing the response signal (RS), said processing means (18) being designed to process the response signal (RS) into a transmission signal (MCRS) suitable for transmission to the communication station (40), which transmission signal (MCRS) is recurrently transmitted to the communication station (40) with a specific repetition frequency, and determination means (22) for determinating at least one representative value (REP1, REP2), said representative value (REP1, REP2) representing the field strength of the field acting on the data carrier (1), and control connection means (25) between the determination means (22) and the generating means (17) and/or the processing means (18), said control connection means (25) being designed to controllably influence the generating means (17) and/or the processing means (18) as a function of the at least one representative value (REP1, REP2), i.e. to vary, as a function of the at least one representative value (REP1, REP2), the repetition frequency with which the transmission signal (MCRS) is transmitted to the communication station (40), the communication station (40) comprising the means listed below;

command signal generating means (43) for generating command signals (IS), and

reception means (49) for receiving the transmission signal (MCRS) transmitted from the data carrier (1) to the communication station (40), and

processing means (51) for processing the transmission signal (MCRS) received, and

repetition frequency detection means (55) for detecting the repetition frequency with which the transmission signal (MCRS) is transmitted to the communication station (40), and

decision means (57) which interact with the repetition frequency detection means (55) and which are intended and designed to decide on the generation of at least one command signal (IS) as a function of the repetition frequency detected by the repetition frequency detection means (55), with which the transmission signal (MCRS) is transmitted to the communication station (40).

6. A communication station (40) as claimed in claim 5, wherein the decision means (57) are provided between the repetition frequency detection means (55) and the command signal generating means (43) and are designed to influence the command signal generating means (43) as a function of the repetition frequency, detected by the repetition frequency detection means (55), with which the transmission signal (MCRS) is transmitted to the communication station (40), having regard to which command signals are allowed to be generated by the command signal generating means (43).