JP4915231B2 - Device having a function of outputting a monitored state, and computer equipment - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a device incorporated in a computer device and used, and more particularly to a technique for the computer device to obtain a state monitored by the device in real time.

  An IC card incorporated in a device such as an ETC in-vehicle device or a mobile phone is required to execute a specific process in real time when an event occurs in the device. In order to execute a specific process in real time, the state of the IC card is shifted in advance to a state where a specific process requiring real-time property can be executed, and the specific process is executed in real time when an event occurs. Is done.

  However, since the IC card that is incorporated and used in the above-described device is incorporated in the device for a long time, even if the state of the IC card is changed to a state where specific processing requiring real-time property is possible, There are cases where the state of the IC card has changed to a different state before a specific process requiring real-time performance is executed due to external influences (vibration, static electricity, etc.).

  For this reason, it is desirable that a device that incorporates and uses an IC card can grasp the internal state of the IC card before a specific event occurs and the IC card executes a specific process that requires real-time performance.

As a technique for grasping the internal state of the IC card, as disclosed in “Prior Art” of Patent Document 1, a command for acquiring data indicating the state of the IC card is transmitted from the device to the IC card, and the IC card It is generally used that the device acquires the state from the IC card.
JP-A-2005-292084

  However, if the timing at which an event occurs is indeterminate, the IC card cannot execute a specific process in real time if the above-described command is transmitted after the event has occurred.

  In view of the above-described problems, the present invention provides a device capable of outputting in real time a state monitored by a device such as an IC card, and a computer device in which the device is incorporated. With the goal.

A first invention that solves the above-described problem is a device that is incorporated in a computer device and used, and uses a first communication interface, a second communication interface, and a half-duplex method using the first communication interface. Alternatively, either one of the full-duplex method using the first communication interface and the second interface is selected, a means for exchanging messages with the computer device, and a state changing with time are monitored, and the full-duplex method Using the second communication interface, which is one communication interface used in the above, to provide status monitoring means for outputting status data indicating the status, and the status monitoring means uses the first communication interface in half. It is configured to operate when exchanging messages with the computer device by a multi-layer method It is characterized in that is.

According to the first invention described above , the computer device has two communication methods, a half-duplex method and a full-duplex method, so that the computer apparatus can be adapted to the processing content of the device. The communication method with the device can be switched to increase the processing efficiency. Further, when exchanging messages with the computer device by the half-duplex communication method using the first communication interface, the second communication can be performed. The state of the device can be acquired in real time using the interface.

Further, according to a second aspect , in the device according to the first aspect, the state monitored by the state monitoring unit is a data file selected by the device, and the device is connected to the second communication interface. The identification data of the data file selected by the device is output.

According to the second invention, the computer device in which the device is incorporated can check in real time whether the data file used in a specific process requiring real-time property is selected in the device.

Further, according to a third aspect, in the device according to the first aspect , the state monitored by the state monitoring unit is a communication protocol used by the device, and the device is connected to the second communication interface. The identification data of the communication protocol used by the device is output.

According to the third invention, the computer device in which the device is incorporated can check in real time whether the device is using the communication protocol used in a specific process that requires real-time performance.

Further, according to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the device according to the first aspect , the state monitored by the state monitoring unit is an application selected by the device, and the device is selected from the second communication interface. The identification data of the application selected by the device is output.

According to the fourth invention, the computer device in which the device is incorporated can check in real time whether the device is selecting the application to be used in a specific process that requires real-time performance.

Further, the fifth invention, the first invention and a fourth computer equipment to be utilized in combination with the device according to any one of the invention, the computer equipment, provided in the device A communication interface for receiving data output from the second communication interface is provided , and processing is changed according to the status data received by the communication interface .

According to the fifth invention, the computer device includes the communication interface that receives the state data output from the second communication interface provided in the device, whereby the second communication of the device. Ri Na way to monitor the status output from the interface in real time, will be able to modify the process according to the state of the device.

According to the present invention described above, in a device such as an IC card, it is possible to provide a device that can output a state monitored by the device in real time, and a computer apparatus in which the device is incorporated.

  From here, the device and computer apparatus according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a device 1 and a computer equipment 2 according to the present invention.

