Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/AU711777B2/en
Timestamp: 2019-10-19 16:11:25
Document Index: 240247762

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2', 'art 2']

AU711777B2 - Process for exchanging energy and data between a read/write terminal and a chip card with contactless connections and/or contact connections as well as a device for this purpose - Google Patents
AU711777B2
AU711777B2 AU45342/96A AU4534296A AU711777B2 AU 711777 B2 AU711777 B2 AU 711777B2 AU 45342/96 A AU45342/96 A AU 45342/96A AU 4534296 A AU4534296 A AU 4534296A AU 711777 B2 AU711777 B2 AU 711777B2
AU45342/96A
AU4534296A (en
1995-02-03 Priority to DE9503607 priority Critical
1996-01-30 Application filed by Angewandte Digital Elektronik GmbH, Angewandte Digital Elektronik filed Critical Angewandte Digital Elektronik GmbH
1996-08-21 Publication of AU4534296A publication Critical patent/AU4534296A/en
1999-10-21 Publication of AU711777B2 publication Critical patent/AU711777B2/en
1 Process for exchanging energy and data between a read/write terminal and a chip card with contactless connections and/or contact connections as well as a device for this purpose Technical area: The invention relates to a process for exchanging energy and data between a read/write terminal and a chip card with contactless connections and optionally with additional contact connections according to the generic part of Claim 1 as well as to a device for carrying out the process according to Claim 7.
State of the art: Chip cards are already known which with or without contacts exchange energy and data with read/write terminals. These cards are used for numerous applications such as, for example, telephone cards, medical cards or access control cards. An overview of such cards and their applications is compiled in three editions of the German publication Elektronik of the year 1993. A chip card which contains contact connections and contact-free transmission elements is known from DE 39 35 364 C1, whereby optionally the energy and data transmission can take place via both segments.
EP 0,203,683 A2 discloses a chip card having a component in which information is contained that is normally present in the magnetic strip of a magnetic strip card. When the chip card is used, this data is transferred without contact together with additional data in one direction into a reading device. However, a bi-directional energy and data transmission does not take place.
EP 534,559 A1 proposes a chip card according to ISO Standard 7816 and provisional ISO Standard 10536 which exchanges energy and data with read/write terminals either with or without contact. The data can either be read out over a great distance with a small expenditure of energy, whereby only part of the integrated circuit is activated, or else energy and data exchange takes place according to the normal standardized mode by means of the contacts, whereby algorithms can also be used for securing the data.
DE 43 27 334 Cl describes a chip card that, without contact, can autonomously ascertain whether it is functioning in close proximity to a terminal. For this -2purpose, a stereo effect is utilized, which arises when there are two transmission coils or condenser plates in the card, and phase shifts, differences or rotations are measured which provide feedback about the distance of the card to the terminal.
DE 42 27 551 Al describes a contactless chip card without a battery and having a field strength detector with an antenna coil as well as a transmission and reception stage which, via an electromagnetic alternating field generated by a read/write device, supplies the chip card with energy on the one hand and effectuates the bi-directional data transmission on the other hand. The chip card has a detector for determining the alternating field of the read/write device that transfers energy to the chip card. The functions of the application part which entail a high energy demand during execution are only carried out when the detector has detected a sufficient field strength. This is to prevent an erroneous or incomplete execution of high-energy functions of the chip card.
Technical objective: The invention is based on the objective of creating a process and a device with which the information transfer and reception by chip cards is comparable to that of todays magnetic strip cards, whereby it should also be possible to generate the usual data formats of the type used nowadays on the magnetic strips of magnetic strip cards by chip cards that function contact-free, also with the contact-free transfer of information.
