Smart card

• US 9,135,546 B2
• Filed: 05/23/2014
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Kargl, Walter, Sbuell, Richard
• Primary Examiner(s): Labaze, Edwyn
• Application Number:
  US14/285,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20140346236A1
• Time in Patent Office: 480 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/380, 235/487, 235/488, 235/451, 235/375
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0708 the source being electromagnetic or magnetic
• 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 accordance with various embodiments, a smart card is described which has an antenna, which is configured to receive an electromagnetic signal, a rectifier, which is configured to rectify the received signal, and a capacitive or an inductive DC-to-DC voltage converter, which is configured to provide a supply voltage on the basis of the rectified signal.

Claims

1. A smart card, comprising:

an antenna, which is configured to receive an electromagnetic signal;

a rectifier which is configured to rectify the received signal;

a capacitive or an inductive DC-to-DC voltage converter, which is configured to provide a supply voltage on the basis of the rectified signal and such that a ratio of a power at an output of the rectifier to a power at an output of the DC-to-DC voltage converter is close to unity;

wherein the DC-to-DC converter comprises a diode connected with its anode to the output of the rectifier and a switch connected in parallel with the diode.

2. The smart card of claim 1,

wherein the DC-to-DC voltage converter is configured to provide the supply voltage for a component to be supplied.

3. The smart card of claim 1,

wherein the DC-to-DC voltage converter is configured to provide the supply voltage for an integrated circuit.

4. The smart card of claim 1,

wherein the DC-to-DC voltage converter is a switched inductive DC-to-DC voltage converter or a switched capacitive DC-to-DC voltage converter.

5. The smart card of claim 1, further comprising:

a stabilization circuit which is configured to limit the supply voltage to predetermined value.

6. The smart card of claim 5,

wherein the stabilization circuit has a Zener diode.

7. The smart card of claim 1,

wherein the rectified signal is a pulse signal.

8. The smart card of claim 1, further comprising:

a regulating circuit, which is configured to regulate the maximum antenna voltage.

9. The smart card of claim 8,

wherein the regulating circuit is configured to regulate the maximum antenna voltage by setting the input resistance of the rectifier.

10. The smart card of claim 8,

wherein the rectified signal is a pulse signal, and wherein the regulating circuit is configured to set the input resistance by setting the pulse width of the pulse signal.

11. The smart card of claim 8,

wherein the regulating circuit is configured to regulate the maximum antenna voltage to a predetermined reference voltage.