JP2006209172A - Ic card and program for ic card - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an IC card that can automatically switch to a communication protocol suitable for an application and can effectively use memory even when the single IC card is loaded with a plurality of communication protocols of different timing specified values. <P>SOLUTION: A communication protocol module 30 of the IC card has an operation timing parameter 30a for determining a timing specified value at operation. When a selection command 31 selects and executes an application 32, the operation timing parameter 30a is updated to an application timing parameter 32a of the application 32. The timing behavior of the communication protocol module 30 after the update is determined only by the updated operation timing parameter 30a. Memory is thus loaded only with a plurality of application timing parameters 32a, and the memory can be used effectively. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an IC card in which a semiconductor integrated circuit is embedded in a credit card-sized plastic card, and more particularly to an IC card capable of mounting a plurality of communication protocols having different specifications.

  Conventionally, since an IC card has mounted one application on one IC card, the communication protocol to be mounted on the IC card has only to be mounted on one IC card. However, in response to the recent high functionality of IC card chips, multi-application IC cards capable of mounting a plurality of applications on a single IC card are becoming mainstream. It is required that the communication protocol can be mounted on one multi-application IC card.

  For example, the specifications of the communication protocol are slightly different between the ISO 7816 standard and the financial settlement system standard (for example, EMV standard) despite the similar communication protocol (for example, block transmission communication protocol). For this reason, when two applications, an application conforming to the ISO 7816 standard and an application conforming to the financial settlement system standard (for example, EMV standard) are mounted on a single multi-application IC card, two different communication protocols are also used. It is necessary to mount on one multi-application IC card.

  As a technique capable of mounting a plurality of different communication protocols on one IC card, the present applicant has already disclosed the invention of Patent Document 1. In Patent Document 1, first and second communication protocols are mounted on an IC card, and the first and second communication protocols are switched according to selection data transmitted from a reader / writer.

  However, in the above-described technology, the host system using the IC card needs to know in advance the communication protocol switching procedure of the IC card in order to switch the communication protocol of the IC card. For example, in Patent Document 1, the host system must know the procedure for transmitting selection data as a procedure for switching the communication protocol, and the host system that does not know this procedure cannot switch the communication protocol. There is a problem that causes trouble.

In addition, the communication protocol specification difference between the financial settlement system standard communication protocol and the ISO 7816 standard communication protocol is only the timing specification value (for example, character waiting time), and all the program codes of the two communication protocols are used. In a memory (for example, ROM, Read Only Memory), there is a problem that the memory cannot be effectively used.
JP 2002-304605 A

  Therefore, in view of the above-mentioned problems, the present invention grasps in advance the communication protocol switching procedure provided in the IC card by the host system when a plurality of communication protocols having different timing specification values are mounted on one IC card. An object is to provide an IC card and an IC card program that can automatically switch the communication protocol in accordance with the application and can effectively use the memory.

  A first invention for solving the above-described problem is an IC card having a plurality of applications, wherein the IC card includes a selection unit that selects and executes the application, and a communication protocol unit that performs data communication with an external device. The communication protocol unit stores in a rewritable memory a timing parameter for determining a timing specification value when the communication protocol operates, and the application is the timing parameter corresponding to the communication protocol supported by the application. And the selection unit updates the timing parameter stored in the rewritable memory to the timing parameter of the application to be selected and executed when the application is selected and executed. IC card That.

  Preferably, in the IC card of the first invention, the communication protocol has a default value of the timing parameter, and the selection unit selects and executes the communication protocol when the application to be selected does not have the timing parameter. It is desirable to update the timing parameter of the unit to the default value.

  Further, a second invention for solving the above-described problem is a program mounted on an IC card, the IC card program for realizing the selection unit and the communication protocol unit described in the first invention. is there.

  According to the present invention described above, the timing parameter is automatically updated to a value corresponding to the application even when a plurality of communication protocols having different timing specification values are mounted on one IC card. The host system does not need to be aware of the communication protocol switching procedure, and can eliminate troubles caused by differences in communication protocols when an application operates.

  Further, according to the present invention, even when a plurality of communication protocols having different timing specification values are mounted on one IC card, it is not necessary to mount a plurality of communication protocols in a memory, and only a plurality of the timing parameters are stored. What is necessary is just to mount in a memory and a memory can be utilized effectively. In addition, since the communication protocol unit has the default value, even if an application that does not have the timing parameter is installed, the IC card operates without any problem.

  A multi-application IC card (hereinafter simply referred to as an IC card) to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an IC card 10 to which the present invention is applied. FIG. 1A is a perspective view of the IC card 10. As shown in FIG. 1A, the IC card 10 is a contact IC card in which an IC module 11 is embedded in a plastic card having the same size as a cash card or a credit card.

  FIG. 2 is a hardware structure diagram of the IC chip 20 built in the IC module 11. As shown in FIG. 2, the IC chip includes a central processing unit 21 (hereinafter referred to as a CPU), a read only memory 22 (hereinafter referred to as a ROM), and an EEPROM 24 (a rewritable memory). Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory), random access memory 23 (Random Access Memory, hereinafter referred to as RAM) as volatile memory, and I / O circuit 25 for data communication with a reader / writer, measuring specified time At least a timer circuit 26 is provided.

  Note that the present invention does not limit the specifications of the IC chip 20, and the IC chip 20 having specifications suitable for the application can be selected. For example, the capacities of the ROM 22 and the EEPROM 24 are not limited, and the rewritable memory may be a memory other than the EEPROM such as a ferroelectric memory or a flash memory. Further, the IC chip 20 may include other devices (not shown) such as a cryptographic operation circuit and a coprocessor circuit.

