Electronic device including near field communication device and mobile system having the same

• US 10,038,466 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2016
• Issued: 07/31/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Inventors: Park, Jong-Seong, Lee, Jeong-Gu, Kim, Tae-Seon
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Justus, Ralph H
• Application Number:
  US15/279,552
• Publication Number:
  US 20170126267A1
• Time in Patent Office: 670 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/3888 Arrangements for carrying or protecting transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/185 Improving the rigidity of the casing or resistance to shocks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/04 including near field communication means, e.g. RFID
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A mobile system includes an electronic device and a flip cover device. The electronic device communicates with an external device through a near field communication (NFC) scheme. The flip cover device includes a back side cover, which is installed on a back surface of the electronic device to surround the back surface of the electronic device, a front side cover, which selectively covers a front surface of the electronic device and includes a display module, and a connector device, which connects the back side cover and the front side cover. The flip cover device receives power and information data from the electronic device through a first electromagnetic wave emitted from the electronic device and displays the information data on the display module using the power.

Claims

1. A mobile system, comprising:

an electronic device configured to communicate with an external device through a near field communication (NFC) scheme; and

a flip cover device configured to receive electrical power and information data from the electronic device through a first electromagnetic wave emitted from the electronic device,

the flip cover device being further configured to display the information data received from the electronic device based on the received electrical power,

the flip cover device including,

a back side cover, which is installed on a back surface of the electronic device to surround the back surface of the electronic device,

a front side cover, which selectively covers a front surface of the electronic device and includes a display module, the flip cover device being configured to display the information data on the display module, and

a connector device that connects the back side cover to the front side cover,

wherein the electronic device includes,

a sensor configured to generate a state signal representing whether the flip cover device is in a closed state or in an open state;

a memory storing computer-readable instructions;

a processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions to,

activate a cover enable signal and to output the information data based on a determination that the flip cover device is in the closed state, and

selectively deactivate the cover enable signal based on whether the state signal represents that the flip cover device is in the open state; and

an NFC device configured to,

switch to a wireless power transmission mode to emit the first electromagnetic wave corresponding to the information data based on the cover enable signal being activated, and

finish emitting the first electromagnetic wave and switch to an NFC controller interface (NCI) mode to perform an operation defined in an NCI standard, based on the cover enable signal being deactivated.

2. The mobile system of claim 1, wherein,

the flip cover device is configured to receive the electrical power and the information data from the electronic device through the first electromagnetic wave based on the flip cover device being in the closed state, such that the front side cover of the flip cover device covers a front surface of the electronic device, and

the electronic device is configured to inhibit emission of the first electromagnetic wave based on the flip cover device being in the open state, such that the front surface of the electronic device is exposed to an exterior environment.

3. The mobile system of claim 2, wherein,

the electronic device is configured to periodically inhibit emission of the first electromagnetic wave and detect whether at least one external NFC reader is near the electronic device, based on the flip cover device being in the closed state, and

the electronic device is configured to, in response to detecting at least one external NFC reader near the electronic device, inhibit emission of the first electromagnetic wave and initiate communication with the external NFC reader.

4. The mobile system of claim 1, wherein,

the processor is further configured to execute computer-readable instructions to transmit the cover enable signal through a general purpose input output (GPIO) pin, and

the NFC device is configured to receive the cover enable signal through the general purpose input output (GPIO) pin.

5. The mobile system of claim 1, wherein,

the NFC device is configured to selectively enter an activated state and enter the wireless power transmission mode to emit the first electromagnetic wave independently of performing an initialization operation defined in the NCI standard, based on the processor executing computer-readable instructions to activate the cover enable signal while the NFC device is deactivated.

6. The mobile system of claim 1, wherein,

the NFC device is configured to, based on the processor executing computer-readable instructions to activate the cover enable signal while the NFC device is in an activated state,

back up a current state without changing a state on a radio frequency (RF) communication state machine defined in the NCI standard, and

enter in the wireless power transmission mode to emit the first electromagnetic wave.

7. The mobile system of claim 1, wherein,

the NFC device is configured to, in the wireless power transmission mode,

emit the first electromagnetic wave to the flip cover device during a first time period, and

inhibit emission of the first electromagnetic wave, during a second time period, to detect whether an external NFC reader is near the electronic device.

