Method for the data exchange between a terminal and a chip card

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9588930-B2
Application number	US-201214116690-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 8, 2012
Priority date	May 11, 2011
Publication date	Mar 7, 2017
Grant date	Mar 7, 2017

Abstract

A method includes exchanging data between a chip card and a terminal in a contact-based manner via a contact field. The method comprises the steps of: activating a first contact assignment in response to a first communication protocol present on the contact field and occupying a first part of contact surfaces of the contact field; recognizing a change of the communication protocol from a first communication protocol to a second communication protocol with a protocol recognition unit in the chip card; and activating a second contact assignment in response to the recognized second communication protocol occupying a second part of contact surfaces of the contact field. The first and the second part of contact surfaces of the contact field are selected from an ISO-7816-2 contact field having a maximum of six contact surfaces and the second communication protocol requires at least two data lines.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for exchanging data between an end device and a chip card, wherein the data exchange between end device and chip card is effected in contact-type fashion via a contact pad having a maximum of six contact areas according to the ISO-7816-2 standard, having the method steps:
activating a first contact assignment in reaction to a first communication protocol present at the contact pad and assigned to a first combination of the at most six contact areas of the contact pad;
recognizing a change of the communication protocol from the first communication protocol to a second communication protocol by a protocol recognition unit within the chip card; and
activating a second contact assignment in reaction to the recognized second communication protocol and assigned to a second combination of the six contact areas of the contact pad;
wherein the first communication protocol is in particular a contactless communication protocol different from the ISO-7816 standard, and the second communication protocol is a communication protocol with two data lines.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the chip card is a subscriber identification card and the external end device a mobile communication end device for the operation in a mobile communication network.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the second communication protocol is a high-speed communication protocol, in particular USB or FireWire.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the first communication protocol is the Single Wire, the Bluetooth, the WiFi or an RFID protocol.

5. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the chip card recognizes the protocol changes by:
monitoring a signal level on a contact area of the six contact area contact pad, which is not employed for the respectively activated communication protocol and/or
evaluating a determined data packet within the respectively activated first or second communication protocol.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the determined data packet is a signal burst predefined for the communication protocol to be activated or a signal level alteration representing a violation of the activated communication protocol.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the chip card recognizes the protocol change by monitoring the voltage supply, in particular by evaluating a voltage modulation.

8. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the contact pad has an additional seventh contact area (C 9 ), which is reserved for a data line of the second communication protocol, wherein the second data line of the second communication protocol is activated via the contact areas C 6 or C 7 of the contact pad.

9. A method for exchanging data between an end device and a chip card, wherein the data exchange between end device and chip card is effected in contact-type fashion via a contact pad having a maximum of six contact areas according to the ISO-7816-2 standard, having the method steps:
activating a third contact assignment in reaction to a third communication protocol present at the contact pad, wherein the third communication protocol is a communication protocol according to the ISO-7816 standard and is assigned to a third combination (C 1 , C 2 , C 3 , C 5 , C 7 ) of the at most six contact areas of the contact pad;
recognizing a change of the communication protocol from the third communication protocol to a second communication protocol (USB) or a first communication protocol by a protocol recognition unit within the chip card; and
activating a second contact assignment in reaction to the recognized second communication protocol, wherein the second communication protocol (USB) is assigned to a fourth combination (C 1 , C 2 , C 3 , C 5 , C 7 ) of the six contact areas of the contact pad;
wherein the second communication protocol is a communication protocol with two data lines, and the first communication protocol is in particular a contactless communication protocol different from the ISO-7816 standard and a data line (C 6 ) of the first communication protocol is neither employed in the third combination (C 1 , C 2 , C 3 , C 5 , C 7 ) nor in the fourth combination (C 1 , C 2 , C 3 , C 5 , C 7 ) of the six contact areas of the contact pad.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein at least one control line (C 2 or C 3 ) of the third communication protocol is employed in the first communication protocol or second communication protocol in addition to the lines required according to first communication protocol or second communication protocol.

11. A chip card comprising:
a contact pad according to the ISO 7816-2 standard having at most six contact areas,
at least two interface units for data exchange with an end device according to a corresponding communication protocol via a corresponding contact assignment of the contact pad and
a protocol adjustment unit, wherein the at least two interface units comprise:
at least one contact interface unit for communication according to a first contact-type communication protocol or a second contact-type communication protocol; and
a contactless interface unit for communication according to a contactless communication protocol via a preset contact assignment of the contact pad;

wherein the protocol adjustment unit has a protocol recognition unit, wherein the protocol recognition unit is adapted to activate, simultaneously with a first interface unit already activated in reaction to a communication protocol present at the contact pad, a second interface unit in reaction to a second communication protocol present at the contact pad;
wherein the contact pad is an ISO-7816-2 contact pad having a maximum of six contact areas and the second contact-type communication protocol comprises at least two data lines.

12. The chip card according to claim 11 , wherein the protocol recognition unit is connected with the contact areas C 6 and C 7 of the contact pad and by predefined data packets the data exchange is adjustable by means of the interface units.

13. The chip card according to claim 11 , wherein a sevenths contact pad C 9 is provided for the data exchange and the seventh contact area of the contact pad likewise is connected with the protocol recognition unit.

14. The chip card according to claim 11 , wherein:
a seventh contact area C 9 of the contact pad is provided for a data line of the two data lines of the second contact-type communication protocol;
via the contact area C 6 of the contact pad the data exchange by means of SWP protocol is provided and to the contact area C 7 of the contact pad the protocol recognition unit is connected, wherein the protocol recognition unit recognizes, whether the contact area C 7 is to be activated for the second data line of the two data lines of the second contact-type communication protocol or for a data line of the ISO-7816 communication protocol.

15. The chip card according to claim 11 , wherein:
a seventh contact area C 9 of the contact pad is provided for a data line of the two data lines of the second contact-type communication protocol;
via the contact area C 7 of the contact pad the ISO-7816 standard protocol is provided and to the contact area C 6 of the contact pad the protocol recognition unit is connected, wherein the protocol recognition unit recognizes, whether the contact area C 6 of the contact pad is to be activated for the second data line of the two data lines of the second contact-type communication protocol or for the SWP communication protocol.

Assignees

• Büttner Bernhard
• Griesmeier Robert
• Hartel Karl Eglof
• Giesecke & Devrient Gmbh

Inventors

• Büttner Bernhard
• Griesmeier Robert
• Hartel Karl Eglof

Classifications

• G06K19/07

  with integrated circuit chips · CPC title

• G06K7/0008

  General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer · CPC title

• G06K19/07733

  the record carrier containing at least one further contact interface not conform ISO-7816 · CPC title

• G07F7/0893

  the card reader reading the card in a contactless manner · CPC title

• G06Q20/341

  Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip · CPC title