JP2003030595A - IC card reader / writer and control method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

(57) [Summary] An IC that can avoid a hang-up that can occur when a communication error occurs in a non-contact type IC card system and can quickly return to a normal communication state.
A card reader / writer and a control method thereof are realized. SOLUTION: Although a command is transmitted to an IC card 2 in a non-contact type IC card reader / writer 1 connected to a host computer 3 via a cable 5, data communication corresponding to the command cannot be established. If a negative response is transmitted but no response can be received, the transmitting unit 11 that transmits to the IC card 2 an initialization request instructing the initialization of the process being executed, and a confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request. There are provided a determination unit 12 for determining whether the command has been received, and a retransmission unit 13 for retransmitting the command received from the host computer 3 to the IC card 2 when a confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request is received.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to an IC card reader / writer for reading or writing information from a non-contact type IC card and a control method thereof, and more particularly to an IC
The present invention relates to an IC card reader / writer and a control method for the IC card reader / writer, which can accurately cope with a communication error in the card system.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Reading of data stored in an IC card and writing of data in the IC card are performed via an IC card reader / writer. In addition, IC of IC card
Since the chip usually does not have a built-in battery, the IC card reader / writer also plays a role of supplying electric power to the IC card. The IC card reader / writer is connected to a host computer, which is a higher-level device thereof, and various main processes are executed by this host computer.

In a non-contact type IC card, data communication is performed by utilizing an electromagnetic induction phenomenon between a coil in the IC card and an antenna provided in the IC card reader / writer.
That is. In the non-contact type IC card, data communication cannot be performed unless it is within the communication range of the IC card reader / writer.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a non-contact type IC card system.

The IC card reader / writer 1 and the host computer 3 are connected via a serial cable 5.

The IC card reader / writer 1 constantly sends radio waves from the antenna 4 provided in the IC card reader / writer 1, and determines whether or not the communicable IC card 2 exists within the communication range of the IC card reader / writer 1. Is being determined.

When the non-contact type IC card 2 enters the communication area of the antenna 4 of the IC card reader / writer 1, the IC card reader / writer 1 determines whether or not the IC card is a communicable IC card.

If it is determined that communication is possible, the IC card 2 is activated, communication between the IC card reader / writer 1 and the IC card 2 is established, and thereafter,
Data communication between the host computer 3 and the IC card 2 via the IC card reader / writer 1 becomes possible. I
C card reader / writer 1 is an activated IC card 2
On the other hand, data communication is performed based on the instruction of the command received from the host computer 3 via the serial cable 5.

[0009]

In the non-contact type IC card system, a communication error occurs when the IC card is activated within the communication range of the IC card reader / writer and the communication state is established. There is a higher possibility that it will happen than in the contact type IC card system.

This is because, in a non-contact type IC card system, an error may occur during data communication, for example, being out of the communication range of the IC card reader / writer and making communication impossible.

Of course, as in the case of the contact type IC card system, even if the IC card is always in the communication range, an error such as a parity error, a framing error (synchronization deviation) or a garbled character may occur. .

When the IC card is out of communication range of the IC card reader / writer and cannot communicate, or when a parity error (synchronization shift) between the IC card and the IC card reader / writer occurs, the host computer side Then, the IC card reader / writer may appear to hang up.

Generally, PC / SC (Personal)
In an IC card system that uses the rules of the Computer / Smart Card) working group, the IC card reader / writer sends signals from a CTS (Clear to Send) signal line in a serial cable that connects the IC card reader / writer and the host computer. If there is an IC card that can communicate, turn it on,
If it does not exist, it is turned off. Then, the host computer turns on / off the signal on the CTS signal line,
It is determined whether or not there is a communicable IC card in the C card reader / writer.

Since the host computer means that the IC card is present when the ON signal is received, the host computer performs the data communication through the above processing. When the off signal is received, it means that the IC card does not exist, so the previous processing of the host computer is reset and the next IC
Enter a state where no command is issued until the card is detected.

In the conventional non-contact type IC card system, when an error that makes communication impossible occurs, I
Since the signal output from the C card reader / writer via the CTS signal line of the serial cable remains ON,
The host computer mistakenly recognizes that an IC card still exists, and the I from the IC card reader / writer
In some cases, the subsequent processing operation may hang up while waiting for the result of communication with the C card.

Further, even if the IC card is moved from the communication area of the IC card reader / writer to the outside of the communication area during the data communication by some method and the above hang-up can be avoided, the IC card is still the IC card. When the card enters the communication range of the reader / writer again or another card different from the card enters the communication range of the IC card reader / writer again, the IC card is in the active state by the conventional method. It is not possible to judge whether it is inactive or inactive. Therefore, in the conventional example, it is assumed that all the IC cards that have reentered the communication area are in the inactive state, the processing that was being executed at that time must be completely stopped, and the anti-collision processing must be performed again. And it took time to restore the communication status.