  The device 1 according to the present invention has state data 12 indicating a state (State) that varies with time, and includes a state monitoring unit 13 that monitors the state data 12, and the state monitoring unit 13 monitors the state data 12. A second communication interface 11 for transmitting the status data 12 to the computer device 2 and a first communication interface 10 for exchanging messages with the computer device are provided.

  The specific contents of the status data 12 possessed by the device 1 vary depending on the type of the device 1. For example, when the device 1 is an IC card, the status data 12 held in a volatile memory (for example, RAM) of the IC card. Is the identification data of the selected file, the identification data of the selected application, or the identification data of the communication protocol in use, and the state monitoring means 13 is held in a volatile memory (for example, RAM) of the IC card. It becomes a watchdog module (watchdog module) that monitors the status data 12 being recorded.

As shown in FIG. 1, the computer apparatus 2 in which the device 1 is incorporated also receives the first communication interface 20 for exchanging messages with the device 1 and the second state data 12 output from the device 1. The computer device 2 changes the process according to the status data 12 received by the second communication interface 21.

  From here, the form when the device 1 illustrated in FIG. 1 is a SIM (Subscriber Identity Module) will be described in detail.

  FIG. 2 is an external view of the SIM 3 to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 2, the SIM 3 is an IC card of the same size as a cash card or credit card, and has a shape in which the vicinity of the IC module 30 is cut into a strip shape, and an IC chip 31 is molded in the IC module 30. Has been.

  3 is a diagram for explaining the contact terminals 30a of the IC module 30, FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the chip terminals 31a provided on the IC chip 31 molded on the IC module 30, and FIG. FIG.

The IC module has eight contact terminals 30a (C1 to C8). When the SIM3 is incorporated in the computer equipment 2, the power supply voltage is supplied from the computer equipment 2 via the eight contact terminals 30a (C1 to C8). In addition, various signals are supplied.

  The arrangement of the contact terminals 30a (C1 to C8) conforms to the ISO / IEC7816 standard. The contact terminal 30a (C1) is supplied with a VCC terminal to which a power supply voltage (VCC) is supplied, and the contact terminal 30a (C2) is supplied with a reset signal. RST terminal, contact terminal 30a (C3) is a CLK terminal to which a clock signal is supplied, contact terminal 30a (C5) is a ground GND terminal, and contact terminal 30a (C7) is a first terminal for data input / output. An I / O terminal serving as a communication interface.

  In the ISO / IEC7816 standard, the contact terminal 30a (C8) is a reserved terminal (RFU: Reserved Future Use). However, in the SIM3 of the present invention, the contact terminal 30a (C8) sends the status of the SIM3 to the computer device 2. An I / O terminal serving as a second communication interface for output. Note that the contact terminals 30a (C4 and C6) are unused.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the IC chip 31 has chip terminals 31a (T1, T2, T3, T5, T7) connected to the contact terminals 30a (C1, C2, C3, C5, C7, and C8) of the IC module 30, respectively. And T8).

  The chip terminal 31a (T1) is the contact terminal 30a (C1), the chip terminal 31a (T2) is the contact terminal 30a (C2), the chip terminal 31a (T3) is the contact terminal 30a (C3), and the chip terminal 31a (T5) ) Is the contact terminal 30a (C5), the chip terminal 31a (T7) is the contact terminal 30a (C7), and the chip terminal 31a (T8) is the contact terminal 30a (C8). It is connected.

  As shown in FIG. 5, the IC chip 31 includes a central processing unit 310 (CPU: Central Processing Unit) having a calculation function and a function of controlling the entire IC chip 31, and a random access memory 311 (RAM) as a volatile memory. Random Access Memory (ROM), read-only nonvolatile memory 312 (ROM: Read Only Memory), EEPROM 313 (EEPROM: Electrically Erasable Programmable Read-Only Memory) as an electrically rewritable nonvolatile memory, and computer As a communication interface circuit for communicating with the device 2, an I / O circuit 314 for controlling the chip terminal 31a (T7) of the IC chip 31 and an I / O circuit 315 for controlling the chip terminal 31a (T8) of the IC chip 31 are provided. Prepare.

  FIG. 6 is a functional block diagram of SIM3. In order to provide the function of the device 1 according to the present invention, the SIM 3 includes a state register 322 that is a register that holds the state data 12 of the SIM 3 and a watch dog module 323 that is the state management unit 13 that monitors the state register 322. As a communication module that communicates with the computer device 2, a half-duplex communication module 320 and a full-duplex communication module 321 are provided.

