Method for managing information communication between a NFC controller and a secure element within an apparatus, and corresponding apparatus and NFC controller

• US 9,661,448 B2
• Filed: 12/02/2015
• Issued: 05/23/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SAS (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SAS (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Charles, Alexandre
• Primary Examiner(s): Wendell, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US14/956,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20160309285A1
• Time in Patent Office: 538 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/102 using shared medium, e.g. bus or ring
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A method is for managing information communication between an NFC controller coupled to an antenna for a contactless communication with an object, a device host, and a secure element. The method may include routing the information through the NFC controller, and communicating first information to be communicated between the secure element and the device host through a first communication link between the NFC controller and the device host, and through a second communication link between the NFC controller and the secure element. The method may include communicating second information with the antenna through a third communication link between the NFC controller and the secure element, the first and second communication links having bandwidths greater than a bandwidth of the third communication link.

Claims

1. A method for managing information communication among a near field communication (NFC) controller coupled to an antenna for a contactless communication with an object, a device host, and at least one secure element, the method comprising:

routing the information through the NFC controller;

communicating first information to be communicated between the at least one secure element and the device host through a first communication link between the NFC controller and the device host, and through a second communication link between the NFC controller and the at least one secure element; and

communicating second information with the antenna through a third communication link between the NFC controller and the at least one secure element, the second and third communication links being separate links coupled between the NFC controller and the at least one secure element, the first and second communication links having respective bandwidths greater than a bandwidth of the third communication link.

2. The method according to claim 1 wherein the third communication link comprises a Single Wire Protocol (SWP) link.

3. The method according to claim 1 wherein the second communication link comprises at least one of a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) bus, an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I²C) bus, a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) bus, and a universal serial bus (USB).

4. The method according to claim 1 wherein the first communication link comprises at least one of a SPI bus, an I²C bus, and a UART bus;

and wherein the first information is exchanged on the first communication link by using an NEC Controller Interface (NCI) type communication protocol.

5. The method according to claim 4 wherein the first information comprises information exchanged with a transparent Application Protocol Data Unit (APDU) NEC Execution Environment (NFCEE) protocol of the NCI type communication protocol.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising communicating on the first and third communication links third information to be communicated between the at least one secure element and the device host.

7. The method according to claim 6 wherein the third information comprises information communicated by using Human-computer interaction (HCI) access protocol.

8. The method according to claim 1 wherein routing comprises routing all of the information through the NFC controller.

9. A communication system comprising:

an antenna configured to communicate contactlessly with an object;

a device host;

at least one secure element; and

a near field communication (NFC) controller comprising

a first input/output circuit coupled to said device host through a first communication link, the first communication link configured to carry first information communicated between said at least one secure element and said device host,

a second input/output circuit coupled to said at least one secure element through a second communication link configured to carry the first information,

a third input/output circuit coupled to said at least one secure element through a third communication link, the third communication link configured to carry second information with said antenna,

a fourth input/output circuit coupled to said antenna, the first and second communication links having respective bandwidths greater than a bandwidth of the third communication link, the second and third communication links being separate links coupled between said NFC controller and said at least one secure element, and

a routing circuit configured to route the first information between said first and second input/output circuits and to route the second information between said third and fourth input/output circuits.

10. The communication system according to claim 9 wherein the third communication link comprises a Single Wire Protocol (SWP) link;

and wherein said third input/output circuit comprises a human-computer interaction (HCI) access protocol interface.

11. The communication system according to claim 9 wherein the second communication link comprises at least one of a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) bus, an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I²C) bus, a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) bus, and a universal serial bus (USB).

12. The communication system according to claim 9 the first communication link comprises at least one of a SPI bus, an I²C bus, and a UART bus configured to support an NFC Controller Interface (NCI) type communication protocol.

13. The communication system according to claim 12 wherein the first information comprises information exchanged with a transparent Application Protocol Data Unit (APDU) NFC Execution Environment (NFCEE) protocol of the NCI type communication protocol.

14. The communication system according to claim 9 wherein the first and third communication links are configured to carry third information communicated between said at least one secure element and said device host;

and wherein said routing circuit is configured to route the third information between said first and third input/output circuits.

15. The communication system according to claim 14 wherein the third information comprises information communicated by using Human-computer interaction (HCI) access protocol.

16. The communication system according to claim 9 wherein said at least one secure element comprises at least one of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) and an embedded secure element.

17. The communication system according to claim 9 wherein said device host comprises a mobile phone.

18. A near field communication (NFC) controller comprising:

a first input/output circuit coupled to a device host through a first communication link, the first communication link configured to carry first information communicated between at least one secure element and said device host;

a second input/output circuit coupled to said at least one secure element through a second communication link configured to carry the first information;

a third input/output circuit coupled to said at least one secure element through a third communication link, the third communication link configured to carry second information with an antenna;

a fourth input/output circuit coupled to said antenna, the first and second communication links having respective bandwidths greater than a bandwidth of the third communication link, the second and third communication links being separate links coupled between said NFC controller and said at least one secure element; and

a routing circuit configured to route the first information between said first and second input/output circuits and to route the second information between said third and fourth input/output circuits.

19. The NFC controller according to claim 18 wherein the third communication link comprises a Single Wire Protocol (SWP) link;

and wherein said third input/output circuit comprises a human-computer interaction (HCI) access protocol interface.

20. The NEC controller according to claim 18 wherein the second communication link comprises at least one of a Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI) bus, an Inter-Integrated Circuit (I²C) bus, a universal asynchronous receiver/transmitter (UART) bus, and a universal serial bus (USB).

21. The NFC controller according to claim 18 the first communication link comprises at least one of a SPI bus, an I²C bus, and a UART bus configured to support an NEC Controller Interface (NCI) type communication protocol.

22. The NEC controller according to claim 21 wherein the first information comprises information exchanged with a transparent Application Protocol Data Unit (APDU) NEC Execution Environment (NFCEE) protocol of the NCI type communication protocol.

23. The NEC controller according to claim 18 wherein the first and third communication links are configured to carry third information communicated between said at least one secure element and said device host;

and wherein said routing circuit is configured to route the third information between said first and third input/output circuits.

24. The NFC controller according to claim 23 wherein the third information comprises information communicated by using Human-computer interaction (HCI) access protocol.

25. The NEC controller according to claim 18 wherein said at least one secure element comprises at least one of a Universal Integrated Circuit Card (UICC) and an embedded secure element.