Portable device comprising a communication station configuration and a data carrier configuration

255 668 T3

DESCRIPTION

Portable device comprising a communication station configuration and a data carrier configuration.

The invention relates to a portable device comprising a communication station configuration that is provided and designed for contactless communication with at least one data carrier external to the portable device and in contactless communication connection with it.

A portable device as described above in the first paragraph is known, for example, from DE 199 17 223 A1. The known portable device is a portable reading device by means of which files can be easily located. The known reading device comprises a communication station configuration by means of which responders can be located, for example data carriers that correspond to a file to be retrieved or associated with that file, and characteristic data stored in each responder can then be transmitted by radio with ease during the process of operation of a communication, wherein a searched file can be easily found by means of the stored characteristic data because visual information corresponding to that characteristic data is displayed on a display device of the reading device. Although with the known portable device it is possible to carry out a simple and secure location of files, the known portable device offers only that functionality and therefore allows only such location.

Document EP 1 172 754 A1 discloses a system of a portable device (reader / writer) with a communication station configuration and two data carriers (cards with integrated circuits) each containing a data carrier configuration. The portable device comprises a power supply antenna to supply power to the two data carriers on site. The purpose of this system is to allow the safe copy of the content (secure data) from one data carrier to the other data carrier, receiving instructions and power from the portable device using the coupling of the antennas of the data carrier. In a first communication, the portable device identifies the first data carrier and the secure data stored in the memory of the first data carrier. A user decides which part of this stored secure data is to be transferred to the memory of the second data carrier held close to the first data carrier. In a second communication step, the portable device sends a command to the first data carrier that triggers the processing of a sequence on the first data carrier that transfers the selected part of the stored secure data from the memory of the first data carrier directly to the memory of the second data carrier. This prevents the transfer of secure data through the portable device.

It is an object of the invention to improve a portable device with regard to its possible functions, for example to provide at least two functionalities and to ensure in each case the simple and safe selection of one of the functionalities.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned objective according to the invention, characteristics of a portable device according to the invention have been provided, in such a way that a portable device according to the invention can be characterized as follows, namely:

A portable device comprising a communication station configuration that is provided and designed for contactless communication with at least one data carrier external to the portable device and in contactless communication connection with it, and comprising a support configuration of data that is intended and designed for contactless communication with at least one communication station external to the portable device and in contactless reading connection with it, characterized in that the portable device comprises detection means that are equipped and designed to detect at least one external data carrier located in a communication area suitable for a contactless communication connection, and to detect at least one external communication station located in a communication zone suitable for a contactless communication connection, and in that it comprises activation means cooperating with the detection means, whose activation means cooperate with the communication station configuration and with the data carrier configuration, and whose activation means are designed to activate one of the two configurations as a function of the detection result supplied in each case by the means detection.

With the provision of the features according to the invention, a dis portable device can be provided with a relatively low complexity which offers both, the functionality of a communication station and the functionality of a data carrier, and thus which in each case the desired functionality can be selected in a simple and automatic way and consequently very safe, and therefore can be put into service. Therefore the portable device of the invention after its own detection result activates the configuration of the data carrier or the configuration of the communication station with an external data carrier or with an external communication station. In a portable device according to the invention, the detection of an external data carrier and the detection of an external communication station can be performed because the detection means of the portable device according to the invention are designed in such a way that they can detect the presence of a resonant transmission circuit of an external data carrier or the presence of a resonant transmission circuit of an external communication station, in a communication area suitable for contactless communication connection. However, in the case of a portable device according to the invention it has been found to be highly advantageous if the features according to claim 2 are additionally provided. In this way detection is ensured, which is very simple in that it respects the circuits and is also very reliable and unambiguous.

In the case of a portable device according to the invention, it has been found to be highly advantageous that the features are additionally provided

ES 2 255 668 T3 ristics according to claim 3. This makes it very easy for the data content stored on a data carrier external to the portable device according to the invention to be displayed by means of a screen configuration after having been transmitted by radio by means of the communication station configuration, which is in many cases very useful and convenient for the user of the portable device and of this type of external data carrier.

In the case of a portable device according to the invention, it has been found to be highly advantageous for the portable device to take the form of a cellular telephone or a personal digital assistant (PDA). This advantageously ensures that the functionalities of a cell phone or a personal digital assistant are extended with additional advantageous functionalities. Such a cell phone or such a personal digital assistant can be used to display the data content of well-known card-shaped data carriers, such as credit cards, cards for health care and cards for other purposes, and also as an electronic ticket and for access control and as a car lock.

