Circuit and method for activating an NFC device

• US 10,187,116 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2017
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 02/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Stmicroelectronics Rousset SAS (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: Stmicroelectronics Rousset SAS (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Vallespin, Nathalie
• Primary Examiner(s): Huang, Wen W
• Application Number:
  US15/702,105
• Publication Number:
  US 20180234132A1
• Time in Patent Office: 497 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0703 the battery being onboard of a handheld device, e.g. a smart phone or PDA
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0705 the battery being connected to a power saving arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/15 Interconnection of switching modules

Abstract

An embodiment near-field communication (NFC) router, includes a first switch coupled between a first terminal of the NFC router and a second terminal of the NFC router; and a rectifier bridge having an output terminal coupled to a control terminal of the first switch, the rectifier bridge being configured to rectify a signal detected by an antenna external to the NFC router.

Claims

1. A near-field communication (NFC) router, comprising:

a first terminal;

a second terminal;

a first switch coupled between the first terminal of the NFC router and the second terminal of the NFC router;

a rectifier bridge having input terminals coupled to terminals of an antenna external to the NFC router, the rectifier bridge being configured to rectify a signal detected by the antenna external to the NFC router;

a resistive and capacitive cell comprising a resistive element having a first terminal and a second terminal, the first terminal of the resistive element being coupled to form a node with an output terminal of the rectifier bridge, the second terminal of the resistive element being coupled to form a node with a control terminal of the first switch; and

a third terminal configured to be coupled to a voltage source through a second switch that is external to the NFC router, wherein the first switch comprises a first transistor of a first conductivity type, wherein the second switch comprises a second transistor of a second conductivity type different from the first conductivity type.

2. The NFC router according to claim 1, wherein the resistive and capacitive cell further comprises:

a capacitive element connecting the control terminal of the first switch to the second terminal of the NFC router.

3. The NFC router according to claim 1, further comprising communications circuitry coupled to the third terminal, the communications circuitry being configured to be powered by the voltage source via the third terminal.

4. The NFC router according to claim 1, wherein the third terminal is configured to be coupled to the voltage source through a current path of the second transistor, and wherein the first terminal of the NFC router is configured to be coupled to a control terminal of the second transistor.

5. The NFC router according to claim 1, wherein the second terminal of the NFC router is configured to be coupled to a ground potential.

6. The NFC router according to claim 1, wherein the rectifier bridge comprises:

a first diode having an anode coupled to a fourth terminal of the NFC router, and a cathode coupled to the output terminal of the rectifier bridge; and

a second diode having an anode coupled to a fifth terminal of the NFC router, and a cathode coupled to the output terminal of the rectifier bridge.

7. A system, comprising:

a near-field communication (NFC) router, comprising;

a first terminal configured to be coupled to a voltage supplied by a battery;

a second terminal configured to be coupled to a ground potential;

a third terminal configured to be coupled to the voltage supplied by the battery;

a rectifying circuit configured to rectify a signal detected by an antenna;

a first switch coupled between the first terminal and the second terminal; and

a first resistive element having a first terminal and a second terminal the first terminal of the first resistive element being coupled to form a node with an output terminal of the rectifying circuit, the second terminal of the first resistive element being coupled to form a node with a control terminal of the first switch; and

a second switch external to the NFC router and coupled between the voltage supplied by the battery and the third terminal of the NFC router, wherein a control terminal of the second switch is connected to the first terminal of the NFC router.

8. The system according claim 7, wherein the first terminal of the NFC router is coupled by a resistive element, external to the NFC router, to the voltage supplied by the battery.

9. The system according to claim 7, wherein the rectifying circuit comprises:

a first diode having an anode coupled to a fourth terminal of the NFC router, and a cathode coupled to the output terminal of the rectifying circuit; and

a second diode having an anode coupled to a fifth terminal of the NFC router, and a cathode coupled to the output terminal of the rectifying circuit.

10. The system according to claim 9, further comprising the antenna having terminals coupled to the fourth terminal of the NFC router and the fifth terminal of the NFC router.

11. The system according to claim 9, wherein the first switch and the second switch comprise transistors of opposite conductivity types.

12. The system according to claim 9, wherein the NFC router further comprises a capacitive element coupled between the control terminal of the first switch and the second terminal of the NFC router.

13. The system according to claim 9, further comprising a second resistive element coupled between the first terminal and the voltage supplied by the battery.

14. The system according to claim 9, wherein the system comprises a portable communication device.

15. A method for activating a contactless communication router, the method comprising:

decoupling a first terminal of the contactless communication router from a second terminal of the contactless communication router in response to no signal being detected by an antenna, the first terminal of the contactless communication router being controllably coupled to a ground potential, the second terminal of the contactless communication router being tied to the ground potential;

decoupling a third terminal of the contactless communication router from a power supply voltage in response to no signal being detected by the antenna, the third terminal being configured to supply the power supply voltage to communication circuitry of the contactless communication router;

coupling the first terminal of the contactless communication router to the ground potential in response to a signal being detected by the antenna; and

coupling the third terminal of the contactless communication router to the power supply voltage in response to the coupling of the first terminal of the contactless communication router to the ground potential, wherein the contactless communication router comprises a rectifier bridge, a resistive element, and a first switch, the first switch being coupled between the first terminal and the second terminal of the contactless communication router, the rectifier bridge being coupled between the antenna and a first terminal of a resistive element, the second terminal of the resistive element being coupled to form a node with a control terminal of the first switch.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein coupling the first terminal of the contactless communication router to the ground potential in response to the signal being detected by the antenna comprises:

generating, by the rectifier bridge, a control signal in response to the signal being detected by the antenna; and

triggering the first switch from an open state to a closed state using the control signal.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein the third terminal of the contactless communication router is controllably coupled to the power supply voltage by a second switch, and wherein coupling the third terminal of the contactless communication router to the power supply voltage in response to the coupling of the first terminal of the contactless communication router to the ground potential comprises:

triggering the second switch from an open state to a closed state in response to the first terminal of the contactless communication router being coupled to the ground potential.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein a control terminal of the second switch is coupled to the first terminal.