8. The mobile system of claim 7, wherein,

the NFC device is configured to, during the second time period,

measure a magnitude of an antenna voltage generated based on a second electromagnetic wave received from an exterior environment, and

determine that the external NFC reader is detected near the electronic device based on the magnitude of the antenna voltage being greater than a reference magnitude.

9. The mobile system of claim 7, wherein,

the NFC device is configured to, based on detecting the external NFC reader near the electronic device while the NFC device is in the wireless power transmission mode,

inhibit emission of the first electromagnetic wave,

transmit a reader detection signal to the processor, and

switch to the NCI mode.

10. The mobile system of claim 9, wherein,

the processor is configured to execute computer-readable instructions to communicate with the external NFC reader using the NFC device, based on receiving the reader detection signal from the NFC device.

11. The mobile system of claim 10, wherein,

the processor is configured to execute computer-readable instructions to perform an electronic payment, based on transmitting payment information to the external NFC reader using the NFC device, based on a determination that the external NFC reader corresponds to an NFC payment terminal.

12. The mobile system of claim 1, wherein,

the processor is configured to execute computer-readable instructions to deactivate the cover enable signal after an elapse of an information display time period, the information display time period initiating at a time at which the processor executes computer-readable instructions to activate the cover enable signal.

13. The mobile system of claim 1, wherein the flip cover device further includes,

a resonance circuit configured to generate an antenna voltage based on the first electromagnetic wave received from the electronic device;

and

a control chip configured to,

generate an internal operation voltage based on the antenna voltage,

obtain the information data based on demodulating the antenna voltage, and

provide the information data to the display module.

14. The mobile system of claim 1, wherein,

the flip cover device includes at least one contact area configured to contact the electronic device, and the at least one contact area exclusively includes one or more electric insulation materials.

15. A mobile electronic device, comprising:

a sensor configured to generate a state signal representing whether a flip cover device is in a closed state or in an open state, such that the flip cover device covers or exposes a front surface of the mobile electronic device, respectively;

a memory storing computer-readable instructions;

a processor configured to execute the computer-readable instructions to,

activate an cover enable signal and to output information data based on a determination that the flip cover device is in the closed state, and

selectively deactivate the cover enable signal based on whether the state signal represents that the flip cover device is in the open state; and

a near field communication (NFC) device configured, to

switch to a wireless power transmission mode to emit a first electromagnetic wave corresponding to the information data when the cover enable signal is activated, and

inhibit emission of the first electromagnetic wave and to switch to an NFC controller interface (NCI) mode to perform an operation defined in an NCI standard, based on the cover enable signal being deactivated.

16. An apparatus, comprising:

a flip cover device configured to at least partially enclose an electronic device, the flip cover device including,

a back side cover configured to surround a back surface of the electronic device,

a front side cover configured to selectively cover or expose a front surface of the electronic device, the front side cover including a display module, and

a connector device that connects the back side cover to the front side cover;

the flip cover device further configured to receive electrical power and information data from the electronic device through a first electromagnetic wave received from the electronic device according to a near field communication (NFC) scheme; and

the flip cover device further configured to display the received information data on the display module using the received electrical power,

wherein the electronic device includes,

a sensor configured to generate a state signal representing whether the flip cover device is in a closed state or in an open state;

a memory storing computer-readable instructions;

a processor configured to execute computer-readable instructions to,

activate a cover enable signal and to output the information data based on a determination that the flip cover device is in the closed state, and

selectively deactivate the cover enable signal based on whether the state signal represents that the flip cover device is in the open state; and

an NFC device configured to,

switch to a wireless power transmission mode to emit the first electromagnetic wave corresponding to the information data based on the cover enable signal being activated, and

finish emitting the first electromagnetic wave and switch to an NFC controller interface (NCI) mode to perform an operation defined in an NCI standard, based on the cover enable signal being deactivated.

17. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein,

the flip cover device is configured to selectively receive the electrical power and the information data from the electronic device based on the front side cover covering the front surface of the electronic device.

18. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein the flip cover device further includes,

a resonance circuit configured to generate an antenna voltage based on the first electromagnetic wave received from the electronic device;

and

a control chip configured to,

generate an internal operation voltage based on the antenna voltage,

obtain the information data based on demodulating the antenna voltage, and

provide the information data to the display module.

19. The apparatus of claim 16, wherein,

the flip cover device includes at least one contact area configured to contact the electronic device, and the at least one contact area exclusively includes one or more electric insulation materials.