However, in the case of a portable device according to the invention, it has been found to be highly advantageous for the portable device to take the form of a data carrier in the form of a card. This advantageously ensures that a card-shaped data carrier constructed in accordance with the invention and provided with a display configuration can also be additionally used so that the data content of another data carrier placed close to the data carrier data according to the invention is transmitted by radio by means of the communication station configuration of the data carrier according to the invention, and subsequently shown by means of the display configuration of the data carrier according to the invention. This provides the considerable advantage that a user with a variety of personal cards requires only a single personal card designed in accordance with the invention with a display configuration, and the data content of all other cards can be displayed by means of the holder. data according to the invention. Here it should be mentioned that card-shaped data carriers with display elements are known per se, see for example DE 296 02 834 U1.

The characteristics according to claim 7 include the advantage that the internal communication station configuration is based on the power supply of the portable device capable of generating a search signal and checking if there are one or more external data carriers in the communication zone of the portable device.

The features according to claim 8 comprise the advantage that the communication station configuration and the data carrier configuration do not need to be activated all the time which helps to reduce the energy that is needed in the portable device.

The aforementioned aspects of the invention and other aspects thereof emerge from the embodiments described below and are explained with reference to said embodiments.

The invention is described below with reference to the exemplary embodiments shown in the drawings, but the invention is not limited thereto, however.

Figure 1 is a highly schematic representation in the form of a block diagram of an essential part in the present context of a portable device according to a first embodiment of the invention.

Figure 2 shows in a manner analogous to Figure 1 a portable device according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Figure 1 shows a portable device 1 which in the present case takes the form of a cellular telephone 1. The cellular telephone 1 comprises an antenna 2 by means of which the signals of the telephone can be sent and received. Furthermore, the cellular telephone 1 comprises a telephone signal processing circuit 3 which is connected to the antenna 2 and by means of which the telephone signals that have been received or are to be sent can be processed. A loudspeaker 4 for reproducing the received telephone signals is connected to the telephone signal processing circuit 3. Additionally, a microphone 5 is connected to the telephone signal processing circuit 3, by means of which microphone 5 telephone signals can be generated to be processed in the telephone signal processing circuit 3 and to be sent later.

The cellular telephone 1 further comprises a display configuration 6. The display configuration 6 consists substantially of visual means 7 and a controller circuit 8, by means of which the signals of the data to be displayed can be processed and subsequently supplied to the visual means 7 for display purposes. In the present case the visual means 7 are so-called LCD screens. It goes without saying that any other suitable display device can be provided as a display configuration 6.

The display configuration 6 is connected to the telephone signal processing circuit 3 via a connection 9 illustrated schematically. This allows the signals received by the telephone signal processing circuit 3 to be input, after processing in the telephone signal processing circuit 3, into the controller circuit 8, after which the data represented by those signals can be shown by visual media.

The cellular telephone 1 comprises with particular advantage both a communication station configuration 10 and a data carrier configuration 11, both of which are provided on a printed circuit board 12. The communication station configuration 10 is provided and designed for contactless communication with at least one data carrier 13 external to the cellular telephone 1 and in contactless communication connection with it, and in this case also for contactless communication with the cell phone. at least one communication station 14 external to the cellular telephone 1 and in contactless reading connection with it. The external data carrier 13 comprises an external data carrier circuit 15 in the form of an integrated circuit, the data carrier circuit 15 of which cooperates with transmission means 16 whose transmission means 16 comprise a transmission coil 17. So3 configuration 11

ES 2 255 668 T3 data port is provided and designed for contactless communication with at least one communication station 14 external to the cellular telephone 1 and in contactless reading connection with it. The external communication station 14 comprises an external communication station circuit 18 and transmission means 19 cooperating with the external communication circuit 18 whose transmission means 19 also comprises a transmission coil 20.

The internal communication station configuration 10 contained in the cellular telephone 1 comprises first transmission / reception means 21 comprising a transmission coil 22. In the present case the first transmission / reception means 21 additionally also comprise a search signal generation step 23 by means of which a search SEARCH signal can be generated. Furthermore, the internal communication station configuration 10 comprises an internal communication station circuit 24 that is equipped and designed to process signals received or to be sent by the first transmission / reception means 21. The internal communication station circuit 24 here takes the form of an integrated circuit and comprises, in addition to many other components, a first memory 25. In the first memory 25 are stored, among other things, data transmitted to the communication station configuration 10 by external data carriers 13 or by external communication stations 14. The internal communication station circuit 24 is connected to the controller circuit 8 of the display configuration 8 through a connection 26 shown schematically. This allows the data or data contents contained in the internal communication station circuit 24 and in particular the first memory 25 to be supplied to the controller circuit 8 of the display configuration 6 and subsequently displayed by the visual means 7.

