Patent Application
20210303960
This application claims the priority benefit of French Application for Patent No. 2003073, filed on Mar. 27, 2020, the content of which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety to the maximum extent allowable by law.
The present disclosure generally relates to electronic devices and, more specifically, to microcircuit cards.
Many applications use microcircuit cards, for example, payment cards, transport cards, personal identification cards, etc. Among current microcircuit cards, cards equipped with a biometric sensor are particularly known. A biometric sensor typically enables to perform identity checks each time the card is used. Current microcircuit cards provided with a biometric sensor are generally complex and expensive to design and to manufacture.
There is a need to improve current microcircuit cards comprising a biometric sensor.
An embodiment overcomes all or part of the disadvantages of known microcircuit cards comprising a biometric sensor.
An embodiment provides a microcircuit card comprising: a first microcontroller; a second microcontroller; at least one module of communication with the outside of the card; and a biometric sensor. Any communication with the outside of the card transits through the first microcontroller. Any communication between the sensor and the second microcontroller transits through the first microcontroller.
According to an embodiment, the second microcontroller is a secure microcontroller.
According to an embodiment, the second microcontroller is dedicated to processing and storing secure data.
According to an embodiment, the second microcontroller has a memory capacity smaller than that of the first microcontroller.
According to an embodiment, the first microcontroller is coupled, preferably connected, to two modules of communication with the outside of the card: a first near-field communication module; and a second contact communication module.
According to an embodiment, the first microcontroller is configured to implement: a near-field communication protocol; and a contact communication protocol.
According to an embodiment, the first microcontroller comprises: a power management unit; and an operation sequencing unit.
According to an embodiment, the first microcontroller is configured to control: the second microcontroller; the communication module; and the sensor.
According to an embodiment, the first microcontroller is configured to manage an electric power supply of the second microcontroller.
According to an embodiment, the first microcontroller is configured to process data originating from the sensor.
According to an embodiment, the first microcontroller and the second microcontroller form part of a same chip.
According to an embodiment, the sensor is a fingerprint sensor.
The foregoing features and advantages, as well as others, will be described in detail in the following description of specific embodiments given by way of illustration and not limitation with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:
Like features have been designated by like references in the various figures. In particular, the structural and/or functional features that are common among the various embodiments may have the same references and may dispose identical structural, dimensional and material properties.
For the sake of clarity, only the steps and elements that are useful for an understanding of the embodiments described herein have been illustrated and described in detail. In particular, the data exchanges between the reader and the card as well as the encryption algorithms implemented by the secure microcontroller of the card are not detailed, the described embodiments being compatible with usual data exchanges between a reader and a card and with usual encryption algorithms. Further, the processing of the data originating from the biometric sensor of the card has not been detailed, the embodiments being compatible with usual data processings originating from biometric sensors.
Unless indicated otherwise, when reference is made to two elements connected together, this signifies a direct connection without any intermediate elements other than conductors, and when reference is made to two elements coupled together, this signifies that these two elements can be connected or they can be coupled via one or more other elements.
In the following description, when reference is made to terms qualifying absolute positions, such as terms “front”, “back”, “top”, “bottom”, “left”, “right”, etc., or relative positions, such as terms “above”, “under”, “upper”, “lower”, etc., or to terms qualifying directions, such as terms “horizontal”, “vertical”, etc., unless otherwise specified, it is referred to the orientation of the drawings.
Unless specified otherwise, the expressions “around”, “approximately”, “substantially” and “in the order of” signify within 10%, and preferably within 5%.
Reader 102 comprises an antenna 104 (ANTENNA). Antenna 104 is, in particular, capable of emitting an electromagnetic field (EMF), for example, a radiofrequency field. In the case of a transmission, the EMF field is, for example, modulated and/or demodulated by an asynchronous transceiver circuit or module 106 (RF UART), for example, a universal asynchronous receiver, of reader 102. In a case where card 100 is located within the range of reader 102, the electromagnetic radiofrequency field EMF modulated by reader 102 may then be captured by an antenna 108 (ANTENNA) of card 100.