Further, not only when a communication error occurs between the IC card reader / writer and the IC card, but also when a communication error occurs between the host computer and the IC card, a hang-up may occur. Yes, and it took time to restore the communication status.

Therefore, in view of the above problems, it is an object of the present invention.
An object of the present invention is to provide an IC card reader / writer capable of avoiding a hang-up which may occur when a communication error occurs in a non-contact type IC card system and quickly returning to a normal communication state, and a control method thereof.

[0019]

In order to achieve the above object, in the present invention, when communication is disabled even though the communication state has already been established, that is, the command received from the host computer is If the data communication corresponding to the command cannot be established despite the transmission to the IC card, the initialization request is transmitted to the IC card.

Then, when there is a confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request, the state is quickly shifted to the initial state and the data communication is restarted. If there is no confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request, the data received from the IC card during the predetermined period is invalidated, and after the lapse of the predetermined period, the host computer is notified of the abnormal termination.

The above initialization request is a request for initializing the process currently being executed. In normal use,
This initialization request is a command issued for the purpose of establishing synchronization when there is a synchronization deviation between the protocols in a wireless communication system having a plurality of protocols. Specifically, for example, JICASAP (Japan
n IC Card System Applicat
Ion Council: ISO / IEC7816 standard (JIS)
Equivalent to X 6304)
Request or ABORT request.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of the IC card reader / writer of the present invention.

According to the present invention, the command received from the host computer 3 is connected to the host computer 3 via the serial interface 5 and is transmitted to the non-contact type IC card 2 via the antenna 4, and the data based on the command is transmitted. When the IC card reader / writer 1 performs communication with the IC card 2 and the command is transmitted to the IC card 2 but the data communication corresponding to the command cannot be established, a negative response is given. In the IC card reader / writer 1 that transmits a predetermined number of times to the IC card 2, if no response is received even though the negative response is transmitted, the IC card 2 issues an initialization request for instructing initialization of the process being executed. Sending means 11 for sending to
And a determination means 12 for determining whether or not a confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request is received, and when the confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request is received, the command received from the host computer 3 The resending means 13 for resending to the card 2, the invalidating means 14 for invalidating all the data received from the IC card 2 during a predetermined period when the confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request is not received, and the predetermined period elapses. After that, the notification means 15 for notifying the host computer 2 of the abnormal end is provided.

FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining incommunicability that may occur between the IC card reader / writer and the IC card.

Generally, the IC card reader / writer 1 to I
Radio wave transmission distance to C card 2 x ₂Is an IC card
-Receivable distance from the IC card 2 of the writer / writer 1
x₁Longer than. This is an IC car that does not have its own power source
Card 2 is supplied from the IC card reader / writer 1.
Prescribed communication by operating the internal CPU using energy
Than the energy required to transmit the data on the carrier
Also, the IC card reader / writer 1 supplies the IC card 2
It is also due to the larger magnetic energy.

Therefore, even though the communication between the IC card reader / writer 1 and the IC card 2 is already established, the communication becomes impossible because (1) the IC card 2 is the IC card reader / writer 1. Radio wave transmittable distance x ₂
When the IC card 2 is outside, and (2) the IC card 2 is outside the data receivable distance x ₁ of the IC card reader / writer 1, but the radio wave transmittable distance x _{2 of the} IC card reader / writer 1 is
There are two possibilities when it comes to inside.

That is, in the case of (1), although the IC card reader / writer 1 sends various commands to the IC card 2, the IC card 2 cannot receive them and the IC card 2 is inactive. It will be in a state.

In the case of (2), various commands transmitted from the IC card reader / writer 1 are sent to the IC card 2
Can be received, and the IC card 2 can send responses to various commands. However, the response sent from the IC card 2 is the IC card reader / writer 1
Does not reach. At this time, since the IC card 2 can receive various commands from the IC card reader / writer 1, it remains in the active state.

From the viewpoint of the IC card reader / writer 1, it is impossible to distinguish which of the above two cases causes the communication failure. Further, although the IC card 2 is in the inactive state in the case of the above (1) and the IC card 2 is in the active state in the above (2), it is not possible to distinguish between them.

Therefore, in the conventional example, as described above, both of the cases (1) and (2) above
It is assumed that all IC cards that have re-entered the communication area after communication failure are in the inactive state, so the processing that was being executed at that time must be completely stopped and the anti-collision processing must be performed again. As a result, it took time to restore the communication state.

