EP0919959B1 - Portable object, in particular a watch, containing multiple selectable electronic modules - Google Patents

Abstract

Allows personnel and simultaneous selection of a number of different services. The case (2) of the wristwatch is associated with antennas (41,42) and contains at least two different electronic modules (28,30,32), each permitting access to a particular service. The wristwatch also includes a selector and activation unit (22) for one of the electronic modules (28,30,32) as a function of the service required by the user. The unit (22) controls the displacement of an electrical contact (26) which connects the modules (28,30,32) to the service required by the user. The modules (28,30,32) are inserted in an independent electrical circuit (34,36,38). These electrical circuits are normally open, the contact (26) closes one of these circuits, when the user selects a particular service

Description

The present invention relates to a portable object, in particular a timepiece, comprising a housing with which is associated an electronic module for enabling contactless and wireless communication between the portable object and an external terminal provided for this purpose.

The present invention relates to a multitude of situations or places where it controls for example that a person has a paid access right or not.

The invention is aimed in particular at systems for controlling access to industrial sites (research and development laboratories, production units, etc.) and at public buildings (stadiums, museums, cinemas or the like) in which the portable object is presented by its holder to a control device that authorizes access to the site or building only if the information stored in the object carried by the person corresponds to an access authorization, the payment of a sufficient amount or a valid expiry date.

Access control systems are known which use cards provided with a magnetic strip adapted to be introduced into the slot of an access control terminal inside which the information carried by the magnetic strip is read. When this information is recognized, an access authorization is issued and new information can be entered on the magnetic strip.

Magnetic card access control systems are however sometimes not very easy to use, particularly because of the narrowness of the slot in which the card must be inserted for the precise reading of its contents. So when a magnetic card access control system is used on some equipment such as, for example, ski lifts in winter sports resorts, the handling of the magnetic card by users whose hands are not free is particularly slow and inconvenient. On the other hand, the repeated insertion of the card into the slot of the terminal causes the wear of the magnetic strip on which the useful information is stored.

To remedy this drawback, it has been proposed a system for controlling and automatically identifying objects in which a portable object contains, in a housing, an electronic module including a memory for recording useful information such as a code identification device, a device for transmitting and receiving broadcast signals, and an antenna electrically connected to the transmitting / receiving device. In this object control system, the transmission / reception device is capable, when coupled with an external terminal provided for this purpose, of transmitting broadcast signals corresponding to the reading of the information recorded in the memory circuit. and, if necessary, receive broadcast signals for the re-registration of new useful information in this memory circuit. Thus, when the external terminal transmits an interrogation signal, the detection of this signal by the portable object causes the transmission, for example of an identification code of this object, which then allows the terminal to identify this object and therefore to control the identity of its bearer.

The Automatic Object Identification System above provides many benefits.

Access controls, whether paid or not, are made easier and faster. Indeed, the necessary identification or other information is written and read in contactless and wireless memory. Thus, for example, the operation of mechanical introduction of a card into the slot of a reader, often made difficult by circumstances, is removed. On the other hand, this system is entirely passive, that is to say it does not require any source of clean energy. The energy required for its operation is provided by the electromagnetic waves emitted by the terminal for the identification of the object.

At present, however, the various manufacturers on the market offer contactless control systems of objects that differ from each other in particular by the structure of the electronic modules used in the objects to be controlled, which makes these systems totally incompatible with each other. The user is therefore obliged to purchase, for each service sought, for example for the ski lifts of several ski resorts, for the opening of the door of a hotel room as for payments to the hotel. bar of it, the object that corresponds to it. It will be understood easily, such a situation is inconvenient for the user. It multiplies the number of portable objects, increases the risk of theft, loss or forgetfulness of these objects, and causes a considerable increase in costs.

DE-A-3740794 discloses an electronic wristwatch which allows interactive communication with other systems such as the bank. More specifically, this document describes a system for managing and storing personal data contained in a watch case and which can be used for communication with other systems. Typically, the unit can communicate with the banking system and substitute for credit cards or bank cards. The unit comprises input / output means for example of the opto-electronic or electro-acoustic type. A miniature keyboard is used to enter information transmission commands. The unit includes a microprocessor for enabling interpretation of coded information. This document describes or suggests means for selecting and activating data exchange functions operating at different frequencies.

The object of the present invention is to remedy the problems and disadvantages described above by proposing a portable object, in particular a wristwatch, which makes it possible to personally and simultaneously select a plurality of different services.

For this purpose, the invention relates to a portable object for contactless access control systems, comprising a housing with which at least one antenna is associated, characterized in that the housing comprises at least two different electronic modules, each electronic module enabling access to a particular service, the portable object further comprising means for selecting and activating one of said electronic modules according to the service desired by the user.

