A method for controlling power consumption of a smart card, a smart card and a storage medium

Abstract

The disclosure discloses a method for controlling power consumption of a smart card, a smart card and a storage medium. The method comprises: after receiving a transaction instruction of a terminal, a master control chip sends a first type of operation instruction; and an execution module executes the first type of operation instruction corresponding to the transaction instruction, wherein, before or after the master control chip sends the first type of operation instruction, and before a reference power consumption peak time of the smart card during execution of the first type of operation instruction, a current waiting time extension request is sent to the terminal; an interval between a sending time of the current waiting time extension request and a previous waiting time extension request adjacent to the current waiting time extension request is less than a preset sending time interval of a waiting time extension request, and an interval between the sending time of the current waiting time extension request and the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card is less than the preset sending time interval. Through the scheme of the embodiment of the disclosure, the power consumption of the smart card at the power consumption peak time can be reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to the field of electronic device technology. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a method for controlling the power consumption of a smart card, a smart card, and a storage medium. Background Technology

[0002] Currently, smart cards that utilize near-field communication technology to achieve information exchange are widely used in fields such as finance, social insurance, transportation and tourism, healthcare, government administration, retail, leisure and entertainment, and school management, greatly facilitating people's daily lives.

[0003] The integrated circuits inside smart cards result in higher power consumption. Active smart cards require a higher capacity of internal power supply. Passive smart cards have even higher requirements for the terminals they interface with, posing a greater challenge to smart card compatibility. If the capacity of the internal power supply of an active smart card or the terminal cannot meet the requirements of a passive smart card, it will affect the data interaction process, potentially leading to interaction failures and impacting the cardholder's card-swiping experience.

[0004] In view of this, there is an urgent need to provide a smart card power consumption control scheme in order to effectively control the power consumption of smart cards, reduce the phenomenon of smart card and terminal interaction failure, and improve the compatibility of smart cards with terminals. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In order to at least address one or more of the technical problems mentioned above, this disclosure proposes a smart card power consumption control scheme in several aspects.

[0006] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides a method for controlling the power consumption of a smart card, the smart card including a main control chip configured to issue a first type of operation instruction and an execution module configured to execute the first type of operation instruction. The method includes: after receiving a transaction instruction from a terminal, the main control chip issues the first type of operation instruction; and the execution module executes the first type of operation instruction corresponding to the transaction instruction, wherein, before or after the main control chip issues the first type of operation instruction, and before the reference power consumption peak moment of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction by the execution module, a current waiting time extension request is issued to the terminal; the time interval between the issuance of the current waiting time extension request and the adjacent previous waiting time extension request is less than a preset time interval for issuing the waiting time extension request, and the time interval between the issuance of the current waiting time extension request and the reference power consumption peak moment of the smart card is less than the preset time interval for issuing the waiting time extension request.

[0007] In some embodiments of the first aspect, after issuing a current waiting time extension request, the method further includes: issuing a target waiting time extension request, wherein the issuance time of the target waiting time extension request is offset from the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction by the execution module of the smart card.

[0008] In a second aspect, this disclosure provides a method for controlling the power consumption of a smart card, comprising: issuing a current waiting time extension request before or after the main control chip of the smart card issues a first type of operation instruction; and issuing a target waiting time extension request after the current waiting time extension request, wherein the issuance time of the target waiting time extension request is offset from the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction by the execution module of the smart card by sending the current waiting time extension request.

[0009] In some embodiments, for either the first or second aspect, the method further includes: establishing a transaction connection between the smart card and the terminal, and issuing waiting time extension requests at different times to maintain the transaction connection between the smart card and the terminal; during the transaction connection maintenance process, the main control chip of the smart card issues a first type of operation instruction, and the execution module of the smart card executes the first type of operation instruction; wherein, a current waiting time extension request is issued before or after the main control chip of the smart card issues the first type of operation instruction; and a target waiting time extension request is issued after the main control chip issues the current waiting time extension request; the target waiting time extension request is issued in a first sending mode, and the current waiting time extension request is issued in a second sending mode different from the first sending mode, the second sending mode at least ensuring that the issuance times of the current waiting time extension request and the target waiting time extension request are offset from the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction.

[0010] For either the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, the first type of operation instruction includes a high-power operation instruction, wherein the peak power consumption of the smart card when the execution module executes the high-power operation instruction is greater than or equal to a preset power consumption threshold.

[0011] For either the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, the main control chip is configured to issue a first type of operation instruction and a second type of operation instruction, the method comprising: for the first type of operation instruction, before and / or after the main control chip issues a current waiting time extension request, issuing a waiting time extension request to the terminal according to a preset issuance time interval; and for the second type of operation instruction, issuing a waiting time extension request to the terminal according to a preset issuance time interval.

