Radio IC card system

• US 6,018,641 A
• Filed: 04/10/1997
• Issued: 01/25/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1996
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Kazuo Tsubouchi
• Original Assignee: Kazuo Tsubouchi
• Inventors: Tsubouchi, Kazuo, Azuma, Toshiyuki, Hozumi, Jun
• Primary Examiner(s): Eisenzopf, Reinhard J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): APPIAH, CHARLES NANA
• Application Number:
  US08/838,773
• Time in Patent Office: 1,020 Days
• Field of Search: 340/286.07, 340/571, 340/825.31, 343/700, 343/789, 343/41, 343/156, 455/38.2, 455/226.4, 455/558, 455/78, 364/468, 364/467, 705/12, 705/13, 235/490, 235/492, 235/382, 235/384, 342/51, 342/42, 380/22, 380/23, 380/24, 375/200, 375/368, 375/367
• US Class Current: 340/10.3
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G07B 15/063 using wireless information transmission between the vehicle and a fixed station identification of vehicles G08G
• CPC Class Codes: G08G 1/017 identifying vehicles G08G1/015, G08G1/054 take precedence

Abstract

A radio IC card system includes an IC card and a toll collector. When an automobile with the IC card passes by a tollgate, the toll collector installed in the tollgate transmits a first radio signal which is spread modulated using a pseudorandom noise (PN) code from an antenna. The first radio signal is received by the antenna of the IC card and is transmitted to a surface acoustic wave (SAW) correlator. The SAW correlator extracts a PN code included in the received signal, and outputs a peak signal. An accumulation circuit accumulates the peak signal. A threshold discharger is activated to switch on a relay switch when the output voltage of the accumulation circuit exceeds a constant value. Thereby, the voltage of a battery is supplied to a data communication unit. Then, the identification code of the IC card and a record of tollgates by which the automobile has passed are transmitted via radio signal to the toll collector.

Claims

1. An IC card for use with a radio data transmitter/receiver device that transmits a first signal comprising a predetermined pattern and a second radio signal comprising predetermined carrier-modulated data from a transmitting antenna, the IC card comprising:

a radio switching means, activated by the predetermined pattern in said first radio signal, comprising;

a receiving antenna for receiving said first radio signal;

a surface acoustic wave (SAW) matched filter for extracting said predetermined pattern from said received first radio signal;

an accumulation circuit for generating an output power accumulated from said SAW matched filter; and

a switching circuit, activated when said output power from said accumulation circuit exceeds a predetermined threshold value; and

a data communication unit for receiving said second radio signal from and transmitting a third radio signal comprising data to said transmitter/receiver device, for processing said data, and for transmitting a control signal to said radio switching means after terminating transmission or reception and processing of said data;

wherein said data communications unit is connected to a battery via said switching circuit for supplying power to said data communication unit in response to activation of said radio switching means.

2. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein said SAW matched filter comprises an Al₂ O₃ substrate, an AlN film formed on said Al₂ O₃ substrate, and an Al tapping pattern formed on said AlN film.

3. An IC card for use with a radio data transmitter/receiver device that transmits a first signal comprising a predetermined pattern and a second radio signal, the IC card comprising:

a radio switching means, activated by the predetermined pattern in said first radio signal, comprising;

a receiving antenna for receiving said first radio signal;

a surface acoustic wave (SAW) matched filter for extracting said predetermined pattern from said received first radio signal;

an accumulation circuit for generating an output power accumulated from said SAW matched filter; and

a switching circuit, activated when said output power from said accumulation circuit exceeds a predetermined threshold value;

a data communication unit for receiving said second radio signal from and transmitting a third radio signal comprising data to said transmitter/receiver device, for processing said data, and for transmitting a control signal to said radio switching means after terminating transmission or reception and processing of said data;

wherein said data communications unit is connected to a battery via said switching circuit for supplying power to said data communication unit in response to activation of said radio switching means;

switch-activation means for transmitting said first radio signal, said switch-activation means comprising;

noise code generating means for generating a pseudorandom noise code;

means for generating said first radio signal by modulating a carrier using said noise code; and

an antenna for radiating said first radio signal; and

transmitter/receiver means for transmitting a second radio signal comprising data and for receiving a third radio signal comprising data from a data communications unit activated by said first radio signal.

4. A radio IC card system according to claim 3 wherein said SAW matched filter comprises an Al₂ O₃ substrate, an AlN film formed on said Al₂ O₃ substrate, and an Al tapping pattern formed on said AlN film.