IC Card Contact Allotting Unit for High-Speed and Low-Speed Protocol Switching
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current integrated circuit (IC) cards and terminals cannot simultaneously support both contact high-speed communication and contactless wireless communication due to the lack of spare contacts, limiting their functionality and efficiency in communication protocols.
Innovation Solution
The IC card and terminal are designed with a contact allotting unit that selects between low-speed and high-speed communication protocols, using a microprocessor to determine the appropriate communication protocol and connect the communication contact to either a low-speed or high-speed interface, allowing for both ISO 7816 contact communication and ISO 14443 contactless communication, with high-speed interfaces supporting USB or MMC protocols.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Speed
If the IC card uses contact high-speed communication, then data transfer speed is improved, but the ability to maintain ISO 7816 standard pin arrangement is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The contact allotting unit dynamically reconfigures the pin connections based on the selected communication protocol. During initialization, contacts are allocated to low-speed interface for ISO 7816 compatibility. When high-speed protocol is selected, the contact allotting unit reassigns contacts to high-speed interface, enabling USB or MMC protocol operation without physical pin changes.
Solution Approach 2:
The IC card design integrates multiple communication interfaces (low-speed interface for ISO 7816, high-speed interface for USB/MMC) within a single card structure. The contact allotting unit enables the same physical contacts to serve multiple communication protocols, making the IC card universally compatible with different communication standards.
2Adaptability or versatility
If the IC card supports both contact and contactless communication, then communication versatility is improved, but the pin arrangement complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The communication functionality is segmented into separate interfaces: low-speed interface for contact-based ISO 7816 communication, high-speed interface for contact-based USB/MMC communication, and contactless interface for wireless communication. The contact allotting unit selectively activates appropriate segments based on protocol requirements, managing complexity through functional separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The contact allotting unit acts as an intermediary layer between the physical contacts and multiple communication interfaces. It receives protocol selection signals and automatically routes contact connections to the appropriate interface, shielding the external system from the internal complexity of supporting multiple communication protocols simultaneously.
3Speed
If the communication contact is reconfigured during operation, then high-speed communication is enabled, but initialization stability is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The contact allotting unit performs preliminary configuration during the initialization phase, establishing stable connections before high-speed communication begins. The system completes protocol negotiation and contact allocation during initialization, ensuring connection stability is established before switching to high-speed mode, preventing mid-operation reconfiguration instability.
Data Source
AI summary
An IC card and a terminal mounted with an IC card are disclosed. In one embodiment, the IC card includes i) a memory, ii) a plurality of contacts including a pair of RF contacts and at least one communication contact, a micro processor, selecting any one of a low speed communication protocol and a high speed communication protocol, processing data written in the memory by a command inputted through any one of the RF contact and the communication contact determined by the selected communication protocol, and outputting a corresponding response, iii) a high speed interface, communicating the command and the response through the communication contact by use of the high speed communication protocol, iv) a low speed interface, communicating the command and the response through the communication contact by use of the low speed communication protocol and v) a contact allotting unit, connecting the communication contact determined by the selected communication protocol to any one of the low speed interface and the high speed interface.