[0012] In some embodiments, for either the first or the second aspect, the method further includes: the main control chip entering a sleep mode after issuing a current wait time extension request, in order to reduce the power consumption of the main control chip.

[0013] For either the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, before entering the sleep mode, the method further includes: starting a timer for waking up the main control chip; or after issuing the first type of operation instruction, returning a status word to the terminal indicating that the instruction execution has ended.

[0014] For either the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, after entering the sleep mode, the method further includes: exiting the sleep mode in response to a notification signal that the timer has finished counting down or the terminal has made a new transaction with the smart card or the execution module has finished performing an operation; wherein the timer's counting duration is greater than or equal to the total execution duration of the first type of operation instruction.

[0015] For either the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, the method further includes: reducing the main control chip's clock frequency to reduce the main control chip's power consumption.

[0016] For either the first aspect or the second aspect, in some embodiments, reducing the main control chip frequency includes: reducing the main control chip frequency before the execution module executes the first type of operation instruction; and / or reducing the main control chip frequency before or after the main control chip sends a current waiting time extension request to the terminal.

[0017] In some embodiments, for either the first aspect or the second aspect, the method further includes: reducing the main frequency of the main control chip and / or shutting down internal and / or external parallel working modules of the main control chip to reduce the power consumption of the main control chip before the main control chip sends a request to the terminal to extend the waiting time or after the main control chip sends a request to the terminal to extend the waiting time, and before the execution module executes the first type of operation instruction; and entering a sleep mode after the main control chip sends the first type of operation instruction.

[0018] In a third aspect, this disclosure provides a method for controlling the power consumption of a smart card, the smart card including an execution module and a main control chip, the method including: after the main control chip issues a first type of operation instruction, the main control chip enters a sleep mode to reduce its power consumption.

[0019] In some embodiments of the third aspect, when entering a sleep mode, the method further includes: starting a timer or, after issuing a first type of operation instruction, returning a status word to the terminal, wherein the timer's duration is greater than or equal to the total execution duration of the first type of operation instruction.

[0020] In some embodiments of the third aspect, after entering the sleep mode, the method further includes: in response to the completion of the currently pending first type of operation instruction, the main control chip exits the sleep mode; wherein whether the currently pending first type of operation instruction has been completed is determined based on whether the timer has ended, and in response to the end of the timer, the currently pending first type of operation instruction has been completed; or in response to a notification signal from the execution module after the operation has been completed, the sleep mode is exited; or in response to a new transaction generated by the smart card, the terminal performs a wake-up operation to trigger the main control chip to exit the sleep mode.

[0021] In a fourth aspect, this disclosure provides a smart card comprising: a master control chip, the master control chip performing a method as described in any one of the first to third aspects to reduce power consumption.

[0022] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the main control chip of the smart card is a security element or a microcontroller unit or an integrated control chip including a security element and a microcontroller unit.

[0023] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the smart card is an active smart card or a passive smart card.

[0024] In some embodiments of the fourth aspect, the passive smart card draws power from the terminal via an NFC coil.

[0025] In a fifth aspect, this disclosure provides a computer-readable storage medium having computer-readable instructions stored thereon, which, when executed by one or more processors, implement the method of any one of the first to third aspects.

[0026] By using the smart card power consumption control method provided above, this disclosed embodiment enables the main control chip to issue a first type of operation instruction when a transaction occurs between the smart card and the terminal, and the execution module to execute the first type of operation instruction corresponding to the current transaction instruction. Specifically, a current waiting time extension request is issued before or after the main control chip issues the first type of operation instruction, and before the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction by the execution module. Since the time interval between the current waiting time extension request and its adjacent preceding waiting time extension request is less than the preset time interval for issuing the waiting time extension request, and the time interval between the issuance time of the current waiting time extension request and the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card is less than the preset time interval, the time when the smart card's power consumption reaches its peak will not coincide with the issuance time of any waiting time extension request. This effectively avoids the execution of the first type of operation instruction being affected by the waiting time extension request, effectively reducing the risk of further exceeding the power consumption peak. Attached Figure Description

[0027] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will become readily apparent upon reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, several embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated by way of example and not limitation, and like or corresponding reference numerals denote like or corresponding parts, wherein:

[0028] Figure 1 An exemplary flowchart of a smart card power consumption control method according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of issuing a waiting time extension request according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic diagram illustrating the process of issuing a waiting time extension request according to other embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0031] Figure 4 An exemplary flowchart of a smart card power consumption control method according to other embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0032] Figure 5 An exemplary flowchart of a smart card power consumption control method according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown;

[0033] Figure 6 An exemplary flowchart of a smart card power consumption control method according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0034] The technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this disclosure, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0035] It should be understood that the terms “comprising” and “including” used in this disclosure and claims indicate the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or collections thereof.

[0036] It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. As used in this disclosure and claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this disclosure and claims refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes such combinations.