Thanks to the characteristics of the present invention, the user can access, simultaneously and with great ease, a plurality of different services, for example access to ski lifts of several winter sports resorts, opening the door of a hotel room, payment of a cinema seat and the like, using a single portable object. The risks of loss, theft or forgetting of the object are minimized, and the costs reduced.

According to an advantageous characteristic of the invention, the selection and activation means control the movement of an electrical contact piece for switching on that of the electronic modules which corresponds to the service sought by the user.

• la figure 1 est une vue en perspective d'une montre-bracelet selon l'invention comprenant des moyens de sélection et d'activation des modules électroniques ;
• la figure 2 est un schéma électrique de raccordement des modules électroniques correspondant aux différents services souhaités sur lequel est représentée la pièce de contact électrique permettant la mise en circuit ou hors circuit de ces modules, et
• la figure 3 est une représentation schématique des différents blocs fonctionnels constituant un module électronique.

Other characteristics and advantages of the present invention will appear more clearly on reading the following description of an embodiment of the invention, given for purely illustrative and non-limiting purposes, this description being made in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. wherein :

• Figure 1 is a perspective view of a wristwatch according to the invention comprising means for selecting and activating the electronic modules;
• FIG. 2 is an electrical wiring diagram of the electronic modules corresponding to the different desired services on which is represented the electrical contact piece allowing these modules to be switched on or off, and
• Figure 3 is a schematic representation of the various functional blocks constituting an electronic module.

It will now be appreciated that the present invention is not limited to particular frequency ranges for antennas integrated into the housing, and is also not limited to specific services. On the other hand, although the following description relates to timepieces, in particular a wristwatch, the present invention is not limited to such parts, and can easily be applied to any other portable object in which are arranged at least two electronic modules for receiving and transmitting broadcast signals corresponding to the reading of information stored in a memory circuit, and if necessary the re-registration of new useful information in this memory circuit.

Reference is first made to FIG. 1, in which is represented a timepiece according to the invention, designated as a whole by the general reference numeral 1.

The timepiece 1 conventionally comprises a housing 2 made for example of a plastic material according to a well-known injection technique.

The timepiece 1 further comprises a horometric movement (not shown) housed inside the housing 2 and coupled to indicators 4, 6 and 8 respectively forming an hour hand, a minute hand and a second hand .

The timepiece 1 is sealed by means of a lens 10 and a window 12. The latter is fixedly mounted on the housing 2, for example by gluing or by ultrasonic welding.

The casing 2 comprises a middle part 14 which carries in particular a winding crown 16, for example to reassemble the horometric movement of the timepiece 1 or to adjust the display of the indicators 4, 6 and 8.

The strands 18 and 20 of a bracelet (not shown) are fixed on the middle part 14 of the casing 2.

According to the invention, the middle part 14 of the housing 2 carries, in addition to the winding crown 16, selection and activation means 22 of the desired service.

In the example shown in FIG. 1, these selection and activation means 22 are in the form of a manually operable switch 24, and slidingly moving in a guide groove 26 formed in the middle part 14 of the casing 2, opposite the winding crown 16.

The switch 24 can be moved for example between three different positions designated by the alphabetical references A , B and C in Figure 1. Each of these three positions A , B and C corresponds to the selection and activation of a service particular, for example access to ski lifts of a winter sports resort, unlocking the room of a hotel door or even the payment of a cinema ticket. To simplify the task of the user, and allow him to quickly select the service he wants, it can, for example, engrave on the ice 10 of the timepiece 1 a code or an indication to identify visually which service corresponds to the position of the switch 24 which he has chosen.

It is understood that the present invention is not limited to a given number of services or a specific type of service (ski, hotel, cinema, banking transactions or the like). On the other hand, it is conceivable to give the selection and activation means 22 a shape other than that of a switch 24. It may in particular be a pusher crown. Similarly, it may be envisaged to display the code or indication for identifying the chosen service by means of an electro-optical display cell.

The movement of the switch 24 of one of its selection / activation positions A , B or C to the next or previous position causes the corresponding displacement of an electrical contact piece 26 (FIG. 2), which entails the setting circuit of the three electronic modules 28, 30 or 32 which corresponds to the service selected by means of said switch 24.

