PROCESS FOR ESTABLISHING A DATA LINK BETWEEN TWO PROCESSORS, SPECIFICALLY WITHIN AN NFC CHIPSET

• US 20100240303A1
• Filed: 03/19/2010
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/20/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verimatrix Incorporated (Verimatrix SA)
• Original Assignee: INSIDE Contactless
• Inventors: CHARRAT, Bruno
• Granted Patent: US 8,620,214 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.100
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems

Abstract

A process for establishing a data link between a first processor configured to supply, upon a contact communication port, a first data carrying signal, and a second processor configured to supply, upon a contact communication port, a second data carrying signal is described. The process includes providing a first coupler and a second coupler, establishing a contactless coupling between the first and second couplers and, by the intermediary of the couplers and at least one RF signal, transferring the first data carrying signal to the second processor and transferring the second data carrying signal to the first processor. The second processor is, for example, a secure processor of a SIM card and the first processor is an NFC controller.

Claims

1. A process for establishing a data link between a first processor and a second processor, comprising:

by intermediary of a contact communication port of the first processor, emitting a first data carrying signal in the form of a first modulated signal;

by intermediary of a contact communication port of the second processor, emitting a second data carrying signal in the form of a second modulated signal;

providing a first coupler and connecting the first coupler to the contact communication port of the first processor;

providing a second coupler and connecting the second coupler to the contact communication port of the secure processor;

establishing a contactless coupling between the first and second couplers; and

by way of the couplers and of at least one RF signal, transferring the first data carrying signal to the contact communication port of the second processor and transferring the second data carrying signal to the contact communication port of the first processor.

2. The process according to claim 1, further comprising:

by way of the first coupler, receiving or sensing the first modulated signal, extracting from the first modulated signal the first data carrying signal, and transferring the first data carrying signal to the second coupler by means of the RF signal;

by way of the second coupler, receiving or sensing the second modulated signal, extracting from the second modulated signal the second data carrying signal, transferring the second data carrying signal to the first coupler by way of the RF signal or another RF signal, and receiving the first data carrying signal and supplying to the contact communication port of the second processor a third modulated signal that emulates the first modulated signal; and

by way of the first coupler, receiving the second data carrying signal and supplying to the contact communication port of the first processor a fourth modulated signal that emulates the second modulated signal.

3. The process according to claim 2, further comprising:

by way of the first coupler, emitting the RF signal and modulating the RF signal such that the RF signal has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the first data carrying signal;

by way of the second coupler, demodulating the RF signal in order to recover the first data carrying signal, and injecting in the RF signal a backscattered signal that has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the second data carrying signal; and

by way of the first coupler, sensing the backscattered signal and demodulating the backscattered signal in order to recover the second data carrying signal.

4. The process according to claim 2, further comprising:

by way of the second coupler, emitting the RF signal and modulating the RF signal such that the RF signal has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the second data carrying signal;

by way of the first coupler, demodulating the RF signal in order to recover the second data carrying signal, and injecting in the RF signal a backscattered signal that has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the first data carrying signal; and

by way of the second coupler, sensing the backscattered signal and demodulating the backscattered signal in order to recover the first data carrying signal.

5. The process according to claim 2, further comprising:

by way of the first coupler, emitting a first RF signal and modulating the first RF signal such that the first RF signal has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the first data carrying signal;

by way of the second coupler, demodulating the first RF signal in order to recover the first data carrying signal, and emitting a second RF signal and modulating the second RF signal such that the second RF signal has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the second data carrying signal; and

by way of the first coupler, demodulating the second RF signal in order to recover the second data carrying signal.

6. The process according to claim 1, in which the first modulated signal is an electrically modulated voltage and the second modulated signal is a current signal modulated in the presence of the the electrically modulated voltage.

7. The process according to claim 1, in which:

the first processor is an NFC controller that comprises, in addition to the contact communication port, a contactless interface circuit functioning by inductive coupling, and

the second processor is a host processor of the NFC controller.

8. The process according to claim 1, in which the second processor is a secure processor of a SIM card.

9. The process according to claims 1, in which the contactless coupling is an inductive coupling, an electrical field coupling or a capacitive coupling.

10. A process for conducting a transaction between the host processor of an NFC controller and an NFC device, comprising establishing a data link between the host processor and the NFC device by way of the NFC controller, wherein the establishing of the data link between the host processor and the NFC device comprises establishing a data link between the host processor and the NFC controller according to the process of claim 1.