[0037] As used in this specification and claims, the term "if" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "when," "once," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, the phrase "if determined" or "if [described condition or event] is detected" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "once determined," "in response to determination," "once [described condition or event] is detected," or "in response to detection of [described condition or event]."

[0038] The specific embodiments disclosed herein will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0039] In traditional technology, after the smart card establishes a connection with the terminal, the main control chip usually sends a waiting time extension request to the terminal at a preset time interval. This waiting time extension request can be sent automatically periodically.

[0040] The inventors of this disclosure noted in their research that in traditional smart cards, there are situations where the action of issuing a request to extend the waiting time occurs while the first type of operation instruction is being executed. In particular, during the execution of the first type of operation instruction, when the power consumption of the smart card reaches its peak, issuing a request to extend the waiting time at this time will further exceed the power consumption peak. This may not only cause the execution module to fail to execute the first type of operation instruction, but may also affect the communication between the smart card and the terminal, resulting in a reduction in the number of compatible terminals and affecting the compatibility of the smart card.

[0041] In view of this, to avoid the timing of the target waiting time extension request coinciding with the reference power consumption peak time, this disclosure embodiment provides a smart card power consumption control scheme. This scheme proactively issues a waiting time extension request before the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction and before issuing the target waiting time extension request (i.e., before or after the main control chip issues the first type of operation instruction, and before the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card during the execution module's execution of the first type of operation instruction, the current waiting time extension request is sent to the terminal). This adjusts the timing of the target waiting time extension request so that it is staggered from the reference power consumption peak time. This prevents the smart card's power consumption from further exceeding the reference power consumption peak time due to the issuance of the target waiting time extension request, thereby effectively preventing the first type of operation instruction from failing to execute successfully due to the target waiting time extension request.

[0042] In this disclosed embodiment, the power consumption value of "reference power consumption peak of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction" does not include the power consumption caused by the smart card issuing a waiting time extension request. For ease of understanding, it is assumed that the smart card does not issue a waiting time extension request. In this case, the smart card will experience a power consumption peak during the execution of the first type of operation instruction. This power consumption peak is the reference power consumption peak, and the time at which the power consumption peak occurs is the reference power consumption peak time.

[0043] In this disclosed embodiment, the time when the target waiting time extension request is issued is offset from the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction by a preset time. The preset time is set according to actual needs, as long as the power consumption peak of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction does not exceed the reference power consumption peak.

[0044] The following describes the smart card power consumption control method provided in this embodiment. First, a brief description of the smart card in this embodiment is given. The smart card includes: a main control chip configured to issue a first type of operation instruction and an execution module configured to execute the first type of operation instruction. When a transaction occurs between the smart card and the terminal, the main control chip issues a first type of operation instruction corresponding to the current transaction instruction to the execution module, causing the execution module to execute the first type of operation instruction.

[0045] For example, the execution module can be a module in the smart card responsible for some additional functions, such as a display module, a Bluetooth execution module, or a fingerprint recognition execution module, etc. Accordingly, the first type of operation instructions can be, but are not limited to: screen swipe instructions, module start instructions, module configuration instructions, or information sending and receiving instructions, etc. Therefore, the smart card in this disclosed embodiment can be a visual card or a non-visual card, without further limitations.

[0046] Based on the smart card described above Figure 1 An exemplary flowchart of a smart card power consumption control method 100 according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown, such as... Figure 1 As shown, in step S101, after receiving the transaction instruction from the terminal, the main control chip issues a first type of operation instruction. The execution module in the smart card executes the first type of operation instruction corresponding to the transaction instruction. Specifically, the smart card establishes a transaction connection with the terminal and issues waiting time extension requests at different times to maintain the transaction connection between the smart card and the terminal. During the transaction connection maintenance process, the main control chip of the smart card issues the first type of operation instruction, and the execution module of the smart card executes the first type of operation instruction.

[0047] In step S102, before or after the main control chip issues the first type of operation instruction, and before the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction by the execution module, a current waiting time extension request is sent to the terminal. The time interval between the current waiting time extension request and its preceding adjacent waiting time extension request is less than a preset time interval for issuing the waiting time extension request, and the time interval between the issuance time of the current waiting time extension request and the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card is less than the preset time interval for issuing the request.

[0048] It should be noted that the asynchronous half-duplex transmission protocol defines the instructions issued by the terminal for transmission control and special needs, and their processing procedures. The transmission protocol defines two protocols—character transmission protocol and block transmission protocol. In the block transmission protocol, the instructions, R-APDUs, and transmission control information transmitted between the terminal and the smart card are composed of blocks, including information blocks (I blocks) for transmitting APDUs and management modules (S blocks) for exchanging control information. If the smart card needs more time than the FWT to process a previously received I block, it sends an S block, which is a Waiting Time Extension (WTX) request. Here, FWT is the maximum time interval between the rising edge of the start bit of the last character sent by the terminal to the smart card and the rising edge of the start bit of the first character sent by the smart card.

