ISO/IEC 10373-7:2008

INTERNATIONAL ISO/IEC
STANDARD 10373-7
Second edition
2008-05-01
Identification cards — Test methods —
Part 7:
Vicinity cards
Cartes d'identification — Méthodes d'essai —
Partie 7: Cartes de voisinage
Reference number
©
ISO/IEC 2008
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ii © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

Contents Page
Foreword. iv
1 Scope . 1
2 Normative reference(s). 1
3 Terms, definitions, symbols and abbreviated terms. 2
3.1 Terms and definitions. 2
3.2 Symbols and abbreviated terms . 2
4 Default items applicable to the test methods .2
4.1 Test environment. 2
4.2 Pre-conditioning . 3
4.3 Default tolerance. 3
4.4 Spurious inductance . 3
4.5 Total measurement uncertainty . 3
5 Static electricity test. 3
5.1 Apparatus . 4
5.2 Procedure . 4
5.3 Test report . 4
6 Test apparatus and test circuits. 5
6.1 Calibration coil . 5
6.2 Test VCD assembly. 6
6.3 Reference VICCs. 7
6.4 Digital sampling oscilloscope . 8
7 Functional test — VICC . 9
7.1 Purpose. 9
7.2 Test procedure . 9
7.3 Test report . 9
8 Functional test — VCD . 9
8.1 VCD field strength and power transfer. 9
8.2 Modulation index and waveform. 10
8.3 Load modulation reception. 11
Annex A (normative) Test VCD antenna . 12
Annex B (informative) Test VCD antenna tuning . 15
Annex C (normative) Sense coil . 17
Annex D (normative) Reference VICC for VCD power test . 19
Annex E (informative) Reference VICC for load modulation test . 21
Annex F (informative) Program for evaluation of the spectrum. 22

© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved iii

Foreword
ISO (the International Organization for Standardization) and IEC (the International Electrotechnical
Commission) form the specialized system for worldwide standardization. National bodies that are members of
ISO or IEC participate in the development of International Standards through technical committees
established by the respective organization to deal with particular fields of technical activity. ISO and IEC
technical committees collaborate in fields of mutual interest. Other international organizations, governmental
and non-governmental, in liaison with ISO and IEC, also take part in the work. In the field of information
technology, ISO and IEC have established a joint technical committee, ISO/IEC JTC 1.
International Standards are drafted in accordance with the rules given in the ISO/IEC Directives, Part 2.
The main task of the joint technical committee is to prepare International Standards. Draft International
Standards adopted by the joint technical committee are circulated to national bodies for voting. Publication as
an International Standard requires approval by at least 75 % of the national bodies casting a vote.
Attention is drawn to the possibility that some of the elements of this document may be the subject of patent
rights. ISO and IEC shall not be held responsible for identifying any or all such patent rights.
ISO/IEC 10373-7 was prepared by Joint Technical Committee ISO/IEC JTC 1, Information technology,
Subcommittee SC 17, Cards and personal identification.
This second edition cancels and replaces the first edition (ISO/IEC 10373-7:2001), Clause 5 and subclause
6.3.5 of which have been technically revised.
ISO/IEC 10373 consists of the following parts, under the general title Identification cards — Test methods:
⎯ Part 1: General characteristics
⎯ Part 2: Cards with magnetic stripes
⎯ Part 3: Integrated circuit(s) cards with contacts and related interface devices
⎯ Part 5: Optical memory cards
⎯ Part 6: Proximity cards
⎯ Part 7: Vicinity cards
iv © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

INTERNATIONAL STANDARD ISO/IEC 10373-7:2008(E)