  The SIM3 status register 322 is formed in the RAM 311 of the SIM3, and the above-described module is realized by a computer program using hardware resources of the SIM3, and this computer program is stored in the ROM 312 or the EEPROM 313 of the SIM3.

  The full-duplex communication module 321 provided in the SIM 3 controls the chip terminal 30a (C7) of the IC chip 31, uses the contact terminal 30a (C7) of the IC module 30 as a reception terminal, and the chip terminal 30a ( C8) is a module that controls the contact terminal 30a (C8) as a transmission terminal and communicates with the computer device 2 in a full-duplex manner.

  Further, the half-duplex communication module 320 controls the chip terminal 30a (C7) of the IC chip 31, and communicates with the computer device 2 in a half-duplex manner using the contact terminal 30a (C7) of the IC module 30 as a transmission / reception terminal. It is a module.

  As described above, the SIM3 is provided with two communication modules. Whether the full-duplex communication module 321 or the half-duplex communication module 320 is used depends on whether the SIM3 is reset. It is determined according to the instruction of the computer device 2.

  The SIM3 watchdog module 323 is operable when the SIM3 communication module is set to the half-duplex module 320. The SIM3 watchdog module 323 monitors the SIM3 status register 322 and controls the chip terminal 31a (T8). This is a module that periodically transmits the contents of the status register 322 to the computer device 2.

  The SIM3 watchdog module 323 may start automatically when the SIM3 communication module is set to the half-duplex module 320, or the SIM3 has a command to operate the watchdog module 323, When this command is received from the computer device 2, the watch dog module 323 of the SIM 3 may start operation.

  For example, if the status data 12 monitored by the SIM 3 is the identification data of the selected data file, the status register 322 is a register in which the identification data of the selected data file is stored. When the device 1 is SIM3, the status data held in the status register 322 of the SIM3 can be identification data of a communication protocol or identification data of a selected application.

  The computer device 2 monitors the contact terminal 30a (C8) serving as the second communication interface. When data is transmitted from the contact terminal 30a (C8) of the SIM 3, the transmitted data is received as the status data 12, A predetermined process is executed based on the state data 12.

The present invention is not limited to the embodiments described so far, and various modifications and changes can be made, and these are also within the equivalent scope of the present invention. In the embodiment described above, the device 1 is the SIM3, but the device 1 is not limited to the SIM3 .

2A and 2B illustrate a device and a computer device according to the present invention. The external view of SIM. The figure explaining the contact terminal of the IC module of SIM. The figure explaining the chip terminal with which the IC chip of SIM was equipped. The block diagram of the IC chip mounted in SIM. The functional block diagram of SIM.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Device 10 1st communication interface 11 2nd communication interface 12 Status data 13 Status monitoring means 2 Computer equipment 20 1st communication interface 21 2nd communication interface 3 SIM
30 IC module, 30a Contact terminal 31 IC chip, 31a Chip terminal 320 Half-duplex communication module 321 Full-duplex communication module 322 Status register 323 Watchdog module

Claims (5)

A device incorporated and used in a computer device, the first communication interface and the second communication interface, and the half duplex method using the first communication interface or the first communication interface and the second communication interface. Means for selecting a full-duplex method using an interface, exchanging messages with the computer device, monitoring a state that changes with time, and the second communication interface used in the full-duplex method A state monitoring unit that outputs state data indicating the state using a communication interface; and the state monitoring unit performs message exchange with the computer device by a half-duplex method using the first communication interface. A device that is configured to operate . 2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the state monitored by the state monitoring unit is a data file selected by the device, and the device is selected by the device from the second communication interface. A device that outputs identification data of a data file. 2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the state monitored by the state monitoring means is a communication protocol used by the device, and the device is used by the device from the second communication interface. A device for outputting identification data of a communication protocol. 2. The device according to claim 1 , wherein the state monitored by the state monitoring means is an application selected by the device, and the device is selected by the device from the second communication interface. A device characterized in that the identification data is output. A computer equipment to be utilized in combination with the device according to claims 1 to claim 4, wherein the computer apparatus is outputted from the second communication interface provided in the device computer equipment, characterized in that said a communication interface for receiving state data, to change the processing in accordance with the state data received by the communication interface.

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