[0049] In traditional smart cards, the main control chip sends a wait time extension request to the terminal at preset intervals. During this process, the timing of the wait time extension request is unaffected by the first type of operation instruction. Therefore, in traditional smart cards, the action of sending the wait time extension request and the execution of the first type of operation instruction can occur simultaneously.

[0050] To help those skilled in the art better understand the power consumption control process of this disclosed embodiment, the transaction process of a traditional smart card is briefly described below: When a traditional smart card transacts with a terminal, the main control chip sends a corresponding first-type operation instruction to the execution module in the traditional smart card to achieve information exchange. However, since the waiting time extension request is automatically issued, during a traditional smart card transaction, the waiting time extension request and the first-type operation instruction may occur in parallel. The execution of the first-type operation instruction by the execution module of the traditional smart card may cause the power consumption of the smart card to reach its peak. If a waiting time extension request is issued again at this time, it will further exceed the power consumption peak of the traditional smart card, affecting the execution of the first-type operation instruction and / or the communication between the traditional smart card and the terminal.

[0051] Therefore, it can be seen that in traditional smart cards, the automatic issuance mechanism for waiting time extension requests is difficult to avoid the above-mentioned problems.

[0052] It should be noted that, in this disclosed embodiment, transactions between the smart card and the terminal may include, but are not limited to, financial transactions, as well as data or other types of transactions. Therefore, the smart card in this disclosed embodiment may be, but is not limited to, a bank card, social security card, transportation card, identity authentication card, or data storage card, etc.

[0053] Taking a visual transit card as an example, when a transaction occurs between the visual transit card and the terminal, the main control chip generates a swipe command and sends it to the display module. The display module executes the swipe command to display information such as the transaction amount on the visual transit card's screen for the cardholder to read. During the process of the display module executing the swipe command, the power consumption of the visual transit card will reach a peak. In this embodiment, the main control chip proactively sends a request to the terminal to extend the waiting time before the power consumption peak of the smart card.

[0054] It should be noted that in this step, the time interval at which the main control chip sends the waiting time extension request is not strictly based on the preset sending time interval. That is to say, in the smart card of this disclosed embodiment, there will be special cases in the sending time of the waiting time extension request.

[0055] Specifically, special cases formed by actively issuing requests to extend the waiting time may include Figure 2 and Figure 3 The two types shown. First, combine... Figure 2 One special case will be explained. Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the process 200 for issuing a wait time extension request according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown.

[0056] like Figure 2As shown, in a traditional smart card, T01, T02, T03, and T04 are four times when the main control chip issues waiting time extension requests WTX01, WTX02, WTX03, and WTX04 according to preset time intervals. It should be noted that this embodiment assumes WTX03 is the target waiting time extension request WTXo. That is, it assumes that before T03, the smart card and terminal have a transaction, and the main control chip issues a first type of operation instruction to the execution module. During the execution module's execution of this first type of operation instruction, a situation may occur where the issuance time T03 of the target waiting time extension request WTXo overlaps with the smart card's reference power consumption peak time Tmax. This leads to a further increase in the smart card's power consumption, which is detrimental to the stable operation of the smart card.

[0057] To address the above issues, in the smart card of this embodiment, the main control chip proactively inserts a waiting time extension request WTXa, thereby adjusting the issuance time T03 of the target waiting time extension request WTXo to be offset from the reference power consumption peak time Tmax. That is, after receiving a transaction instruction from the terminal, the main control chip generates a first-type operation instruction. However, before issuing this first-type operation instruction, the main control chip proactively sends a waiting time extension request WTXa (the proactively issued waiting time extension request) to the terminal. Due to the insertion of the waiting time extension request WTXa, the issuance time T03 of the target waiting time extension request WTXo changes, causing the issuance time T03 to be offset from the peak time. This ensures that during the execution of the first-type operation instruction Order, the main control chip will not execute the action of issuing the target waiting time extension request WTXo, achieving the effect of power consumption control.

[0058] It should be noted that after the main control chip actively sends a waiting time extension request WTXa to the terminal, the main control chip will return to automatic sending mode. That is to say, the waiting time extension request WTX03 and the target waiting time extension request WTXo will still be sent automatically according to the preset sending time interval. In order to ensure that the peak power consumption time Tmax of the smart card does not coincide with the sending time T03 of the waiting time extension request WTX03 and the target waiting time extension request WTXo during the execution of the first type of operation instruction Order, the time interval between the current sending time Ta of the waiting time extension request WTXa and the time Tmax when the peak power consumption of the smart card is reached is less than the preset sending time interval ΔT.

