ProxiLAB3 Tests Latest Contactless Smart Card Technology

March 24, 2010 - PRLog -- Raisonance, a leading supplier of test and certification tools for the smart card industry, announced the availability of their next generation signal emulator for smart  card test and certification.

ProxiLAB3 delivers a combination of industry-leading demodulation capabilities, test hardware automation and product adaptability to help companies keep pace with the rapid evolutions of smart card signaling technology. ProxiLAB3, provides all the features required for testing smart cards, smart card readers and new NFC mobile phones in all modes of operation (passive, active and peer-to-peer). The capabilities and flexibility of ProxiLAB3 make it possible for any company in the smart card industry to invest in the right tools to ensure interoperability and reliability in their smart card technology.

Certification of smart card technology is a costly, time consuming, but necessary step in the launch of any smart card product. ProxiLAB3 is the cornerstone of a complete test bench for certification of contactless smart cards. ProxiLAB3 reduces the cost of this essential equipment with improved performance and automation. Thanks to integration of state-of-the-art demodulation technology, ProxiLAB3 reduces the tools required to run a test bench. This cuts overall cost of a complete test bench by several thousand dollars.

Cost is also impacted by improved efficiency. ProxiLAB3 now implements test hardware automation features that make it possible to digitally modify parameters of test antennas (ex. resonance frequency, loading effect and retro modulation) so they are easily and rapidly controlled from a software interface. This improves test efficiency, and repeatability by making it possible to automatically run a complete battery of tests without physically touching or modifying the hardware installation.

According to Benoit Hedou, the Smart Card Group Director, “Reducing the cost of running correct tests prior to certification and product launch is a priority for us. By reducing test bench cost, small and medium sized companies can benefit to the same technology as industry leaders and laboratories to pre-certify their products. This significantly improves time to market by eliminating delays imposed by failed certification in a laboratory.”

Finally, ProxiLAB3 provides unprecedented flexibility by providing emulation of smart cards, readers and NFC mobile phones in a single test platform. It also allows user to add support for the protocols that they require, to include ISO 14443, NFC, FeliCa and ISO 15693. ProxiLAB flexibility comes from a software/hardware implementation that makes it easy to control tool functionality via the software. This allows users to buy functionality that meets today’s needs, but with the possibility to rapidly add functionality to meet future needs. “A company that manufacturers readers using FeliCa protocol today, may want to support ISO14443 tomorrow to enter a new market. With ProxiLAB3, adding the functionality can be done in a matter of hours, without returning the hardware to Raisonance,” says Hedou.

Improvements in features and demodulation performance also position ProxiLAB3 for testing of new Very High Data Rate (VHDR) protocol. VHDR offers data rates that are more than 10 times faster than today’s technology and will reach the market in the coming three to five years. Raisonance participates actively in VHDR research to ensure that ProxiLAB is VHDR ready. “At Raisonance, we experience first hand the speed of technology change, and we understand the challenge this poses for companies in this industry. ProxiLAB is designed to evolve with industry requirements.”

ProxiLAB3 is currently available and already used by laboratories for certification of smart cards and NFC mobile phones. For pricing and delivery information, contact info@raisonance.com.

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About Raisonance:

Raisonance is a leading manufacturer and supplier of development and validation tools, serving customers that include leading component manufacturers and professional engineers around the world since 1988. With extensive technical expertise in both hardware and software design, Raisonance offers innovative, high quality, cost effective tools for smart card system validation and microcontroller application development. Working with industry leaders, certification laboratories and standards organizations, Raisonance has developed its “Proxi” and “Contact” lines of protocol analyzers and configurable laboratory readers for interoperability testing and certification of contactless and contact smart card systems used in banking, transportation, identity and mobile communications.

More Information:

www.proxilab3.com
www.sc-raisonance.com