Document having an integrated contactless resonator electronic device

• US 8,157,179 B2
• Filed: 07/06/2006
• Issued: 04/17/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/07/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oberthur Technologies SA
• Original Assignee: Oberthur Technologies SA
• Inventors: Eray, Yves
• Primary Examiner(s): Le, Thien M.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Johnson, Sonji
• Application Number:
  US11/994,886
• Publication Number:
  US 20080314989A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,112 Days
• Field of Search: 343/742
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07327 Passive means, e.g. Faraday cages Faraday-type protection of electric circuits in general H05K9/00

Abstract

A support (10) provided with at least first (12) and second (14) parts capable of displacing relative to one another along a selected axis of displacement (16), and a contactless electronic device (1) mounted in the first part (12) of the support and including an electronic microcircuit (3) and an antenna (2) electrically connected to the electronic microcircuit (3), and capable of being (electro)magnetically coupled with an external reading station (5), the electronic microcircuit (3) being capable of exchanging information with the outside. The second part (14) is provided with electromagnetic coupling attenuating elements, having a resonator circuit (7) coupled to the antenna (2), and situated in line with the antenna (2) when the first and second parts are essentially superimposed one above the other, and are capable of rendering the exchange of information with the outside inoperative or operative according to the distance between the first and second parts.

Claims

1. A document comprising:

a support (10) having at least a first portion (12) and a second portion (14) configured to be moved relative to each other; and

a contactless electronic device (1) mounted in the first portion (12) of the support (10) and including an electronic microcircuit (3) and an antenna (2) electrically connected to said electronic microcircuit (3) and configured to be (electro)magnetically coupled to an external reading station (5),

wherein the electronic microcircuit (3) being configured to exchange information with an external environment, and

the second portion (14) comprises means (7) for attenuating the (electro)magnetic coupling, including a resonator circuit coupled to said antenna and disposed substantially in line with the antenna upon the first portion (12) and the second portion (14) being substantially superposed one on the other, and configured to render inoperative or operative the exchange of information with the external environment as a function of an offset between the first and second portions (12 and 14), and

a resonant frequency of the resonator circuit (7) is outside a range of operating frequencies of the electronic microcircuit.

2. The document according to claim 1, wherein the first portion (12) and the second portion (14) of the support (10) are independent and not connected to each other.

3. The document according to claim 1, wherein the document can be folded and the first and second portions (12 and 14) are adapted to pivot relative to each other about a fold line (16) along edges (18 and 20) of these portions (12 and 14).

4. The document according to claim 3, wherein virtually all of the antenna (2) extends over approximately half an area of the first portion (12) situated in a vicinity of the fold line.

5. The document according to claim 4, wherein the antenna (2) extends over virtually all of the edge (18) of the first portion along the fold line (16).

6. The document according to claim 3, wherein the resonator circuit (7) extends over substantially more than half an area of the second portion (14) situated in a vicinity of the fold line (16).

7. The document according to claim 6, wherein the resonator circuit (7) extends over virtually all of the edge (20) of the second portion along the fold line (16).

8. The document according to claim 3, wherein the antenna (2) is of rectangular shape, with a longer side along the fold line.

9. The document according to claim 3, wherein a geometrical center of the antenna (2) is placed in a first quarter of the first portion (12) situated relatively close to the fold line (16).

10. The document according to claim 3, wherein a right-hand edge of the antenna (2) is situated at a distance (d) from the fold line (16) between 2 and 15 mm.

11. The document according to claim 10, wherein said distance (d) is approximately 5 mm.

12. The document according to claim 1, wherein the electronic microcircuit (3) operates at a frequency below 100 MHz.

13. The document according to claim 12, wherein the operating frequency of the electronic microcircuit (3) is between 13 and 15 MHz.

14. The document according to claim 13, wherein the operating frequency of the electronic microcircuit (3) is approximately 13.56 MHz and has a bandwidth of an order of 1 MHz.

15. The document according to claim 13, wherein the resonant frequency of the resonator circuit (7) is between 6 and 10 MHz.

16. The document according to claim 15, wherein the resonant frequency of the resonator circuit (7) is between 7.5 MHz and 8.5 MHz.

17. The document according to claim 1, wherein the resonator circuit (7) comprises a conductive winding.

18. The document according to claim 17, wherein the conductive winding has free ends (13 and 15).

19. The document according to claim 1, wherein the resonator circuit (7) comprises a plurality of turns.

20. The document according to claim 19, wherein the document is of small size and the resonator (7) comprises more than 20 turns.

21. The document according to claim 19, wherein the turns are separated two by two by a distance less than 0.5 mm.

22. The document according to claim 1, wherein the antenna (2) comprises a conductive winding connected to the electronic microcircuit.

23. The document according to claim 1, wherein the exchange of information with the external environment is rendered inoperative by the attenuation means for an angular offset between 0°

and 60°

.

24. The document according to claim 23, wherein the exchange of information with the external environment is rendered inoperative by the attenuation means for an angular offset between 0°

and 45°

.

25. The document according to claim 1, wherein the antenna (2) and the resonator (7) are produced during a same production step.

26. The document according to claim 1, wherein the document belongs to a group formed of security documents, identity documents, passports, driver'"'"'s permits.

27. The document according to claim 1, wherein the resonator circuit is disposed substantially in line with the antenna in order to attenuate said coupling when the first portion and the second portion are substantially superposed one on the other.

28. The document according to claim 1, wherein the resonator circuit has a resonant frequency outside a range of operating frequencies of the microcircuit, thus attenuating said coupling when the first portion and the second portion are substantially superposed one on the other.

29. An electronic entity comprising:

a support having at least first and second portions configured to be moved relative to each other with respect to a chosen displacement axis; and

a contactless electronic device mounted in the first portion of the support and including an electronic microcircuit and an antenna electrically connected to that electronic microcircuit and adapted to be (electro)magnetically coupled to an external reading station, the electronic microcircuit being adapted to exchange information with an external environment,

wherein the second portion has means for attenuating the electromagnetic coupling comprising a resonator circuit coupled to said antenna and disposed substantially in line with the antenna when the first and second portions are substantially superposed one on the other, and adapted to render the exchange of information with the external environment inoperative as a function of an offset between the first and second portions, and

a resonant frequency of the resonator circuit (7) is outside a range of operating frequencies of the electronic microcircuit.

30. A method of controlling exchange of information between a document and an external reading station, said document including a support (10) having at least a first portion (12) and a second portion (14) configured to be moved relative to each other with respect to a chosen displacement axis (16) and a contactless electronic device (1) mounted in the first portion (12) of the support and including an electronic microcircuit (3) and an antenna (2) electrically connected to that electronic microcircuit (3) and configured to be (electro)magnetically coupled to an external reading station (5), the electronic microcircuit (3) being configured to exchange information with an external environment, and

the second portion (14) includes means for attenuating the electromagnetic coupling comprising a resonator circuit (7) coupled to said antenna (2) and disposed substantially in line with the antenna (2) when the first portion (12) and the second portion (14) are substantially superposed one on the other and in that the attenuation means (7) render the exchange of information with the external environment inoperative as a function of an offset between the first and second portions (12 and 14), and

a resonant frequency of the resonator circuit (7) is outside a range of operating frequencies of the electronic microcircuit.