Understanding Smart Card Timing

原文出处：http://leijiye.blog.163.com/blog/static/5699763720103135131428/

Understanding Smart Card Timing

Lei Jiye

Version 1.0, 2010-3-25

1.  Preface

There are various timing in all smart card sessions, including: card activation, card deactivation, cold/warm reset, answer to reset (ATR) reception, and data transfers. As a smart card driver developer, it is very important to understand smart card timing in those sessions. Understanding smart card timing is a guide to understand smart card communication, it is very useful for developing smart card driver.

 

In this document, various concepts and timing are described based on contact smart card, memory card and contactless smart card are out of scope of this document. This document can be treated as an interpretation of ISO/CEI 7816-3.

 

Figure 1-1 Contact smart card

2.  Abbreviation

Abbreviation	Description
Vcc	Voltage, contact C1
RST	Reset, contact C2
CLK	Clock, contact C3
AUX1	Auxiliary 1, Supplementary contact C4
GND	Ground, contact C5
Vpp	Programming voltage, contact C6
I/O	Input/output for serial communication, contact C7
AUX2	Auxiliary2, Supplementary contact C8
SCI	Smart Card Interface, it can be considered as smart card reader.
ATR	Answer to Reset
ETU	Elementary time unit is the time of transferring one bit on the I/O line
ICC	Integrated Circuit Card, i.e. smart card
ASC	Asynchronous Serial Controller
CGT	Character Guard Time, also abbreviated as guardtime
WWT	Work Waiting Time
CWT	Character Waiting Time
CWI	Character Waiting time Integer
BGT	Block Guard Time
BWT	Block Waiting Time

 

 

3.  Basic concepts for smart card timing

3.1.      ETU

ETU (elementary time unit) is the time of transferring one bit on the I/O line.

1 ETU = (F / D) * (1 / f)

l  F is the clock rate conversion factor.

l  D is the baud rate adjustment factor.

l  The minimum value of the frequency f shall be 1 MHz. The maximum value is given by table 7 as a function of FI. The default maximum value is 5 MHz.

 

For computing the ETU, the pair of factors F and D shall take one of the following three pairs of values:

l  Fi and Di, the values indicated by the card in TA(1) according to tables 3-1 and 3-2. If TA(1) is absent, then Fi and Di are set at default values.

l  Fd and Dd, the default values 372 and 1.

l  Fn and Dn, the values negotiated by a successful PPS exchange in ranges Fd to Fi and Dd to Di.

Table 3-1 – Fi, indicated values of the clock rate conversion factor

FI	0000	0001	0010	0011	0100	0101	0110	0111
Fi	372	372	558	744	1116	1488	1860	RFU
f(max)MHz	4	5	6	8	12	16	20	-

 

FI	1000	1001	1010	1011	1100	1101	1110	1111
Fi	RFU	512	768	1024	1536	2048	RFU	RFU
f(max)MHz	-	5	7.5	10	15	20	-	-

 

Table 3-2 – Di, indicated values of the baud rate adjustment factor

DI	0000	0001	0010	0011	0100	0101	0110	0111
Di	RFU	1	2	4	8	16	32	RFU

 

DI	1000	1001	1010	1011	1100	1101	1110	1111
Di	12	20	RFU	RFU	RFU	RFU	RFU	RFU

 

3.2.      Clock and baudrate

Smart card processors usually do not have internal clock generators. An externally supplied clock is therefore necessary, and it is applied to the CLK contact. This clock also provides the reference for data transmission rates.

 

In smart card driver, the clock can be configured to choose the clock source (source clock value) and the division factor to derive the input clock for smart card.

 

In this document, baudrate is equal to bit rate, since only one bit is transmitted for each state change. Baudrate or bit rate is the data transmission rate on the I/O line.

Baudrate = (Clock / F) * D.

l  During reset, F = 372, D = 1. In case Fclk = 3.5712 MHz, Baudrate = 3571200 / 372 = 9600 b/s.

l  During command and response, baudrate is fixed by F and D in the ATR. For example, the Smart Cards NAGRAVISION indicates T=1, F=512 and D=16 in their ATR. So, with these cards, the SC interface is configured for a baudrate of 3571200 / 512 * 16 = 111600 b/s.

 

4.  Activation and deactivation

After card insertion, to avoid damage and undefined state, the card must be precisely activated. And also it should be precisely deactivated when the card is removed. The sequences of activation and deactivation are reflected in ISO/CEI 7816-3.

Figure 4-1 Activation and deactivation

 

5.  Cold reset and warm reset

 

With VCC and CLK provided, the smart card starts working, then it can be reset via the RST line. This requires a low level to be first applied to this line, with the actual reset being initiated by the subsequent rising edge.