The internal data carrier configuration 11 comprises second transmission / reception means 27 which also comprise a transmission coil 28. Connected to the second transmission / reception means 27 is an internal data carrier circuit which is equipped and designed to process signals received or to be sent by the second transmission / reception means 27. The internal data carrier circuit 29 comprises, in addition to a variety of sets, a second memory 30 which preferably takes the form of a non-volatile memory or a memory with programs that cannot be erased and in which, among others things, data or data contents that have been received from an external communication station 14 can be stored. The internal data carrier circuit 29 is connected to the display configuration 6 controller circuit 8 through a schematically represented connection 31, whereby it is possible that data or data contents that are contained in the display carrier circuit 29 internal data and in particular in its second memory are sent to the controller circuit 8 and subsequently displayed by the visual means 7. In an alternative embodiment, the connection 31 can be dispensed with if the data carrier configuration 11 is not needed or desired.

Note also what is said below regarding contactless communication or communication modes that are possible for external data carriers 13 and external communication stations 14 in the case of the cellular telephone 1. An external communication station 14 can communicate with the internal communication station configuration 10 using a first protocol PROT1, where according to the first protocol PROT1 during its start a first start signal START1 is supplied and when the first signal is being used. PROT1 protocol data or data signals are transmitted by means of at least a first coding mode and by means of a first modulation mode. An external communication station 14 can communicate with the internal data carrier configuration 11 using a second PROT2 protocol, where according to the second PROT2 protocol a second start signal START2 is supplied during its start and when the second is being used protocol data or transmission data signals are modulated according to at least a second coding mode and according to a second modulation mode. In the case of communication between an external data carrier 13 and the internal communication station configuration 10, the communication takes place using a third protocol PROT3, where if the third protocol is being used the data or data signals of the according to at least a third coding mode and according to a third modulation mode.

The cellular telephone 1 advantageously comprises detection means 32 equipped and designed to detect at least one external data carrier 13 located in a communication area suitable for a contactless communication connection and to detect at least one external communication station 14 located in a communication zone suitable for a contactless communication connection. The design of the detection means 32 is discussed in more detail below.

The cellular telephone 1 advantageously comprises other activation means 33 that cooperate with the detection means 32, the activation means 33 of which cooperate both with the internal communication station configuration 10 and with the internal data carrier configuration 11, and by means of which means 33 one of the two configurations 10 and 11 can be activated as a function of the detection result supplied in each case by the detection means 32, in such a way that depending on the result of the detection, the configuration 10 of the internal communication station or the configuration 11 of the internal data carrier is activated and consequently the complete communication with at least one external data carrier 13 or with the least one external communication station 14.

The detection means 32 and the activation means 33 are provided with both the internal communication station configuration 10 and the internal data carrier configuration 11 on the printed circuit board 12 of the cellular telephone 1.

The detection means 32 comprise control means 34 that can act in the form of a controller through the respective control connections 35 and 36 on the first transmission / reception means 21 and the second transmission / reception means 27, consequently the first media

ES 2 255 668 T3 transmission / reception and the second transmission / reception means 27 allow to be activated without the internal communication station configuration 10 and the internal data carrier configuration 11 being already activated or having to be activated.

The detection means 32 further comprise a first detection stage 35 which is connected to the first transmission / reception means 21 and by means of which the appearance of a response ANSWER signal transmitted to the station configuration 10 can be detected. internal communication in response to the SEARCH signal searching by at least one external data carrier 13. If such a response ANSWER signal is detected by the first detection stage 35, the first detection stage 35 outputs a first control information unit INFO1.

The detection means 32 further comprise a second detection stage 36 and a third detection stage 37 which are simultaneously connected to the second transmission / reception means 27. The second detection stage 36 is provided and designed to detect a first start signal START1 that arises at the start of the first protocol PROT1 from an external communication station 14 with the use of the first protocol PROT1. The third detection stage 37 is provided and designed to detect a second start signal START2 that arises at the start of the second PROT2 protocol in the case of communication with an external communication station 14 when the second PROT2 protocol is being used. If the second detection stage 36 detects a first start signal START1, the second detection stage 36 outputs a second unit INFO2 of control information. If the third detection stage 37 detects a second start signal START2, the third detection stage 37 outputs a third unit INFO3 of control information.

