JP2556324B2 - IC card - Google Patents

Description

Description: TECHNICAL FIELD The present invention relates to an IC card, and more particularly, to an IC card capable of increasing its processing speed without impairing reliability.

[Prior Art] Generally, a memory device of an IC card includes a microprocessor and a nonvolatile memory such as a mask ROM, EPROM, and EEPROM. And by using such a ROM memory, you don't have to back up with a battery like RAM, you can secure high reliability because the information is fixed, and since the battery is unnecessary, the card itself can be made thinner. There are advantages.

[Problems to be Solved] However, these non-volatile memories have a drawback that the processing time becomes long if they are directly read because the access speed is slow. Moreover, in recent years, the storage capacity has increased and the amount of information to be handled has become diverse, and the time for selecting and reading specific information from the nonvolatile memory as described above tends to further increase. .

Therefore, when high-speed processing is required, a high-speed access memory is needed, and SRAM etc. are used.
In that case, a power supply for backup is required, and there is a problem that the IC card cannot be made very thin.

The present invention solves the problems of such an IC card, and an object of the present invention is to provide an IC card with a high processing speed without impairing reliability.

[Means for Solving the Problems] Means in the IC card of the present invention for achieving such an object are an arithmetic processing unit and a non-volatile first storage for storing a processing program or data executed by the arithmetic processing unit. And a second storage device having an access time shorter than that of the first storage device, and the arithmetic processing unit transfers the processing program from the first storage device to the second storage device,
The second storage device is accessed for the processing program or data to respond to a signal from the outside to manage whether or not the processing program or data is updated. When the processing program or data is updated, the updated contents are First
It is returned to and stored in the storage device.

[Operation] As described above, the nonvolatile memory and the memory having an access time faster than that are provided, and the processing program or data required for the immediate processing is temporarily transferred from the nonvolatile memory to the memory having a fast access time, The processing speed of the IC card can be increased by exchanging signals with the device. Moreover, since the processing program and data for the time being are stored separately in the non-volatile memory, the data will not be lost and the data transfer will be performed each time the IC card is used. The same reliability as the case is secured.

Furthermore, whether or not the processing program or data is updated is managed, and when the processing program or data is updated, the updated contents are returned to the first storage device and stored, so that, like an IC card, If the contents are frequently updated each time data is exchanged with an external device, the processing at the time of the next data transfer and the reliability of the data can be secured, and the validity of the IC card etc. can be checked. You can immediately go into processing such as.

[Embodiment] An embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an IC card according to the present invention.

An IC card 5 is used by being inserted into an external device 10 such as a card reader / writer, from which a control signal or power is supplied and data is exchanged with this.

The IC card 5 has an arithmetic processing unit (hereinafter referred to as a microprocessor) 1, an EEPROM 3, and an SRAM 4, which are connected to the microprocessor 1 via a system bus 6 of the microprocessor 1.

As shown in the figure, the EEPROM 3 and the SRAM 4 are external devices together with the microprocessor 1 when the IC card 5 is inserted.
Power is supplied from the 10 side. The microprocessor 1 is assigned to the address space of the microprocessor 1, and the microprocessor 1 accesses the EEPROM 3 and the SRAM 4 according to the control program stored in the mask ROM 2 incorporated therein. And at the beginning of the control program, EEPROM3
A transfer processing program 20 for transferring a predetermined amount of data from a predetermined address to the SRAM 4 is stored.

The EEPROM 3 includes processing programs 30a, 30b, ... As programs corresponding to various application processes.
A data return processing program 31 and a data area 32 are provided, and the data area 32 stores the data used in each processing program. in this way
By storing information in the ROM, processing programs and data are not lost even when the IC card 5 is not powered. Here, the data in the data area 32 is an area in which data used for various processing programs 30a, 30b, ... Are collectively stored.

Further, each processing program 30a, 30b, ... Corresponding to application processing is programmed in advance so as to perform processing within the range of the address space allocated to the SRAM 4 and to access the data 41 of the SRAM 4.

Here, when using the IC card 5, use the IC card 5 as an external device.
When it is attached to the IC card 10, power and signals such as a clock signal (CLK) and a reset signal (RST) are supplied to the IC card 5 through the external terminal.

When the microprocessor 1 detects the reset signal sent from the external device 10, the microprocessor 1 starts processing according to the control program stored in the mask ROM 2 in the microprocessor 1. Since the program 20 for transferring the processing program and data in the EEPROM 3 to the SRAM 4 is stored at the head of the mask ROM 2, the transfer processing program 20 is activated by the reset signal, and for example, the processing program 30a and the data area 32 Data and are transferred to SRAM4. Where S
The processing program 30a transferred to the RAM 4 will be referred to as a processing program 40, and the transferred data in the data area 32 will be referred to as data 41.

When this transfer ends, the last instruction of the transfer processing program 20 activates the processing program 40 of the SRAM 4.
This activation is started, for example, by accessing the top address of SRAM4. Here, the processing program 30a is S
Since the RAM 4 is pre-programmed to perform processing in the range of the allocated address space and access the data 41 of the SRAM 4, the processing program 40 is started to read / write the data 41, and the external device
Information is exchanged according to 10 and the processing program 40.

Therefore, the data 41 transferred to the SRAM 4 is used for the reading and writing of data to the IC card 5, and this is accessed. As a result, if the data contents are updated, such as the balance of a bank ATM card,
The updated contents are rewritten in the data 41. An instruction for starting the data return processing program 31 is inserted at the end of each processing program 30a, 30b, ....

