JPS6243791A - Ic card - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To easily test an IC card chip loaded to a card reader by switching an operation mode to a normal or a test mode on the basis of a mode signal inputted from the card reader and testing the card by a CPU in the card itself. CONSTITUTION:When the IC card is inserted into the reader, power supply voltage is supplied from the reader to the card and the card reads a mode signal through a mode signal detecting means 2. Since the mode signal for controlling the operation mode of the card is applied from the reader to a terminal 6a, the means 2 detects the level of the terminal 6a and applies the detected level to an operation control means 3. If a mode signal '0' is outputted from the reader, the means 3 detects the signal '0' and turns the current operation mode to the test mode and tests the IC card itself in accordance with a test program stored in a memory part 1 to execute the self-diagnosis of the IC card. Consequently, the self-diagnosis can be easily and precisely executed and the reliability of the card can be remarkably improved.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Field of Industrial Application] The present invention relates to an IC card, and particularly relates to a functional test thereof.

[Conventional technology]

Here, an IC cart is used in place of a conventional card with a magnetic stripe, and has a memory IC, CPU, and other semiconductor pieces built into the base of the card, and is several orders of magnitude larger than a conventional card with a magnetic stripe. In addition to being able to have the above-mentioned large-capacity storage capacity, it can also be provided with arbitrary arithmetic functions.

[Problem that the invention seeks to solve]

In order to increase the reliability of such IC cards, it is desirable to test whether the control program and data in the memory are normal or not, but once the IC chip is mounted, Once this is done, testing is impossible, and it is impossible to determine from the outside whether the card is a permanent card or not. Although it is possible to test the IC chip before it is mounted, it is very troublesome to do so by applying a micron-sized needle to the IC chip and using a large testing device. Furthermore, this pre-implementation test is just a test of the IC chip as a unit, and cannot detect defects during actual use.

The present invention has been made to solve these conventional problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an IC card that allows easy testing of the card after mounting an IC chip thereon.

[Means for solving problems]

The IC card according to the present invention stores a test program together with a normal operation program in the card, and switches the operation mode between normal and test mode according to a mode signal input from a card reading device, and uses a CPU inside the card to switch the operation mode to normal or test mode. The card is tested.

[Effect]

In this invention, it is possible to check whether the IC card is operating normally without using a test device (the CPU inside the card
This makes the test extremely easy, and also allows the test to be performed in accordance with actual use.

〔Example〕

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an IC card 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and this IC card 1o has a CPU 4. Memory section 1. Interface 5. and a terminal 6. The memory unit 1 includes a normal operation program area 1a in which programs for performing normal operations are stored;
It consists of a test program area 1b that stores programs for performing tests such as operation confirmation, and a data area 1c that stores data. Further, in the CPU 4, reference numeral 2 denotes mode signal detection means for detecting a mode signal inputted from a card reading device (hereinafter referred to as league), and reference numeral 3 denotes an operation control means for controlling the operation mode according to the detection result.

The terminals 6 are provided in accordance with ISO standards, and the lower terminal 6a in the figure is the terminal to which the mode signal from the league is applied.

Note that the memory section 1 and the CPU 4 may be provided as separate chips or may be provided as one chip.

Next, the operation will be explained.

Here, in the case of this embodiment, an operation will be described in which an IC card is first tested to confirm whether the card is normal or not, and after confirming "normal", the operation is shifted to the normal operation mode.

FIG. 2 shows the operation flow as described above. First, when an IC card is inserted into the league, power supply voltage is supplied from the league to the card, and the card reads the mode signal using the mode signal detection means 2 (step 11).
A mode signal for controlling the operation mode of the card is applied from the league to the terminal 6a, and the mode signal detection means 2 detects the level of the terminal 6a and supplies it to the operation control means 3. Now, the league is giving a mode signal “
Since 0° (test mode) is output, the operation control means 3 receives this and sets the operation mode to the test mode, and in step 12) and step 13, the main operation is performed according to the test program stored in the memory section 1. Perform an IC card test. In other words, the IC card performs self-diagnosis.

Here, the test contents include testing whether the data in memory section 1 is normal or not, and testing whether the own normal operation program is normal by taking the sum of bits, etc., and confirming these. In step 13.14), if it is normal, a signal indicating this is sent to the league side via the interface 5 and terminal 6. As a result, "OK" is displayed on the league's display device, and the league transmits the mode signal "
Switch to 1'. The card reads this mode signal "1" (step 11), switches the operation mode to normal mode, and performs a predetermined operation (step 12.17).

Further, as a result of the above test, if there is an abnormality in the program, etc., a signal indicating this is sent to the league, and in response to this, the 1 node displays rNGJ on its display device and ejects the card.

In this embodiment, the test program is stored in the card, and the test or normal operation is performed by the mode signal from the league. Moreover, it is possible to conduct a test based on the actual use of the card, rather than testing a single IC chip as in the past.

In the above embodiment, the mode signal is set to "0" or "1", but this may be encoded using a plurality of terminals.

Further, the operation flow of the IC card of the present invention is not limited to the flow shown in FIG. 2, and it goes without saying that various uses can be considered, such as, for example, product inspection at the time of shipment at a factory.

〔Effect of the invention〕

As described above, according to the present invention, the test program is stored in the card along with the current program, and the operating mode is switched by the mode signal from the reader, so that the card is controlled by the CPU inside the card. It is possible to easily and accurately self-diagnose whether or not the card is normal, which has the effect of significantly improving the reliability of the card.

[Brief explanation of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram of an IC card according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a flowchart for explaining an example of the operation of the IC card. DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1...Memory part, 2...Mode signal detection means, 3...
・Operation control means.

Claims (1)

[Claims] (1) A memory that stores a normal operation program and a test program, and a mode that detects a mode signal input from the card reader to at least one terminal of the card when the IC card is inserted into the card reader. An IC card comprising: a signal detection means; and an operation control means for setting an operation mode to a normal mode or a test mode according to the detection result.