SMART CARD SUPPORTING A PLURALITY OF INTERFACES AND INTERFACE METHOD THEREOF

• US 20120024964A1
• Filed: 07/27/2011
• Published: 02/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: LEE, Seungwon
• Granted Patent: US 8,453,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07733 the record carrier containing at least one further contact interface not conform ISO-7816

Abstract

A smart card that may include a first interface circuit to perform a first type interface with the outside using first and second pads; a second interface circuit to perform a second type interface with the outside using the first and second pads; and a mode selector to enable one of the first and second interface circuits according to whether a power supply voltage is supplied through a third pad.

Claims

1. A smart card comprising:

a first pad;

a second pad;

a third pad being supplied with a power supply voltage;

a first interface circuit to perform a first type interface with the outside using the first and second pads;

a second interlace circuit to perform a second type interface with the outside using the first and second pads; and

a mode selector to enable one of the first and second interface circuits according to whether the power supply voltage is supplied through the third pad.

2. The smart card of claim 1, wherein the first type interface is a contact type interface and the second type interface is a contactless type interface.

3. The smart card of claim 2, wherein the mode selector enables the second interface circuit when the power supply voltage is not supplied through the third pad.

4. The smart card of claim 3, wherein the second interface circuit performs an interface with the outside according to a universal serial bus (USB) standard using the first and second pads.

5. The smart card of claim 2, wherein the mode selector enables the first interface circuit when the power supply voltage is supplied through the third pad.

6. The smart card of claim 5, wherein the first interface circuit performs an interface with the outside according to the international organization for standardization (ISO) 14443 using the first and second pads.

7. The smart card of claim 2, wherein the second interface circuit checks whether a signal suitable for the USB standard is received and provides the checked result to the mode selector.

8. The smart card of claim 5, further comprising:

fourth through sixth pads; and

a third interface circuit to perform a third type interface with the outside using the fourth through sixth pads,

wherein the mode selector disables the first and second interface circuits when the power supply voltage is supplied through the third pad and a signal suitable for the USB standard is not received through the first and second pads.

9. An interface method of the interface module in a smart card including a plurality of pads, an interface module and an internal circuit block comprising:

determining whether a power supply voltage is supplied through a power supply pad;

performing a first type interface between the outside and the internal circuit block using first and second pads when the power supply voltage is determined to be supplied through the power supply pad; and

performing a second type interface between the outside and the internal circuit block using the first and second pads when the power supply voltage is determined not to be supplied through the power supply pad.

10. The interface method of claim 9, wherein the first type interface is a contact type interface and the second type interface is a contactless type interface.

11. The interface method of claim 10, wherein performing the first type interface comprises performing an interface in accordance with the USB standard between the outside and the internal circuit block when the power supply voltage is supplied through the power supply pad and a signal suitable for the USB standard is received through the first and second pads.

12. The interface method of claim 11, wherein the smart card further comprises third through fifth pads, and the method further comprises:

performing a third type interface between the outside and the internal circuit block using the third through fifth pads when the power supply voltage is supplied through the power supply pad and a signal suitable for the USB standard is not received through the first and second pads.

13. The interface method of claim 11, further comprising:

performing a contactless type interface between the outside and the internal circuit block using the first and second pads and performing a serial input output (SIO) interface between the outside and the internal circuit block using the third through fifth pads when the power supply voltage is supplied through the power supply pad and a signal that is not suitable for the USB standard is received through the first and second pads.

14. A smart card comprising:

an interface circuit including;

a first interface unit to perform a first type of interface externally using a first set of contact pads to transmit data to a host by wire and wirelessly, and

a second interface unit to perform a second type of interface externally using the first set of contact pads;

a power supply voltage pad to receive power for an external host; and

a mode selector to determine whether to enable the first or second interface unit according to whether power is supplied to the power supply voltage pad.

15. The smart card of claim 14, wherein the first interface unit is a USB mode interface and the second interface unit is a contactless mode interface.

16. The smart card of claim 15, wherein the mode selector enables the first interface unit when power is supplied to the power supply pad, and enables the second interface unit when power is not supplied to the power supply pad.

17. The smart card of claim 16, wherein if the mode selector determines that power is supplied to the power supply pad, and a signal received through the first set of contact pads is not suitable to the USB standard, then the mode selector disables the first interface unit and the second interface unit and operates in a serial input output (SIO) mode.

18. The smart card of claim 16, further comprising:

fourth through sixth pads; and

a third interface unit to perform a third type interface externally using the fourth through sixth pads,

wherein the mode selector disables the first and second interface units when the power supply voltage is supplied through the third pad and a signal suitable for the USB standard is not received through the first set of contact pads.

19. A method of interfacing a smart card having a plurality of pads, an interface module and an internal circuit block, the method comprising:

switching between a first type interface between the internal circuit block and an external device and a second type interface between the internal circuit block and an external device according to a determination of whether a power supply voltage is being supplied through a power supply pad.

20. The method of claim 19, further comprising:

switching to a third type interface when it is determined that a power supply voltage is being supplied through a power supply pad while a predetermined signal is determined not to be suitable for the first or second type interface.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the predetermined signal is a signal suitable for a USB standard, and the third type interface is a serial input output (SIO) interface.

22. The method of claim 19, wherein the external device is a host computer.