When the data exchange with the external device 10 is completed, when the data is changed, the processing program 40 starts the data return processing program 31, and the content of the data 41 is EE.
The updated data is stored back in the data area 32 of the PROM 3.

When data is written or changed in this way, the contents of the data 4 are changed before the IC card 5 is ejected from the external device 10 (for example, a card reader / writer),
This changed data is transferred to the data area 32 which is the original position. Whether or not the data has been changed can be easily determined by, for example, managing whether or not the data update area such as the balance in the data 41 is accessed by a flag or the like.

By the way, among the processing programs 30a, 30b, ... In the above description, the normal processing program 30a is designed to transfer data to the SRAM 4 in response to the reset signal, but other processing programs are transferred to the SRAM 4. Speaking of how the processing is performed, when the IC card 5 receives another processing program selection signal from the external device 10 in the processing program 40 of the SRAM 40 which is the transfer program of the normal processing program 30a, Under the processing of the processing program 40 of
Another processing program is transferred to the empty area of the SRAM 4 or the position of the processing program 40. Therefore, the normal processing program 30a has such a transfer processing program, and is normally assigned with frequently used application programs such as payout processing and payment processing programs.

In this case, a program for performing transfer processing corresponding to each processing program may be built in the mask ROM 20 in advance and designated by the normal processing program 30a.

In the embodiment, the processing program and the data are both transferred to the SRAM, but only the processing program is transferred to the SRAM.
The processing speed can be increased even when the data is transferred to the device and the data is left in the EEPROM. Furthermore, only the data is SR
The processing speed is improved even if it is transferred to the AM side.

As described above, in the embodiment, the data return processing program is provided in a special area of the EEPROM separately from other programs, but it may be inserted in each application program. If you do this,
Data return processing can be performed as part of the processing of the transferred SRAM. Needless to say, it is not necessary to perform such a returning process when there is no need to update the data.

In the embodiment, only the normal processing program is transferred to the SRAM when the IC card is inserted.
Of course, one of many processing programs may be designated by an external device and transferred to the SRAM.

Further, in the embodiment, each data is collectively arranged in a specific area regardless of each processing program, but the data may be arranged corresponding to each processing program. The return of the data can be managed by the start address to be returned and the number of bytes thereof, and the entire processing program transferred including the data may be returned.

Further, although the transfer program is stored in the mask ROM of the microprocessor, the transfer program may be stored in the EEPROM so that the transfer control is performed and transferred to the SRAM side. In addition, the data in the IC card is not transferred and EE
Data in the data area (data area 32 in the embodiment) in the PROM may be directly accessed.

In the embodiment, the example of the EEPROM is given as the non-volatile memory, but since such a non-volatile memory generally has a long access time, the SRAM is used as a memory having a short access time. Of course, a bipolar transistor memory or the like may be used. Especially, if you combine SRAM and EEPROM,
There is an advantage that a battery is unnecessary and the reliability of data can be improved.

[Effects of the Invention] As can be understood from the above description, in the present invention, a non-volatile memory and a memory having an access time faster than that are provided to store a processing program or data required for the immediate processing in a non-volatile manner. The processing speed of the IC card can be increased by temporarily transferring the data from the memory to a memory having a fast access time and exchanging signals with an external device. Moreover, since the processing program and data for the time being are stored separately in the non-volatile memory, the data will not be lost and the data transfer will be performed each time the IC card is used. The same reliability as the case is secured.

Furthermore, whether or not the processing program or data is updated is managed, and when the processing program or data is updated, the updated contents are returned to the first storage device and stored, so that, like an IC card, If the contents are frequently updated each time data is exchanged with an external device, the processing at the time of the next data transfer and the reliability of the data can be secured, and the validity of the IC card etc. can be checked. You can immediately go into processing such as.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an embodiment of an IC card according to the present invention. 1 ... Microprocessor, 2 ... Mask ROM, 3 ... E
EPROM, 4 ... SRAM, 5 ... IC card, 6 ... System bus, 10 ... External device, 30a, 30b ... Processing program, 3
1 …… Data return processing program, 32 …… Data area.

Claims (3)

(57) [Claims] 1. An arithmetic processing unit and a non-volatile first storing a processing program or data executed by the arithmetic processing unit.
Storage device and a second storage device having an access time shorter than that of the first storage device, and the arithmetic processing unit transfers the processing program from the first storage device to the second storage device. Accessing the second storage device for the processing program or the data and responding to a signal from the outside,
An IC which manages whether the processing program or the data has been updated, and when the processing program or the data is updated, the updated content is returned to and stored in the first storage device. card. 2. The arithmetic processing device has a transfer processing program for transferring a processing program and data from the first storage device to the second storage device, and when the IC card itself is inserted into the external device or from the external device. The transfer processing program and data are executed when a predetermined control signal is received, and the processing program is transferred from the first storage device to the second storage device. The listed IC card. 3. The first storage device stores a transfer processing program for transferring a processing program and data from the first storage device to the second storage device, and when the IC card itself is inserted into an external device. Alternatively, the arithmetic processing device executes the transfer processing program and transfers the processing program and the data from the first storage device to the second storage device when a predetermined control signal is received from an external device. The IC card according to claim 1.