In summary, it must therefore be noted in relation to the detection means 32 that the detection means 32 simply detect by means of signals whether at least one external data carrier 13 or at least one external communication station 14 is located in an area communication interface suitable for a contactless communication connection, i.e. by means of a response ANSWER signal or by means of a first start signal START1 or by means of a second start signal START 2, all of which are transmitted in a contactless way to the cell phone 1 and in particular to the first transmission / reception means 21 or the second transmission / reception means 27 and subsequently supplied to steps 35, 36, or detection 37 connected to the first transmission / reception means 21 or the second transmission / reception means 27. The control information INFO1, INFO2, and INFO3 generable or generated by the three detection stages 35, 36, and 37 of the detection means can be supplied to the activation means and be processed logically in the activation means 33 , such that the activation means 33 ensures the activation of the internal communication station configuration 10 through a control connection 38 if the first control information unit INFO1 and the second control information unit INFO2 appear, and in such a way that the activation means 33 ensures the activation of the internal data carrier configuration 11 through a control connection 39 in the event of the appearance of the third control information unit INFO3.

The mode of operation of the cellular telephone 1 with respect to the internal communication configuration 10 and the internal data carrier configuration 11 is briefly explained below.

In the cellular telephone 1, the control means 34 ensure a "polling" operation of the first transmission / reception means 21 and the second transmission / reception means 27. This means that the two transmission / reception means 21 and 27 are activated successively by the control means 34 in each case for a predetermined period of time, for example for 100 milliseconds in each case.

If the first transmission / reception means 21 are activated, this means that the step 23 that generates the search signal transmits a search SEARCH signal. If at least one external data carrier 13 is located in a communication area suitable for a contactless communication connection, this translates into what has already been said that at least one external data carrier 13 receives the search SEARCH signal and therefore generates a response ANSWER signal. The response ANSWER signal is received by the still activated first transmission / reception means 21 and subsequently supplied to the first detection stage 35 of the detection means 32. The response ANSWER signal is detected by the first detection stage 35, which results in the generation of the first unit INFO1 of control information and its sending to the activation means 33. The consequence of this is that the activation means 33 activate through the control connection 38 the entire configuration 10 of the internal communication station, in such a way that, without any problem, full communication between the configuration 10 is subsequently enabled. internal communication station and all external data carriers 13 located in a communication area suitable for a contactless communication connection.

If the control means 34 ensure the activation of the second transmission / reception means 27, This has the consequence that the emission of signals according to the first PROT1 protocol or according to the second PROT2 protocol are received by the second 27 transmission / reception means from at least one external communication station 14 located in an area of communication suitable for a contactless communication connection - whose communication station 14 emits on its own initiative and if it has been asked for signals according to the first protocol PROT1 or signals according to the second PROT2 protocol and consequently the first start signal START1 or the second start signal START2 is received. The signals received in each case are sent by the second transmission / reception means 27 to the two stages 36 and 37 for detecting the two starting signals START1 and START2. Depending on which start signal START1 or START2 has been received, the received start signal is detected by the corresponding detection stage 36 or 37. If a first start START1 signal has been received this is detected

ES 2 255 668 T3 by the second detection stage 36, which means that the second detection stage 36 emits the second unit INFO2 of control information, which in turn means that the second unit INFO2 of information control is processed by the activation means 33 and in the activation means 33 it translates into the activation of the internal communication station configuration through the control connection 38, in such a way that subsequently the communication operation between at least one external communication station 14 and the internal communication station configuration 10 is enabled using the first protocol PROT1. If, on the other hand, a second start signal START2 has been received, this start signal START2 is detected by the third detection stage 37, which means that the third detection stage 37 generates the third unit INFO3 of control information and sends it to the activation means 33. The third control information unit INFO3 is processed by the activation means 33, which results in the activation means 33 ensuring the activation of the internal data carrier configuration 11 through the control connection 39, of such that communication is subsequently enabled according to the second PROT2 protocol between at least one external communication station 14 and the internal data carrier configuration.

By enabling communication between an external communication station 14 and the internal data carrier configuration 11, it is possible, for example, to radio authorization data from the second memory 30 for use on a public means of transportation and transmit it to the external communication station 14, in such a way that in this case the cellular telephone performs the function of an electronic ticket. It goes without saying that a variety of other functionalities is equally possible due to the communication between an external communication station 14 and the internal data carrier configuration 11, for example access authorization to a medical database can be provided to the owner of the cellular phone 1 by means of the internal data carrier configuration 11.

