System for the contactless exchange of data

Claim 1

A system for the contactless exchange of data between a transceiver and a passive data carrier, said data carrier comprising at least one digital memory means and at least one digital control device for controlling said memory means, and wherein the data carrier has a single-coil receiver circuit connected to a controllable switch means and, in operation, in response to an electromagnetic a.c. field generated by a transceiver, provides via at least one rectifier means supply power to active components of the data carrier as well as clock signals for controlling digital components of the data carrier, characterized in that the transceiver comprises a modulator for the amplitude modulation of said a.c. field received by said coil receiver circuit and that the control device, connected to said coil through a two-branch voltage divider so the voltage at the clock signal input is higher than at the data signal input, has two inputs for receiving clock signals and data signals from the receiver circuit and includes level detectors cooperating with said inputs and arranged to allow the passage of an input signal voltage exceeding a pre-determined value as a valid input signal pulse to said memory means.

Claim 2

A system for the contactless exchange of data between a transceiver and a passive data carrier, said data carrier comprising at least one digital memory means and at least one digital control device for controlling said memory means, and wherein the data carrier has a single-coil receiver circuit connected to a controllable switch means and, in operation, in response to an electromagnetic a.c. field generated by a transceiver, provides via at least one rectifier means supply power to active components of the data carrier as well as clock signals for controlling digital components of the data carrier, characterized in that the transceiver comprises a modulator for the amplitude modulation of said a.c. field received by said coil receiver circuit and that the control device, connected to said coil through a two-branch voltage divider so the voltage at the clock signal input is higher than at the data signal input, has two inputs for receiving clock signals and data signals from the receiver circuit and includes level detectors cooperating with said inputs and arranged to allow the passage of an input signal voltage exceeding a pre-determined value as a valid input signal pulse to said memory means.

Claim 9

A system for the contactless exchange of data between a transceiver and a passive data carrier, said data carrier comprising at least one digital memory means and at least one digital control device for controlling said memory means, and wherein the data carrier has a single-coil receiver circuit connected to a controllable switch means and, in operation, in response to an electromagnetic a.c. field generated by a transceiver, provides via at least one rectifier means supply power to active components of the data carrier as well as clock signals for controlling digital components of the data carrier, characterized in that the transceiver comprises a modulator for the amplitude modulation of said a.c. field received by said coil receiver circuit and that the control device, connected to said coil through a two-branch voltage divider so the voltage at the clock signal input is higher than at the data signal input has two inputs for receiving clock signals and data signals from the receiver circuit and includes level detectors cooperating with said inputs and arranged to allow the passage of an input signal voltage exceeding a pre-determined value as a valid input signal pulse and further characterized in that the memory means is an EEPROM designed according to the IIC architecture and is connected to the digital control device via an ICC bus, which comprises a serial data line and a clock line and the control device is arranged to form a control signal for the switch means with a frequency which is a submultiple of the frequency of the a.c. field, and whose phase relative to the a.c. field depends on the status of the serial data line.

Claim 10

A system for the contactless exchange of data between a transceiver and a passive data carrier, said data carrier comprising at least one digital memory means and at least one digital control device for controlling said memory means, and wherein the data carrier has a single-coil receiver circuit connected to a controllable switch means and, in operation, in response to an electromagnetic a.c. field generated by a transceiver, provides via at least one rectifier means supply power to active components of the data carrier as well as clock signals for controlling digital components of the data carrier, characterized in that the transceiver comprises a modulator for the amplitude modulation of said a.c. field received by said coil receiver circuit and that the control device, connected to said coil through a two-branch voltage divider so the voltage at the clock signal input is higher than at the data signal input has two inputs for receiving clock signals and data signals from the receiver circuit and includes level detectors cooperating with said inputs and arranged to allow the passage of an input signal voltage exceeding a pre-determined value as a valid input signal pulse and further characterized in that the memory means is an EEPROM designed according to the IIC architecture and is connected to the digital control device via an ICC bus, which comprises a serial data line and a clock line and the control device is arranged to form a control signal for the switch means with a frequency which is a submultiple of the frequency of the a.c. field, and whose phase relative to the a.c. field depends on the status of the serial data line.

Claim 12

A system for the contactless exchange of data between a transceiver and a passive data carrier, said data carrier comprising at least one digital memory means and at least one digital control device for controlling said memory means, and wherein the data carrier has a single-coil receiver circuit connected to a controllable switch means and, in operation, in response to an electromagnetic a.c. field generated by a transceiver, provides via at least one rectifier means supply power to active components of the data carrier as well as clock signals for controlling digital components of the data carrier, characterized in that the transceiver comprises a modulator for the amplitude modulation of said a.c. field received by said coil receiver circuit and that the control device, connected to said coil through a two-branch voltage divider so the voltage at the clock signal input is higher than at the data signal input, has two inputs for receiving clock signals and data signals from the receiver circuit and includes level detectors cooperating with said inputs and arranged to allow the passage of an input signal voltage exceeding a pre-determined value as valid input signal pulse and further characterized in that the memory means is an EEPROM designed according to the IIC architecture and is connected to the digital control device via an ICC bus, which comprises a serial data line and a clock line and the control device is arranged to form a control signal for the switch means with a frequency which is a submultiple of the frequency of the a.c. field, and whose phase relative to the a.c. field depends on the status of the serial data line; and the control device is arranged, each time after the receipt of a pre-determined number of bits via the data input, to feed back the status of the serial data line by corresponding control of the switch means.

