WIRELESS IC DEVICE SYSTEM AND METHOD OF DETERMINING AUTHENTICITY OF WIRELESS IC DEVICE

• US 20110043338A1
• Filed: 11/05/2010
• Published: 02/24/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: KATO, Noboru, ISHINO, Satoshi
• Granted Patent: US 9,281,873 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• 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 19/0724 the arrangement being a circuit for communicating at a plurality of frequencies, e.g. for managing time multiplexed communication over at least two antennas of different types
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07786 the antenna being of the HF type, such as a dipole
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10148 the step consisting of dynamically tuning the resonant circuit of the interrogation device that is emitting the interrogation signal, e.g. for impedance matching inside of the interrogation device for tuning related to loop aerials in general H01Q7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10306 ultra wide band
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling

Abstract

An accessory device to be mounted on a main device is provided with a wireless IC device. The main device is provided with a reader/writer that is an interrogator that communicates with the wireless IC device of the accessory device. When the accessory device is mounted on or about to be mounted on the main device, the reader/writer selects two or more frequencies in a frequency band in which an authentic wireless IC device can communicate to perform communication with the wireless IC device. With this configuration, even if the identification code written in an RFID tag is read and the RFID tag is duplicated, the duplicated RFID tag can be accurately and effectively determined as being counterfeit.

Claims

1. A wireless IC device system comprising:

a wireless IC device for an RFID tag; and

an interrogator arranged to communicate with the wireless IC device;

wherein

the interrogator includes a circuit arranged to randomly select a frequency at which communication is to be performed from a frequency band of the wireless IC device in which communication is possible to communicate with the wireless IC device, and arranged to perform authenticity determination of the wireless IC device by determining whether or not communication is possible at the frequency selected by the interrogator.

2. The wireless IC device system according to claim 1, wherein the interrogator includes a circuit arranged to select at least two frequencies at which communication is to be performed.

3. The wireless IC device system according to claim 1, wherein the frequency band of the wireless IC device and the interrogator in which communication is possible is wider than a frequency band that is used for the RFID tag, and the randomly selected frequency is a frequency other than one included in the frequency band that is used for the RFID tag.

4. The wireless IC device system according to claim 1, wherein

the interrogator is provided on a main device, and the wireless IC device is provided on an accessory device that is connected to or mounted on the main device;

and

the main device includes a warning circuit arranged to provide a warning when it is determined that the wireless IC device is not authentic.

5. The wireless IC device system according to claim 1, wherein the interrogator is provided on a main device, and the wireless IC device is provided on an accessory device that is connected to or mounted on the main device, and an operation control unit is arranged to terminate or limit an operation of the main device when it is determined that the wireless IC device is not authentic.

6. The wireless IC device system according to claim 1, wherein the frequency band of the wireless IC device in which communication is possible is in a range of approximately five times to approximately 1000 times a carrier frequency band of a communication signal used by the RFID tag.

7. A method of determining an authenticity of a wireless IC device in a wireless IC device including a wireless IC device for an RFID tag and an interrogator that communicates with the wireless IC device, the method comprising the steps of:

randomly selecting using the interrogator a frequency at which communication is to be performed from a frequency band of the wireless IC device in which communication is possible to communicate with the wireless IC device; and

performing authenticity determination of the wireless IC device by determining whether or not communication is possible at the frequency selected in the selecting step.

8. The method of determining the authenticity of a wireless IC device according to claim 7, wherein the interrogator selects at least two frequencies at which communication is to be performed.

9. The method of determining the authenticity of a wireless IC device according to claim 7, wherein

the frequency band of the wireless IC device and the interrogator in which communication is possible is wider than a frequency band that is used for the RFID tag;

and

the authenticity determination of the wireless IC device is performed by determining whether or not communication is possible at a frequency other than one included in the frequency band that is used for the RFID tag.