By enabling communication between an external data carrier 13 and the internal communication station configuration 10, it is possible, for example, to transmit data contents stored on an external data carrier 13 by radio by means of the station configuration 10. internal communication and buffering them in the first memory 25 and subsequently displaying them on the visual media 7 of the display configuration 6. This brings the substantial advantage to a user of the cellular phone 1 who is also a user of a variety of external data carriers 13, for example credit cards, insurance cards, and other similar data carriers, of being able to display and for consequently examining the respective current data contents of its external data carriers 13 simply through the display means 7 of the cellular telephone 1.

Figure 2 shows another portable device 40. The portable device 40 is a credit card 40. The credit card 40 comprises most of the circuits so that it is practically identical to that of the portable device 1 described above with respect to figure 1, for example the cellular telephone 1. However, the difference with the cell phone 1 is that the credit card 40 does not have an antenna 2 or a telephone signal processing circuit 3 or a speaker 4 or a microphone 5, but instead the credit card 40 comprises a contact zone 41 according to the known international standard that is connected to a data signal processing circuit 43 through connection lines 42. The data processing circuit 43 is connected to the controller circuit 8 of the configuration 6 through a connection 44 shown schematically. With the credit card 40, at least substantially, the same advantages that have already been described above with respect to the cellular telephone 1 can be achieved.

If an external communication station 14 is designed to communicate only with the internal data carrier configuration 11 and not with the internal communication station configuration 10, and therefore the use of the first PROT1 protocol has not been envisaged and therefore also does not appear the first start signal START1 in the modified embodiments of portable devices 1 and 40 according to figures 1 and 2, the second detection stage 36 is not provided, but only the first detection stage 35 and the third detection stage 37, the two detection stages 35 and 37 of which form or can form, in this case together, the activation means 33, with which can be accomplished by activating the communication station configuration 10 or the data carrier configuration 11 by means of the control information INFO1 and INFO3. Stated more generally, this represents that the components of the detection means 32 can form the activation means 33 at the same time.

In the two alternative embodiments described above of a portable device 1 or 40, the detection means 32 and the activation means 33 are provided on the same printed circuit board 12 as the internal communication station configuration 10 and the configuration 11 internal data carrier, but as separate circuit units. But this does not have to be the case at all because the detection means 32 and also the activation means 33 can be divided between the internal communication station configuration 10 and the internal data carrier configuration 11, or because the detection and activation means 33 may be components of only the internal communication station configuration 10 or of only the internal data carrier configuration 11.

In the two alternative embodiments described above of a portable device 1 or 40, separate transmission / reception means 21 and 27 are provided for the internal communication station configuration 10 and the internal data carrier configuration 11. But this does not have to be the case at all since two transmission / reception means 21 and 27 can alternatively be formed by a common transmission / reception circuit configuration.

Additionally it should be mentioned that instead of transmission coils 17, 20, 22, and 28 cooperating as transformers, for example inductively, dipoles can be used as antennas if the contactless data transmission is carried out in the strip high frequency.

IS 2 255 668 T3

In the two alternative embodiments described above of a portable device 1 or 40, external communication stations 14 capable of contactless communication are provided at the same time with the internal data carrier configuration 11 and with the communication station configuration 10. internal. But this does not have to be the case at all, since the external communication stations 14 can only communicate with the internal data carrier configuration 11.

In the two alternative embodiments described above of a portable device 1 or 40, the first transmitting / receiving means 21 of the internal communication station configuration 10 is designed to transmit a SEARCH control signal. But this does not have to be the case at all, since the provision can also be made that the first transmitting / receiving means 21 simply transmit a sinusoidal signal or a square wave signal as what is called a search signal, which serves to transmit energy and which is used upon receipt on an external data carrier 13 to supply energy to said external data carrier 13, whereupon the external data carrier 13 automatically sends a response RESPONSE signal to the internal communication station configuration 10 once a sufficiently high voltage supply has been built up.

A cellular phone 1 and a credit card 40 have been described above as portable devices. However, the criteria according to the invention can also be used to great advantage for other portable devices, for example a so-called "personal digital assistant" (PDA) or a portable computer or a portable device for dictation or an electrical configuration for attention. dental or kitchen instruments and many other devices.