Non-contact IC card and system for performing data communication

• US 6,567,394 B1
• Filed: 02/04/1999
• Issued: 05/20/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Arisawa, Shigeru
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Ed
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gesesse, Tilahun
• Application Number:
  US09/244,010
• Time in Patent Office: 1,566 Days
• Field of Search: 455/74.1, 455/41, 455/46, 455/47, 455/48, 370/343, 370/342, 370/297, 235/380, 235/435, 235/492, 340/825.54, 340/928, 332/170
• US Class Current: 370/343
• 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

An IC card, an IC card processor, and an IC card system are simply arranged to perform full-duplex data exchange efficiently using a frequency band in such a manner that a transmission signal sent from the IC card processor is received by an antenna, the transmission signal is demodulated, and a response signal to be sent from the antenna is formed by modulating a main carrier having the same frequency as a main carrier of the transmission signal with a response data sequence in such a manner that a sideband of the response signal does not overlap a sideband of the transmission signal along the frequency axis.

Claims

1. An IC card which transmits and receives desired data sequences in non-contact transmission between itself and a predetermined processor, said IC card comprising:

an antenna for receiving a transmission signal from the processor;

a demodulation circuit for retrieving a transmitted data sequence sent from the processor by demodulating the transmission signal received by said antenna; and

a modulation circuit for forming a response signal by modulating a main carrier having the same frequency as a main carrier of the transmission signal with a response data sequence corresponding to the transmitted data sequence in such a manner that a sideband of the response signal does not overlap a sideband of the transmission signal along the frequency axis, said modulation circuit sending out the response signal from said antenna.

2. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein said demodulation circuit comprises:

a first demodulator for demodulating the transmission signal to obtain a demodulated signal; and

a second demodulator for demodulating the demodulated signal to retrieve the transmitted data sequence.

3. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein said modulation circuit forms the response signal by modulating a subcarrier having a predetermined frequency with the response data sequence, and forms the response signal by modulating the main carrier with the modulated subcarrier.

4. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein the response data sequence is formed of a plurality of data sequences, and

wherein said modulation circuit multiplexes the plurality of data sequences and thereafter forms the response signal.

5. An IC card according to claim 4, wherein said modulation circuit forms the response signal by frequency-multiplexing the plurality of data sequences.

6. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein the response data sequence is coded by a coding method of suppressing a lower band.

7. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein said modulation circuit sends out the response signal from said antenna by changing the load impedance of said antenna.

8. An IC card according to claim 1, wherein said demodulation circuit and said modulation circuit are operated by electric power of the transmission signal.

9. An IC card processor which transmits and receives desired data sequences in non-contact transmission between itself and an IC card, said IC card processor comprising:

a demodulation circuit for retrieving a response data sequence sent from the IC card by demodulating a response signal sent from the IC card by wireless communication; and

a modulation circuit for forming a transmission signal by modulating a main carrier having the same frequency as a main carrier of the response signal with a transmitted data sequence urging sending out of the response data sequence in such a manner that a sideband does not overlap a sideband of the response signal along the frequency axis, said modulation circuit sending out the transmission signal from a predetermined antenna.

10. An IC card processor according to claim 9, wherein said demodulation circuit comprises:

a first demodulator for demodulating the response signal to obtain a demodulated signal; and

a second demodulator for demodulating the demodulated signal to retrieve the response data sequence.

11. An IC card processor according to claim 9, wherein said modulation circuit forms the transmission signal by modulating a subcarrier having a predetermined frequency with the transmitted data sequence, and forms the transmission signal by modulating the main carrier with the modulated subcarrier.

12. An IC card processor according to claim 9, wherein the transmitted data sequence is formed of a plurality of data sequences, and

wherein said modulation circuit multiplexes the plurality of data sequences and thereafter forms the transmission signal.

13. An IC card processor according to claim 12, wherein said modulation circuit forms the transmission signal by frequency-multiplexing the plurality of data sequences.

14. An IC card processor according to claim 9, wherein the transmitted data sequence is coded by a coding method of suppressing a lower band.

15. An IC card processor according to claim 9, wherein said modulation circuit forms the transmission signal so that the electric power of the main carrier is 99% or more of the total electric power.

16. An IC card processor according to claim 9, wherein the modulation circuit forms the transmission signal by a depth of modulation smaller than 1.

17. An IC card system in which desired data sequences are transmitted and received in a non-contact manner between an IC card and an IC card processor, said IC card comprising:

an antenna for receiving a transmission signal from the IC card processor;

a demodulation circuit for retrieving a transmitted data sequence sent from said IC card processor by demodulating the transmission signal received by said antenna; and

a modulation circuit for forming a response signal by modulating a main carrier having the same frequency as a main carrier of the transmission signal with a response data sequence corresponding to the transmitted data sequence in such a manner that a sideband does not overlap a sideband of the transmission signal along the frequency axis, the modulation circuit sending out the response signal from said antenna, said IC card processor comprising;

a demodulation circuit for retrieving the response data sequence sent from the IC card by demodulating the response signal sent from the IC card by wireless communication; and

a modulation circuit for forming the transmission signal by modulating the main carrier with the transmitted data sequence, said modulation circuit sending out the transmission signal from a predetermined antenna.