On the other hand, according to the present invention, when communication is disabled even though the communication state has been established,
The transmitting means 11 transmits the initialization request to the IC card.

Then, when there is a confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request, it is understood that the IC card is in the communication area of the IC card reader / writer and is in an active state. The command received from 3 is retransmitted to the IC card 2. That is, since the initial state is quickly changed and the data communication is restarted, it is possible to quickly return to the normal communication state.

On the other hand, if there is no confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request, it is not known whether the IC card is in the active state or the inactive state, but the invalidation means 14 does not operate for a predetermined period. All the data received from the IC card 2 is invalidated to prevent a malfunction of the process just in case, and the notification means 15 notifies the host computer 2 of the abnormal end after the lapse of the predetermined period. In other words, the data received from the IC card is invalidated during the predetermined period, and after the predetermined period has elapsed, the host computer is notified of the abnormal end, so that it is possible to avoid the hang-up that has been present in the past, and to perform Malfunctions can also be prevented.

That is, according to the present invention, the non-contact type IC card, which has entered the communication area of the IC card reader / writer 1 and has established the communication state, is out of the communication area of the IC card reader / writer or is out of synchronization. Even in such cases, I
It is possible to avoid a hang-up of the C card system and quickly return to a normal communication state.

[0035]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Here, I according to JISSAP
An embodiment in which the present invention is applied to an IC card system conforming to the SO / IEC7816 standard (corresponding to JIS X 6304) will be described.

In the ISO / IEC7816 standard, a RESYNC request or an ABORT request is provided as a counterpart of the above-mentioned initialization request.

The RESYNC request is an initialization request for initializing the currently executing process, and is a request for storing the currently executing process and instructing to return to the state before the process.

The ABORT request is also an initialization request for initializing the process currently being executed. However, the process currently being executed is discarded without being stored, and an instruction to return to the state before the process is given. Is a request to do.

In this embodiment, as the above initialization request,
Use either RESYNC request or ABORT request.

The I of the present invention described with reference to FIG.
The above-described respective means of the C card reader / writer are realized in the IC card reader / writer in a firmware format including a CPU and a connection interface.

3 and 4 show I according to an embodiment of the present invention.
It is a flow chart which shows operation of a C card reader writer.

Here, in the IC card reader / writer connected to the host computer, the command received from the host computer is transmitted to the non-contact type IC card, and the data communication based on the command is performed with the IC card. An operation flow of the IC card reader / writer in the case where communication is disabled for some reason even though the above has been established will be described.

In FIG. 3, when the communication state between the IC card reader / writer and the IC card has been established up to now, first, in step S101, the IC card reader / writer receives a command from the host computer.

As commands received from the host computer, the host computer instructs the IC card reader / writer to perform a predetermined process, and the host computer instructs the IC card to perform a predetermined process via the IC card reader / writer. There are two types of commands. The IC card reader / writer determines which of these commands the received command is based on the address described in a predetermined bit in the command.

In step S102, the received command is transmitted to the IC card. This command is a command for instructing the IC card to perform a predetermined process through the IC card reader / writer from the two types of commands received from the host computer as described above.

Then, in step S103, the IC
The card reader / writer determines whether the response corresponding to the command transmitted in step S102 has been successfully received from the IC card. Whether or not the reception is normally performed is determined by a parity check and whether or not a predetermined response waiting time has timed out.

When it is determined in step S103 that the response from the IC card has been normally received,
That is, when the response corresponding to the transmitted command is received, the process proceeds to step S104.

In step S103, when it is determined that the response from the IC card cannot be normally received, that is, no response is received within the predetermined response waiting time, and a response not corresponding to the transmitted command is received. If it is determined in the parity check, the process proceeds to step S105.

In step S104, the response received from the IC card is transmitted to the host computer according to the transmission protocol of the JIS SAP specification. Therefore,
By going through the above steps S101 to S104,
Data communication between the host computer and the IC card via the IC card reader / writer has been normally executed.

In step S105, a negative response is transmitted to the IC card a predetermined number of times in accordance with the transmission protocol of the JIS SAP specification, and in step S106, step S10.
It is determined whether or not the number of transmissions of the negative response to the IC card in 5 exceeds the predetermined number of retries.

According to the specifications of JISSAP,
When the IC card reader / writer cannot receive the command from the host computer but the IC card reader / writer cannot normally communicate with the IC card, a negative response is transmitted to the IC card a predetermined number of times. .

