JP2007206957A - Ic card, information processing system, integrated circuit chip, and data processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an IC card, an information processing system, an integrated circuit chip, and a data processor that can shorten start-up time. <P>SOLUTION: A memory 10 of the IC card 10 includes: a user block where data read from and written to a reader writer 20 are stored; a management block where a pointer indicating the user block is stored; an NVM 130 from and to which data can be read and written; and a RAM 120 which stores operation data to be rewritten when the data are updated. Upon a request for data acquisition from the reader writer, the data are not copied from the user block of the NVM to the RAM and upon a first request for data update after the start from the reader writer, the data to be updated are copied from the user block in the NVM to the RAM by referring to the management block in the NVM. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an IC card, an information processing system, an integrated circuit chip, and a data processing device. In particular, the present invention has a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory, and the nonvolatile memory doubles data (effective side / ineffective side). The present invention relates to an IC card, an information processing system, an integrated circuit chip, and a data processing device that perform management, read an effective surface of two management data at the time of data update, copy it to a volatile memory, and prepare for data update.

  Various file system configurations for IC cards have been developed. As an example, there is an IC card that has a nonvolatile memory (such as an EEPROM) and a volatile memory (such as a RAM), and manages data by duplicating data in order to cope with power interruption during processing in the nonvolatile memory. In such an IC card, at the time of activation, the effective side of the management data in the nonvolatile memory is read for all file systems, copied to the volatile memory, and preparation for data update is made in advance (for example, Patent Document 1). reference.).

Japanese Patent No. 3721725

  By the way, when data is only read from the nonvolatile memory in the IC card, the data update is not performed, so that the process of copying the data to the volatile memory is useless. In addition, when there are a plurality of file systems, if the effective side of the management data in the nonvolatile memory is copied to the volatile memory for all file systems at the time of startup, the startup time increases by the number of file systems.

  The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems of conventional IC cards, and an object of the present invention is to provide a new and improved IC card and information capable of shortening the startup time of the IC card. A processing system, an integrated circuit chip, and a data processing device are provided.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to a first aspect of the present invention, an IC card having a memory for storing a file system is provided. In the IC card of the present invention, the memory includes a user block for storing data read / written from the outside and a management block for storing a pointer indicating the user block, and is capable of reading and writing data. (Such as an EEPROM) and a volatile storage medium (such as a RAM) that stores work data that is rewritten at the time of data update. At startup, data is transferred from the user block of the nonvolatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium. Without copying, at the first data update after startup, the management block of the nonvolatile storage medium is referred to, and the data to be updated is copied from the user block of the nonvolatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium It is characterized by doing.

  According to such a configuration, in a file system that manages data in a nonvolatile storage medium (Nonvolatile Memory: NVM) in an IC card by duplicating, the effective side of the management data in the nonvolatile storage medium is read at the time of the first data update. It can be copied to a volatile storage medium. In this way, the startup time of the IC card can be shortened. In the case of a reader / writer that performs only reading, the speed can be increased as compared with the conventional case.

  In the IC card of the present invention, the memory can also store a plurality of file systems that are prohibited from accessing each other by a predetermined memory management function. The present invention is particularly effective when there are a plurality of file systems in an IC card. That is, when the conventional method is used, since the effective side of the management data of the nonvolatile storage medium is read and copied to the volatile storage medium for all file systems at the time of startup, the time for copying to the volatile storage medium is the file system. Is required. In this regard, according to the present invention, the amount of copying to the volatile storage medium is reduced, and as a result, the startup time can be shortened.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to a second aspect of the present invention, an information processing apparatus that communicates between an IC card having a memory for storing a file system and the IC card to process information. An information processing system including a reader / writer is provided. In the information processing system according to the present invention, the memory of the IC card includes a user block that stores data read from and written to the information processing apparatus and a management block that stores a pointer indicating the user block. A non-volatile storage medium (such as an EEPROM) that can be read and written and a volatile storage medium (such as a RAM) that stores work data that is rewritten when data is updated are included.

