ITVT20100006A1 - ELECTRONIC PROTECTION OF ELECTRONIC MONEY / PAYMENT CARDS - Google Patents

Description

DESCRIPTION OF INDUSTRIAL INVENTION

Electronic protection of electronic money / payment card, in the name of Roberto Murgia, DESCRIPTION Definition

The use of a sensor for the wide-spectrum detection of electromagnetic waves <A> through the use of a special band-pass filter and an antenna built on the model of an RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) transponder allows a programmable microcontroller to create a short range radiofrequency profile in different environmental conditions. The use of this detection model, using appropriate software, allows to detect the average level of intensity of radiofrequency waves and to generate signals if a source is detected at a short distance (between 25 centimeters and one meter) that alters the significantly the average level detected. The integration between this detection technology and a Bluetooth device capable of communicating with computers or mobile devices (in particular smartphones and mobile phones) allows the development of a wide range of devices for personal protection against attacks aimed at violating privacy. and to the capture of sensitive personal data (pins, passwords, ATM codes and credit cards, etc.) through equipment that communicate via radio signals, usually attested on frequencies close to 2.4 -2.5Ghz, the same ones used for transmission Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (in various standards) and others. The technological integration defined by the present industrial invention associates an antenna integrated with an RFID transponder (Table 2, al) to a broad spectrum sensor equipped with a band-pass filter to isolate the band of frequencies involved, between 2,3 and 2,5 Ghz (Table 2, a2). Furthermore, the transponder antenna activates the RFID chip (integral part of the transponder) when it receives a sequence of RFID pulses. This returns the TAG (digital mark) to the requesting unit and at the same time sends the generated voltage to a further decoding circuit. The receiving unit thus composed (Table 2, A), is managed by a circuit based on a microcontroller which processes the input data to perform various activities. The processing unit (Table 2, B) is equipped with a Bluetooth circuit capable of communicating with mobile devices and with a series of analog and digital input and output ports. The signals coming from the receiving unit are detected through the analog ports, while the digital ports are used to drive a liquid crystal display and six specific signals activated by the different conditions in which the apparatus can be found. The most immediate use of the signals is the switching on of LED diodes. The output modules of the apparatus (Table 2, C - D - E), as well as direct signals through LEDs and LCD displays (Table 2, D), can provide more accurate signals through Bluetooth communication (Table 2, C) with a mobile device and save information on a memory card (Table 2, E) including, for example, but not exclusively, a Micro SD card.

The receiving unit

The receiving unit (Table 3, Figure 1) uses an RFID sensor as antenna (Table 3, Figure 1 - A) which is excited by the same frequencies used for the sensors present inside the latest generation credit cards. A signal is sent to the radio frequency sensor by means of two connections near the antenna terminations (Table 3, Figure 1 - D). In this way it is possible to measure both the voltage generated by the antenna excited by an emission of the appropriate wavelength and the intensity of the radio signal present in the vicinity of the antenna. The microcontroller, therefore, is able to measure both the intensity of the radio frequency present in the environment and the specific voltage produced by the sensor, i.e. the same current that powers the chip inside the RFID sensor that sends the digital TAG to the applicant. . To isolate the range of frequencies we are interested in measuring, the RF sensor (Table 3, Figure 1 - C) is placed in front of a frequency pass filter (Table 3, Figure 1 - B) capable of providing maximum sensitivity for frequencies between 2.4 and 2.5 Ghz.

By way of example only and not exclusively, an LT5534 sensor can be used which is able to convert the dB attenuation level detected by the antenna (ranges between approximately -2 and -60 dB) into a continuous variation of current Vcc, which depends on the reference voltage supplied by the acquisition port. Since the voltage values generated by the antenna can be very low or not compatible with the reference values of the analog inputs of the microcontroller, it may be necessary to provide a part of the circuit that returns the antenna values to an acceptable range.