Disclosure of the invention and its advantages: In this type of process, the objective is achieved according to the invention in that, upon activation, the circuit part sends out information to the read/write terminal without contact by means of electromagnetic oscillations and optionally receives information, whereby the information sent out contains the data whose content corresponds to the data/information contents of magnetic strip cards, so that when the chip card is manually held in close proximity to a read/write terminal, it causes the terminal to transfer the data of the chip card to remotely located devices in the same form as it is also transferred by magnetic strip card reading devices and, due to the fact that the transmitted information is identical or similar, this remotely located device is not capable of distinguishing whether the information comes from a magnetic strip card or from a chip card.
I -3- Advantageously, the contactless reading in of the magnetic strip information to be electromagnetically transferred takes place in the circuit part of the chip card via two coils with which the card can autonomously detect electronically whether it is in the vicinity of or far away from a read/write terminal and, as a function of this detection, the reception of the magnetic strip information to be entered is switched on or off.
In an advantageous embodiment, on the one hand, in the case of contact-free electromagnetic activation, the circuit part can exclusively transfer the data without contact, corresponding to magnetic strip card data from the component, whereby any form of contact-free storage of data into the component is blocked by electronic circuit means in the chip card and, on the other hand, upon activation through the contact connections and/or via the two coils, the circuit part is opened for reading in data corresponding to magnetic strip card data.
Thus, according to the invention, it is also possible to generate the usual data formats of the type used nowadays on the magnetic strips of magnetic strip cards, even by means of the contact-free transfer of information by chip cards that function contact-free. The information that is transferred contact-free can advantageously be transferred in a certain logical form (protocol) or physical modulation form in such a way that a clear recognition of the information and its content is reproducibly possible in the same manner for different read-write terminals. Due to this form of reproducibility of the contactless information transfer, it is advantageously possible for the information of different cards to be interpreted in the same manner by different terminals. Moreover, it is advantageously possible to load security codes anew by means of contact segments into the information provided contact-free.
When the circuit part of the chip card is activated via the contact connections, energy can be concurrently fed in through said contact connections for purposes of effectuating electromagnetic data transmission. Likewise, when data is reloaded from the read/write terminal into the chip card via the contact connections or via the electromagnetic alternating field of the read/write terminal, information for encoding the data to be output by the read/write terminal can be loaded into the chip card so that the coding of the -4contact-free, electromagnetically transmitted data changes as a function of the reloading.
The data of the chip card that is transferred without contact is transmitted to the read/write terminal via a data line to another, remotely located device which, due to the similarity of the data being transferred either from the magnetic strip of the chip card or from the component, cannot distinguish whether the information received comes from the magnetic strip or from the component.
A device consisting of a read/write terminal for exchanging data and energy with a chip card for carrying out the process according to the invention is characterized in that the read/write terminal has means for energized connection and/or communication with the contact connections and/or with the coils or condensers of the chip card as well as a magnetic strip reading device for reading the magnetic strip of the chip card, and in this manner, information can be read from the magnetic strip and can be written into or read out of the chip card via the contact connections and/or coils and/or condensers.
Brief description of the drawing in which the following is shown: Figure 1 a schematic representation of a read/write terminal with an electronic memory and a chip card which is located in the activation area of energy fed in electromagnetically by means of the read/write terminal which is connected via a data line to a remotely located device and Figure 2 a symbolic representation of the contact-free transmission of data by a component of the chip card as well as the bi-directional exchange of data of the component via contact connections or coils.
Preferred embodiment of the invention: Figure 1 is a schematic representation of a read/write terminal 1, hereinafter simply referred to as terminal, with an electronic memory 5 as well as a data line 13 to a remotely located device. A chip card 4 with a magnetic strip 11 contains an electronic circuit part 2 which autonomously activates itself in an electromagnetic field. Reference numeral 9 stands for the energy fed in electromagnetically, numeral 8 designates the data that has been transmitted without contact by the chip card 4 to the read/write terminal 1. A component 3 br t of the circuit arrangement 2 can exclusively transfer the data without contact and exclusively receive data via the contacts 6 or the two coils 12.