Card 100 comprises a first circuit or module 110 (RF HARVESTING+RF UART) of communication with the outside of card 100. The first communication module 110 of card 100 is, for example, similar to the module 106 of reader 102. Module 110 is, for example, capable of electrically powering card 100 from the EMF field captured by antenna 108. Although this is not shown, antenna 108 may in practice be coupled to module 110 via a matching circuit.
Card 100 further comprises a second circuit or module 112 (CONTACT MODULE) of communication with the outside of card 100. Second communication module 112 is, for example, a contact communication module. Module 112, for example, enables card 100 to communicate by contact with reader 102, or to communicate with readers similar to reader 102 but comprising no antenna 104 and no near-field communication module 106.
As a variation, card 100 comprises a single communication module among modules 110 and 112, for example contact communication module 112.
According to an embodiment, the communication modules 110 and 112 of card 100 are driven or controlled by a first microcontroller 114 (GENERAL-PURPOSE MCU). The communication modules 110 and 112 of card 100 are, for example, each coupled, preferably connected, to microcontroller 114. In particular, contact communication module 112 is, for example, connected to microcontroller 114 via a link 116 (ISO 7816) in accordance with standard ISO 7816.
Card 100 comprises a second microcontroller 118 (SECURE CORE). Second microcontroller 118 is coupled, preferably connected, to first microcontroller 114 via a serial link 120 (SERIAL LINK).
According to an embodiment, second microcontroller 118 is a secure microcontroller. In particular, microcontroller 118 is dedicated to processing and to storing secure or secret data, that is, data, the access to which is desired to be reserved to certain users or circuits. Microcontroller 118 especially has the function of protecting secret data, for example, data relative to an owner of card 100, and to carry out operations on or by means of the secret data. Microcontroller 118 is, in particular, configured to ascertain that the secret data that it manipulates cannot be discovered by a hacker or pirate.
As an example, second microcontroller 118 has a memory capacity smaller than that of first microcontroller 114. Further, microcontroller 118 is, for example, provided with a computing power smaller than that of microcontroller 114. According to an embodiment, microcontroller 114 is capable of performing more floating point operations per second than microcontroller 118.
According to an embodiment, first microcontroller 114 is configured to drive or control second microcontroller 118. During data exchanges over serial link 120, microcontroller 114 is, for example, configured as a master as long as microcontroller 118 is configured as a slave.
Generally, any communication with the outside of card 100 transits through first microcontroller 114. In particular, second microcontroller 118 can only possibly communicate with the outside of card 100, for example, with reader 102, through first microcontroller 114.
Card 100 further comprises a biometric sensor 122 (BIO SENSOR), for example a fingerprint sensor. Sensor 122 is coupled, preferably connected, to first microcontroller 114 via a link 128 (SPI, I2C), for example, a SPI (Serial Peripheral Interface) serial data bus or an I2C (Inter-Integrated Circuit) bus. First microcontroller 114 is preferably configured to process data originating from biometric sensor 122.
Sensor 122 is not directly coupled to second microcontroller 118. In particular, any possible data exchange, that is, any communication, between sensor 122 and second microcontroller 118 transits through first microcontroller 114. In other words, sensor 122 cannot directly exchange data with second microcontroller 118 without passing through first microcontroller 114 capable of manipulating large quantities of data originating from biometric sensor 122, in particular, data relative to an image filtering in the case of a fingerprint sensor 122.
Generally, first microcontroller 114 is configured to control: second microcontroller 118; communication modules 110 and 112; and biometric sensor 122.
Reader 102 and card 100 may respectively comprise other circuits, for example circuits specific to the application. In
It could also have been devised to provide a card similar to card 100, but for example comprising, instead of microcontrollers 114 and 118, a single microcontroller. It could for example have been devised for the microcontroller to be a secure microcontroller not only enabling to store and to process secret data, but also to perform operations which do not bear on secret data. The microcontroller would for example be used to process data originating from sensor 122 and manage communications with the outside of the card. However, secure microcontrollers are generally more expensive to design, manufacture, and program than microcontrollers which are not capable of manipulating secret data. Accordingly, the use of a single microcontroller to ensure functions similar to those of microcontrollers 114 and 118 together would risk causing an increase in the complexity and the manufacturing cost of the card.
