Transponder with a controllable power-on-reset circuit

• US 7,423,517 B2
• Filed: 07/18/2003
• Issued: 09/09/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/30/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Kofler, Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Brian
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, VERNAL U
• Application Number:
  US10/522,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20060164215A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,880 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 340/10.1, 340/10.4, 340/825.69, 340/825.72, 340/10.51, 340/10.5, 340/572.4
• US Class Current: 340/10.51
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0707 the arrangement being capable of collecting energy from external energy sources, e.g. thermocouples, vibration, electromagnetic radiation G06K19/0702 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0712 the arrangement being capable of triggering distinct operating modes or functions dependent on the strength of an energy or interrogation field in the proximity of the record carrier active means for hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07336
• 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

Abstract

In a transponder (1) and an integrated circuit (5), the integrated circuit (6) has a monitoring circuit (23) to which a d.c. supply voltage (VS) can be fed and by which a signalizing signal (POK) whose waveform is dependent on the relationship between the d.c. supply voltage (VS) and a voltage threshold value (VTHR1, VTHR2) can be generated, wherein the monitoring circuit (23) is arranged to be controllable in respect of the generation of the signalizing signal (POK), and wherein a control circuit (28) is provided for controlling the monitoring circuit (23) by means of at least one control signal (CS1, CS2).

Claims

1. An integrated circuit for use in a transponder for non-contacting communication with a communication station, the integrated circuit comprising:

circuit connecting contacts connected to transmission means of the transponder to pick off an input voltage;

control means to generate a control signal as a function of an operating mode of the transponder, wherein the control means is configured to generate;

a first control signal as a function of a read mode of the transponder;

a second control signal as a function of a write mode of the transponder; and

a third control signal as a function of a transponder-talks-first mode of the transponder;

a monitoring circuit to receive the control signal from the control means and a voltage based on the input voltage, the monitoring circuit to generate a signalizing signal based on a relationship between a voltage threshold value and the voltage, wherein the voltage threshold value corresponds to the control signal, the voltage threshold value comprising one of a plurality of preset voltage threshold values, the plurality of preset voltage threshold values comprising;

a first voltage threshold value corresponding to the read mode of the transponder;

a second voltage threshold value corresponding to the write mode of the transponder, wherein the second voltage threshold value is higher than the first voltage threshold value; and

a third voltage threshold value corresponding to the transponder-talks-first mode of the transponder, wherein the third voltage threshold value is lower than the first voltage threshold value; and

a data-processing circuit to receive the signalizing signal from the monitoring circuit.

2. The integrated circuit of claim 1, further comprising a rectifier to receive the input voltage from the circuit connecting contacts and to generate the voltage based on the input voltage.

3. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the monitoring circuit comprises a comparator to compare the voltage threshold value and the voltage.

4. The integrated circuit of claim 3, wherein the monitoring circuit further comprises a reference-voltage source to receive the control signal from the control means and to generate the voltage threshold value based on the control signal.

5. The integrated circuit of claim 4, wherein the data-processing circuit comprises recognition means to recognize the read, write, and transponder-talks-first modes of the transponder.

6. The integrated circuit of claim 5, wherein the control means is further configured to generate the first control signal based on recognition of a read command by the recognition means.

7. The integrated circuit of claim 6, wherein the reference-voltage source is further configured to generate the first voltage threshold value from the plurality of preset voltage threshold values based on the first control signal.

8. The integrated circuit of claim 5, wherein the control means is further configured to generate the second control signal based on recognition of a write command by the recognition means.

9. The integrated circuit of claim 8, wherein the reference-voltage source is further configured to generate the second voltage threshold value from the plurality of preset voltage threshold values based on the second control signal.

10. The integrated circuit of claim 4, further comprising a configuration register of a storage means, the configuration register to store control information, wherein the control means is further configured to generate the third control signal based on the control information stored in the configuration register.

11. The integrated circuit of claim 10, wherein the configuration data corresponds to the transponder-talks-first mode of the transponder.

12. The integrated circuit of claim 1, wherein the data-processing circuit comprises a microprocessor, the microprocessor configured to initiate a reset procedure in the microprocessor based on the signalizing signal from the monitoring circuit.

13. A transponder for non-contacting communication with a communication station, the transponder comprising:

transmission means to receive a control signal from the communication station; and

an integrated circuit comprising;

circuit connecting contacts connected to the transmission means to pick off an input voltage;

control means to generate a control signal as a function of an operating mode of the transponder, wherein the control means is configured to generate;

a first control signal as a function of a read mode of the transponder;

a second control signal as a function of a write mode of the transponder; and

a third control signal as a function of a transponder-talks-first mode of the transponder;

a monitoring circuit to receive the control signal from the control means and a voltage based on the input voltage, the monitoring circuit to generate a signalizing signal based on a relationship between a voltage threshold value and the voltage, wherein the voltage threshold value corresponds to the control signal, the voltage threshold value comprising one of a plurality of preset voltage threshold values, the plurality of preset voltage threshold values comprising;

a first voltage threshold value corresponding to the read mode of the transponder;

a second voltage threshold value corresponding to the write mode of the transponder, wherein the second voltage threshold value is higher than the first voltage threshold value; and

a third voltage threshold value corresponding to the transponder-talks-first mode of the transponder, wherein the third voltage threshold value is lower than the first voltage threshold value; and

a data-processing circuit to receive the signalizing signal from the monitoring circuit.

14. The integrated circuit of claim 13, further comprising a rectifier to receive the input voltage from the circuit connecting contacts and to generate the voltage based on the input voltage.

15. The integrated circuit of claim 13, wherein the monitoring circuit comprises:

a comparator to compare the voltage threshold value and the voltage; and

a reference-voltage source to receive the control signal from the control means and to generate the voltage threshold value based on the control signal.

16. The integrated circuit of claim 15, wherein the data-processing circuit comprises recognition means to recognize the read, write, and transponder-talks-first modes of the transponder.

17. The integrated circuit of claim 16, wherein:

the control means is further configured to generate the first control signal based on recognition of a read command by the recognition means; and

the reference-voltage source is further configured to generate the first voltage threshold value from the plurality of preset voltage threshold values based on the first control signal.

18. The integrated circuit of claim 16, wherein:

the control means is further configured to generate the second control signal based on recognition of a write command by the recognition means; and

the reference-voltage source is farther configured to generate the second voltage threshold value from the plurality of preset voltage threshold values based on the second control signal.

19. The integrated circuit of claim 13, further comprising a configuration register of a storage means, the configuration register to store control information which corresponds to the transponder-talks-first mode of the transponder, wherein the control means is farther configured to generate the third control signal based on the control information stored in the configuration register.