The processing unit and the outputs

The processing unit (Table 3 - Figure 2) consists of a programmable microcontroller (Table 3 - Figure 2 - B), with a sufficient number of analogue and digital inputs and outputs. The analog inputs are used to measure the voltage levels produced by the radiofrequency sensor and the antenna (Table 3 - Figure 2 - A) The digital outputs, on the other hand, are used to implement the various control and signaling functions and to manage the Micro memory unit (Table 3 - Figure 2 -C, D). The electronic input management circuit transforms the logarithmic attenuation values of the radio frequency into a continuous variation of the current Vcc acquired by one of the analog-digital converters on board the microcontroller (Table 3 - Figure 2 - b1). Another analog-digital conversion port is used for reading the voltage values corresponding to the voltage generated by the RFID antenna present in the receiving unit (Table 3 - Figure 2 - A). The microcontroller (Table 3 - Figure 2 - B) continuously processes the input values of the internal calibration levels, comparing them with the internal calibration levels calculated automatically during the calibration phase. Depending on the input levels read, the microcontroller (Table 3 - Figure 2 - B) uses its own digital outputs to drive a set of LEO diode indicators and a liquid crystal display. In order to reduce the number of digital gates to be used for the signaling unit of the output module, an interface based on an 8-bit shift register is used (Table 3 - Figure 2 -b2). Alternatively, the microcontroller software can send more complex and detailed signals to a mobile peripheral connected wirelessly through the Bluetooth component (Table 3 - Figure 2 - E). The microcontroller communicates with the Bluetooth component through an interface section (Table 3 - Figure 2 - b4) which uses the UART serial communication protocol, The calibration data and a history of the measurements and signals are stored on a microSD memory card (Table 3 - Figure 2 - 0). The microcontroller is able to communicate with the memory card through a software interface (Table 3 - Figure 2 - b3). The data can be recovered later to be saved on a computer connected to the device through the Bluetooth unit.

Integration with the mobile terminal

The possibility of connecting the device to a mobile terminal such as a telephone, smartphone, palmtop, etc. (Table 1 - Figure 1) allows the user to have detailed reports on the type of signals detected and their characteristics.

Since the microcontroller does not have a considerable data memory (usually

10-15 Kb), the reports sent to the terminal are encoded in compressed records

in which each event is identified by a code, which a special software on board the

mobile terminal will decode translating it into a string of displayed information

This solution, in addition to drastically reducing the use of memory for data, also considerably reduces the connection times between the device and the terminal, with

a consequent decrease in energy consumption.

A second type of integration between the device and a terminal is the possibility of connecting the device to a computer (Table 1 - Figure 2), both to implement various configuration interventions such as the sensitivity of the system, the definition of the distance detection average etc. and retrieving the information saved on the internal microSD memory. The content of the memory is written by the microcontroller on a file whose format is readable even by inserting only the microSD card inside the computer (or mobile terminal) equipped with a suitable compatible reader.

The software and the calibration system

The microcontroller (T avola 2 - B) is equipped with a software which, based on the detection parameters, communicates continuously with the acquisition unit and keeps up to date a signaling system based on LED diodes and an LCD display. Both the "normal" conditions and the alarms generated by the occurrence of an anomalous situation (excess radio frequency source) are displayed. Furthermore, the microcontroller software carries out a dynamic calibration every time an environmental measurement is to be started. The user using. an activation button turns on the device which carries out a cycle of measurements (lasting about 5 seconds) to establish the average signal conditions in the environment in which it is located. Immediately at the end of this calibration phase * the microcontroller program continues with a continuous detection providing a monitoring of the detected conditions until it is deactivated for a new calibration.

If an access attempt is made by an RFID antenna, the transponder of the device is triggered and through its chip (which is not connected to the system) sends its own identification TAG according to the specifications of this protocol. At the same time, the microcontroller program detects the request and provides a signal through the output unit RFID TAG requests are also saved on a special file in the RFID memory.

Claims (4)

CLAIMS 1) Association of a radiofrequency sensor and an RFID transponder used as an antenna to acquire the attenuation level of RF signals between 2.4 and 2.5 Ghz to identify the presence of high intensity sources (for example video units that transmit to these bands). 2) Association of an RFID transponder for sending TAGs to an antenna with the acquisition of the request by a microcontroller capable of integrating this information with an increase in radio frequency intensity. It finds application in the fields of detection and security, when the presence of strong RF sources or the request for the RFID TAG by a hidden antenna is not expected. 3) Association of RF signal detection technologies with the identification of an "environmental average" value to which the system can dynamically refer for reporting unauthorized broadcasters. 4) Creation of a system for environmental remediation or monitoring of confined environments capable of providing signaling through a set of internal displays (LCD display, LED diodes, microSD memory) and through mobile terminals such as, but not limited to, example, mobile phones, PDAs, smartphones, etc.