[0059] The following is combined with Figure 3 Let's explain another special case. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the process 300 for issuing a wait time extension request, as described in other embodiments of this disclosure, is shown. Figure 3In the scenario shown, the main control chip can proactively send a waiting time extension request WTXa after issuing the first type of operation instruction Order, and... Figure 2 Similarly, due to the insertion of the waiting time extension request WTXa, the issuance time T03 of the target waiting time extension request WTXo is changed, causing the issuance time T03 to be offset from the reference power consumption peak time Tmax of the smart card.

[0060] To ensure that during the execution of the first type of operation instruction Order, the peak power consumption time Tmax of the smart card does not coincide with the issuance time T03 of the waiting time extension request WTX03 / target waiting time extension request WTXo, Figure 3 In the smart card shown, the time interval between the issuance time Ta of the current waiting time extension request WTXa and the time Tmax when the power consumption peak of the smart card is reached is less than the preset issuance time interval ΔT.

[0061] In practical applications, in order to enable the automatic issuance of waiting time extension requests, a WTX timer can be used. This timer can be controlled by the main control chip. Before the main control chip actively sends the current waiting time extension request, the WTX timer is temporarily turned off to disable the automatic issuance mechanism of the waiting time extension request. After the main control chip actively sends the current waiting time extension request, the WTX timer is reset to zero and restarted to restore the automatic issuance mechanism of the waiting time extension request.

[0062] To further refine the application scenarios of the smart card power consumption control method in the previous embodiments, some embodiments disclosed herein classify the first type of operation instructions and execute the above-mentioned smart card power consumption control method for the high power consumption instructions among them.

[0063] For example, this embodiment pre-sets a power consumption threshold, and classifies high-power operation instructions and low-power operation instructions according to the power consumption required to execute each type of first-class operation instruction. Specifically, a high-power operation instruction refers to a type of first-class operation instruction whose power consumption is greater than or equal to the power consumption threshold.

[0064] and Figure 1 Similar to the method shown, after the main control chip in this embodiment identifies the transaction information, it first performs a power consumption assessment on the generated first type of operation instruction in order to determine the type of the first type of operation instruction that the execution module needs to execute.

[0065] If the first type of operation instruction to be executed by the execution module is a high-power operation instruction, then before the execution module executes the first type of operation instruction corresponding to the current transaction instruction and reaches the power consumption peak of the smart card, it sends a request to the terminal to extend the current waiting time.

[0066] Furthermore, if the first type of operation instruction to be executed by the execution module is a low-power operation instruction, then a waiting time extension request is issued in accordance with the traditional smart card method, that is, a waiting time extension request is issued to the terminal once every preset issuance time interval.

[0067] The above scheme only implements a special waiting time extension request issuance mechanism for high-power operation instructions, and does not perform special processing for low-power operation instructions, thereby reducing the number of special processing executions. For high-power operation instructions, the special waiting time extension request issuance mechanism in the above embodiment can effectively prevent the smart card power consumption from further exceeding the peak value. For low-power operation instructions, since their execution power consumption is low, the smart card power consumption will not increase significantly even without implementing the special waiting time extension request issuance mechanism. Therefore, by classifying the first type of operation instructions according to power consumption, a more accurate and targeted power consumption control scheme can be achieved. That is to say, the smart card provided in this disclosure can send waiting time extension requests in two different modes. The target waiting time extension request WTXo is issued in the first sending mode (the traditional smart card sending mode), and the current waiting time extension request WTXa is issued in a second sending mode different from the first sending mode. The second sending mode ensures that the issuance time of the current waiting time extension request and the target waiting time extension request is staggered from the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instructions.

[0068] Compared to traditional smart cards, the power consumption control method provided in this disclosure effectively staggers the issuance times of all waiting time extension requests and the times when the smart card reaches its peak power consumption. In other words, this disclosure ensures that each issued waiting time extension request is executed at a staggered time. It should be noted that "staggered time" here refers to being time-discrepans from the smart card's reference peak power consumption. This effectively ensures that the execution of the first type of operation instruction is not affected by any waiting time extension request, guaranteeing the successful execution of the first type of operation instruction. Simultaneously, power consumption control ensures the interoperability between the smart card and the terminal, improving the smart card's compatibility with the terminal and reducing the risk of incompatibility issues due to power consumption problems.

[0069] The above embodiments describe a method for power consumption control by adjusting the timing of the waiting time extension request. The following disclosure will describe another power consumption control method. In this embodiment, the main control chip of the smart card will enter a sleep mode at a specific time to reduce its own power consumption. For example, the main control chip can enter a sleep mode after issuing the first type of operation instruction or actively issuing a waiting time extension request.

[0070] It should be noted that the main control chip enters sleep mode to ensure that it maintains a low-power state while the execution module is executing the first type of operation instructions, thereby achieving overall power consumption control of the smart card. In other words, while the main control chip is in sleep mode, the execution module executes the first type of operation instructions issued by the main control chip.

