Processor Chip Card Protocol Conversion via Identical Payload Lengths

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing processor chip cards face inefficiencies in data transmission between radio and contact communication protocols due to the need for extensive copy operations when converting data blocks, leading to slower application usage.

Innovation Solution

Selecting the maximum payload length to be identical across both protocols, allowing user data to remain unchanged while only converting metadata, and either collecting all data blocks before conversion or converting them in parallel without waiting for complete reception.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If data blocks are converted by copying and transforming all data between radio and contact protocols, then protocol compatibility is achieved, but data transmission speed decreases due to extensive copy operations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotocol compatibilityVSAvoiddata transmission speed
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The patent extracts only the necessary metadata portions (header and trailer) from each data block for conversion between protocols, while leaving the payload data unchanged. This selective extraction approach maintains protocol compatibility requirements while eliminating unnecessary copy operations on the actual data content, thereby resolving the contradiction between adaptability and speed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #2Taking out (Extraction)

Solution Approach 2:

The patent segments the data block into distinct components: header (metadata), payload (user data), and trailer (metadata). By treating these segments differently during protocol conversion - converting only header and trailer while preserving payload - the system achieves protocol compatibility without the performance penalty of copying entire data blocks, thus resolving the speed-compatibility contradiction.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

2Reliability

If all data blocks are collected before conversion to ensure complete message reception, then data integrity is maintained, but transmission delay increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata integrityVSAvoidtransmission delay
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent performs preliminary conversion of individual data blocks as they arrive, rather than waiting for complete message reception. By converting each block independently and in parallel with reception, the system begins processing early while maintaining the ability to detect incomplete messages through protocol-level validation, thus reducing transmission delay without sacrificing data integrity.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The patent enables continuous conversion and forwarding of data blocks as they arrive, rather than pausing to collect all blocks first. This continuous processing approach maintains high throughput and reduces latency while protocol validation ensures data integrity, resolving the contradiction between reliability and time loss.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #20Continuity of useful action

3Adaptability or versatility

If maximum payload length varies between protocols to accommodate different data formats, then protocol flexibility is improved, but conversion complexity increases requiring extensive copy operations

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveprotocol flexibilityVSAvoidconversion complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Adaptability or versatilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent standardizes the payload length parameter to be identical across both radio and contact protocols. This parameter change eliminates the need for complex length adjustments and data copying during conversion, while protocol flexibility is maintained through independent header and trailer adaptation. This directly resolves the contradiction by simplifying conversion complexity while preserving adaptability.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #35Parameter changes

Data Source

PatentEP3502972B1Processor chip card and method for operating same
Publication Date: 2022.08.10 BUNDESDRUCKEREI GMBH
  • EP3502972B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3502972B1 patent drawingFigure 2

AI summary

A processor chip card (SC) with a secure microcontroller (MC) and an intermediate chip 10 (10) is proposed, the intermediate chip being configured to receive and send data in data blocks via a contactless interface (RF, 12) according to a radio communication protocol, and to transmit data within the processor chip card (SC) with the secure microcontroller (MC) in data blocks according to a contact communication protocol 15, characterized in that the intermediate chip (10) is configured such that the maximum size of the user data of a data block is identical in the radio communication protocol and the contact communication protocol, as well as a method for operating a processor chip card (SC) in which a contactless interface (RF,12) Data is received and sent in data blocks according to a radio communication protocol, and data within the processor chip card (SC) is transferred in data blocks according to a contact communication protocol, the two protocols being configured such that the maximum size of the user data of a data block is identical in both protocols.