Figure 2 represents the electromagnetic contact-free feed of energy as the source of the contact-free sending of data 8 by the component 3 to the read/ write terminal 1. Numeral 10 designates the hi-directional exchange of data of the component 3 via the contacts 6 or coils 12.
The invention likewise relates to read/write terminals 1 for exchanging data and energy with chip cards 4 (Smartcards) which can function in various alternative versions, namely, with contact, without contact as well as with and without contact. The chip cards 4 stand out for the fact that a part of their electronic components, namely, the electronic circuit part 2, autonomously activates itself in an external electromagnetic field 9 when a certain energy density is reached. Once the chip card 4 has been activated, it can electromagnetically transfer information 8 from its component 3 contact-free, e.g. from an electronic memory, or optionally it can receive information. The transferred information includes information/data 8 of the type transferred on conventional magnetic strips 11. Thus, a chip card that functions contact-free sends out information to its read/write terminal 1, whereby said information corresponds to the information content of magnetic strip cards. On the basis of this information 8, the read/write terminal 1 can precisely generate the data in terms of form and content in the way that a magnetic strip card would also generate it when read by a magnetic reading head in a magnetic strip reading device. This data can be stored in the memory 5 of the read/write terminal 1 or made available to other remotely located devices via a data line 13.
According to this description, it is possible to manually hold chip cards 4 in close proximity to read/write terminals 1 and to have these transfer data from the chip card in the same form as they are already transferred nowadays by magnetic strip reading devices. A remotely located device is not capable of ascertaining whether the magnetic strip code received comes from a magnetic strip card 11 or from the memory 3 of a chip card.
Loading specific data 10 of a magnetic strip card 4 into the circuit part 2 of the chip card 4 that is activated by means of electromagnetic energy transmission 9 takes place via t he contact connections 6 of the chip card 4. The loading of contact cards, which is protected against misuse, is already used for health rra~ 6data or telephone units and can be used for reading in magnetic strip information. Loading the magnetic strip code via this secured contact segment ensures that magnetic strip data cannot be loaded into the card in an unsecured manner.
If the possibility also exists to remotely change the memory of contact-free chip cards, it is fundamentally not possible to determine whether data has been entered into a memory without the knowledge of the card owner. Such a memory might have been intentionally altered for purposes of misuse, or else interference might have coincidentally changed a memory remotely without the card owner realizing this. According to DE 43 27 334, it is known that a card with two coils can autonomously ascertain whether it is in close proximity to a transmitter.
Therefore, two coils 12 are used in a chip card 4 for reading in magnetic strip information. In this case, the same security against unnoticed changing of the memory can be achieved as is ensured with contact cards. Security algorithms can be used in the same way as they are used for contact cards.
Contact-free loading via two coils 12 has the advantage that the error-prone contact connections 6 are no longer needed as security-relevant components, since two coils can offer the same level of security while being less errorprone.
When the chip card 4 is activated electromagnetically, by utilizing only one coil 12, an electronic circuit arrangement in the circuit part 2 can ensure that no contact-free influence, designated with the numeral 7 in Figure 2, or change of the memory 3 on the chip card 4, can occur. The circuit part 2 can be configured in such a way that, with the electromagnetic feed of energy 9, no data can be read into the memory 3. For example, the circuit part 2 can indicate whether the source of the supply voltage is the coils 12 or the contacts 6. In this manner, it is ensured that these chip cards can only be reloaded in read/write terminals via contact connections 6. In this case, chip cards are needed that can function with contacts as well as without contact. Such cards are described in DE 39 35 364. The process described here serves to secure the storing of data in chip cards in the same manner as is the case with monetary information on chip cards. The use of the card is protected, for example, by the entry of a PIN code by the chip card owner.
-7- The activation of the chip card can also simultaneously activate the contactfree transmission 8. In this manner, it is possible to check the data output 8 of the magnetic strip data to see if it matches the data feed 10 into one and the same device and to test it for flawless functioning without being dependent on the contact-free feed of energy 9.
