Radio frequency integrated circuit and IC module of the same

• US 20060063506A1
• Filed: 09/15/2005
• Published: 03/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/17/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Minami, Aya, Miwa, Yohichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,285,242 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/333
• 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

Abstract

A highly convenient radio frequency integrated circuit that can be used at a plurality of different frequency bands, and which can perform communications at the different frequency bands so that data at different frequency bands can be read and a restriction can be imposed on the reading and writing of information. An IC module in a radio frequency integrated circuit includes a plurality of memories; a read-write unit for performing a process of reading data from, and writing data into, the memories; and a selector for receiving an electric signal outputted from an antenna that has received a radio signal.

Claims

1. A radio frequency integrated circuit comprising:

an antenna for communicating data by use of radio waves; and

an IC module for processing and storing data,

wherein the IC module comprises;

one of a plurality of memories;

a read-write unit for performing processes of reading the data from, and writing data into, one of the plurality of memories; and

a selector for receiving an electric signal outputted from the antenna having received a radio signal, and for specifying one of the plurality of memories as a target memory on which the read-write unit performs read and write processes depending on a frequency of the electric signal.

2. The radio frequency integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the one of the plurality of memories is provided to correspond to a radio signal having a predetermined frequency that is expected to be received by the antenna.

3. The radio frequency integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of memories is selected as a target on which the read-write unit performs read and write processes in response to only a specific frequency;

and wherein at least one of the plurality of memories is selected as a target for shared memory on which the read-write unit performs read and write processes in response to a plurality of frequencies.

4. The radio frequency integrated circuit according to claim 3, wherein the selector specifies at least one of the plurality of memories selected as a target for shared memory for data read and write processes in the case where the electric signal has the specific frequency, and specifies at least one of the plurality of memories selected as a target for shared memory for read and write processes in the case where the electric signal has a different frequency.

5. The radio frequency integrated circuit according to claim 3, wherein the selector specifies at least one of the plurality of memories selected as a target for shared memory for data read and write processes in the case where the electric signal has the specific frequency, and specifies at least one of the plurality of memories selected as a target for shared memory for data write process in the case where the electric signal has a different frequency.

6. The radio frequency integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein the selector specifies one of the plurality of memories specified as a target of a data write process in the case where the electric signal has a specific frequency, as a target of a data read process in the case where the electric signal has a different frequency.

7. The radio frequency integrated circuit according to claim 1, wherein in the case where the selector specifies one of the plurality of memories in compliance to the same frequency, the selector specifies one of the plurality of memories as a target of a data read process and specifies another of the plurality of memories as a target of a data write process.

8. The radio frequency integrated circuit according to claim 1 further comprising:

a PLL circuit for receiving the electric signal outputted from the antenna, and for generating and outputting an operating clock based on the electric signal; and

a PLL setting unit for receiving one of the electric signal outputted from the antenna and an output signal of the PLL circuit, and for dynamically setting the PLL circuit based on the one of the electric signal and the output signal so that the PLL circuit generates the operating clock having a fixed frequency,

wherein the read-write unit operates according to the operating clock which has the fixed frequency and which is outputted from the PLL circuit.

9. A radio frequency integrated circuit comprising:

an antenna for communicating data by use of radio waves; and

an IC module for processing and storing data,

wherein the IC module comprises;

a PLL circuit for receiving an electric signal outputted from the antenna, and for generating and outputting an operating clock based on the electric signal;

means for setting the PLL circuit, the setting means receiving one of the electric signal outputted from the antenna and an output signal of the PLL circuit and dynamically setting the PLL circuit based on the one of the electric signal and the output signal so that the PLL circuit generates the operating clock having a fixed frequency; and

means for processing data, the processing means operating according to the operating clock which has the fixed frequency and which is outputted from the PLL circuit.

10. An IC module of a radio frequency integrated circuit, the IC module comprising:

one of a plurality of memories;

a read-write unit for performing processes of reading data from, and writing data into, the plurality of memories; and

a selector for receiving an electric signal outputted from an antenna which has received a radio signal, and for specifying one of the plurality of memories as a target memory on which the read-write unit performs read and write processes depending on a frequency of the electric signal.

11. The IC module according to claim 10, wherein the one of the plurality of memories is provided to respectively correspond to radio signals having a predetermined frequency that is expected to be received by the antenna.

12. The IC module according to claim 10, wherein one of the plurality of memories is selected as a target on which the read-write unit performs read and write processes, in response to only a specific frequency;

and one of the plurality of memories is selected as a shared memory targeted for the read-write unit to perform read and write processes in response to a plurality of frequencies.

13. The IC module according to claim 10, further comprising:

a PLL circuit for receiving the electric signal outputted from the antenna, and for generating and outputting an operating clock based on the electric signal; and

a PLL setting unit for receiving one of the electric signal outputted from the antenna and an output signal of the PLL circuit, and for dynamically setting the PLL circuit based on the one of the electric signal and the output signal so that the PLL circuit generates the operating clock having a fixed frequency,

wherein the read-write unit operates according to the operating clock which has the fixed frequency and which is outputted from the PLL circuit.