Inductive Coupling Exchange in a Portable Intelligent Object With Central and Peripheral Circuits

• US 20080297315A1
• Filed: 03/04/2008
• Published: 12/04/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/16/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gemalto SA (Thales SA)
• Original Assignee: Gemplus (Thales SA)
• Inventors: Caruana, Jean-Paul
• Granted Patent: US 8,508,334 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/072 the record carrier comprising a plurality of integrated circuit chips
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07767 the first and second communication means being two different antennas types, e.g. dipole and coil type, or two antennas of the same kind but operating at different frequencies
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer

Abstract

A portable intelligent object has first and second communication interfaces with a station. The first communication interface can send and/or receive data by means of inductive coupling with the station. The object also has an integrated peripheral circuit. All of the data exchanged between the peripheral circuit and the central circuit passes through the station.

Claims

1-15. -15. (canceled)

16. A system for exchanging data with portable intelligent objects, comprising:

at least one portable intelligent object having a data processing circuit connected to a first contactless interface and a peripheral circuit connected to a second contactless interface; and

a station that communicates with the data processing circuit of a portable intelligent object and the peripheral circuit of a portable intelligent object via their respective contactless interfaces, such that data is exchanged between the data processing circuit of a portable intelligent object and the peripheral circuit of a portable intelligent object via said station.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein said peripheral circuit comprises at least one of a display, a keypad, a sensor and a light-emitting device.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein said portable intelligent object includes a plurality of peripheral circuits, each being connected to a respective contactless interface for communicating with said station.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein said communication interfaces communicate with said station via inductive coupling.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the peripheral circuit of a portable intelligent object is electronically isolated from the data processing circuit of said portable intelligent object.

21. A method of exchanging data by means of intelligent portable objects each having at least first and second interfaces for communication with a station in a contactless manner, at least one peripheral circuit connected to the first communication interface;

and a data processing circuit connected to the second communication interface, wherein data is exchanged between the peripheral circuit of an intelligent portable object and the central circuit of an intelligent portable object via the station.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein when data transmission is in the direction from data processing circuit to the peripheral circuit, further including the step of modulating the load on the first communication interface in a manner different from that of the second communication interface.

23. The method according to claim 22, wherein the modulation of the load on the first communication interface is an amplitude modulation with a degree of modulation of the data of around 10% and the modulation of the load on the second communication interface is an amplitude modulation with a degree of modulation of the data of around 100%.

24. The method according to claim 21, wherein when data transmission is in the direction from peripheral circuit to the data processing circuit, further including the step of modulating the load on the station according to a modulation for transmitting data from the peripheral circuit to the data processing circuit via the station.

25. The method according to claim 21, wherein the intelligent portable object contains a plurality of peripheral circuits each connected to a first contactless communication interface, and wherein the data exchanged between the data processing circuit of an intelligent portable object and each peripheral circuit of an intelligent portable object passes via the station.

26. An intelligent portable object comprising:

a data processing circuit connected to a first contactless interface that communicates with an external station via inductive coupling; and

a peripheral circuit connected to a second contactless interface that communicates with an external station via inductive coupling, wherein data exchanged between the peripheral circuit of an intelligent portable object and the data processing circuit of an intelligent portable object is communicated via said station through their respective contactless interfaces.

27. The portable object of claim 26, wherein said peripheral circuit comprises at least one of a display, a keypad, a sensor and a light-emitting device.

28. The portable object of claim 26 comprising a plurality of peripheral circuits, each being connected to a respective contactless interface for communicating with said station.

29. A peripheral circuit for use within an intelligent portable object having a central data processing circuit, comprising an interface for communication by inductive coupling with a station, said peripheral circuit exchanging data with the central circuit of an intelligent portable object via the station without utilizing any conductive physical connection to the central circuit.

30. A circuit according to claim 29, wherein said peripheral circuit is a circuit forming a display.

31. A circuit according to claim 29, wherein said peripheral circuit is a circuit forming a keypad.