There are two ways a card is reset:

l  Cold Reset: When the supply voltage is turned off and on again. Ejecting the card out and inserting again will have the same effect.

l  Warm Reset: When a Signal is sent through RST pin to reset the ICC without power &clock off.

 

Figure 5-1 Cold Reset

 

Figure 5-2 Warm Reset

 

 

 

6.  Character frame

A character consists of ten consecutive moments; each moment is either at state Z (high) or at state A (low).

l  m1: the “start moment”, shall be at state A;

l  m2 to m9: convey a byte of 8 bits;

l  m10: conveys the “parity bit”.

Figure 6-1 Character frame

 

(In the above character frame, 0.2 ETU is the sampling time.)

 

In smart card driver, usually some settings for character frame must be set in Asynchronous Serial Controller (ASC) registers. These settings include:

(1)    ASC mode: ASC mode can be 7-bit data + parity, 8-bit data, 8-bit data + parity, 8-bit data + wake up bit, or 9-bit data.

(2)    Parity mode: Even parity or odd parity.

(3)    Stop bits: 0.5, 1, 1.5 or 2 stop bits. The time allocated to the stop bits is designated as the ‘guard time’.

 

7.  Time between characters

7.1.      Character Guardtime (CGT)

7.1.1. Guardtime concept

The guardtime (Character Guardtime, CGT) is the delay between the end of the previous character and the start of the next character. So, the delay between two consecutives characters (between start leading edges) is at least 12 ETU, including a character duration (10+/-0.2) ETU plus a guardtime (minimum guardtime).

 

While in guardtime, the card and the interface device shall remain both in reception mode (in error-free operation), so the I/O is maintained at state Z. The guardtime consists of a minimum guardtime and an extra guardtime.

l  The minimum guardtime is 2 ETU.

l  The extra guardtime is defined by TC1 (N) in the ATR.

i.e., guardtime = minimum guardtime + extra guardtime = 2 ETU + (Q * N / f).

 

In the ATR, TC1 codes the parameter N over the eight bits (b8 to b1). N is the extra guardtime used to send characters from the interface device to the card. No extra guardtime is used to send characters from the card to the interface device (only minimum guardtime is required).

In the formula, Q shall take either one of the two values:

l  F / D, i.e., the values used for computing the ETU, if T = 15 is absent in the ATR.

l  Fi / Di, if T = 15 is present in the ATR.

Note: if TA(1) is present and T=15 is absent, then Q = F / D = f * ETU, (1 ETU = (F/D)*(1/f))

guardtime = 2 ETU + (Q * N / f) = 2 ETU + N * ETU = (2 + N) ETU.

 

The range of N is 0 to 255.

(1)      The default value is N = 0.

(2)      In the range 0 to 254, N indicates that, before ready to receive the next character, the card requires the delay of (12 ETU + (Q * N / f)) from the leading edge of the previous character (sent either by the card or by the interface device).

(3)      N = 255 indicates that, during the transmission protocol, the minimum delay between the leading edges of two consecutive characters is the same in both directions of transmission. The value of this minimum delay is

l  12 ETU for T = 0,

l  11 ETU for T = 1.

 

7.1.2. Guardtime in smart card driver

In smart card driver, extra guardtime is programmed in GUARDTIME register. For example, in a 32-bit GUARDTIME register, only bit[7~0] is used for setting the extra guardtime.

guardtime = (GUARDTIME + 2) mode 256

l  For a guardtime of 2 ETU, GUARDTIME register value is 0.

l  Extra guardtime of 1-254 ETU can be programmed.

l  If a value of 255 is written into GUARDTIME register, this means the total guardtime is 1 ETU, and characters are transmitted every 11 ETU. Note that this setting is only applicable in T = 1 mode.

 

 

7.2.      Work waiting time (WWT)

7.2.1. Work waiting time concept

The interval between the start leading edge of any character sent by the card and the start leading edge of the previous character (sent either by the card or by the interface device) shall not exceed 960 * WI * (Fi / f). This maximum delay is named the work waiting time (WWT). (ISO/CEI 7816-3, 8.2)

 

Figure 7-1 Work waiting time

In an answer to reset, the interface character TC2 codes the integer value WI over eight bits b8 to b1. When no TC2 appears in the answer to reset, the default value of WI is 10.

 

For example, Using default values and the assumed card clock frequency of 3571200, we have: WWT = 960 * 10 * (372 / 3571200) = 1 second.

If interface byte TA(1) is present, F = Fi, then, D * ETU = F / f = Fi / f,

WWT = 960 * WI * (Fi / f) = 960 * WI * D * ETU

 

7.2.2. Work waiting time in smart card driver

Work waiting time is usually controlled by a timer. A timeout interrupt will be raised if there is no character received from the card within WWT. (There is no register used to control the WWT.) The timer is enabled in the ISR of ASC, after the previous Rx/Tx interrupt and before receiving the next character from smart card.

