Non-contact IC card, terminal for use with the non-contact IC card and non-contact IC card system having the non-contact IC card and the terminal

• US 5,444,222 A
• Filed: 12/20/1993
• Issued: 08/22/1995
• Est. Priority Date: 12/28/1992
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Inoue, Takeshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald
• Assistant Examiner(s): PHAN, THO GIA
• Application Number:
  US08/169,401
• Time in Patent Office: 610 Days
• Field of Search: 235/436, 235/439, 235/449, 235/492, 235/380, 235/382
• US Class Current: 235/380
• 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

Abstract

A non-contact IC card, a non-contact IC card terminal and a non-contact IC card system for performing data communication between the IC card and the terminal by using electromagnetic waves are arranged so that the IC card can reliably receive data transmitted from the terminal once the IC card is started up by a startup signal from the terminal. A selection circuit, under the control of a CPU selects a receiving amplifier having a smaller amplification factor in a startup step for receiving the startup signal and a receiving amplifier having a larger amplification factor in a data communication step for exchanging data signals. The sensitivity with which the data signal is received is thereby increased relative to the sensitivity with which data signals are received.

Claims

1. A non-contact IC card comprising:

receiving means including first and second receiving sections wherein the first receiving section has a first detection threshold for detecting a received signal having a strength exceeding the first detection threshold, the second receiving section has a second detection threshold for detecting a received signal having a strength exceeding the second detection threshold, and the first detection threshold is higher than the second detection threshold;

a demodulation circuit connected to the receiving means for demodulating a received signal detected by one of the first and second receiving sections and producing demodulated signals;

selection means for selectively connecting the first and second receiving sections to the demodulation circuit; and

control means for controlling data processing by the non-contact IC card and for controlling the selection means, the control means receiving the demodulated signals from the demodulation circuit and controlling the selection means to connect the first receiving section to the demodulation circuit and, upon detection of a trigger signal by the first receiving section, disconnecting the first receiving section and connecting the second receiving section for detecting a data signal including data for processing by the control means.

2. The non-contact IC card according to claim 1 wherein the receiving means includes a coil antenna, and the first and second receiving sections respectively include first and second amplifiers for amplifying signals received by the coil antenna, the first amplifier having a first amplification factor, and the second amplifier having a second amplification factor smaller than the first amplification factor.

3. The non-contact IC card according to claim 1 wherein the receiving means includes a coil antenna for receiving signals, and the first and second receiving sections include an amplifier for amplifying signals received by the coil antenna, the amplifier having an amplification factor, and, respectively, first and second series connected input resistors for changing amplification by the amplifier, the first resistor having a smaller resistance than the second resistor.

4. The non-contact IC card according to claim 1 wherein the first and second receiving sections respectively include a first receiving coil antenna having a first number of turns and a second receiving coil antenna having a second number of turns smaller than the first number.

5. The non-contact IC card according to claim 1 wherein the first and second receiving sections respectively include a first receiving coil antenna formed of a conductor having a first thickness and a second receiving coil antenna formed of a conductor having a second thickness thinner than the first thickness.

6. The non-contact IC card according to claim 1 including a printed circuit board wherein the first and second receiving sections are arranged on the printed circuit board and the first and second receiving sections respectively include a first receiving coil antenna on an outer portion of the printed circuit board and a second receiving coil antenna on an inner portion of the printed circuit board.

7. The non-contact IC card according to claim 1 wherein the first and second receiving sections respectively include a first receiving coil antenna consisting of a pair of substantially identical coils connected in parallel and a second receiving coil antenna consisting of one coil identical to one of the coils of the first receiving coil antenna.

8. The non-contact IC card according to claim 1 including:

an oscillator for producing an oscillation signal;

a modulation circuit for modulating the oscillation signal to produce modulated signals; and

a transmitting antenna connected to the modulation circuit for transmitting the modulated signals wherein, upon detection of a trigger signal by the first receiving section, the control means connects the oscillation signal to the modulation circuit for generation of a reply signal supplied to the transmitting antenna for transmission to a terminal generating the trigger and data signals.

9. A terminal for triggering and exchanging data with a non-contact IC card comprising:

receiving means for detecting a reply signal from a non-contact IC card in response to a trigger signal transmitted by the terminal and for receiving data signals from the non-contact IC card;

a demodulation circuit connected to the receiving means for demodulating reply and data signals received from the non-contact IC card to produce demodulated signals;

a modulation circuit for modulating data and trigger signals;

transmitting means including first and second transmitting sections wherein the first transmitting section produces data signal having a first electromagnetic energy, the sound transmitting section produces a trigger signal having a second electromagnetic energy, and the first electromagnetic energy is larger than the second electromagnetic energy;

selection means for selectively connecting the first and second transmitting sections to the modulation circuit; and

control means for controlling data processing of data signals received from the non-contact IC card and for controlling the selection means, the control means receiving the demodulated signals from the demodulation circuit and controlling the selection means to connect the second transmitting section to the modulation circuit to transmit a trigger signal and, upon detection of a reply signal from an IC card, disconnecting the second transmitting section from the modulation circuit and connecting the first transmitting section to the modulation circuit for transmitting data signals.