When the IC card reader / writer receives the response of the negative response even once while the negative responses are transmitted for the predetermined number of times, the IC card is in the communication range of the IC card reader / writer and is in the active state. Since there is a high possibility that it is present in step S102, the process returns to step S102. When the response of the negative response is not received even after the specified number of transmissions is exceeded, the process proceeds to step S107. In other words, in step S106, if the number of negative response transmissions to the IC card in step S105 does not exceed the predetermined number of retries, the process proceeds to step S102, and if it exceeds the predetermined number of retries, the process proceeds to step S107.

In step S107, the IC card reader / writer makes a RESYNC request or ABORT.
The request is transmitted to the IC card, and in step S108, "a response from the IC card that can occur by transmitting a command received from the host computer to the IC card" is not accepted. This means that if the IC card is in the communication area of the IC card reader / writer and is in an active state, a response to the command may be returned, but such a response may be an error. Is high.

Then, in step S109, it is determined whether or not the confirmation response for the transmitted RESYNC request or ABORT request has been received.

In step S109, RESYNCH
If it is determined that the request or the confirmation response related to the ABORT request is received, it means that the IC card is in the communication area and in the active state, and thus the process returns to step S102. That is, in step S102, the command received from the host computer is retransmitted to the IC card. Therefore, when the response corresponding to the retransmitted command is normally received from the IC card, the response is transmitted to the host computer in step S104, and as a result, the incommunicable state can be quickly recovered.

At step S109, RESYNCH
When it is determined that the request or the acknowledgment regarding the ABORT request has not been received, the process proceeds to step S110.

In step S110, I
When the data is received from the C card, the data is invalidated.

As described with reference to FIG. 2, for example,
When the IC card 2 is outside the radio wave transmittable distance x _{2 of} the IC card reader / writer 1, the IC card 2 may receive various commands even though the IC card reader / writer 1 has sent various commands to the IC card 2. I can't do it already
Card 2 is out of communication range and is inactive.

Further, for example, when the IC card IC card 2 is outside the data receivable distance x ₁ of the IC card reader / writer 1 but within the radio wave transmittable distance x _{2 of} the IC card reader / writer 1, the IC card reader The IC card 2 receives various commands transmitted from the writer 1, and I
The C card 2 can send responses to various commands, but the sent responses do not reach the IC card reader / writer 1.

From the viewpoint of the IC card reader / writer 1, it is impossible to distinguish between the above two cases where the cause of the communication failure is. However, if the IC card IC card 2 is outside the data receivable distance x _{1 of the} IC card reader / writer 1,
In the case where it is within the radio wave transmittable distance x _{2 of the} card reader / writer 1, since the IC card 2 remains activated, the IC card may continue to transmit some data to the IC card reader / writer. There is also a nature. For example, the data stored in the IC card may be divided into several times and transmitted to the IC card reader / writer. However, in this case, there is a high possibility that a part of the divided data group is missing or contains an error. Therefore, a predetermined waiting period is provided in consideration of the number of times the IC card transmits data at a predetermined transmission interval. This waiting period is the data transmission interval multiplied by the number of data transmissions. IC during this prescribed waiting period
All data received by the card reader / writer from the IC card is invalidated and discarded. As a result, malfunction can be avoided.

In step S111, after the lapse of the predetermined waiting period, the IC card reader / writer notifies the host computer of abnormal termination of communication. As a result, the host computer can recognize that the communication was abnormal, so that it is possible to promptly take a subsequent action.

In the present embodiment, when the host computer recognizes the abnormal end of the communication in step S111, in order to confirm whether or not the communication is impossible, as shown in FIG.
To step S201. Since the basic principle of the subsequent steps is the same as the above-described steps S101 to S111, a brief description will be given here.

The host computer executes step S111.
When the abnormal termination of the communication is recognized by, the check command is transmitted to confirm whether or not the communication is impossible.

Then, as shown in step S201 of FIG. 4, the IC card reader / writer receives the check command from the host computer.

In step S202, the received check command is transmitted to the IC card.

Then, in step S203, the IC
The card reader / writer determines whether the response corresponding to the check command transmitted in step S202 has been successfully received from the IC card. Whether or not the reception is normally performed is determined by a parity check and whether or not a predetermined response waiting time has timed out.

When the response corresponding to the transmitted check command is received in step S203,
It proceeds to step S204.

If it is determined in step S203 that the response from the IC card could not be properly received, the process proceeds to step S205.

In step S204, the response received from the IC card is transmitted to the host computer. Therefore, by going through steps S201 to S204, the host computer can recognize that the IC card is within the communication range of the IC card reader / writer and activated, so that the process can be swiftly proceeded to. You can Specifically, the process currently being performed may be reset to return to the anti-collision process, or the process may return to step S102 in FIG. 3 to retransmit the command required for the data communication to the IC card.