Identification cards — Test methods —
Part 7:
Vicinity cards
1 Scope
ISO/IEC 10373 defines test methods for characteristics of identification cards according to the definition given
in ISO/IEC 7810. Each test method is cross-referenced to one or more base standards, which may be
ISO/IEC 7810 or one or more of the supplementary standards that define the information storage technologies
employed in identification card applications.
NOTE 1 Criteria for acceptability do not form part of ISO/IEC 10373, but will be found in the International Standards
mentioned above.
NOTE 2 Test methods defined in ISO/IEC 10373 are intended to be performed separately. A given card is not required
to pass through all the tests sequentially.
This part of ISO/IEC 10373 deals with test methods, which are specific to contactless integrated circuit card
(vicinity card) technology. ISO/IEC 10373-1 deals with test methods which are common to one or more ICC
technologies and other parts deal with other technology-specific tests.
Unless otherwise specified, the tests in this part of ISO/IEC 10373 apply exclusively to vicinity cards defined in
ISO/IEC 15693-1 and ISO/IEC 15693-2.
2 Normative reference(s)
The following referenced documents are indispensable for the application of this document. For dated
references, only the edition cited applies. For undated references, the latest edition of the referenced
document (including any amendments) applies.
ISO/IEC 7810, Identification cards — Physical characteristics
ISO/IEC 15693-1, Identification cards — Contactless integrated circuit(s) cards — Vicinity cards — Part 1:
Physical characteristics
ISO/IEC 15693-2:2006, Identification cards — Contactless integrated circuit cards — Vicinity cards — Part 2:
Air interface and initialization
ISO/IEC 15693-3, Identification cards — Contactless integrated circuit(s) cards — Vicinity cards — Part 3:
Anticollision and transmission protocol
IEC 61000-4-2, Electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) — Part 4-2: Testing and measurement techniques —
Electrostatic discharge immunity test
ISBN 92-67-10188-9, Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement, ISO, 1993
© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved 1

3 Terms, definitions, symbols and abbreviated terms
3.1 Terms and definitions
For the purposes of this document, the following terms and definitions apply.
3.1.1
base standard
standard which the test method is used to verify conformance to
3.1.2
operate as intended
surviving the action of some potentially destructive influence to the extent that any integrated circuit present in
1)
the card continues to operate and show a response as defined in ISO/IEC 15693-3 which conforms to the
base standard
NOTE If other technologies exist on the same card, they will operate as intended in accordance with their respective
standard.
3.1.3
test method
method for testing characteristics of identification cards for the purpose of confirming their compliance with
International Standards
3.2 Symbols and abbreviated terms
DUT device under test
ESD electrostatic discharge
fc frequency of the operating field
fs1, fs2 frequencies of the subcarriers
H maximum field strength of the VCD antenna field
max
H minimum field strength of the VCD antenna field
min
VCD vicinity coupling device
VICC vicinity card
4 Default items applicable to the test methods
4.1 Test environment
Unless otherwise specified, testing shall take place in an environment of temperature 23°C ± 3°C (73°F ± 5°F)
and of relative humidity 40% to 60%.

1) This International Standard does not define any test to establish the complete functioning of integrated circuit(s) cards.
The test methods require only that a minimum functionality be verified. This may, in appropriate circumstances, be
supplemented by further, application specific functionality criteria which are not available in the general case.
2 © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

4.2 Pre-conditioning
Where pre-conditioning is required by the test method, the identification cards to be tested shall be
conditioned to the test environment for a period of 24 h before testing.
4.3 Default tolerance
Unless otherwise specified, a default tolerance of ± 5% shall be applied to the quantity values given to specify
the characteristics of the test equipment (e.g. linear dimensions) and the test method procedures (e.g. test
equipment adjustments).
4.4 Spurious inductance
Resistors and capacitors should have negligible inductance.
4.5 Total measurement uncertainty
The total measurement uncertainty for each quantity determined by these test methods shall be stated in the
test report.
Basic information is given in the “Guide to the Expression of Uncertainty in Measurement”, ISBN 92-67-
10188-9, ISO, 1993.
5 Static electricity test
The purpose of this test is to check the behaviour of the VICC in relation to electrostatic discharge (ESD)
exposure of the test sample. The VICC under test is exposed to a simulated electrostatic discharge (ESD,
human body model) and its basic operation checked following the exposure.

Discharge tip
ESD gun
VICC
0,5 mm thick insulating support
Horizontal coupling conductive
plane on wooden table, 0,8m
470 kOhm
high, standing on ground
reference plane
470 kOhm
Figure 1 — ESD test circuit
© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved 3

5.1 Apparatus
Refer to IEC 61000-4-2.
a) Main specifications of the ESD generator:
⎯ energy storage capacitance: 150 pF ± 10%
⎯ discharge resistance: 330 Ohm ± 10%
⎯ charging resistance: between 50 MOhm and 100 MOhm
⎯ rise time: 0,7 to 1 ns
b) Selected specifications from the optional items:
⎯ type of equipment: table top equipment
⎯ discharge method: direct application of air discharge to the equipment under test
⎯ discharge electrodes of the ESD generator: round tip probe of 8 mm diameter
5.2 Procedure
Connect the test apparatus as specified in IEC 61000-4-2.
Apply the discharge successively in normal polarity to each of the 20 test zones shown in Figure 2. Then
repeat the same procedure with reversed polarity. Allow a cool-down period between successive pulses of at
least 10 s.
WARNING — If the VICC includes contacts, the contacts shall be face up and the zone which includes
contacts shall not be exposed to this discharge.
Check that the VICC operates as intended at the end of the test.