[0071] The following is combined with Figure 4 The entire process of the main control chip entering sleep mode is explained. Figure 4 An exemplary flowchart of a smart card power consumption control method 400 according to other embodiments of this disclosure is shown.

[0072] like Figure 4 As shown, in step S401, in response to receiving the current transaction instruction from the terminal, a first type of operation instruction is generated.

[0073] In step S402, a first type of operation instruction is issued to the execution module. (This is in conjunction with...) Figure 1 Similarly, in the described embodiments, the execution module can be a module within the smart card responsible for some additional functions, such as a display module, a Bluetooth execution module, or a fingerprint recognition execution module, etc. Correspondingly, the first type of operation instructions can be, but are not limited to, screen-swiping instructions, module start instructions, or information sending and receiving instructions, etc. Therefore, the smart card in this disclosed embodiment can include a visual card or a non-visual card, without further limitations.

[0074] In step S403, the system enters sleep mode. In some embodiments, after issuing the first type of operation instruction, the main control chip can return a status word to the terminal before entering sleep mode. Taking a video card as an example, the first type of operation instruction issued by the main control chip can be a screen refresh instruction. After the main control chip sends the last instruction in the screen refresh instruction sequence, it returns a status word to the terminal and enters sleep mode. The screen refresh instruction can be, but is not limited to, a refresh instruction or a power on instruction. For example, the process of the main control chip issuing the first type of operation instruction to the display module is as follows: sending a reset instruction, then sending configuration parameters, then sending a power on instruction, then sending the data to be displayed, and finally sending a refresh instruction.

[0075] Furthermore, in order to facilitate the subsequent wake-up of the main control chip, in step S403, a timer for waking up the main control chip can be started before the main control chip enters the sleep mode. The timer is used to time the sleep process of the main control chip and triggers the wake-up action of the main control chip when the timer ends.

[0076] Correspondingly, the smart card power consumption control method of this embodiment may also include step S404, exiting the sleep mode in response to a notification signal that the timer has finished counting down, the terminal has made a new transaction with the smart card, or the execution module has finished performing an operation.

[0077] It should be noted that the timer's expiration and the generation of a new transaction can be understood as the wake-up conditions for two different sleep modes. In one sleep mode, the sleep duration of the main control chip can be adjusted by configuring the timer's duration. For example, the timer's duration can be configured to be greater than or equal to the total execution time of the first type of operation instruction. After the timer expires, the main control chip will automatically wake up. In another sleep mode, when the terminal and smart card generate a new transaction, the terminal performs a wake-up operation to trigger the main control chip to exit sleep mode, and the main control chip is passively woken up. In yet another sleep mode, the smart card exits sleep mode in response to the notification signal from the execution module after the operation is completed.

[0078] Furthermore, Figure 4 The power consumption control method shown in the described embodiments can be compared with the one described above. Figure 1 The described power consumption control method is combined. To clearly illustrate this method, Figure 5 An exemplary flowchart of a smart card power consumption control method 500 according to further embodiments of this disclosure is shown, such as... Figure 5 As shown, in step S501, after receiving the transaction instruction from the terminal, the main control chip issues a first type of operation instruction. In this embodiment, the content of step S501 is the same as step S101 in the previous embodiment, and will not be described again here.

[0079] In step S502, before or after the main control chip issues the first type of operation instruction, and before the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction by the execution module, a request to extend the current waiting time is sent to the terminal. In this embodiment, the content of step S502 is consistent with step S102 in the previous embodiment, and may include... Figure 2 and Figure 3 The two scenarios described will not be elaborated upon here.

[0080] In step S503, in response to the issuance of both the first type of operation instruction and the current waiting time extension request, the system enters sleep mode. It should be noted that the main control chip issues both the generated first type of operation instruction and the current waiting time extension request before entering sleep mode.

[0081] exist Figure 2In the scenario shown, the main control chip first proactively sends a request to extend the current waiting time, then sends a first type of operation instruction. In response to the issuance of the first type of operation instruction, it enters sleep mode until the wake-up condition is met, at which point it exits sleep mode. The wake-up condition is already defined in the context of... Figure 4 The embodiments are described in detail and will not be repeated here.

[0082] Furthermore, in Figure 2 In the case shown, the main control chip can start a timer before entering sleep mode or return a status word to the terminal after issuing the last instruction in the first type of operation instruction.

[0083] exist Figure 3 In the illustrated scenario, the main control chip first issues a first type of operation instruction, and before reaching the reference power consumption peak, it proactively issues a waiting time extension request. After the main control chip proactively issues a waiting time extension request, it enters sleep mode until the wake-up condition is met, at which point it exits sleep mode. The wake-up condition is already defined in the context of... Figure 4 The embodiments are described in detail and will not be repeated here.

