Method for routing incoming and outgoing data in an NFC chipset

• US 7,954,723 B2
• Filed: 05/10/2007
• Issued: 06/07/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verimatrix Incorporated (Verimatrix SA)
• Original Assignee: INSIDE Contactless
• Inventors: Charrat, Bruno
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US11/746,743
• Publication Number:
  US 20070263596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,489 Days
• Field of Search: 235/487, 235/492, 235/380, 235/451, 370/329, 370/351, 370/352, 370/389, 370/395.1, 370/395.3, 370/395.31, 340/10.34, 340/572.1, 340/825.49, 455/73, 455/90.3
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/00 Routing or path finding of packets in data switching networks routing or path finding in wireless networks H04W40/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 45/54 Organization of routing tables

Abstract

A method for routing data in a chipset comprising at least two host processors and one RFID-type contactless data send/receive interface configurable according to several operating modes and according to several contactless communication protocols includes routing, to at least one of the host processors, data received by the contactless data send/receive interface via a contactless data transmission channel. The method further includes determining a destination point of the data in a host processor using as criteria to determine the destination point the operating mode and the contactless communication protocol used by the contactless data send/receive interface to create the contactless data transmission channel through which the data are received.

Claims

1. A method for routing data in a chipset comprising at least two host processors, a controller, and a Near Field Communication (NFC)-type contactless data send/receive interface configurable according to several operating modes and according to several contactless communication protocols, the method comprising:

receiving, by the contactless data send/receive interface, data via a contactless communication channel,

determining, by the controller and without analyzing the received data, the operating mode and the contactless communication protocol in which the contactless data send/receive interface received the data,

determining, by the controller, a destination point in at least one of the host processors of the data, wherein the controller determines the destination point using, as criteria, the operating mode and the contactless communication protocol in which the contactless data send/receive interface received the data, and

routing, by the controller to the at least one of the host processors, the data received by the contactless data send/receive interface.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

pre-saving, by the controller, parameters of data paths in a routing table, the parameter of a data path comprising an identifier of a destination point, an operating mode parameter of the contactless data send/receive interface, and a contactless communication protocol parameter; and

when data are received by the contactless data send/receive interface via a contactless data transmission channel, determining, by the controller, at least one destination point of the data by searching in the routing table for a data path having an operating mode parameter and a contactless communication protocol parameter corresponding to the operating mode and contactless communication protocol parameters used by the contactless data send/receive interface to create the contactless data transmission channel through which the data is received.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to a command for opening a data path sent by a source point located in the host processor and designating a destination point located in the contactless data send/receive interface, defining, by the controller, a data path linking the source point to the destination point by allocating to the data path a routing channel number and by saving in a routing table the routing channel number and routing parameters comprising at least one identifier of the source point and one identifier of the destination point;

sending data from the source point to the controller, the data being encapsulated in a frame having a header field comprising the routing channel number; and

upon receiving data encapsulated in a frame having a header field comprising the routing channel number, searching, by the controller, for a destination point of the data in the routing table using the routing channel number as index to select the destination point to which the data is subsequently sent.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising:

in response to a command for opening a data path sent by a source point located in the host processor and designating a destination point located in the contactless data send/receive interface, opening, by the controller, a data path between the source point and the destination point by allocating to the data path a routing channel number and by saving in the routing table the routing channel number and routing parameters comprising an operating mode parameter of the contactless data send/receive interface and a contactless communication protocol parameter; and

configuring, by the controller, the contactless data send/receive interface to send data in a contactless data transmission channel using the operating mode and contactless communication protocol parameters contained in the routing table for the data path through which the data to be sent has been received.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the controller also uses the routing table to open a data path between two host processors.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller executes commands for creating data paths comprising routing parameters and configuration parameters for configuring the contactless data send/receive interface, and saves the routing parameters and the configuration parameters in the routing table.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller dynamically fills or empties the routing table when data paths having a source point located in a host processor are created or closed.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller further pre-saves, in the routing table, parameters of data paths having a source point located in a host processor.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein source points or destination points saved in the routing table are services executed by a host processor.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the controller stores, in the routing table, routing parameters that also comprise an identifier of a point of notification that must receive a copy of the data sent to the destination point.

11. The method of claim 1, implemented in a chipset in which a host processor is a secure circuit.

12. A device for sending/receiving data comprising a Near Field Communication (NFC)-type contactless data send/receive interface configurable according to several operating modes and according to several contactless communication protocols, a controller and at least two input/output ports to link the contactless data send/receive interface to at least two host processors,

the controller being configured to:

(i) determine the operating mode and the contactless communication protocol in which the contactless data send/receive interface received data via a contactless data transmission channel, the determination being made without analyzing the received data, and

(ii) determine at least one destination point of the data in at least one host processor using, as criteria, the operating mode and the contactless communication protocol in which the contactless data send/receive interface received the data.

13. The device of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to:

pre-save, in a routing table, parameters of data paths having a source point located in the contactless data send/receive interface, the parameter of a data path comprising at least one identifier of a destination point, one operating mode parameter of the contactless data send/receive interface and one contactless communication protocol parameter; and

when data is received by the contactless data send/receive interface via a contactless data transmission channel, determine at least one destination point of the data by searching in the routing table for a data path having an operating mode parameter and a contactless communication protocol parameter corresponding to the operating mode and contactless communication protocol parameters used by the contactless data send/receive interface to create the contactless data transmission channel through which the data is received.

14. The device of claim 12, wherein the controller is configured to:

in response to a command for opening a data path sent by a source point located in the host processor and designating a destination point located in the contactless data send/receive interface, open a data path between the source point and the destination point by allocating to the data path a routing channel number and by saving in a routing table the routing channel number and routing parameters comprising at least one identifier of the source point and one identifier of the destination point; and

upon receiving data encapsulated in a frame having a header field comprising the routing channel number, search for a destination point of the data in the routing table using the routing channel number as index to select the destination point.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein:

the controller is configured to, in response to a command for opening a data path sent by a source point located in a host processor and designating a destination point located in the contactless data send/receive interface, open a data path between the source point and the destination point by allocating to the data path a routing channel number and by saving in the routing table the routing channel number and routing parameters comprising an operating mode parameter of the contactless data send/receive interface and a contactless communication protocol parameter; and

the contactless data send/receive interface is configured to send data in a contactless data transmission channel using the operating mode and contactless communication protocol parameters contained in the routing table for the data path through which the data to be sent have been received.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein the controller also uses the routing table to open a data path between two host processors.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to decode commands for creating data paths comprising routing parameters and configuration parameters for configuring the contactless data send/receive interface, and for saving in the routing table the routing and configuration parameters present in the commands.

18. The device of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to dynamically fill or empty the routing table when data paths having a source point located in a host processor are created or closed.

19. The device of claim 14, wherein the controller is configured to pre-save in the routing table parameters of data paths having a source point located in a host processor.

20. The device of claim 14, wherein source points or destination points saved in the routing table are services executed by a host processor.

21. The device of claim 14, wherein the controller is further configured to store, in the routing table, routing parameters comprising an identifier of a point of notification that must receive a copy of the data sent to the destination point.