  The IC card receives a data update (write) or acquisition (read) request from the information processing apparatus, and from the user block of the nonvolatile storage medium when the data acquisition request is received from the information processing apparatus. Without copying data to the volatile storage medium, at the time of the first data update request after startup from the information processing device, the management block of the nonvolatile storage medium is referred to and the data to be updated is stored in the nonvolatile storage medium. Copying from the user block of the volatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium.

  According to such a configuration, in a file system that manages data in a nonvolatile storage medium (Nonvolatile Memory: NVM) in an IC card by duplicating, the effective side of the management data in the nonvolatile storage medium is read at the time of the first data update. It can be copied to a volatile storage medium. In this way, the startup time of the IC card can be shortened. In addition, when an information processing apparatus that communicates with an IC card and processes information only performs reading, the speed can be increased as compared with the conventional case.

In the information processing system of the present invention, the memory of the IC card can store a plurality of file systems whose access is prohibited by a predetermined memory management function. The present invention is particularly effective when there are a plurality of file systems in an IC card. In other words, when using the conventional method, the effective side of the management data of the nonvolatile storage medium is read and copied to the volatile storage medium for all file systems at startup.
The time required for copying to the volatile storage medium is the same as the number of file systems. In this regard, according to the present invention, the amount of copying to the volatile storage medium is reduced, and as a result, the startup time can be shortened.

  In order to solve the above problem, according to a third aspect of the present invention, there is provided an integrated circuit chip including a memory for storing a file system. In the integrated circuit chip of the present invention, the memory includes a user block that stores data read / written from the outside and a management block that stores a pointer indicating the user block, and is a non-volatile memory capable of reading and writing data Including a medium (such as an EEPROM) and a volatile storage medium (such as a RAM) that stores work data that is rewritten when data is updated, and when starting, data is transferred from the user block of the nonvolatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium. Without first copying, the management block of the nonvolatile storage medium is referred to at the time of the first data update after startup, and the data to be updated is transferred from the user block of the nonvolatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium. It is characterized by copying.

  According to this configuration, in a file system that manages data in a nonvolatile storage medium (NVM) by duplication, the effective side of the management data in the nonvolatile storage medium is read at the time of the first data update, and the volatile storage medium Can be copied to. In this way, it is possible to shorten the startup time.

  In the integrated circuit chip of the present invention, the memory can also store a plurality of file systems that are prohibited from accessing each other by a predetermined memory management function. The present invention is particularly effective when there are a plurality of file systems. That is, when the conventional method is used, since the effective side of the management data of the nonvolatile storage medium is read and copied to the volatile storage medium for all file systems at the time of startup, the time for copying to the volatile storage medium is Is required. In this regard, according to the present invention, the amount of copying to the volatile storage medium is reduced, and as a result, the startup time can be shortened.

  In order to solve the above problems, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, there is provided a data processing apparatus equipped with an integrated circuit chip having a memory for storing a file system. In the data processing device according to the present invention, the memory includes a user block that stores data read / written from the outside and a management block that stores a pointer indicating the user block, and is a non-volatile memory capable of reading and writing data Including a medium (such as an EEPROM) and a volatile storage medium (such as a RAM) that stores work data that is rewritten when data is updated, and when starting, data is transferred from the user block of the nonvolatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium. Without first copying, the management block of the nonvolatile storage medium is referred to at the time of the first data update after startup, and the data to be updated is transferred from the user block of the nonvolatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium. It is characterized by copying.

  According to this configuration, in a file system that manages data in a nonvolatile storage medium (NVM) by duplication, the effective side of the management data in the nonvolatile storage medium is read at the time of the first data update, and the volatile storage medium Can be copied to. In this way, it is possible to shorten the startup time.

  In the data processing apparatus of the present invention, the memory can also store a plurality of file systems that are prohibited from accessing each other by a predetermined memory management function. The present invention is particularly effective when there are a plurality of file systems. That is, when the conventional method is used, since the effective side of the management data of the nonvolatile storage medium is read and copied to the volatile storage medium for all file systems at the time of startup, the time for copying to the volatile storage medium is the file system. Is required. In this regard, according to the present invention, the amount of copying to the volatile storage medium is reduced, and as a result, the startup time can be shortened.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to shorten the startup time of an IC card in a file system that manages data in a nonvolatile storage medium (such as an EEPROM) in an IC card by duplication. In the case of a reader / writer that performs only reading, the speed can be increased as compared with the conventional case.