12 3 4 5
67 8 9 10
11 12 13 14 15
16 17 18 19 20
Figure 2 — Test zones on VICC for ESD test

5.3 Test report
The test report shall state whether or not the VICC operates as intended.
4 © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

6 Test apparatus and test circuits
This clause defines the test apparatus and test circuits for verifying the operation of a VICC or a VCD
according to ISO/IEC 15693-2. The test apparatus includes:
⎯ calibration coil (see 6.1),
⎯ test VCD assembly (see 6.2),
⎯ reference VICC (see 6.3),
⎯ digital sampling oscilloscope (see 6.4).
6.1 Calibration coil
This subclause defines the size, thickness and characteristics of the calibration coil.
6.1.1 Size of the calibration coil card
The calibration coil card consists of an area, which has the height and width defined in ISO/IEC 7810 for ID-1
type containing a single turn coil concentric with the card outline.
ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 outline
connections
Coil 72x42 mm
1 turn
Figure 3 — Calibration coil
6.1.2 Thickness and material of the calibration coil card
The thickness of the calibration coil card shall be 0,76 mm ±10%. It shall be constructed of a suitable
insulating material.
6.1.3 Coil characteristics
The coil on the calibration coil card shall have one turn. The outer size of the coil shall be 72 mm (± 2%) × 42
mm (± 2%) with corner radius 5 mm.
NOTE 1 The area over which the field is integrated is approximately 3000 mm .
The coil is made as a printed coil on PCB plated with 35 µm copper. Track width shall be 500 µm ± 20%. The
size of the connection pads shall be 1,5 mm × 1,5 mm.
NOTE 2 At 13,56 MHz the approximate inductance is 200 nH and the approximate resistance is 0,25 Ohm.
A high impedance oscilloscope probe (e.g. >1MOhm, <14pF) shall be used to measure the (open circuit)
voltage in the coil. The resonance frequency of the whole set (calibration coil, connecting leads and probe)
shall be above 60 MHz.
© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved 5

NOTE 3 A parasitic capacitance of the probe assembly of less than 35 pF normally ensures a resonant frequency for
the whole set of greater than 60 MHz.
The open circuit calibration factor for this coil is 0,32 V (rms) per A/m (rms) [Equivalent to 900 mV (peak-to-
peak) per A/m (rms)].
6.2 Test VCD assembly
The test VCD assembly for load modulation consists of a 150 mm diameter VCD antenna and two parallel
sense coils: sense coil a and sense coil b. The test set-up is shown in Figure 4. The sense coils are
connected such that the signal from one coil is in opposite phase to the other. The 10 Ohm potentiometer P1
serves to fine adjust the balance point when the sense coils are not loaded by a VICC or any magnetically
coupled circuit. The capacitive load of the probe including its parasitic capacitance shall be less than 14 pF.

+ +
sense coil b
240 Ω
- -
+/- 1%
P1
identical length
twisted pairs of less
10 Ω
than 150 mm
240 Ω
VCD
+/- 1%
probe
antenna
+ +
sense coil a
- -
to
oscilloscope
Figure 4 — Test set-up
The maximum length of 150 mm of the twisted pairs takes the wider spacing of the sense coils in comparison
to the set-up in ISO/IEC 10373-6 into account.
In order to avoid any unintended misalignment in case of an unsymmetrical set-up the tuning range of the
potentiometer P1 is only 10 Ω. If the set-up cannot be compensated by the 10 Ω potentiometer P1 the overall
symmetry of the set-up should be checked.
The capacitance of the connections and oscilloscope probe should be kept to a minimum for reproducibility.
The high impedance oscilloscope probe ground connection should be as short as possible, less than 20 mm
or coaxial connection.
6.2.1 Test VCD antenna
The Test VCD antenna shall have a diameter of 150 mm and its construction shall conform to the drawings in
Annex A. The tuning of the antenna may be accomplished with the procedure given in Annex B.
6 © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

6.2.2 Sense coils
The size of the sense coils is 100 x 70 mm. The sense coil construction shall conform to the drawings in
Annex C.
6.2.3 Assembly of test VCD
The sense coils and test VCD antenna are assembled parallel and with the sense and antenna coils coaxial
and such that the distance between the active conductors is 100 mm as in Figure 5. The distance between the
coil in the DUT and the calibration coil shall be equal with respect to the coil of the test VCD antenna.