 

The timer should be disabled in several cases:

l  error occurred,

l  the expected character has been received,

l  ASC changes from receiving to transmitting.

 

 

7.3.      Character waiting time (CWT)

Character waiting time (CWT) is a concept in T=1 protocol. It is defined as the maximum delay between the leading edge of two consecutive characters in the block.

Figure 7-2 Character waiting time

CWT is calculated from CWI (Character Waiting time Integer) by the following formula

CWT = (11 + 2CWI) ETU

The bits b4 to b1 of the first TB(i) give CWI from 0 to 15. The default value of CWI is 13.

 

8.  Time between blocks in T = 1 protocol

8.1.      Block Guard Time

The block guard time is defined as the minimum interval between the leading edge of the final byte and the leading edge of the first byte in the opposite direction. The purpose of the block guard time is to provide the sender with a minimum time interval in which to switch over from transmitting to receiving.

 

The block guard time has a standard fixed value of 22 etu. In a smart card running at 3.5712

MHz with a divider value of 372, this yields an interval of approximately 2.3 ms.

 

BGT = 22 etu

 

8.2.      Block Waiting Time

The block waiting time is the maximum allowed interval between the leading edge of the last byte of a block sent to the card and the leading edge of the first byte returned by the card.

If this waiting period expires without a response being received from the card, the terminal may assume that the card is faulty and initiate an appropriate response. This could for example be a card reset, followed by a new attempt to establish communication.

Figure 8-1 Block waiting time

 

The value of the BWT is given by the formula:

BWT = 2BWI * 960 * 372/f s + 11 ETU

The bits b8 to b5 of the first TB(i) in ATR give BWI from 0 to 9.  The values 10 to 15 are reserved for future use. The default value of BWI is 4.

 

If no BWI value is given in the ATR, the default value of 4 is used. With 3.5712 MHz and a divider value of 372, this gives 1.6 s as the value for the block waiting time:

BWT = 24 × 960 × 372 / 3,571,200 Hz s + 11 etu = 24 × 0.1 s + 11 etu ≈ 1.6 s

 

9.  Time between protocol messages

The entire procedure for data transmission to and from the smart card is represented in Figure 9-1.

 

After a card has been inserted in a terminal, its contacts are first mechanically connected to those of the terminal. The five active contacts are then electrically enabled in the correct sequence. Following this, the card automatically executes a power-on reset and then sends an Answer to Reset (ATR) to the terminal (see section 4 “activation and deactivation”). The terminal evaluates the ATR, which contains various parameters relating to the card and data transmissions, and then sends the first command. The card processes the command and generates a response, which it sends back to the terminal. This back-and-forth interplay of commands and responses continues until the card is deactivated.

 

Figure 9-1 Smart card data transmission

During the data transmission procedure, there are some important timing constraints:

l  t0: It’s the time between the rising edge of RST signal and ATR, i.e. tc in the reset diagram, 400 clock <= t0 <= 40 000 clock.

l  t1and t3: For t1 and t3, the minimum value is character guardtime (CGT), and there is no maximum value. After receiving ATR or the response to the last command, the next command can be sent at any time after CGT elapses.

However, for t1, a long enough waiting time is recommended, which allows the smart card to finish its initialization after ATR. A typical example is initialization for smart card with NAND Flash. If the smart card has to initialize NAND Flash driver and file system, it takes a long time (about 2 seconds) to do this initialization. If the first command comes soon after activation and reset, the smart card is not prepared for receiving and processing this command because of its long time initialization, and then the first command will not be responded in time, and the smart card will be considered as mute.

l  t2: It’s the time between command and response, CGT <= T2 <= WWT. A timer is needed for timing t2. If the response doesn’t come in WWT, a time-out interrupt will be raised.

 

 

10.        Conclusion

In this document, smart card timing is described from low-level (reset, character transmission, block transmission) to high level (protocol messages), for more details, please refer to “smart card handbook” and ISO/CEI 7816-3.

All the description is based on my experience on Irdeto T = 0 card, Watchdata SIM card. Special timing constraints in T = 1 or T = 14 protocol are not explored much more in this document. Especially for T = 14 protocol, please refer to the specification provided by the smart card manufacture.

 

 

11.        References

[1]      Smart Handbook, Third Edition. Wolfgang Rankl and Wolfgang Effing, Giesecke & Devrient GmbH, Munich, Germany. Translated by Kenneth Cox, Kenneth Cox Technical Translations, Wassenaar, The Netherlands. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

[2]      ISO/CEI 7816-3: 1997, Information technology – Identification cards – Integrated circuit(s) cards with contacts – Part 3: Electronic signals and transmission protocols.

[3]