System for testing smart cards and method for same
View Patent ↗A system and method for testing multiple smart card devices in parallel and asynchronously are provided. The system includes a smart card module that may be easily inserted in a digital test system. The smart card module includes multiple smart card instrument channels, each one of which testing a separate smart card device independently and asynchronously from the others. The smart card instrument channels employ a novel modulation technique based on palette waveforms that are formed of transitions between two data bits.
1. A system for testing a plurality of radio frequency smart card devices, comprising a smart card module having a plurality of smart card instrument channels, each of the plurality of smart card instrument channels being adapted to test one of the plurality of radio frequency smart card devices, each of the plurality of smart card instrument channels being asynchronous and independent of others of the plurality of smart card instrument channels.
2. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a mixed signal pin card board coupled to the smart card module.
3. The system of claim 2 , further comprising an analog capture instrument module coupled to the mixed signal pin card board.
4. The system of claim 1 , further comprising a relay matrix for coupling the plurality of smart card instrument channels to the plurality of smart card devices.
5. The system of claim 4 , wherein the smart card module includes a set of common system resources for coupling the plurality of smart card instrument channels to the plurality of smart card devices.
6. The system of claim 5 , wherein each of the plurality of smart card instrument channels comprises a transmitter and a receiver.
7. The system of claim 6 , wherein the transmitter includes a transmit data memory, an encoder, and a modulator.
8. The system of claim 7 , wherein the modulator includes a palette memory coupled to the encoder for use with a test signal having at least two data bits and configured to store a plurality of palette waveforms, each palette waveform corresponding to a transition between the two data bits.
9. The system of claim 8 , wherein the palette memory is coupled to a digital to analog converter.
10. The system of claim 6 , wherein the receiver includes a decoder, control logic, and a receive data memory.
11. The system of claim 6 , wherein each of the plurality of smart card instrument channels includes a programmable state machine configured to manage the transmitter and the receiver.
12. The system of claim 1 , wherein each of the plurality of smart card instrument channels comprises a transmitter and a receiver.
13. The system of claim 12 , wherein each of the plurality of smart card instrument channels includes a programmable state machine configured to manage the transmitter and the receiver.
14. The system of claim 13 , wherein each programmable state machine is configured to handle one of a new communication protocol and a modified communication protocol for communication with the radio frequency smart card devices.
15. The system of claim 13 , wherein each programmable state machine is configured to perform AC parametric testing of the radio frequency smart card devices.
16. The system of claim 13 , further comprising:
a palette memory system configured to store digitized symbol modulation waveforms for each of the plurality of smart card instrument channels; and
a digital to analog converter connected to the palette memory system and configured to convert digitized symbol modulation waveforms into an RF carrier with modulation to be sent to the radio frequency smart card devices.
17. The system of claim 16 , further comprising an encoding system connected to the palette memory system and configured to select digitized symbol modulation waveforms for each bit of digital data to be sent to the radio frequency smart card devices.