Method for managing the dialogue between an item of equipment and at least one multi-application object

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9851703-B2
Application number	US-201113993609-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 7, 2011
Priority date	Dec 13, 2010
Publication date	Dec 26, 2017
Grant date	Dec 26, 2017

Abstract

A portable object includes an antenna and a processor coupled to the antenna. The processor is configured to communicate with an item of equipment according to a contactless communication protocol that contains an anticollision procedure. The processor is also configured to execute a plurality of software modules. The software modules include application modules and a triggering module, which is configured to cause a triggering of the anticollision procedure between the single portable object and the item of equipment. The processor is configured to cause a signal, which is generated by executing the triggering module, to be transmitted from the antenna to the time of equipment.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for managing a communication dialogue between an item of equipment and a single portable object according to a contactless communication protocol containing an anticollision procedure, the single portable object communicating with the item of equipment using a single antenna that is coupled to a processor, which is configured to execute a plurality of application modules, the method comprising:
detecting the plurality of application modules of the single portable object by the item of equipment by triggering of the anticollision procedure between the single portable object and the item of equipment, wherein detecting the plurality of application modules comprises, in response to a command signal sent by the item of equipment,
sending a command signal from the item of equipment to the single portable object;
receiving by the item of equipment, from the single antenna of the single portable object, a response signal containing an identification item of information; and
triggering the anticollision procedure in response to the response signal, wherein the identification item of information is generated by the single portable object by comparing responses generated by the plurality of application modules in response to the command signal, and wherein the identification item of information comprises at least one item representative of a collision, the one item representative of a collision being generated by the comparing the response generated by the plurality of application modules.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the plurality of application modules are respectively associated with a plurality of different identification items of information, and the detection of the plurality of application modules comprises a triggering of the anticollision procedure on the plurality of different identification items of information.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the single portable object and the item of equipment communicate according to the type A protocol defined in the ISO/IEC 14443 standard.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein transmission of a bit having a first logical value comprises a modulation of a carrier with a sub-carrier for a first half of a predetermined period based on a first command sequence and transmission of a bit having a second logical value comprises a modulation of the carrier with the sub-carrier for a second half of the predetermined period based on a second command sequence, and receiving the response signal containing the identification item of information representative of a collision comprises receiving a modulation of the carrier with the sub-carrier for all of the predetermined period based on a third command sequence.

5. The method according to claim 4 , further comprising generating the response signal based on a plurality of elementary response signals respectively associated with the plurality of application modules, at least two bits of the same rank in the plurality of elementary response signals having different logical values, the generating comprising
comparing the bits of the same rank in the plurality of elementary response signals;
when all the bits of the same rank match, generating, for the rank in question, the first command sequence or of the second command sequence;
when at least two bits of the same rank do not match, generating, for the rank in question, the third command sequence; and
modulating the carrier with the sub-carrier based on the generated command sequences.

6. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the command signal comprises a request command signal designated by REQA in the ISO/IEC 14443 standard, a wake-up command signal designated by WUPA in the ISO/IEC 14443 standard, or an anticollision command signal designated by ANTICOLLISION in the ISO/IEC 14443 standard, and wherein the elementary response signals comprise a response to request signal designated by ATQA in the ISO/IEC 14443 standard or a response signal containing at least one portion of an identifier of an application module designated by UID CLn in the ISO/IEC 14443 standard.

7. The method according to claim 5 , wherein the respective identification items of information of the plurality of application modules comprise identifiers respectively associated with different numbers of time slots, and during the anticollision procedure each identifier is transmitted in the time slot for which the slot number is associated with the identifier.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein the command signal a request command signal designated by REQB in the ISO/IEC 14443 standard, a wake-up command signal designated by WUPB in the ISO/IEC 14443 standard, or a slot marker command designated by “slot marker” in the ISO/IEC 14443 standard, and wherein the elementary response signals comprise a response to request signal designated by ATQB in the ISO/IEC 14443 standard.

9. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the single portable object communicates with the item of equipment according to the type B protocol defined in the ISO/IEC 14443 standard.

10. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the communication dialogue between the item of equipment and the single portable object comprises transmission of data bytes, the data bytes comprising characters transmitted in frames, and
wherein transmitting the response signal containing the identification item of information representative of a collision comprises generating an invalid frame and transmitting the invalid frame.

11. A single portable object comprising:
an antenna;
a processor coupled to the antenna and configured to communicate with an item of equipment according to a contactless communication protocol that contains an anticollision procedure, wherein the processor is also configured to execute a plurality of software modules, the software modules comprising:
a plurality of application modules; and
a triggering module configured to cause a triggering of the anticollision procedure between the single portable object and the item of equipment, the triggering including having a signal transmitted from the antenna to the item of equipment, the signal being generated by comparing responses generated by the plurality of application modules by the triggering module, the signal comprising at least one item representative of a collision, the one item representative of a collision being generated by the comparing the responses generated by the plurality of application modules.

12. The single portable object according to claim 11 , wherein the plurality of application modules are respectively associated with a plurality of different identification items of information, and the triggering module is configured to cause a triggering of the anticollision procedure on the plurality of different identification items of information.

13. The single portable object according to claim 12 , wherein the triggering module is configured to initiate transmission of a response signal containing an item of information representative of a collision in response to a command signal sent by the item of equipment.

14. The single portable object according to claim 13 , wherein the processor comprises:
a modulator configured to modulate a carrier with a sub-carrier based on a command sequence,
a first activation module configured to generate a first command sequence and to activate the modulator in order to modulate the carrier for a first half of a predetermined period so as to transmit a bit having a first logical value;
a second activation module configured to generate a second command sequence and to activate the modulator i

Assignees

• Cataldo Christophe
• Gabriele Sophie
• Mani Christophe
• Romain Fabrice
• Stmicroelectronics Rousset

Inventors

• Cataldo Christophe
• Gabriele Sophie
• Mani Christophe
• Romain Fabrice

Classifications

• G05B15/02 Primary

  electric · CPC title

• G06K19/0723

  the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs · CPC title

• G06Q20/3574

  Multiple applications on card · CPC title

• G06K7/0008 Primary

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