[0084] The above embodiments introduce two different power consumption control methods and a power consumption control method combining the two. The following disclosure will provide another power consumption control method, which reduces the power consumption of the main control chip by reducing the main control chip's main frequency.

[0085] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the main control chip can reduce its clock frequency before the execution module executes the first type of operation instruction. Additionally, in some embodiments, the internal and / or external parallel working modules of the main control chip can be shut down before the execution module executes the first type of operation instruction. These two frequency reduction methods can also be used in combination. Even further, the main control chip can adjust the multiplier value of its internal clock register to reduce the clock signal frequency of the main control chip, thereby achieving the effect of reducing the clock frequency.

[0086] It should be noted that the power consumption control method provided in this embodiment can be combined with the power consumption control methods provided in any one or more of the preceding embodiments. Figure 1 Taking the described power consumption control method as an example, the smart card in this embodiment can reduce the main frequency of the main control chip before or after the main control chip sends a request to the terminal to extend the current waiting time.

[0087] Furthermore, combined Figure 1 and Figure 4 The power consumption control method described herein can be provided in this embodiment as follows: Figure 6 The method shown is used to control the power consumption of smart cards. Figure 6An exemplary flowchart of a smart card power consumption control method 600 according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown, such as Figure 6 As shown, in step S601, the main frequency of the main control chip is reduced during a specified time period to reduce its power consumption. In this step, the specified time period occurs either before or after the main control chip sends a request to the terminal to extend the waiting time, and before the execution module executes the first type of operation instruction.

[0088] It is understood that the main control chip in this embodiment can perform the action of actively sending a waiting time extension request in the frequency reduction state, or it can perform the action of actively sending a waiting time extension request first, and then perform frequency reduction.

[0089] Similarly, in this embodiment, the main control chip can perform the action of sending the first type of operation instruction in the frequency reduction state, or it can complete the action of sending the first type of operation instruction first and then perform frequency reduction.

[0090] In step S602, after the main control chip issues the first type of operation instruction, it enters sleep mode. (This is in conjunction with...) Figure 4 Similarly, in the described embodiments, in this step, the main control chip can return a status word to the terminal after issuing the first type of operation instruction. For example, the main control chip in the video card can return a status word to the terminal and enter sleep mode after issuing the last instruction in the screen refresh instruction sequence. Alternatively, the main control chip can start a timer and enter sleep mode after issuing the first type of operation instruction.

[0091] In step S603, the system exits sleep mode in response to the completion of the first type of operation instruction to be executed or the smart card generating a new transaction. In this embodiment, a timer in the main control chip can be configured such that its timing duration is greater than or equal to the execution duration of the first type of operation instruction to be executed. When the timer expires, the main control chip actively wakes up from sleep mode. Alternatively, when a new transaction is generated between the smart card and the terminal, the terminal performs a wake-up operation to trigger the main control chip to exit sleep mode, and the main control chip is passively woken up.

[0092] It should be noted that the smart card power consumption control method provided in any of the preceding embodiments is applicable to both active and passive smart cards. For active smart cards, the power consumption control method described above can extend the lifespan of the internal battery. Furthermore, by optimizing power consumption, less energy is used to complete the same amount of work, thus increasing the probability of successful transactions even when the internal battery of the smart card is low.

[0093] It should be further explained that for passive smart cards, the power required for their circuit operation comes from the terminal. Therefore, the conditions for a passive smart card to be woken up by the terminal may also include: the smart card entering the field to draw power from the terminal.

[0094] It should be further clarified that this disclosure does not impose strict restrictions on the communication method between the smart card and the terminal. In practical applications, the smart card and the terminal can use contact-based communication methods, such as data communication via interface plug-in, or contactless communication methods, such as wireless communication via NFC coil.

[0095] Based on the smart card power consumption control method described in any of the preceding embodiments, this disclosure also provides a smart card, wherein the main control chip is a security element, a microcontroller unit, or an integrated control chip including a security element and a microcontroller unit. Furthermore, the smart card can be an active smart card or a passive smart card.

[0096] It should be noted that the smart card may meet one or more of the above conditions, and this disclosure does not impose any restrictions.

[0097] In order to implement the method steps described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings at the software and hardware level, embodiments of this disclosure also provide a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium (or computer-readable storage medium, or machine-readable storage medium) storing computer program instructions (or computer program, or computer instruction code) that, when executed by a processor of an electronic device (or electronic device, server, etc.), cause the processor to perform some or all of the steps of the methods described above according to this disclosure.

[0098] While numerous embodiments of this disclosure have been shown and described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Many modifications, alterations, and alternatives will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and intent of this disclosure. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of this disclosure described herein may be employed in the practice of this disclosure. The appended claims are intended to define the scope of this disclosure and therefore cover equivalents or alternatives within the scope of these claims.