The magnetic strip information can thus also be read out via the contact connections of a chip card so that there is no need for the complicated transport mechanisms for magnetic strip cards in contact reading devices.
If cards are being utilized which contain exclusively magnetic strips, they can only be read with suitable magnetic strip reading devices. If these devices additionally contain contact-free reading devices, the users of contact-free chip cards advantageously no longer have to insert their cards into the reading slot and they do not have to determine how to slide in the card, since the contact-free reading takes place irrespective of the position.
There are different magnetic strip cards on the market. For instance, time recording by means of cards uses different magnetic strip tracks and data formats than credit cards. If these different types of information are stored in the memory of the chip card, they can be output via the contact-free segment so that the terminal can determine whether the necessary information is contained in the data transferred. Accordingly, it is advantageously possible to use the information of a chip card, for example, for a bank transaction at one time and for a time record at another time.
When the chip card 4 is used in a read/write terminal 1, new data can be written into the memory 3 of the chip card 4, which is used to encode the data that is present there in the form of magnetic strip card information. The information that was transferred contact-free is encoded anew each time the chip card is used in a read/write terminal 1, for example, a bank terminal.
Thus, the retrieval of information that was transferred contact-free can only be of significance until the next time the card is used in a terminal.
A read/write terminal 1 can be configured in such a way that it can read the information from the magnetic strip 11 of the chip card 4 and can subsequently read it into the chip card 4 via contacts 6 or else contact-free.
Since cards are normally provided with a magnetic strip which received its r -8information in devices which do not have contact connections or coils for chip cards 4, the magnetic strip information can be read into the memory 3 by means of this process. In the case of chip cards which do not contain any magnetic strips, the information that corresponds to the information of magnetic strips can be read out via contacts 6 or coils 12.
Moreover, chip cards can contain energy storage elements and can thus be suitable for remotely transferring their information contact-free. Since these cards do not need to be fed with contact-free energy, the physical conditions for an optimal adaptation of coils and transmission segments do not have to be met. For example, frequencies that lie in the range of infrared light can be used for transmitting. Likewise, chip cards can utilize condensers for contactfree transmission and, by the same token, be suited to transmit magnetic strip information to read/write terminals 1 in a contact-free way.
Commercial applicability: The invention is commercially useable for chip cards with contact-less connections or optionally having additional contact connections in conjunction with read-write terminals to which another remotely located device is connected via a data line.
List of the 1 2 3 4 6 7 8 9 11 12 13 reference numerals: read/write terminal (read/write terminal) a circuit part of the electronic circuit of the chip card card memory chip card component for the contact-free emission of data (memory) contact connections electromagnetic alternating field emitted by the chip card or symbol for a contact-free influencing of the chip card data output or output information electromagnetic field emitted by the read/write terminal data input and output in the circuit part 2 of the chip card magnetic strip coils data line
9- Patent Claims: 1. Process for exchanging energy and data between a read/write terminal (1) and a chip card with contactless connections and optionally with additional contact connections whereby energy and data are either transferred without contact between the read/write terminal and the chip card by means of electromagnetic alternating fields or with contact via the contact connections when the chip card is inserted into the read/write terminal and when the chip card reaches a minimum value of the energy level of the electromagnetic alternating field of the read/write terminal said chip card autonomously activates itself with at least one circuit part of its electronic circuit, characterized in that upon activation, this circuit part sends out information to the read/write terminal without contact by means of electromagnetic oscillations and optionally receives information, whereby the sent-out information contains the data whose content corresponds to the data/information contents of magnetic strip cards, so that when the chip card is manually held in close proximity to a read/write terminal it causes the terminal to transfer the data of the chip card to remotely located devices in the same form as it is also transferred by magnetic strip card reading devices and, due to the fact that the transmitted information is identical or similar, this remotely located device is not capable of distinguishing whether the information comes from a magnetic strip card or from