Claim 13

A system for the contactless exchange of data between a transceiver and a passive data carrier, said data carrier comprising at least one digital memory means and at least one digital control device for controlling said memory means, and wherein the data carrier has a single-coil receiver circuit connected to a controllable switch means and, in operation, in response to an electromagnetic a.c. field generated by a transceiver, provides via at least one rectifier means supply power to active components of the data carrier as well as clock signals for controlling digital components of the data carrier, characterized in that the transceiver comprises a modulator for the amplitude modulation of said a.c. field received by said coil receiver circuit and that the control device, connected to said coil through a two-branch voltage divider so the voltage at the clock signal input is higher than at the data signal input, has two inputs for receiving clock signals and data signals from the receiver circuit and includes level detectors cooperating with said inputs and arranged to allow the passage of an input signal voltage exceeding a pre-determined value as valid input signal pulse and further characterized in that the memory means is an EEPROM designed according to the IIC architecture and is connected to the digital control device via an ICC bus, which comprises a serial data line and a clock line and the control device is arranged to form a control signal for the switch means with a frequency which is a submultiple of the frequency of the a.c. field, and whose phase relative to the a.c. field depends on the status of the serial data line; and the control device is arranged, each time after the receipt of a pre-determined number of bits via the data input, to feed back the status of the serial data line by corresponding control of the switch means.

Claim 17

A system for the contactless exchange of data between a transceiver and a passive data carrier, said data carrier comprising at least one digital memory means and at least one digital control device for controlling said memory means, and wherein the data carrier has a single-coil receiver circuit connected to a controllable switch means and, in operation, in response to an electromagnetic a.c. field generated by a transceiver, provides via at least one rectifier means supply power to active components of the data carrier as well as clock signals for controlling digital components of the data carrier, characterized in that the transceiver comprises a modulator for the amplitude modulation of said a.c. field received by said coil receiver circuit and that the control device, connected to said coil through a two branch voltage divider so the voltage at the clock signal input is higher than at the data signal input, has two inputs for receiving clock signals and data signals from the receiver circuit and includes level detectors cooperating with said inputs and arranged to allow the passage of an input signal voltage exceeding a pre-determined value as a valid input signal pulse to said memory means and characterized by at least one sensor connector to the control device.

Claim 18

A system for the contactless exchange of data between a transceiver and a passive data carrier, said data carrier comprising at least one digital memory means and at least one digital control device for controlling said memory means, and wherein the data carrier has a single-coil receiver circuit connected to a controllable switch means and, in operation, in response to an electromagnetic a.c. field generated by a transceiver, provides via at least one rectifier means supply power to active components of the data carrier as well as clock signals for controlling digital components of the data carrier, characterized in that the transceiver comprises a modulator for the amplitude modulation of said a.c. field received by said coil receiver circuit and that the control device, connected to said coil through a two branch voltage divider so the voltage at the clock signal input is higher than at the data signal input, has two inputs for receiving clock signals and data signals from the receiver circuit and includes level detectors cooperating with said inputs and arranged to allow the passage of an input signal voltage exceeding a pre-determined value as a valid input signal pulse to said memory means and characterized by at least one sensor connector to the control device.

Claim 22

A system for the contactless exchange of data between a transceiver and a passive data carrier, said data carrier comprising at least one digital memory means and at least one digital control device for controlling said memory means, and wherein the data carrier has a single-coil receiver circuit connected to a controllable switch means and , in operation, in response to an electromagnetic a.c. field generated by a transceiver, provides via at least one rectifier means supply power to active components of the data carrier as well as clock signals for controlling digital components of the data carrier, characterized in that the transceiver comprises a modulator for the amplitude modulation of said a.c. field received by said coil receiver circuit and that the control device, connected to said coil through a two branch voltage divider so the voltage at the clock signal input is higher than at the data signal input, has two inputs for receiving clock signals and data signals from the receiver circuit and includes level detectors cooperating with said inputs and arranged to allow the passage of an input signal voltage exceeding a pre-determined value as a valid input signal pulse to said memory means and further characterized in that the transceiver includes means for varying the transmission power level between zero and a pre-determined maximum value and setting it at a level intermediate the level at which a data carrier just returns signals and a level at which the data carrier no longer perceives any difference between a binary "0" and a binary "1".

Claim 23

A system for the contactless exchange of data between a transceiver and a passive data carrier, said data carrier comprising at least one digital memory means and at least one digital control device for controlling said memory means, and wherein the data carrier has a single-coil receiver circuit connected to a controllable switch means and , in operation, in response to an electromagnetic a.c. field generated by a transceiver, provides via at least one rectifier means supply power to active components of the data carrier as well as clock signals for controlling digital components of the data carrier, characterized in that the transceiver comprises a modulator for the amplitude modulation of said a.c. field received by said coil receiver circuit and that the control device, connected to said coil through a two branch voltage divider so the voltage at the clock signal input is higher than at the data signal input, has two inputs for receiving clock signals and data signals from the receiver circuit and includes level detectors cooperating with said inputs and arranged to allow the passage of an input signal voltage exceeding a pre-determined value as a valid input signal pulse to said memory means and further characterized in that the transceiver includes means for varying the transmission power level between zero and a pre-determined maximum value and setting it at a level intermediate the level at which a data carrier just returns signals and a level at which the data carrier no longer perceives any difference between a binary "0" and a binary "1".