In step S205, a negative response is transmitted to the IC card a predetermined number of times. In step S206, it is determined whether or not the number of negative response transmissions to the IC card in step S205 exceeds a predetermined number of retries. .

In step S206, step S2
If the number of transmissions of the negative response to the IC card in 05 does not exceed the predetermined number of retries, the process proceeds to step S202, and if it exceeds the predetermined number of retries, the step S2.
Proceed to 07.

In step S207, the IC card reader / writer makes a RESYNC request or ABORT.
The request is transmitted to the IC card, and in step S208, "a response from the IC card that can occur by transmitting a command received from the host computer to the IC card" is not accepted.

Then, in step S209, it is determined whether or not the confirmation response relating to the transmitted RESYNC request or ABORT request has been received.

In step S209, RESYNC
If it is determined that the confirmation response related to the H request or the ABORT request is received, it means that the IC card is in the communication area and in the active state, and the process returns to step S202.

In step S209, RESYNC
When it is determined that the confirmation response regarding the H request or the ABORT request has not been received, the process proceeds to step S210.

In step S210, the I
When the data is received from the C card, the data is invalidated.

This predetermined waiting period is as described above with respect to step S110. All data received by the IC card reader / writer from the IC card during this predetermined waiting period is invalidated and discarded.

In step S211, after the lapse of the predetermined waiting period, the IC card reader / writer notifies the host computer of abnormal termination of communication. That is, IC
The signal output from the card reader / writer via the CTS signal line of the serial cable is switched from on to off. As a result, the hang-up that has occurred in the conventional example can be avoided.

Since the host computer can confirm that the communication is abnormal by the above steps S201 to S211, it is possible to promptly take a subsequent action. Specifically, the process currently being performed may be reset to return to the anti-collision process, or the process may return to step S102 in FIG. 3 to retransmit the command required for the data communication to the IC card.

Further, steps S103, S106, S1
09, S203, S206, or S209, the IC card reader / writer is placed within the communication range.
Since the C card exists and it is possible to recognize whether the IC card is activated, it is possible to quickly restore the data communication.

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, when communication is disabled even though the communication state has been established, the IC card reader / writer makes RESY
Send the NCH request or ABORT request to the IC card.

At this time, if there is a confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted RESYNC request or ABORT request, it is understood that the IC card is within the communication range of the IC card reader / writer and is in an active state. The received command is retransmitted to the IC card. As a result, the initial state is quickly changed and the data communication is resumed, so that the normal communication state can be quickly returned.

On the other hand, if there is no confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted RESYNC request or ABORT request, all the data received from the IC card during the predetermined period is invalidated to prevent malfunction of the process. After the lapse of the period, the abnormal termination is notified to the host computer. In other words, the data received from the IC card is invalidated during a predetermined period, and after the lapse of the predetermined period, the host computer is notified of the abnormal termination, so that it is possible to avoid the hang-up that has been present in the past.

In summary, according to the present invention, an IC
Avoids hang-up of the IC card system even when a contactless IC card that has entered the communication area of the card reader / writer and has established a communication state is out of the communication area of the IC card reader / writer or if synchronization is lost. In addition, it is possible to quickly return to the normal communication state.

Next, an application example of the present invention will be described.

In the embodiment of the present invention described above, the IC
Although what was dealt with when an error occurred in the wireless communication between the card reader / writer and the IC card was shown,
The present invention can be applied even when an error occurs in wired communication between the IC card reader / writer and the host computer.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of an IC card reader / writer in an application example of the present invention.

In the application example of the present invention, the command received from the host computer 3 is connected to the host computer 3 via the serial interface 5 and the non-contact type I command is transmitted.
In the IC card reader / writer 1 which transmits to the C card 2 via the antenna 4 and performs data communication based on a command with the IC card 2, an initialization request for instructing initialization of the process being executed is issued by the host computer 3 When it is received from, the sending means 21 for sending the initialization request to the IC card 2
And a determination means 22 for determining whether or not the confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted initialization request is received, and when the confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted initialization request is received, an affirmative response of the initialization request is sent to the host. Response means 23 for transmitting to the computer 3
Then, when the confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted initialization request is not received, the invalidating means 24 for invalidating all the data received from the IC card 2 during the predetermined period, and the host computer 3 after the predetermined period elapses. The notification means 25 which notifies an affirmative response.

The above-mentioned means shown in FIG.
It is implemented in a firmware format including a CPU and a connection interface in the card reader / writer.