a chip card. 2. Process according to Claim 1, characterized in that the contactless reading in of the magnetic strip information to be electromagnetically transferred takes place in the circuit part of the chip card via two coils (12) with which the chip card can autonomously detect electronically whether it is in the vicinity of or far away from a read/write terminal and, as a function of this detection, the reception of the magnetic strip information to be entered is switched on or off. 3. Process according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the circuit part of the chip card depending on the source of its activation, is arranged in such a way that, on the one hand, in the case of contact-free electromagnetic activation, the circuit part exclusively transfers the data without contact, corresponding to magnetic strip card data from the component whereby any form of contact-free storage of data into 10 the component is blocked by electronic circuit means inside the chip card and on the other hand, upon activation through the contact connections (6) and/or via the two coils the circuit part is opened for reading in data corresponding to magnetic strip card data. 4. Process according to Claim 2 or 3, characterized in that, when the circuit part of the chip card is activated via the contact connec- tions energy can be concurrently fed in through said contact connections for purposes of effectuating electromagnetic data transmission Process according to Claim 2 or 3, characterized in that when data is reloaded from the read/write terminal into the chip card (4) via the contact connections or via the electromagnetic alternating field of the read/write terminal information for encoding the data to be output by the read/write terminal can be loaded into the chip card so that the coding of the contact-free, electromagnetically transmitted data changes as a function of the reloading. 6. Process according to Claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the data of the chip card that is transferred without contact is transmitted to the read/write terminal via a data line (13) to another, remotely located device which, due to the similarity of the data being transferred either from the magnetic strip (11) of the chip card or from the component cannot distinguish whether the information received comes from the magnetic strip (11) or from the component 7. Device consisting of a read/write terminal for exchanging energy and data with a chip card for carrying out the process according to Claim 1, characterized in that the read/write terminal has means for energized connection and/or communication with the contact connections and/or with the coils (12) or condensers of the chip card as well as a magnetic strip reading device for reading the magnetic strip (11) of the chip card and in this manner, information can be read from the magnetic strip (11) and can be written into or read out of the chip card via the contact connections and/or coils (12) and/or condensers by means of the read/write terminal 11 8. Device according to Claim 7, characterized in that the data of the chip card from the data transmission with or without contact is stored in the read/write terminal in the same output channel into which the data from the magnetic strip (11) is also fed. 9. Device according to Claim 7, characterized in that the component for data reception (10) either via the contact connections or the two coils (12) and for contactless data transmission of the circuit part of the chip card has an electronic memory Device according to Claim 7, characterized in that the component of the chip card contains data corresponding to several different codes of magnetic strip card data, so that the chip card is suited to fulfill different requirements of different read/write terminals or different programs which are each associated with different encoding, and the chip cards can transfer the different coding via their contact-free segment.
11. Device according to Claim 7 or 8, characterized in that the chip card is a card with a magnetic strip (11) for receiving and reading magnetic strip card data in a known manner or else it is a card without a magnetic strip.
12. Device according to Claim 7, characterized in that the chip card is provided with additional energy storage elements such as, for example, condensers, batteries, accumulators in order to transfer the data which is to be output without contact over larger distances than would be possible with contact-free data transmission by means of the electromagnetic alternating field of the chip card
AU45342/96A 1995-02-03 1996-01-30 Process for exchanging energy and data between a read/write terminal and a chip card with contactless connections and/or contact connections as well as a device for this purpose Ceased AU711777B2 (en)
DE9503607 1995-02-03
AU4534296A AU4534296A (en) 1996-08-21
AU711777B2 true AU711777B2 (en) 1999-10-21
AU45342/96A Ceased AU711777B2 (en) 1995-02-03 1996-01-30 Process for exchanging energy and data between a read/write terminal and a chip card with contactless connections and/or contact connections as well as a device for this purpose
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US20150038194A1 (en) 2015-02-05 Amplifier and transmission solution for 13.56mhz radio coupled to smartcard controller