  The present invention is particularly effective when there are a plurality of file systems in the IC card, and the amount of copying to the volatile storage medium at the time of activation is reduced, and as a result, the activation time can be shortened.

  Exemplary embodiments of an IC card, an information processing system, an integrated circuit chip, and a data processing device according to the present invention will be described below in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the present specification and drawings, components having substantially the same functional configuration are denoted by the same reference numerals, and redundant description is omitted.

(1) Communication between IC card and reader / writer (Fig. 1)
FIG. 1 is an explanatory diagram showing an information processing system according to the present embodiment, and shows a communication state between an IC card and a reader / writer.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the information processing system according to this embodiment includes an IC card 10, a reader / writer 20, a reader / writer 20, and a host 30. Data communication between the IC card 10 and the reader / writer 20 is realized by wireless communication based on the principle of electromagnetic induction, for example.

  The IC card 10 is a card type data communication device provided with a memory for storing a file system. The IC card 10 may be an independent data communication device, or may be an integrated circuit chip having an IC card function incorporated in an information communication terminal device (data processing device) such as a mobile phone. Good. Whether the IC card is built in the device or configured to be detachable from the device, it may be referred to as an “IC card” in this specification for convenience. An integrated circuit chip having an IC card function is mounted on an information processing terminal such as a portable terminal such as a mobile phone or a PDA or a personal computer (PC), for data communication with an external device. In this case, an interface for connecting to an external device is provided in addition to an interface for connecting to the reader / writer device by wire or wirelessly. The configuration of the memory in the IC card 10 will be further described later with reference to FIG.

  The reader / writer 20 is an example of an information processing apparatus that communicates with the IC card 10 to process information, and has a function of reading and writing data recorded on the IC card 10. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and may be a reader / writer having only a function of reading data recorded on the IC card 10. The reader / writer 20 is connected to a predetermined host 30.

  The host 30 is a device that processes data read from the IC card 10 or data to be written to the IC card 10. The reader / writer 20 and the host 30 may be integrated, or may be spatially separated via a cable or the like.

(2) Memory configuration (Fig. 2)
FIG. 2 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the memory in the IC card 10 of FIG.
As shown in FIG. 2, the memory 100 in the IC card includes a ROM (Read Only Memory) 110 that is a read-only nonvolatile memory and a RAM (Random Access Memory) that is a volatile memory that can be read and written. 120 and an NVM (Nonvolatile Memory) 130 that is a readable and writable nonvolatile memory.

  The ROM 110 stores program codes and the like. The RAM 120 stores program work data and the like. The NVM 130 stores a file system including user blocks. As the RAM 120, for example, an SRAM (Static RAM) that can access information faster and consumes less power than a DRAM can be used. As the NVM 130, for example, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable PROM) capable of electrically erasing data can be adopted.

(3) File system configuration (Fig. 3)
FIG. 3 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of the file system. The file system is composed of data on the NVM 130 and data on the RAM 120.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the NVM 130 includes a switch 132, a management block 134, and a user block 136. The switch 132 is a pointer indicating the effective surface of the management block 134. The management block 134 stores a pointer indicating the user block 136. The user block 136 stores data that is actually read and written from the outside of the IC card.

  In the NVM 130, data is duplicated and managed in order to cope with power interruption during processing. The management block 134 indicated by the switch 132 is referred to as an “effective surface” and is indicated by a solid line in the drawing. The other duplicated blocks are called “invalid surfaces” and are indicated by broken lines in the drawing. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the effective side of the management block 134 indicates data A, data B, ID information of the user block 136, and the invalid side of the management block 134 is old data A, data B, ID information of the user block 136. Point to. It is assumed that the ID information body stores data specifying the IC card 10 and data specifying the application of the IC card 10.

  On the other hand, the RAM 120 includes a switch 122, a management block effective surface 124, and ID information 126 as work data, as shown in FIG. The work data on the RAM 120 is rewritten when the data is updated.