Further, as in the case of the above-described embodiment of the present invention, the IC card system in this application example is a
ISO / IEC7816 standard (JIS X
(Corresponding to 6304). Also in this application example, either the RESYNC request or the ABORT request is used as the initialization request.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of the IC card reader / writer in the application example of the present invention.

IC for performing data communication with an IC card
A case will be described in which a communication error has occurred between the host computer and the IC card reader / writer even though the communication state has already been established in the card reader / writer.

Communication errors that may occur between the host computer and the IC card reader / writer include a parity error and a framing error. When the host computer detects these errors in communication with the IC card reader / writer. Shall send a RESYNC request or an ABORT request to the IC card reader / writer.

First, in step S301, the IC card reader / writer sends a RESYN signal from the host computer.
Receive CH or ABORT request.

As described above, the RESYNC request is an initialization request for initializing the process currently being executed, and stores the process currently being executed, and returns to the state before the process. It is a request to instruct.

The ABORT request is an initialization request for initializing the process currently being executed, and indicates that the process currently being executed is discarded without being stored and the state before the process is returned to. It is a request.

Therefore, in step S301, I
C card reader / writer requests RESYNC or AB
When the ORT request is received, the processing executed by the IC card reader / writer is initialized.

Next, in step S302, the IC card reader / writer transmits the received RESYNC request or ABORT request to the IC card.

Then, in step S303, the IC
The card reader / writer determines whether or not it has received the confirmation response regarding the transmitted RESYNC request or ABORT request.

At step S303, RESYNCH
When it is determined that the request or the confirmation response regarding the ABORT request is received, the process proceeds to step S304. In this case, it means that the IC card is in the communication area and has been activated, and the IC card receives the RESYNC request or the ABORT request, whereby the processing being executed is initialized.

In step S304, the IC card reader / writer notifies the host computer of an affirmative response. Therefore, when steps S301 to S304 are performed,
The IC card reader / writer and the IC card can be initialized, and the host computer can also be initialized by receiving a positive response as a trigger, so that the entire system does not hang up, and as a result, Can also quickly restore the communication status.

In step S303, RESYNCH
When it is determined that the request or the acknowledgment regarding the ABORT request has not been received, the process proceeds to step S305. In this case, a communication error has occurred not only between the host computer and the IC card reader / writer, but also between the IC card reader / writer and the IC card for the above reason.

Therefore, in step S305, step S110 of FIG. 3 or step S210 of FIG.
As described above in I
When the data is received from the C card, the data is invalidated and the malfunction of the process is prevented.

Next, in step S306, after the lapse of the predetermined waiting period, the IC card reader / writer sends an affirmative response to the host computer. As a result, the host computer can be initialized by receiving a positive response as a trigger. Therefore, even if a communication error occurs not only between the host computer and the IC card reader / writer but also between the IC card reader / writer and the IC card, the entire system does not hang up, and as a result, Can also quickly restore the communication status.

As described above, according to the application example of the present invention, although the communication state between the IC card and the data communication is established, the host computer and the IC
Even if a communication error such as a parity error or a framing error occurs with the card reader / writer, the entire system does not hang up, and as a result, the communication state can be promptly restored.

It is also possible to simultaneously realize the above-described embodiment of the present invention and the application example, which further improves the reliability and convenience of the IC card system.

[0107]

As described above, according to the present invention,
In the non-contact type IC card system, if communication is impossible even though the communication state has already been established,
The IC card reader / writer first sends an initialization request to the IC card. At this time, if there is a confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted initialization request, the command received from the host computer is retransmitted to the IC card. That is, since the initial state is quickly changed and the data communication is restarted, it is possible to quickly return to the normal communication state.
If there is no confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted initialization request, all the data received from the IC card is invalidated within a predetermined period to prevent processing malfunction, and after this predetermined period has passed, an error is sent to the host computer. Notify the end. In other words, the data received from the IC card is invalidated during the predetermined period, and after the predetermined period has elapsed, the host computer is notified of the abnormal termination, so that the conventional hang-up is avoided and malfunction is avoided. It is possible to quickly return to a normal communication state.

That is, according to the present invention, a non-contact type IC card, which has entered the communication area of the IC card reader / writer and has established the communication state, is out of the communication area of the IC card reader / writer or out of synchronization. IC
You can avoid hanging up the card system,
It is possible to quickly return to the normal communication state.

According to the present invention, whether the IC card is in the active state or the inactive state, I
It is possible to avoid a hang-up of the C card system and quickly return to a normal communication state.

Furthermore, the present invention can deal with a communication error that may occur between the host computer and the IC card reader / writer. That is, even if a communication error such as a parity error or a framing error occurs between the host computer and the IC card reader / writer, even if the communication state between the IC card and the data communication is established, According to the invention, the entire system does not hang up, and as a result, the communication state can be quickly restored.

