Non-contact IC card communicating at multiple frequencies

• US 5,585,617 A
• Filed: 07/11/1995
• Issued: 12/17/1996
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/1994
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Denki Kabushiki Kaisha (Mitsubishi Electric Corporation)
• Inventors: Washida, Tetsuro, Ohbuchi, Jun, Furuta, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Hajec, Donald T.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Luong, Dong Q.
• Application Number:
  US08/499,907
• Time in Patent Office: 525 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/472, 235/380, 343/745, 455/193.1, 455/193.2, 455/193.3, 455/290
• US Class Current: 235/491
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0724 the arrangement being a circuit for communicating at a plurality of frequencies, e.g. for managing time multiplexed communication over at least two antennas of different types
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0726 the arrangement including a circuit for tuning the resonance frequency of an antenna on the record carrier
• 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

Abstract

A non-contact IC card capable of communicating with external equipment at various communication frequencies. An antenna circuit of variable frequency and a frequency switching circuit for supplying communication clock signals of variable frequency to a modulator-demodulator circuit are provided so that communication is performed by switching a constant of the antenna circuit and the frequency of the communication clock signal generated from the frequency switching circuit in accordance with the frequency of external equipment with which communication is effected.

Claims

1. A non-contact IC card for communication at a plurality of frequencies comprising:

a battery serving as a power supply;

data processing and storage means for processing and storage of data;

a frequency-variable antenna circuit for switching communication frequency, said antenna circuit receiving electromagnetic waves from an external source, converting them into a received electrical signal, and converting an internally generated electrical signal into electromagnetic waves for transmission;

clock generation means for generating a clock signal at a reference frequency;

variable communication clock generation means for dividing the reference frequency of the clock signal to selectively generate communication clock signals at a plurality of different frequencies respectively corresponding to communication frequencies of said antenna circuit; and

communication control means connected between said antenna circuit and said data processing and storage means for converting a received signal into data and data to be transmitted into a transmission signal in accordance with the communication clock signals from said variable communication clock generation means.

2. The non-contact IC card according to claim 1, wherein said frequency-variable antenna circuit comprises a coil;

a plurality of capacitors of different capacities; and

a first switching section for selectively connecting one of the plurality of capacitors in parallel with said coil; and

wherein said variable communication clock generation means comprises a frequency dividing circuit for dividing by different factors the reference frequency clock signal from said clock generation means to generate a plurality of communication clock signals at different frequencies; and

a second switching section for selectively supplying one of the plurality of communication clock signals generated at the frequency dividing circuit to said communication control means.

3. The non-contact IC card according to claim 2 wherein said data processing and storage means, frequency-variable antenna circuit, clock generation means, variable communication clock generation means, and communication control means are formed on a circuit substrate and each of said first and second switching sections comprises a plurality of short-circuit pins for effecting a desired connection, formed on said circuit substrate, and a chip jumper for selectively connecting pairs of the short-circuit pins.

4. The non-contact IC card according to claim 2 wherein said data processing and storage means, frequency-variable antenna circuit, clock generation means, variable communication clock generation means, and communication control means are formed on a circuit substrate and each of said first and second switching sections comprises a switch operable from outside of the card.