Contactless ic card

• US 20060138244A1
• Filed: 10/15/2004
• Published: 06/29/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/20/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Panasonic Corporation (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Matsushita, Yuka, Nakabe, Futoshi, Ueda, Eiji
• Granted Patent: US 7,549,590 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• 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 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/327 Short range or proximity payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3574 Multiple applications on card
• CPC Class Codes: G07F 7/1008 Active credit-cards provided with means to personalise their use, e.g. with PIN-introduction/comparison system

Abstract

A contactless integrated circuit (IC) card (11) is comprised of the following: a first antenna coil (102) and a second antenna coil (103) for generating an electromotive force by receiving electromagnetic waves from a reader/writer; a first electromotive force measuring unit (311) and a second electromotive force measuring unit (312) for respectively measuring the electromotive force generated by each of the antenna coils; an electromotive force comparing unit (313) for comparing the characteristics of the electromotive forces which are respectively generated by the respective antenna coils and then measured; and an application selecting/executing unit (215) for selecting one application from a program storing unit (216) based on the comparison made by the electromotive force comparing unit (313) and executing the selected application.

Claims

1. A contactless integrated circuit (IC) card that can execute a plurality of application programs, comprising:

a plurality of antenna coils, each generating an electromotive force by receiving electromagnetic waves from a reader/writer;

an electromotive force measuring unit operable to measure the electromotive force generated by each of the antenna coils when the contactless IC card is passed over the reader/writer;

an electromotive force comparing unit operable to compare characteristics of the electromotive forces which are measured by the electromotive force measuring unit; and

an application selecting/executing unit operable to select one application program based on the comparison made by the electromotive force comparing unit, and execute the selected application program.

2. A contactless IC card according to claim 1,

wherein the electromotive force comparing unit compares strengths of the electromotive forces, and

the application selecting/executing unit executes the application program associated with an antenna coil that has generated the strongest electromotive force.

3. A contactless IC card according to claim 1,

wherein the electromotive force comparing unit compares strengths of electromotive forces respectively generated by the plurality of antenna coils at a second time when a predetermined amount of time has elapsed since a first time when an electromotive force is firstly measured by the electromotive force measuring unit, and

the application selecting/executing unit executes the application program associated with an antenna coil that has generated the strongest electromotive force at the second time.

4. A contactless IC card according to claim 1,

wherein the electromotive force comparing unit compares respective times at which each electromotive force reaches a peak value, the electromotive force being generated by said each antenna coil and measured by the electromotive force measuring unit, and

the application selecting/executing unit executes the application program associated with an antenna coil whose electromotive force has firstly reached a peak value.

5. A contactless IC card according to claim 1,

wherein said antenna coils are laid at two different depths in the contactless IC card.

6. A contactless IC card according to claim 1,

wherein a part of the antenna coils are laid beneath a surface of a front side and another part of the antenna coils are laid beneath a surface of a back side of the contactless IC card.

7. A contactless IC card according to claim 1,

wherein a part of the antenna coils are laid on a right side and another part of the antenna coils are laid on a left side beneath one surface or both surfaces of the contactless IC card.

8. A contactless IC card according to claim 1, further comprising

a program storing unit operable to store the plurality of application programs respectively associated with each of the antenna coils.

9. A contactless IC card according to claim 8, further comprising

display units operable to display each of the application programs associated with said each antenna coil.

10. A contactless IC card according to claim 9,

the display units are marks indicating a correspondence between a direction in which the contactless IC card is neared to the reader/writer and an application program to be executed.

11. A contactless IC card according to claim 10,

wherein the plurality of antenna coils include:

a first antenna coil laid beneath a surface of a front side of the contactless IC card; and

a second antenna coil laid beneath a surface of the back side,

the display units include;

a first mark indicating a first application program associated with the first antenna coil; and

a second mark indicating a second application program associated with the second antenna coil,

the first mark is attached to the surface of the back side, and

the second mark is attached to the surface of the front side.

12. A contactless IC card according to claim 1,

wherein a concave portion is formed by notching an edge on one surface of the contactless IC card.

13. An application selection method for a contactless integrated circuit (IC) card that can execute a plurality of application programs,

wherein the contactless IC card has a plurality of antenna coils, each generating an electromotive force by receiving electromagnetic waves from a reader/writer, and

the method comprises:

measuring the electromotive force generated by each of the antenna coils;

comparing characteristics of the measured electromotive forces; and

selecting one application program based on the comparison and executing the selected application program.

14. A program for a contactless integrated circuit (IC) card that can execute a plurality of application programs,

wherein the contactless IC card has a plurality of antenna coils, each generating an electromotive force by receiving electromagnetic waves from a reader/writer, and

the program causes a computer to execute the steps of:

measuring the electromotive force generated by each of the antenna coils;

comparing characteristics of the measured electromotive forces; and

selecting one application program based on the comparison and executing the selected application program.

15. A computer-readable storage medium in which a program is stored,

wherein the program causing a computer to execute the steps of:

measuring an electromotive force respectively generated by a plurality of antenna coils;

comparing characteristics of the measured electromotive forces; and

selecting one application program based on the comparison and executing the selected application program.

16. An integrated circuit for controlling a contactless integrated circuit (IC) card that can execute a plurality of application programs,

wherein the contactless IC card has a plurality of antenna coils, each generating an electromotive force by receiving electromagnetic waves from a reader/writer, and

the integrated circuit comprises:

an electromotive force measuring unit operable to measure the electromotive force generated by each of the antenna coils;

an electromotive force comparing unit operable to compare characteristics of the electromotive forces which are measured by the electromotive force measuring unit; and

an application selecting/executing unit operable to select one application program based on the comparison made by the electromotive force comparing unit, and execute the selected application program.