It is also possible to simultaneously realize the above-described embodiment of the present invention and the application example thereof, which further improves the reliability and convenience of the IC card system.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an IC card reader / writer according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a communication failure that may occur between an IC card reader / writer and an IC card.

FIG. 3 is a flowchart (part 1) showing the operation of the IC card reader / writer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart (No. 2) showing the operation of the IC card reader / writer according to the embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a functional block diagram of an IC card reader / writer in an application example of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a flowchart showing the operation of an IC card reader / writer in an application example of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a non-contact type IC card system.

[Explanation of symbols]

1 ... IC card reader / writer 2 ... IC card 3 ... Host computer 4 ... antenna 5 ... Serial interface 11 ... Transmission means 12 ... Judgment means 13 ... Retransmission means 14 ... Invalidation means 15 ... Notification means

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Hirofumi Takeuchi             711 Toshida, Kurita, Oita, Nagano City, Nagano Prefecture             Shinko Electric Industry Co., Ltd. F-term (reference) 2C005 MA25 TA22 TA40                 5B058 CA23 KA02 KA04 KA08 KA27                       YA20

Claims (20)

[Claims] 1. An IC card connected to a host computer via a cable, transmitting a command received from the host computer to a non-contact type IC card, and performing data communication based on the command with the IC card. A method of controlling a reader / writer, wherein when the command received from the host computer is transmitted to the IC card, but data communication corresponding to the command cannot be established, a negative response is returned to the IC card. In a method of controlling an IC card reader / writer that transmits a predetermined number of times to the IC card, if no response is received despite transmitting the negative response, an initialization request for instructing initialization of the process being executed is sent to the IC card. A sending step of sending, and whether or not an acknowledgment corresponding to the initialization request has been received And a resending step of resending the command received from the host computer to the IC card when a confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request is received. Control method of IC card reader / writer. 2. An invalidation step of invalidating all data received from the IC card during a predetermined period when the confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request is not received, and the host after the predetermined period has elapsed. The method of controlling an IC card reader / writer according to claim 1, further comprising a notification step of notifying a computer of abnormal termination. 3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising a step of retransmitting the command, which has been received from the host computer, to the IC card when the confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request is received. Control method of IC card reader / writer. 4. An IC card connected to a host computer via a cable, transmitting a command received from the host computer to a non-contact type IC card, and performing data communication based on the command with the IC card. A method of controlling a reader / writer, wherein when an initialization request for instructing initialization of a process being executed is received from the host computer, the initialization request is I
A transmitting step of transmitting to the C card; a determining step of determining whether or not a confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted initialization request is received; and a case of receiving a confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted initialization request, A response step of transmitting an affirmative response to the initialization request to the host computer, the method of controlling the IC card reader / writer. 5. An invalidation step of invalidating all data received from the IC card during a predetermined period when a confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted initialization request is not received, and after the predetermined period has elapsed, The control method of the IC card reader / writer according to claim 4, further comprising a notification step of notifying the host computer of a positive response. 6. A JIS, which is connected to a host computer via a cable, transmits a command received from the host computer to a non-contact type IC card, and performs data communication based on the command with the IC card.
A method for controlling an IC card reader / writer conforming to the X 6304 standard, wherein the command received from the host computer is transmitted to the IC card, but data communication corresponding to the command cannot be established. In a control method of an IC card reader / writer that transmits a negative response to the IC card a predetermined number of times, if no response can be received despite transmitting the negative response, a RESYNC request or AB
A transmission step of transmitting an ORT request to the IC card, a determination step of determining whether or not an acknowledgment corresponding to the transmitted RESYNCH request or ABORT request has been received, and the transmitted RESYNCH request command or AB
A method of controlling an IC card reader / writer, comprising: a resending step of resending the command received from the host computer to the IC card when an confirmation response corresponding to the ORT request is received. 7. An invalidation step of invalidating all data received from the IC card during a predetermined period when the confirmation response corresponding to the RESYNCH request or ABORT request transmitted is not received, and the predetermined period elapses. 7. A control method of the IC card reader / writer according to claim 6, further comprising a notification step of notifying the host computer of abnormal termination. 8. The RESYNC request or ABO
8. The control method for an IC card reader / writer according to claim 6, further comprising a further step of retransmitting the command received from the host computer to the IC card when an acknowledgment response corresponding to the RT request is received. . 9. An ISO, which is connected to a host computer via a cable, transmits a command received from the host computer to a non-contact type IC card, and performs data communication based on the command with the IC card.