More precisely, the three electronic modules 28, 30 and 32 are housed in the case 2 of the timepiece 1. As will have been understood, each module 28, 30 or 32 corresponds to a particular service and is inserted in an independent electrical circuit, respectively 34, 36 and 38. As is apparent from Figure 2, these electrical circuits 34, 36 and 38 are normally in the open state . Only the movement of the switch 24 of one of the positions A , B or C to the next or previous position can control the displacement of the electrical contact piece 26 which then electrically closes the circuit 34, 36 or 38 in which is inserted the electronic module, respectively 28, 30 or 32, corresponding to the chosen service. When the circuit 34, 36 or 38 is electrically closed by the contact piece 26, the energy required for the operation of the corresponding electronic module 28, 30 or 32 is provided by the electromagnetic waves emitted by the external control terminal provided for the identification of the timepiece 1.

The electronic module 28 is electrically connected to a first antenna 40 whose resonant frequency can be adjusted to 125 kHz. This frequency is particularly well suited to services that do not require a great deal of security in transactions between the portable object and the external control terminal (ski lifts, for example), nor important data exchange flows. Advantageously, the portable object can be quite far from the external control terminal during the transaction, typically of the order of 20 to 50 cm.

Still as an illustrative example only, the electronic modules 30 and 32 are electrically connected in parallel with a second antenna 42 whose resonance frequency can be set at 13.56 MHz. This frequency is well suited to services requiring significant transaction security (banking transactions in particular) and involving significant data exchange.

It goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to particular frequencies, and that there can be provided as many antennas as there are modules in the case of the portable object. On the other hand, it is also possible to house the electronic modules 28, 30, 32 and their antennas 40, 42 for example in the window 12 of the housing 2.

By way of example, the electronic module 28 electrically connected to the antenna 40 whose resonance frequency is set at 125 kHz may be constituted by an integrated circuit marketed by the company EM Microelectronic SA in Marin, Switzerland, under the reference V4050 . However, it will be understood that, according to the invention, all the electronic modules from the various manufacturers present on the market at the moment can be associated with the case 2 of the timepiece 1.

We now examine with reference to Figure 3 the various functional blocks that constitute such an integrated circuit.

The antenna 40 is electrically connected to an AC / DC converter CONV which transforms the alternating electromagnetic radiation captured by the antenna 40 into a continuous internal supply voltage of the integrated circuit.

A power control device POW ensures that the level of the internal DC voltage supplied by the converter CONV is sufficient to allow the proper functioning of the integrated circuit.

The signal picked up by the antenna 40 is also demodulated and decoded by a data extraction string DATA and a CLOCK clock signal chain to supply the logic levels and the internal frequency to a control logic circuit CTRL .

The control logic circuit CTRL governs the operation of the integrated circuit. It provides the system with a high level of operational security, including a 32-bit password and a protected read-only zone for security organization. Each control logic circuit CTRL is unique and differs from others by an identification number and a serial number programmed by laser into a ROM-type memory.

The control circuit CTRL also contains an algorithm that makes it possible to encode transactions and thus increase the security of the system vis-à-vis any attempt at fraudulent use. It also protects the data recorded in reading and writing. Finally, the control circuit CTRL makes it possible to choose between different modes of operation of the integrated circuit in which it is implanted.

For the recording of useful information, each integrated circuit is provided with a 1 kbit EEPROM type MEM memory.

Finally, the electronic circuit retransmits the information to the external control terminal in the form of bit signals via an encoding device ENC and a modulator MOD .

It goes without saying that beyond the means described, various variants and simple modifications are within the scope of the present invention.

Claims (7)

1. Portable object for contactless access control systems, including a case (2) with which at least one antenna (40, 42) is associated, characterized in that the case (2) includes at least two different electronic modules (28, 30, 32), each module (28, 30, 32) allowing access to a particular service, the portable object also including means (22) for selecting and activating one of said electronic modules (28, 30, 32) as a function of the service desired by the user.
2. Portable object according to claim 1, characterized in that the selection and activation means (22) control the movement of an electric contact member (26) for the connection of the electronic module (28, 30, 32) which corresponds to the service sought by the user.
3. Portable object according to claim 2, characterized in that each electronic module (28, 30, 32) is inserted into an independent electric circuit (34, 36, 38), these electric circuits (34, 36, 38) being normally in the open state, the electric contact member (26) closing the electric circuit (34, 36, 38) in which the electronic module (28, 30, 32) corresponding to the service selected by the user is inserted.
4. Portable object according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the selection and activation means (22) take the form of a switch (24) able to be actuated manually, and sliding in a guide-groove (26).
5. Portable object according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the resonance frequency of the antenna (40, 42) is set at 125 kHz.
6. Portable object according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that the resonance frequency of the antenna (40, 42) is set at 13.56 MHz.
7. Portable object according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that the electronic module (28) electrically connected to the antenna (40) whose resonance frequency is set at 125 kHz is formed by an integrated circuit.

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