10. The terminal according to claim 9 wherein the first and second transmitting sections respectively include first and second amplifiers for amplifying signals received from the modulation circuit, and the first amplifier having a first amplification factor, the second amplifier having a second amplification factor smaller than the first amplification factor.

12. The terminal according to claim 9 wherein the first and second transmitting sections respectively include a first transmitting coil antenna having a first number of turns and a second transmitting coil antenna having a second number of turns larger than the first number of turns.

13. The terminal according to claim 9 wherein the first and second transmitting sections respectively include a first transmitting coil antenna consisting of a conductor having a thickness and a second transmitting coil antenna consisting of a conductor thinner than said first transmitting coil antenna.

14. The terminal according to claim 9 including a printed circuit board and wherein the first and second transmitting sections respectively comprise a first transmitting coil antenna on an outer portion of the printed circuit board and a second transmitting coil antenna on an inner portion of the printed circuit board.

15. The terminal according to claim 9 wherein the first and second transmitting sections respectively include a first transmitting coil antenna consisting of a pair of substantially identical coils connected in parallel and a second transmitting coil antenna consisting of one coil substantially identical to one of the coils of the first transmitting coil antenna.

16. The terminal according to claim 9 wherein the first and second transmitting sections respectively include a pair of first transmitting coil antennas and a second transmitting coil antenna.

11. The terminal according to claim wherein;

the first and second transmitting sections include an amplifier for amplifying signals received from the modulation circuit, the amplifier including first and second resistors for changing amplification by the amplifier, the first resistor having a smaller resistance than the second resistor.

17. A non-contact IC card system comprising:

a terminal and non-contact IC card wherein the non-contact IC card includes;

first receiving means including first and second receiving sections wherein the first receiving section has a first detection threshold for detecting a received signal having a strength exceeding the first detection threshold, the second receiving section has a second detection threshold for detecting a received signal having a strength exceeding the second detection threshold, and the first detection threshold is higher than the second detection threshold;

a first demodulation circuit connected to the first receiving means for demodulating a received signal detected by one of the first and second receiving sections and producing first demodulated received signals;

first selection means for selectively connecting the first and second receiving sections to the first demodulation circuit; and

first control means for controlling data processing by the non-contact IC card and for controlling the first selection means, the first control means receiving the demodulated received signals from the first demodulation circuit and controlling the first selection means to connect the first receiving section to the first demodulation circuit and, upon detection of a trigger signal by the first receiving section, disconnecting the first receiving section and connecting the second receiving section for detecting a data signal including data for processing by the non-contact IC card;

an oscillator for producing an oscillation signal;

a first modulation circuit for modulating the oscillation signal to produce first modulated signals; and

a first transmitting antenna connected to the first modulation circuit for transmitting the first modulated signals wherein, upon detection of a trigger signal by the first receiving section, the control means connects the oscillation signal to the first modulation circuit for generation of a reply signal supplied to the transmitting antenna for transmission to a terminal generating the trigger and data signals;

and the terminal includes;

second receiving means for detecting a reply signal from the non-contact IC card in response to a trigger signal transmitted by the terminal and for receiving data signals from the non-contact IC card;

a second demodulation circuit connected to the second receiving means for demodulating reply and data signals received from the non-contact IC card and producing second demodulated received signals;

a second modulation circuit for modulating data and trigger signals;

transmitting means including first and second transmitting sections wherein the first transmitting section produces data signals having a first electromagnetic energy, the second transmitting section produces a trigger signal having a second electromagnetic energy, and the first electromagnetic energy is larger than the second electromagnetic energy;

second selection means for selectively connecting the first and second transmitting sections to the second modulation circuit; and

second control means for controlling data processing of data signals received from the non-contact IC card and for controlling the second selection means, the second control means receiving the second demodulated received signals from the second demodulation circuit and controlling the second selection means to connect the second transmitting section to the second modulation circuit to transmit a trigger signal and, upon detection of a reply signal from an IC card, disconnecting the second transmitting section from the second modulation circuit and connecting the first transmitting section to the second modulation circuit for transmitting data signals.