Claims

1. A method for controlling the power consumption of a smart card, characterized in that, The smart card includes: a main control chip configured to issue a first type of operation instruction and an execution module configured to execute the first type of operation instruction; the method includes: After receiving the transaction instruction from the terminal, the main control chip issues the first type of operation instruction; and The execution module executes a first type of operation instruction corresponding to the transaction instruction, wherein, before or after the main control chip issues the first type of operation instruction, and before the reference power consumption peak moment of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction by the execution module, a request to extend the current waiting time is sent to the terminal. The time interval between the current waiting time extension request and the preceding waiting time extension request is less than the preset time interval for issuing the waiting time extension request, and the time interval between the time of issuing the current waiting time extension request and the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card is less than the preset time interval for issuing the request.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, After issuing a request to extend the current waiting time, the method further includes: A target waiting time extension request is issued, wherein the timing of the issuance of the target waiting time extension request is staggered from the peak time of the smart card's reference power consumption during the execution of the first type of operation instruction by the smart card's execution module.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The first type of operation instruction includes a high-power operation instruction, wherein the peak power consumption of the smart card when the execution module executes the high-power operation instruction is greater than or equal to a preset power consumption threshold.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The main control chip is configured to issue the first type of operation instruction and the second type of operation instruction, and the method includes: For the first type of operation instruction, before and / or after the main control chip issues the current waiting time extension request, a waiting time extension request is sent to the terminal according to the preset issuance time interval; and For the second type of operation instruction, a request to extend the waiting time is sent to the terminal according to the preset sending time interval.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The method further includes: After issuing the request to extend the current waiting time, the main control chip enters a sleep mode to reduce the power consumption of the main control chip.

6. The method according to claim 5, characterized in that, Before entering hibernation mode, the method further includes: Start a timer to wake up the main control chip; or After issuing the first type of operation instruction, a status word indicating the completion of instruction execution is returned to the terminal.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that, After entering hibernation mode, the method further includes: The device exits sleep mode in response to a notification signal indicating that the timer has finished counting down, the terminal has entered into a new transaction with the smart card, or the execution module has finished performing its operation. Wherein, the timing duration of the timer is greater than or equal to the total execution duration of the first type of operation instructions.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-4 and 6-7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Reduce the main control chip's clock frequency to reduce its power consumption.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, Reducing the main control chip's clock speed includes: Before the execution module executes the first type of operation instruction, reduce the main control chip's clock frequency; and / or Before or after the main control chip sends the request to the terminal to extend the current waiting time, the main control chip's clock frequency is reduced.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1-4 and 6-7, characterized in that, The method further includes: Before or after the main control chip sends a request to the terminal to extend the waiting time, and before the execution module executes the first type of operation instruction, the main control chip's clock frequency is reduced and / or its internal and / or external parallel working modules are shut down to reduce the main control chip's power consumption; and After the main control chip issues the first type of operation instruction, it enters sleep mode.

11. A method for controlling the power consumption of a smart card, characterized in that, include: Before or after the main control chip of the smart card issues the first type of operation instruction, and before the reference power consumption peak moment of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction by the execution module of the smart card, a request to extend the current waiting time is sent to the terminal. as well as After the current waiting time extension request, a target waiting time extension request is issued, wherein the time of issuing the target waiting time extension request is offset from the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction by the execution module of the smart card; Wherein, the time interval between the current waiting time extension request and the previous waiting time extension request adjacent to it is less than the preset time interval between the waiting time extension requests, and the time interval between the time of the current waiting time extension request and the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card is less than the preset time interval between the two.

12. The method according to claim 11, characterized in that, The method further includes: Establish a transaction connection between the smart card and the terminal, and issue a waiting time extension request at different times to maintain the transaction connection between the smart card and the terminal; During the transaction connection maintenance process, the main control chip of the smart card issues the first type of operation instruction, and the execution module of the smart card executes the first type of operation instruction; Specifically, before or after the main control chip of the smart card issues the first type of operation instruction, a current waiting time extension request is issued; and after the main control chip issues the current waiting time extension request, a target waiting time extension request is issued. The target waiting time extension request is sent in a first sending mode, and the current waiting time extension request is sent in a second sending mode different from the first sending mode. The second sending mode at least ensures that the sending time of the current waiting time extension request and the target waiting time extension request is offset from the reference power consumption peak time of the smart card during the execution of the first type of operation instruction.

13. A smart card, characterized in that, Includes: a main control chip, which performs the method as described in any one of claims 1-12 to reduce power consumption.

14. The smart card according to claim 13, characterized in that, The main control chip of the smart card is a security element or a microcontroller unit, or an integrated control chip including a security element and a microcontroller unit; and / or The smart card can be an active smart card or a passive smart card. The passive smart card draws power from the terminal via an NFC coil.

15. A computer-readable storage medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by one or more processors, implement the method as claimed in any one of claims 1-12.

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