  In addition, in this embodiment, the IC card is a contact IC card. However, the IC card has a built-in antenna coil and performs non-contact data communication with a reader / writer, or contact data communication and non-contact. A dual interface IC card having two communication functions of data communication by contact may be used, and the shape of the IC card may be a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) shape.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram of software implemented in the IC card 10 according to the present invention. In this embodiment, as software, two applications 32 (application A and application B), a selection command 31 included in an operating system (hereinafter referred to as OS), and a communication protocol module 30 are provided.

  Each of the above-described programs is a program designed to cause the CPU 21 to execute a series of processes. By controlling each device provided in the IC chip 20, the functions of each program are realized.

  The communication protocol module 30 is a program for operating the I / O circuit 25 and performing data communication with the reader / writer 40, and is installed in the ROM 22. In the present embodiment, the communication protocol module 30 has an operation timing parameter 30a as data for determining a timing specification value at the time of operation. The operation timing parameter 30a is stored in the RAM 23 which is a volatile memory of the IC chip 20. Remembered.

  When the communication protocol module 30 operates, the communication protocol module 30 uses the timer circuit 26 to measure the time based on the operation timing parameter 30 a stored in the RAM 23. Therefore, by changing the operation timing parameter 30a stored in the RAM 23, the communication protocol module 30 can behave differently in terms of timing.

  The communication protocol module 30 has a default value 30b (hereinafter simply referred to as a default value) of the operation timing parameter 30a. When the IC card 10 is activated, the communication protocol module 30 sets the operation timing parameter 30a as the default. Set to the value 30b. The default value 30b is stored in the ROM 22 or the EEPROM 24.

  The application 32 is a program designed for a certain application, and a plurality of applications 32 are mounted on the EEPROM 24. In FIG. 3, two applications 32 (applications A and B) are mounted on the EEPROM 24, but the present invention does not define the number of applications 32 mounted on the EEPROM 24 at all. Further, all or part of the application 32 may be implemented in the ROM 22.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the application 32 has an application timing parameter 32a in order to conform to the timing specification value of the communication protocol supported by the host system. The application timing parameter 32a is stored as, for example, one piece of data included in a DF (Dedicated File) in which the application 32 is defined. When the application 32 is selected and executed, the application timing parameter 32a is stored in the RAM 23 as the operation timing parameter 30a. Set to

  The selection command 31 is included in the system command of the OS, has a function of selecting and executing the application 32, and is mounted on the ROM 22. The selection command 31 transmitted from the reader / writer 40 to the IC card 10 includes at least application identification information for identifying the application 32 (for example, ISO 7816 standard AID, Application IDentification).

  When the selection command 31 is transmitted from the reader / writer 40 to the IC card 10, the application 32 mounted on the IC card 10 is selected and executed according to the application identification information included in the selection command 31.

  When the selection command 31 selects and executes the application 32, the selection command 31 searches the application timing parameter 32a of the selected application 32 from the DF or the like, and if it has the application timing parameter 32a, the operation timing The parameter 30a is updated to the searched application timing parameter 32a. When the application 32 that does not have the application timing parameter 32a is selected, the selection command 31 sets the operation timing parameter 30a to the default value 30b described above.

  For example, in FIG. 3, when the application (A) is selected as the application 32, the operation timing parameter 30 a of the communication protocol module 30 is updated to the application timing parameter 32 a included in the application (A) by the selection command 31. The When the application (B) is selected as the application 32, since the application (B) does not have the application timing parameter 32a, the operation timing parameter 30a is updated to the default value 30b.

  FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation procedure for updating the operation timing parameter 30a. In the first step of the operation procedure, the IC card 10 is activated (step S10). The activation of the IC card 10 is activated according to the procedure of the ISO7816 standard. In the next step, the IC card 10 receives the selection command 31 from the reader / writer 40 (step S11). When the IC card 10 receives the selection command 31, the application 32 is selected and executed based on the application identification information included in the received selection command 31.

  When the application 32 is selected and executed, the selection command 31 searches for an application timing parameter 32a included in the application 32 specified by the application identification information (step S12). If there is an application timing parameter 32a, the process proceeds to step S14, and if there is no application timing parameter 32a, the process proceeds to step S15 (step S13).

  If there is the application timing parameter 32a, the selection command 31 updates the operation timing parameter 30a stored in the RAM 23 by the communication protocol module 30 to the searched application timing parameter 32a, and ends the process (step S14). . If there is no application timing parameter 32a, the selection command 31 updates the operation timing parameter 30a stored in the RAM 23 by the communication protocol module 30 to the default value 30b, and ends the process (step S15).

  The behavior of the communication protocol module 30 after step S14 or step S15 is defined by the updated operation timing parameter 30a.

The perspective view of an IC card. The hardware block diagram of an IC chip. The software block diagram of an IC card. The flowchart which showed the procedure which updates an operation timing parameter.

Explanation of symbols

10 IC card 22 ROM
23 RAM
24 EEPROM
30 communication protocol module 30a operation timing parameter 30b operation timing parameter default value 31 selection command 32 application 32a application timing parameter

Claims (3)

  An IC card having a plurality of applications, wherein the IC card includes a selection unit that selects and executes the application, and a communication protocol unit that performs data communication with an external device, and the communication protocol unit includes: A timing parameter for determining a timing specification value for operation is stored in a rewritable memory, the application has the timing parameter corresponding to the communication protocol supported by the application, and the selection unit selects the application. Then, when executing the IC card, the timing parameter stored in the rewritable memory is updated to the timing parameter of the application to be selected and executed.   2. The IC card according to claim 1, wherein the communication protocol has a default value of the timing parameter, and when the application to select and execute does not have the timing parameter, the communication protocol unit An IC card, wherein the timing parameter is updated to the default value. An IC card program for implementing the function of the selection unit and the function of the communication protocol unit according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the program is mounted on an IC card.

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