  In FIG. 3, only one file system is representatively shown, but a plurality of file systems may exist in the memory. In this case, it is assumed that the plurality of file systems are prohibited from accessing each other by a predetermined memory management function.

The configuration of this embodiment has been described above.
Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described in the order of initialization processing (FIG. 4), data update preparation processing (FIG. 5), data update processing (FIGS. 6 to 8), and data acquisition processing (FIG. 9).

(4) Initialization process (Fig. 4)
FIG. 4 is an explanatory diagram showing the initialization process.
The effective side of the management block 134 is acquired from the switch 132 of the NVM, a pointer to the ID information is acquired, and the switch 132 and the ID information body are copied to the switch 122 and the ID information 126 of the RAM. It is assumed that the ID information main body stores data specifying an IC card and data specifying an application of the IC card.

  In this embodiment, only the operation shown in FIG. 4 is performed in the initialization process at the time of startup, and the operation of copying the effective surface of the NVM management block 134 to the RAM management block 124 is not performed. This shortens the startup time. FIG. 4 shows only one file system in the NVM 130, but this is particularly effective when there are a plurality of file systems.

(5) Data update preparation process (FIG. 5)
FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram showing the data update preparation process.
The effective surface of the management block 134 is acquired from the NVM switch 132, and the effective surface of the NVM management block 134 is copied to the RAM management block 124. As described above, the present embodiment is characterized in that the effective surface of the NVM management block 134 is copied to the RAM management block 124 in the data update preparation process immediately before the data update.

(6) Data update processing (FIGS. 6 to 8)
After the data update preparation process, the data update process is performed. A specific example of the data update process will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the flow of data update processing. FIG. 7 is an explanatory diagram showing steps S110 and S120 of FIG. FIG. 8 is an explanatory diagram showing steps S140 to S160 of FIG.

  The management block position and data to be updated are specified for the file system. As shown in FIG. 7, the file system newly allocates a block from the free area of the user block 136 of the NVM and writes the designated data (step S110). Next, the contents of the management block position to be updated in the RAM management block 124 are rewritten to the newly assigned block (step S120).

  When another block position and data are designated, similarly, block allocation (S110) and rewriting of the RAM management block 124 (S120) are repeated (step S130).

  When the management block position and data to be updated are designated, the contents of the RAM management block 124 are copied to the invalid side of the NVM management block 134 as shown in FIG. 8 (step S140). Thereafter, the RAM switch 122 is switched from the effective surface to the ineffective surface (changing the data value) (step S150). Further, the RAM switch 122 is copied to the NVM switch 132 (step S160).

(7) Data acquisition process (Fig. 9)
FIG. 9 is an explanatory diagram showing data acquisition processing.
The management block position to be acquired is specified for the file system. In the file system, the user block 136 is acquired from the management block position of the effective surface of the management block 134 of the NVM. For the reader / writer that performs only reading, only the reading operation shown in FIG. 9 is performed, and the writing operation (FIGS. 5 to 8) is not performed. For this reason, the response to the reader / writer that performs only reading becomes faster.

(Effect of this embodiment)
As described above, according to the present embodiment, the activation time of the IC card 10 can be shortened. In other words, in the conventional method, initialization processing and data update preparation processing are performed at startup. In this regard, in the present embodiment, the above two processes are divided into two timings, the initialization process is performed at the time of startup, and the data update process is performed before the data update request. This shortens the startup time.

  In addition, the RAM 120 and the NVM 130 can store a plurality of file systems whose access is mutually prohibited by a predetermined memory management function. When the conventional method is used, since the effective side of the management data of the NVM 130 is read and copied to the RAM 120 for all file systems at the time of startup, the time required for copying to the RAM 120 is required for the number of file systems. In this regard, according to the present embodiment, the amount of copying to the RAM 120 is reduced, and as a result, the startup time can be shortened.

  Further, when the reader / writer 20 only performs reading, the writing operation is not performed, so that the response can be speeded up.

  The preferred embodiments of the IC card, the information processing system, the integrated circuit chip, and the data processing device according to the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, but the present invention is not limited to such examples. It will be obvious to those skilled in the art that various changes or modifications can be conceived within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims, and these are naturally within the technical scope of the present invention. It is understood that it belongs.