11. A data processing and transfer device having a first processor configured to supply, upon a contact communication port, a first data carrying signal in the form of a first modulated signal, and a second processor configured to supply, upon a contact communication port, a second data carrying signal in the form of a second modulated signal, the device comprising:

a first coupler connected to the contact communication port of the first processor;

a second coupler connected to the contact communication port of the second processor,

wherein the couplers are coupled by a contactless coupling, and the first coupler is configured to;

receive or sense the first modulated signal, extract from the first modulated signal the first data carrying signal and transfer the first data carrying signal to the second coupler by way of an RF signal,

the second coupler is configured to;

receive or sense the second modulated signal, extract from the second modulated signal the second data carrying signal and transfer the second data carrying signal to the first coupler by way of the RF signal or of another RF signal, receive the first data carrying signal, and supply to the contact communication port of the second processor a third modulated signal that emulates the first modulated signal, and

the first coupler is also configured to;

receive the second data carrying signal and supply to the contact communication port of the first processor a fourth modulated signal that emulates the second modulated signal.

12. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 11, wherein

the first coupler is further configured to:

emit the RF signal and modulate the RF signal such that the RF signal has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the first data carrying signal,

the second coupler is further configured to;

inject in the RF signal a backscattered signal that has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the second data carrying signal,

demodulate the RF signal in order to recover the first data carrying signal, and

the first coupler is also further configured to;

sense the backscattered signal and demodulate the backscattered signal in order to recover the second data carrying signal.

13. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 11, wherein

the second coupler is further configured to:

emit the RF signal and modulate the RF signal such that the RF signal has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the second data carrying signal,

the first coupler is further configured to;

demodulate the RF signal in order to recover the second data carrying signal,

inject in the RF signal a backscattered signal that has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the first data carrying signal, and

the second coupler is also further configured to;

sense the backscattered signal and demodulate the backscattered signal in order to recover the first data carrying signal.

14. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 11, wherein

the first coupler is further configured to:

emit a first RF signal and modulate the first RF signal such that the first RF signal has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the first data carrying signal,

the second coupler is further configured to;

demodulate the first RF signal in order to recover the first data carrying signal,

emit a second RF signal and modulate the second RF signal such that the second RF signal has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the second data carrying signal, and

the first coupler is also further configured to;

demodulate the second RF signal in order to recover the second data carrying signal.

15. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 11, wherein the first modulated signal is an electrically modulated voltage and the second modulated signal is a current signal modulated in the presence of the said electrically modulated voltage.

16. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 11, wherein

the first processor is an NFC controller also comprising a contactless interface circuit functioning by inductive coupling, and

the second processor is a host processor of the NFC controller.

17. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 11, wherein

the first processor is an NFC controller also comprising a contactless interface circuit functioning by inductive coupling, and

the second processor is a baseband processor for a cellular telephone network.

18. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 11, wherein

the first processor is a baseband processor for a cellular telephone network, and

the second processor is a secure processor of a SIM card.

19. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 11, wherein the contactless coupling is an inductive coupling, an electrical field coupling or a capacitive coupling.

20. A data processing and transfer device having a processor configured to supply, on at least one contact communication port, a first data carrying signal in the form of a first modulated signal, the device comprising:

at least one coupler connected to the contact communication port of the processor, the at least one coupler being configured for contactless coupling with another coupler, and configured to;

receive or sense the first modulated signal, extract from it the first data carrying signal and transfer the first data carrying signal to the other coupler, by way of an RF signal,

receive, by way of the other coupler, a second data carrying signal, by way of the RF signal or of another RF signal, and supply to the contact communication port of the processor a second modulated signal.

21. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 20, wherein the coupler is further configured to:

emit the RF signal and modulate the RF signal such that the RF signal has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the first data carrying signal, and

sense a backscattered signal and demodulate the backscattered signal in order to recover the second data carrying signal.

22. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 20, wherein the coupler is configured to:

receive and demodulate the RF signal in order to recover the second data carrying signal, and

inject in the RF signal a backscattered signal that has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the first data carrying signal.

23. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 20, wherein the coupler is further configured to:

emit the RF signal and modulate the RF signal such that the RF signal has a parameter that is modulated as a function of the first data carrying signal, and receive and demodulate another RF signal in order to recover the second data carrying signal.

24. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 20, wherein the first modulated signal is one of an electrically modulated voltage or a current signal modulated in the presence of the electrically modulated voltage and the second modulated signal is the other of the electrically modulated voltage of the current signal modulated in the presence of the electrically modulated voltage.

25. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 20, wherein the processor is an NFC controller also comprising a contactless interface circuit functioning by inductive coupling.

26. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 20, wherein the processor is a secure processor of a SIM card.

27. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 20, wherein the processor is a baseband processor for a cellular telephone network.

28. The data processing and transfer device according to claim 20, wherein the contactless coupling is an inductive coupling, an electrical field coupling, or a capacitive coupling.