Contactless Chip Card Interface Switch for Unauthorized Access Prevention

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Solution Overview

Problem

Existing contactless chip card interfaces lack robust security measures to prevent unauthorized reading and energy supply, allowing attackers to infer sensitive information from chip-specific data and user presence.

Innovation Solution

Incorporating a switch mechanism that interrupts the antenna resonant circuit unless a predefined environmental condition is met, ensuring the chip card interface is only activated when the document is properly positioned and the user intends to use it, thereby preventing unauthorized access and energy supply.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Ease of operation

If the contactless chip card interface is always active for communication and energy supply, then ease of operation is improved, but security is worsened due to unauthorized reading and energy supply

Engineering Contradiction:
Improveease of operationVSAvoidsecurity
Core Design Contradiction:
Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The switch is configured to automatically close the antenna resonant circuit when the document is placed in the reading device, before any communication occurs. This preliminary action ensures that energy supply and communication can only happen after proper positioning, preventing unauthorized activation while maintaining ease of use for legitimate operations.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The antenna resonant circuit acts as an intermediary component that can be selectively closed by the switch. This intermediary mechanism controls the coupling of electrical energy between the reading device and the document, allowing the system to maintain security by preventing unauthorized energy transfer while enabling legitimate communication when needed.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Productivity

If the antenna resonant circuit is always closed for energy coupling, then productivity is improved through continuous communication capability, but harmful factors increase due to unauthorized access

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication capabilityVSAvoidunauthorized access
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The switch dynamically changes the state of the antenna resonant circuit based on operational conditions. The circuit transitions from open (no energy coupling) to closed (energy coupling enabled) state, allowing the system to adapt between security mode and active communication mode, thus achieving both productivity and security.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If the switch mechanism is added to control the antenna resonant circuit, then security is improved, but device complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
ImprovesecurityVSAvoiddevice complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The switch is configured to automatically respond to the presence of the document in the reading device, eliminating the need for manual user intervention or complex control logic. This self-service mechanism simplifies the overall system complexity while maintaining enhanced security through automatic activation control.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #25Self-service

Applied Scientific Principles

This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.

Function Achieved in This Case

Enhances user privacy by ensuring only authorized access to attributes and chip-specific data, preventing attackers from detecting the document's presence or reading non-personal data, while allowing a greater range for the contactless chip card interface.

Implementation Method 1

the contactless chip card interface can be designed for electromagnetic coupling with a corresponding interface of the reading device

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectElectromagnetic coupling: Electromagnetic Induction

Implementation Method 2

the contactless chip card interface has an antenna resonant circuit with an antenna that has at least one antenna winding

Methodology Applied
Scientific EffectResonance: Resonance

Data Source

PatentEP3061040B1Document with a contactless chip card interface and electronic system
Publication Date: 2019.10.02 BUNDESDRUCKEREI GMBH
  • EP3061040B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3061040B1 patent drawingFigure 2
  • EP3061040B1 patent drawingFigure 3

AI summary

The invention relates to a document with a contactless chip card interface (110, 112, 114) with an antenna resonant circuit (110) for communicating with a reader (115) after a request-response transmission protocol and for injecting electric energy from the reader for supplying energy to the document. Said chip card interface has a first transmission protocol component (114) for sending protocol parameters for initializing the transmission protocol based on the capturing of an initialization command (138) and a second transmission protocol component (112) for transmitting application data after the initialization of the transmission protocol using the protocol parameter. The second transmission protocol component is designed to capture at least one read command (146) for reading application data and to send a response (148) containing the application data, a processor (102) for carrying out the first and second transmission protocol components, a chip card operation system (122) and an application programme (130), a switch (105) for switching the switch into a first or a second switch state. The switch interrupts the antenna resonant circuit when the switch adopts one of the first and second switching states, and the switch closes the antenna resonant circuit when the switch adopts the other first and second switching states, a non-volatile memory (104) in which application data is stored, said memory containing at least one attribute (126) of a user (128) which is associated with the document. The chip card operation system is designed, based on the capturing of the initialization control, to control the first transmission protocol component for sending a response containing the protocol parameters. Said application programme implements a cryptographic protocol so that, based on a reading command (146) for reading the attribute, a response (148) containing the attribute is generated and is sent by means of the second transmission protocol component only if the cryptographic protocol is to be performed successfully.