An advantage of card 100 lies in the fact that secure microcontroller 118 is essentially used to process and store secret data. This, for example, advantageously enables to provide the implementation of a secure microcontroller 118 provided with a lower computing power and/or memory capacity than in the case of a card where microcontroller 118 would further be configured to store and/or process non-secure data, for example, data originating from sensor 122 and/or data to be exchanged with communication modules 110 and 112. This further enables a manufacturer of card 100 to integrate microcontroller 118 in one or a plurality of applications without the manufacturer needing (or having) abilities specific to the development of applications executable by secure microcontrollers.
Another advantage of card 100 lies in the fact that the sharing of tasks between microcontroller 114 and secure microcontroller 118 results in a lower complexity and in a greater flexibility in the development of card 100. It is, for example, possible to modify software configured to manage data exchanges with the outside of card 100 without this impacting software executed by microcontroller 118. This, for example, advantageously enables to only have to certify again the software executed by microcontroller 118 in cases, generally uncommon, where modifications bearing on the storage or the processing of secret data have been made.
It could also have been devised to provide a card similar to card 100, but where secure microcontroller 118 would not only enable to store and process secret data, but also to manage communications with the outside of the card. In this case, microcontroller 114 would, for example, be dedicated to the processing of data from sensor 122, and would, in particular, ensure no function of communication with the outside of the card. However, this would require providing a secure microcontroller 118 with a higher performance and/or having a greater memory capacity, and thus generally more expensive, than in the case of card 100. This would further impose more complex certification procedures to the card manufacturer after each modification of the functionalities enabling to manage data exchanges with the outside of the card.
In the shown example, first microcontroller 14 (GENERAL-PURPOSE MCU) comprises a power management module or unit 200 (POWER MANAGEMENT). Power management unit 200 is, for example, configured to manage the power supply of first microcontroller 114 and/or of at least one element of card 100 (
First microcontroller 114 further comprises an operation sequencing module or unit 202 (OVERALL SEQUENCING). Operation sequencing unit 202 is, for example, configured to assign tasks to the different elements of card 100 and/or to manage priorities of execution of the tasks.
In practice, the units 200 and 202 of first microcontroller 114 may be hardware and/or software.
The first microcontroller 114 of card 100 is, for example, configured to implement a near-field communication protocol and a contact communication protocol. In the shown example, microcontroller 114 comprises a multiplexer 204 (MUX ARBITRATION) enabling to selectively activate the execution of near-field communication software 206 (RF COM PROTOCOL SW) or of contact communication software 208 (ISO COM PROTOCOL SW). Software 206, 208 is, for example, configured to drive the associated communication module 110, 112.
In the shown example, second microcontroller 118 comprises a secure memory area 210 (SECRET SAFEBOX). As an example, memory area 210 enables to store secret keys and data, for example, at least one so-called reference fingerprint having data originating from the processing of images acquired by sensor 122 compared therewith.
In the shown example, second microcontroller 118 further comprises a secure processing unit 212 (SECURE PROCESSING & CRYPTO). As an example, unit 212 enables to execute at least one cipher, signature, or authentication algorithm, more generally called cryptographic algorithm.
Although
An advantage of the architecture discussed in relation with
Various embodiments and variants have been described. Those skilled in the art will understand that certain features of these various embodiments and variants may be combined, and other variants will occur to those skilled in the art. In particular, it will be within the abilities of those skilled in the art to adapt the described embodiments to a microcircuit card 100 comprising a single communication module.
Finally, the practical implementation of the described embodiments and variants is within the abilities of those skilled in the art based on the functional indications given hereabove. In particular, the practical implementation of communication modules 110 and 112, of microcontrollers 114 and 118, as well as of biometric sensor 122, is within the abilities of those skilled in the art based on the above indications.
It will further be within the abilities of those skilled in the art, based on the indications provided hereabove, to adapt the features of the radiofrequency communication according to the targeted application. In particular, it will be within the abilities of those skilled in the art to adapt the above embodiments to comply with the requirements of standard ISO 14443 of the banking sector.
Such alterations, modifications, and improvements are intended to be part of this disclosure, and are intended to be within the spirit and the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the foregoing description is by way of example only and is not intended to be limiting. The present invention is limited only as defined in the following claims and the equivalents thereto.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2003073 | Mar 2020 | FR | national |
