|
Any pocket-sized card having embedded Integrated circuits, capable of storing and processing data and communicating using radio waves can be called a contactless smart card. These cards usually have credit card dimensions. They also contain a security system that makes it tamper resistant. A central administration system manages the cards and interchanges configuration settings and information with the card through the security systems. This system also administers the data transfer to and from the card via radio waves. Octopus Card used for Hong Kong’s mass transit system in 1997 was the first contactless smart card.
The contactless smart card works on technology similar to Radio frequency Identification (RFID). They have a chip that communicates with the card reader through an induction technology. They need to be in a close proximity of an antenna to complete a transaction and are often used to process the transactions very quickly. The readers for these cards use radio waves for read/write purposes.
The contactless smart cards have an inductor that use the principle of resonant inductive coupling to capture and rectify some of the incident electromagnetic signal and then use it to power the card.
The communication standards for these cards are ISO/IEC 14443 and ISO/IEC 15693. They allow communications up to 10 cm and 50cm respectively.
The RFID as mentioned above can be used for some applications similar to contactless smart cards. But they do not possess writable memory or capability of microcontroller processing, both of which are properties of contactless smart cards.
Some dual-interface cards implement both contact and contactless interface on a single card. These interfaces often have some shared processing and storage. Andante, Porto’s multi-application transport card is one such example.
These cards have proved to make business transactions secure, flexible and quick. They can be used for data storage as well as identification and authentication.
The contactless smart cards are used in applications in a wide variety of areas. The finance industry employs the card as contactless credit cards, ATM cards, electronic wallets etc. today’s digital identification cards also employ the contactless smart card technology. Transportation cards also use this technology for storing access rights and electronic purses.
The major problem with the contactless smart cards is the damage rate. These cards are made up of fairly flexible plastic and are usually handled and carried in harsh ways. This can result in damaging the chip in it.
|