  For example, in the above embodiment, the case where there are a plurality of file systems has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and an excellent effect can be obtained even when there is one file system. That is, even when there is only one file system, it is not necessary to read the effective side of the NVM management data for the file system and copy it to the RAM at the time of startup, resulting in a reduction in startup time. The same applies to the effect that the response to the reader / writer that performs only reading is faster.

(Industrial applicability)
The present invention can be used for an IC card, an information processing system, an integrated circuit chip, and a data processing device. In particular, the nonvolatile memory has a nonvolatile memory and a volatile memory. IC card, information processing system, integrated circuit chip, and data processing that read the effective side of the two management data and copy it to volatile memory and prepare for data update Available to the device.

It is explanatory drawing which shows communication with an IC card and a reader / writer. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of memory. It is explanatory drawing which shows the structure of a file system. It is explanatory drawing which shows the initialization process. It is explanatory drawing which shows a data update preparation process. It is a flowchart which shows the flow of a data update process. It is explanatory drawing which shows data update process (S110), (S120). It is explanatory drawing which shows data update process (S140)-(S160). It is explanatory drawing which shows a data acquisition process.

Explanation of symbols

10 IC card 20 reader / writer 30 host 100 memory 110 ROM
120 RAM
122 RAM switch 124 RAM management block 126 RAM ID information 130 NVM
132 NVM Switch 134 NVM Management Block 136 NVM User Block

Claims (8)

An IC card having a memory for storing a file system,
The memory is
A non-volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing data, including a user block for storing data read / written from outside and a management block for storing a pointer indicating the user block;
A volatile storage medium for storing work data to be rewritten when data is updated;
Including
At startup, without copying data from the user block of the non-volatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium,
In the first data update after startup, the management block of the nonvolatile storage medium is referred to, and data to be updated is copied from the user block of the nonvolatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium. Yes, IC card.   2. The IC card according to claim 1, wherein the memory stores a plurality of file systems that are prohibited from accessing each other by a predetermined memory management function. An information processing system including an IC card having a memory for storing a file system, and an information processing device for communicating with the IC card to process information,
The memory of the IC card is
A non-volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing data, including a user block for storing data to be read from and written to the information processing apparatus, and a management block for storing a pointer indicating the user block;
A volatile storage medium for storing work data to be rewritten when data is updated;
Including
The IC card is
Receiving a data update or acquisition request from the information processing apparatus;
At the time of data acquisition request from the information processing apparatus, without copying data from the user block of the nonvolatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium,
At the time of the first data update request after startup from the information processing device, the management block of the nonvolatile storage medium is referred to, and the data to be updated is transferred from the user block of the nonvolatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium. An information processing system characterized by copying to   4. The information processing system according to claim 3, wherein the memory of the IC card stores a plurality of file systems whose access is mutually prohibited by a predetermined memory management function. An integrated circuit chip having a memory for storing a file system,
The memory is
A non-volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing data, including a user block for storing data read / written from outside and a management block for storing a pointer indicating the user block;
A volatile storage medium for storing work data to be rewritten when data is updated;
Including
At startup, without copying data from the user block of the non-volatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium,
In the first data update after startup, the management block of the nonvolatile storage medium is referred to, and data to be updated is copied from the user block of the nonvolatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium. Integrated circuit chip.   6. The integrated circuit chip according to claim 5, wherein the memory stores a plurality of file systems whose access is prohibited by a predetermined memory management function. A data processing device equipped with an integrated circuit chip having a memory for storing a file system,
The memory is
A non-volatile storage medium capable of reading and writing data, including a user block for storing data to be read / written from the outside and a management block for storing a pointer indicating the user block;
A volatile storage medium for storing work data to be rewritten when data is updated;
Including
At startup, without copying data from the user block of the non-volatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium,
In the first data update after startup, the management block of the nonvolatile storage medium is referred to, and data to be updated is copied from the user block of the nonvolatile storage medium to the volatile storage medium. A data processing device.   8. The data processing apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the memory stores a plurality of file systems whose access is mutually prohibited by a predetermined memory management function.

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