A method of controlling an IC card reader / writer conforming to the 7816 standard, wherein when a RESYNC request or an ABORT request is received from the host computer, the RESYNCCH
Request or ABORT request is transmitted to the IC card, a determination step is performed to determine whether or not a confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted RESYNCH request or ABORT request has been received, and the transmitted RESYNCH request or ABORT request is handled. When the confirmation response to
And a reply step of transmitting an affirmative response of the CH request or the ABORT request to the host computer. 10. An invalidation step of invalidating all data received from the IC card during a predetermined period when a confirmation response corresponding to the RESYNC request or ABORT request transmitted is not received, and the predetermined period elapses. 10. A method of controlling the IC card reader / writer according to claim 9, further comprising a notification step of notifying the host computer of a positive response. 11. An IC card connected to a host computer via a cable, transmitting a command received from the host computer to a non-contact type IC card, and performing data communication based on the command with the IC card. An IC card which is a reader / writer and which transmits a negative response to the IC card a predetermined number of times when the command is transmitted to the IC card but the data communication corresponding to the command cannot be established. In the reader / writer, if no response is received even though the negative response is transmitted, a transmitting unit that transmits an initialization request for instructing the initialization of the process being executed to the IC card, and corresponds to the initialization request. And a confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request When receiving, the IC card reader-writer, characterized in that it comprises, retransmission means for the command which has been received from the host computer, and retransmits to the IC card. 12. An invalidation unit for invalidating all data received from the IC card during a predetermined period when the confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request is not received, and the host after the predetermined period. The IC card reader / writer according to claim 11, further comprising: a notification unit that notifies the computer of abnormal termination. 13. The method according to claim 11, further comprising: a further resending unit that resends the command received from the host computer to the IC card when the confirmation response corresponding to the initialization request is received. IC card reader / writer. 14. An IC card connected to a host computer via a cable, transmitting a command received from the host computer to a non-contact type IC card, and performing data communication based on the command with the IC card. The reader / writer receives the initialization request from the host computer when the initialization request is issued from the host computer.
Transmitting means for transmitting to the C card; determining means for determining whether or not a confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted initialization request has been received; and, when a confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted initialization request has been received, An IC card reader / writer, comprising: a reply means for transmitting an affirmative response to an initialization command to the host computer. 15. An invalidation unit for invalidating all data received from the IC card during a predetermined period when the confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted initialization request is not received, and after the predetermined period has elapsed, 15. The IC card reader / writer according to claim 14, further comprising: notifying means for notifying the host computer of a positive response. 16. A JI, which is connected to a host computer via a cable, transmits a command received from the host computer to a non-contact type IC card, and performs data communication based on the command with the IC card.
An IC card reader / writer conforming to the SX 6304 standard, and when the data communication corresponding to the command cannot be established even though the command is transmitted to the IC card, a negative response is sent to the IC card. In an IC card reader / writer that transmits a predetermined number of times, if no response is received despite transmitting the negative response, a RESYNC request or AB
Transmitting means for transmitting an ORT request to an IC card, determining means for determining whether or not a confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted RESYNCH request or ABORT request is received, and confirmation corresponding to the transmitted RESYNCH request or ABORT request An IC card reader / writer comprising: a resending unit that resends the command received from the host computer to the IC card when a response is received. 17. Invalidating means for invalidating all data received from the IC card during a predetermined period when the confirmation response corresponding to the RESYNC request or ABORT request transmitted is not received, and the predetermined period elapses. The IC card reader / writer according to claim 16, further comprising a notification unit that notifies the host computer of abnormal termination. 18. The RESYNC request or AB
The IC card reader / writer according to claim 16 or 17, further comprising: a further resending unit that resends the command received from the host computer to the IC card when an acknowledgment response corresponding to the ORT request is received. 19. An IS, which is connected to a host computer via a cable, transmits a command received from the host computer to a non-contact type IC card, and performs data communication based on the command with the IC card.
An IC card reader / writer that complies with the O7816 standard, and when a RESYNC request or an ABORT request is received from the host computer, the RESYNCCH
A request or an ABORT request to the IC card, a determining means for determining whether or not a confirmation response corresponding to the RESYNCH request or the ABORT request has been received, and a corresponding RESYNCH request or an ABORT request When the confirmation response to
An IC card reader / writer, comprising: reply means for transmitting an affirmative response to a CH request or an ABORT request to the host computer. 20. Invalidating means for invalidating all data received from the IC card during a predetermined period when the confirmation response corresponding to the transmitted RESYNC request or ABORT request is not received, and the predetermined period elapses. The IC card reader / writer according to claim 19, further comprising: a notification unit that notifies the host computer of a positive response.