Semiconductor device for IC tag, IC tag and control method for IC tag for detecting and executing command from radio wave

• US 7,717,349 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2005
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Renesas Electronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: NEC Electronics Corporation (Renesas Electronics Corporation)
• Inventors: Kajimoto, Shigeki, Akiyama, Kazuhiro, Uchino, Tatsuya, Seki, Kazumi, Okamoto, Seiichi, Igarashi, Hatsuhide, Miyashita, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Le; Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Mai; Thien T
• Application Number:
  US11/190,833
• Publication Number:
  US 20060022058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,755 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/380, 235/451, 235/375, 235/472.01, 340/10.34, 340/10.33, 340/825.69, 340/505, 340/870.01, 345/691, 375/239, 341/176
• US Class Current: 235/492
• 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

A semiconductor device for an IC tag comprises a receive unit for demodulating receive data from a received RF signal and a signal processing unit for detecting a command comprising data signals from the receive data demodulated by the receive unit and executing processing based on the command, wherein the signal processing unit has a command acceptance mode for detecting the command from the receive data and a command execution mode for executing the command, and cancels the data signal when the data signal is detected from the receive data in the command execution mode.

Claims

1. A semiconductor device for an IC tag, comprising:

a receive unit for demodulating receive data from a received RF signal; and

a signal processing unit for detecting a command comprising data signals from the receive data demodulated by the receive unit and executing processing based on the command, wherein the signal processing unit has a command acceptance mode and a command execution mode, the command execution mode for executing the command when the command has previously been detected from receive data in the command acceptance mode, and cancelling the command when the command is detected from the receive data in the command execution mode, wherein the signal processing unit generates an error signal when the command detected in the command execution mode is canceled.

2. The semiconductor device for an IC tag according to claim 1, comprising a power supply voltage generation unit for generating power supply voltage from the received RF signal.

3. The semiconductor device for an IC tag according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit comprises a detection unit for detecting the data signal from the receive data, and a control unit which operates based on the command comprised of the data signals.

4. The semiconductor device for an IC tag according to claim 1, comprising a register for storing the command, wherein the register is reset when the command execution mode changes to the command acceptance mode.

5. The semiconductor device for an IC tag according to claim 1, wherein the receive data comprise a plurality of pulses and the content of the receive data is judged to be a frame pulse signal only or a frame pulse signal with data signals based on the number of the pulses.

6. The semiconductor device for an IC tag according to claim 5, comprising a clock generation unit, wherein the clock generation unit generates a clock signal to be supplied to the signal processing unit based on at least one pulse out of the plurality of pulses of the receive data.

7. The semiconductor device for an IC tag according to claim 6, wherein the control unit comprises a counter circuit for counting the clock signals, and switches between the command acceptance mode and the command execution mode based on the count value of the counter circuit.

8. The semiconductor device for an IC tag according to claim 1, wherein the signal processing unit cancels the receive data in the command acceptance mode when receive data other than “

0”

or “

1”

data is received within a range of a predetermined number of data bits corresponding to a command.

9. An IC tag, comprising:

a semiconductor device comprising;

a receive unit for demodulating receive data from a received RF signal; and

a signal processing unit for detecting a command comprising data signals from the receive data demodulated by the receive unit and executing processing based on the command, wherein the signal processing unit has a command acceptance mode and a command execution mode, the command execution mode for executing the command when the command has previously been detected from receive data in the command acceptance mode, and cancelling the command when the command is detected from the receive data in the command execution mode; and

an antenna for transmitting/receiving radio waves to/from a reader/writer, the semiconductor device being connected to the antenna,

wherein the signal processing unit generates an error signal when the command detected in the command execution mode is canceled.

10. A control method for an IC tag for receiving RF signals transmitted from a reader/writer and executing processing based on receive data acquired by demodulating the RF signals, the method comprising:

detecting by the IC tag whether a command comprising data signals is included in the receive data,

executing the detected command in a command execution mode when the command has previously been detected from receive data in a command acceptance mode,

canceling the command when the command is detected from the receive data in the command execution mode, and

generating an error signal when the command detected in the command execution mode is canceled.

11. The control method for an IC tag according to claim 10, wherein the power supply voltage is generated from the received RF signals.

12. The control method for an IC tag according to claim 10, wherein the receive data comprise a plurality of pulses, and the content of the receive data is judged to be a frame pulse signal only or a frame pulse signal with data signals based on the number of the pulses.

13. The control method for an IC tag according to claim 12, wherein a clock signal is generated based on at least one of the plurality of pulses of the receive data.

14. The control method for an IC tag according to claim 13, wherein the command acceptance mode and the command execution mode are switched based on the value acquired by counting the clock signals.