Smart card including a plurality of different interfaces

• US 20080006704A1
• Filed: 06/25/2007
• Published: 01/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Kim, Sung-hyun
• Application Number:
  US11/821,619
• Publication Number:
  US 20080006704A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/06206 the magnetic marking being emulated
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07 with integrated circuit chips
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07732 the record carrier having a housing or construction similar to well-known portable memory devices, such as SD cards, USB or memory sticks housings for electrical equipment in general, see H05K5/02
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07733 the record carrier containing at least one further contact interface not conform ISO-7816
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10247 issues specific to the use of single wire protocol [SWP] in NFC like devices

Abstract

A smart card includes contact pins and an IC chip electrically connected to the contact pins and having first interface units different from each other. The contact pins are selectively connected to one of the first interface units in accordance with an external interface mode.

Claims

1. A smart card, comprising:

contact pins; and

an IC chip including first interface units electrically connectable to the contact pins and being different from each other,

wherein the contact pins are selectively connected to one of the first interface units in accordance with an external interface mode.

2. The smart card as set forth in claim 1, wherein the IC chip further includes an interface selection unit for determining the external interface mode and selecting one of the first interface units in accordance with a result of the determination.

3. The smart card as set forth in claim 2, wherein the interface selection unit comprises:

a mode selection circuit generating a selection code to select one of the first interface units in response to a signal of one of the contact pins; and

a multiplexer circuit connecting the first interface unit, which is selected by the selection code, with corresponding contact pins.

4. The smart card as set forth in claim 3, wherein the mode selection circuit generates the selection code by detecting a signal level of at least one of the contact pins.

5. The smart card as set forth in claim 3, wherein the mode selection circuit generates the selection code by detecting impedance of at least one of the contact pins.

6. The smart card as set forth in claim 2, wherein the interface selection unit comprises:

a register storing mode set information;

a mode selection circuit generating a selection code to select one of the first interface units in response to the mode set information; and

a multiplexer circuit connecting the first interface unit, which is selected by the selection code, with corresponding contact pins.

7. The smart card as set forth in claim 1, wherein the first interface units include at least one of a USB interface unit, an MMC interface unit, and an SWP interface unit.

8. The smart card as set forth in claim 1, wherein the IC chip further includes a second interface unit connectable to the contact pins.

9. The smart card as set forth in claim 8, wherein the second interface unit includes an ISO7816 interface unit.

10. A smart card, comprising:

first contact pins;

second contact pins;

third contact pins; and

an IC chip including an ISO7816 interface unit and other types of interface units,

wherein the first contact pins are connectable to the other types of interface units and the second contact pins are connectable to the ISO7816 interface unit, the first contact pins being selectively connected to one of the other types of interface units in accordance with an external interface mode,

wherein the third contact pins are shared by the ISO7816 interface units and the other types of interface units in supplying a power source voltage and a ground voltage.

11. The smart card as set forth in claim 10, wherein the IC chip further includes an interface selection unit determining the external interface mode and selecting one of the other types of interface units in accordance with a result of the determination.

12. The smart card as set forth in claim 11, wherein the interface selection unit comprises:

a mode selection circuit generating a selection code to select one of the other types of interface units in response to a signal of one of the first contact pins; and

a multiplexer circuit connecting the interface unit, which is selected by the selection code, with corresponding first contact pins.

13. The smart card as set forth in claim 12, wherein the mode selection circuit generates the selection code by detecting a signal level of at least one of the contact pins.

14. The smart card as set forth in claim 12, wherein the mode selection circuit generates the selection code by detecting impedance of at least one of the contact pins.

15. The smart card as set forth in claim 11, wherein the interface selection unit comprises:

a register storing mode set information;

a mode selection circuit generating a selection code to select one of the other types of interface units in response to the mode set information; and

a multiplexer circuit connecting the interface unit selected by the selection code with corresponding of the contact pins.

16. The smart card as set forth in claim 10, wherein the other types of interface units include a USB interface unit, an MMC interface unit, and an SWP interface unit.

17. The smart card as set forth in claim 13, wherein:

the first contact pins are a fourth pin, a sixth pin, and an eighth pin in accordance with an ISO7816 interface standard;

the second contact pins are a second pin, a third pin, and a seventh pin in accordance with the ISO7816 interface standard; and

the third contact pins are a first pin and a fifth pin in accordance with the ISO7816 interface standard.

18. The smart card as set forth in claim 17, wherein the fourth pin is used for data input by an USB interface or data input and output by an MMC interface,

wherein the sixth pin is used for transferring a signal of an SWP interface or receiving a clock of the MMC interface,

wherein the eighth pin is used for data output of the USB interface or exchange with a command of the MMC interface.

19. The smart card as set forth in claim 18, wherein the mode selection circuit determines to connect the fourth and eighth pins with the USB interface or the MMC interface by detecting a signal input to the fourth pin,

wherein the mode selection circuit determines to connect the sixth pin with the SWP interface or the MMC interface from detecting a signal input to the sixth pin.

20. A system, comprising:

a smart card; and

a host communicating with the smart card,

wherein the smart card comprises;

first contact pins;

second contact pins;

third contact pins; and

an IC chip including an ISO7816 interface unit and other types of interface units,

wherein the first contact pins are connectable to the other types of interface units and the second contact pins are connectable to the ISO7816 interface unit, the first contact pins being selectively connected to one of the other types of interface units in accordance with an external interface mode, wherein the third contact pins are shared by the ISO7816 interface units and the other types of interface units in supplying a power source voltage and a ground voltage.

21. A communication method of a smart card having contact pins and an IC chip connected to the contact pins, which comprises:

selecting one of a plurality of different interfaces of the IC chip in accordance with a signal of at least one of the contact pins;

selectively connecting the contact pins to the selected interface; and

communicating with an external system through the selected interface.

22. A communication method of a smart card having contact pins and an IC chip connected to the contact pins, which comprises:

selecting one of a plurality of different interfaces of the IC chip in accordance with mode set information stored in a register;

selectively connecting the contact pins to the selected interface; and

communicating with an external system through the selected interface.