100 mm 100 mm
active
conductors
DUT
3mm air
calibration coil
spacing
sense coil b
VCD
sense coil a
antenna
NOTE The distance of 100 mm reflects larger read distance and 3mm air spacing avoids parasitic effects such as
detuning by closer spacing or ambiguous results due to noise and other environmental effects.
Figure 5 — Test VCD assembly
6.3 Reference VICCs
Reference VICCs are defined
⎯ to test H and H produced by a VCD (under conditions of loading by a VICC),
min max
⎯ to test the ability of a VCD to power a VICC,
⎯ to detect the minimum load modulation signal from the VICC.
6.3.1 Reference VICC for VCD power
The schematic for the power test is shown in Annex D. Power dissipation can be set by the resistor R1 or R2
respectively in order to measure H and H as defined in 8.1.2. The resonant frequency can be adjusted
max min
with C2.
© ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved 7

6.3.2 Reference VICC for load modulation test
A suggested schematic for the load modulation test is shown in Annex E. The load modulation can be chosen
to be resistive or reactive.
This reference VICC is calibrated by using the Test VCD assembly as follows:
The reference VICC is placed in the position of the DUT. The load modulation signal amplitude is
measured as described in 7.2. This amplitude should correspond to the minimum amplitude at all values
of field strength required by the base standard.
6.3.3 Dimensions of the reference VICCs
The reference VICCs consist of an area containing the coils which has the height and width defined in
ISO/IEC 7810 for ID-1 type. An area external to this, containing the circuitry which emulates the required VICC
functions, is appended in a way as to allow insertion into the test set-ups described below and so as to cause
no interference to the tests. The dimensions shall be as in Figure 6.

outline ISO/IEC 7810
Coil
Circuitry
ID-1 type
172 mm
Figure 6 — Reference VICC dimensions
6.3.4 Thickness of the reference VICC board
The thickness of the reference VICC active area shall be 0,76 mm ±10%.
6.3.5 Coil characteristics
The coil in the active area of the reference VICC shall have 4 turns and shall be concentric with the area
outline.
The outer size of the coils shall be 72 mm ± 2% x 42 mm ± 2%.
The coil is printed on PCB plated with 35 µm copper.
Track width and spacing shall be 500 µm ± 20%.
NOTE At 13,56 MHz the nominal inductance is 3,5 µH and the nominal resistance is 1 Ohm.
6.4 Digital sampling oscilloscope
The digital sampling oscilloscope shall be capable of sampling at a rate of at least 100 million samples per
second with a resolution of at least 8 bits at optimum scaling. The oscilloscope should have the capability to
output the sampled data as a text file to facilitate mathematical and other operations such as windowing on
the sampled data using external software programmes (Annex F).
8 © ISO/IEC 2008 – All rights reserved

7 Functional test — VICC
7.1 Purpose
The purpose of this test is to determine the amplitude of the VICC load modulation signal within the operating
field range [H , H ] as specified in 6.2 of the base standard and the functionality of the VICC with the
min max
modulation under emitted fields as defined in Figure 1 and Figure 2 of ISO/IEC 15693-2:2006, of the base
standard.
7.2 Test procedure
Step 1: The load modulation test circuit of Figure 4 and the test VCD assembly of Figure 5 are used.
The RF power delivered by the signal generator to the test VCD antenna shall be adjusted to the required field
strength and modulation waveforms as measured by the calibration coil without any VICC. The output of the
load modulation test circuit of Figure 4 is connected to a digital sampling oscilloscope. The 10 Ohm
potentiometer P1 shall be trimmed to minimise the residual carrier. This signal shall be at least 40 dB lower
than the signal obtained by shorting one sense coil.
Step 2: The VICC under test shall be placed in the DUT position, concentric with sense coil a. The RF drive
into the test VCD antenna shall be re-adjusted to the required field strength.
NOTE Care should be taken to apply a proper synchronization method for low amplitude load modulation.
Exactly two subcarrier cycles of the sampled modulation waveform shall be Fourier transfo
...