Contactless IC card communication system and related method

A contactless IC card communication method in which a reader/writer (RW) and IC cards communicate with each other on a contactless basis according to anti-collision techniques, the IC cards being of types which relate to the anti-collision techniques, the method comprising:

• causing the reader/writer to implement identification requirement with respect to given anti-collision techniques among the anti-collision techniques by the reader/writer;
• implementing answers to the anti-collision technique identification requirement by the reader/writer at different timings respectively for respective IC cards among the IC cards which use different anti collision techniques respectively;
• causing the reader/writer to require identifications of types of the IC cards in dependence upon the given anti-collision techniques in response to the answers for the respective IC cards;
• returning identification data of the IC cards in response to the card type identification requirements by the reader/writer for respective IC cards among the IC cards which use different anti-collision techniques respectively;
• and
• causing the reader/writer to identify the types of the IC cards in response to the identification data of the respective IC. cards.

A contactless IC card communication system comprising:

• a reader/writer;
• a first IC card using a first anti-collision technique;
• a second IC card using a second anti-collision technique different from the first anti-collision technique;
• first means provided in the reader/writer for transmitting a first requirement signal to the first IC card and the second IC card;
• second means provided in the first IC card for generating a first answer signal in response to the first requirement signal transmitted from the reader/writer, and for returning the first answer signal to the reader/writer at a first timing, the first answer signal representing the anti-collision technique used by the first IC card;
• third means provided in the second IC card for generating a second answer signal in response to the first requirement signal transmitted from the reader/writer, and for returning the second answer signal to the reader/writer at a second timing different from the first timing, the second answer signal representing the anti-collision technique used by the second IC card;
• fourth means provided in the reader/writer for generating a second requirement signal in response to the first answer signal transmitted from the first IC card, and for transmitting the second requirement signal to the first IC card at a third timing determined by the anti-collision technique represented by the first answer signal;
• and
• fifth means provided in the reader/writer for generating a third requirement signal in response to the second answer signal transmitted from the second IC card, and for transmitting the third requirement signal to the second IC card at a fourth timing different from the third timing and determined by the anti-collision technique represented by the second answer signal.

A contactless IC card communication system comprising:

• a reader/writer;
• a first IC card using a first anti-collision technique;
• a second IC card using a second anti-collision technique different from the first anti-collision technique;
• first means provided in the reader/writer for transmitting a first requirement signal to the first IC card and the second IC card;
• second means provided in the first IC card for generating a first answer signal in response to the first requirement signal transmitted from the reader/writer, and for returning the first answer signal to the reader/writer at a first timing, the first answer signal representing the anti-collision technique used by the first IC card;
• third means provided in the second IC card for generating a second answer signal in response to the first requirement signal transmitted from the reader/writer, and for returning the second answer signal to the reader/writer at a second timing different from the first timing, the second answer signal representing the anti-collision technique used by the second IC card;
• fourth means provided in the reader/writer for generating a second requirement signal in response to the first answer signal transmitted from the first IC card, and for transmitting the second requirement signal to the first IC card at a third timing determined by the anti-collision technique represented by the first answer signal;
• fifth means provided in the reader/writer for generating a third requirement signal in response to the second answer signal transmitted from the second IC card, and for transmitting the third requirement signal to the second IC card at a fourth timing different from the third timing and determined by the anti-collision technique represented by the second answer signal;
• sixth means provided in the first IC and card for generating a third answer signal and returning the third answer signal to the reader/writer in response to the second requirement signal transmitted from the reader/writer, the third answer signal representing identification information of the first IC card;
• seventh means provided in the second IC card for generating a fourth answer signal and returning the fourth answer signal to the reader/writer in response to the third requirement signal transmitted from the reader/writer, the fourth answer signal representing identification information of the second IC card;
• eighth means provided in the reader/writer for recovering the identification information of the first IC card from the third answer signal transmitted therefrom, and for storing the recovered identification information of the first IC card;
• and
• ninth means provided in the reader/writer for recovering the identification information of the second IC card from the fourth answer signal transmitted therefrom, and for storing the recovered identification information of the second IC card.

A contactless IC card communication system comprising:

• a reader/writer (RW) and IC cards which communicate with each other on a contactless basis according to anti-collision techniques;
• first means provided in the reader/writer for implementing identification requirement with respect to given anti-collision techniques among the anti-collision techniques;
• second means provided in respective IC cards among the IC cards which use different anti-collision techniques respectively for implementing answers to the anti-collision technique identification requirement by the first means at different timings respectively;
• third means provided in the reader/writer for requiring identifications of the IC cards in dependence upon the given anti-collision techniques in response to the answers by the second means;
• fourth means provided in respective IC cards among the IC cards which use different anti-collision techniques respectively for returning identification data of the related IC cards in response to the card identification requirements by the third means;
• and
• fifth means provided in the reader/writer for identifying the IC cards in response to the identification data returned by the fourth means.

A contactless IC card communication method in which a reader/writer (RW) and IC cards communicate with each other on a contactless basis according to anti-collision techniques, the method comprising:

• causing the reader/writer to implement identification requirement with respect to given anti-collision techniques among the anti-collision techniques by the reader/writer;
• implementing answers to the anti-collision technique identification requirement by the reader/writer at different timings respectively for respective IC cards among the IC cards which use different anti-collision techniques respectively;
• causing the reader/writer to require identifications of the IC cards in dependence upon the given anti-collision techniques in response to the answers for the respective IC cards;
• returning identification data of the IC cards in response to the card identification requirements by the reader/writer for respective IC cards among the IC cards which use different anti-collision techniques respectively;
• and
• causing the reader/writer to identify the IC cards in response to the identification data of the respective IC cards.