Adaptation of an antenna circuit for a near-field communication terminal

• US 10,249,946 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2013
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/11/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Melexis Technologies SA, Stmicroelectronics Rousset SAS (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: Melexis Technologies SA, Stmicroelectronics Rousset SAS (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Meziache, Thierry, Zhuk, Oleksandr
• Primary Examiner(s): Duong, Dieu Hien T
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jegede, Bamidele A
• Application Number:
  US13/914,414
• Publication Number:
  US 20130328736A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,122 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411, 343853
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/50 Structural association of antennas with earthing switches, lead-in devices or lightning protectors
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 11/48 simulating reactances
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 11/483 Simulating capacitance multipliers
• CPC Class Codes: H03H 7/40 Automatic matching of load impedance to source impedance
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

A method for adapting an antenna circuit including at least one first capacitive element and an inductive element in series, and at least one second capacitive element having a first electrode connected between the first capacitive element and the inductive element, wherein data representative of the voltage of said first electrode are applied to the second electrode of the second capacitive element.

Claims

1. A method for adapting an antenna circuit that includes a first capacitive element and an inductive element electrically coupled to each other by a first node, and a second capacitive element having a first electrode electrically coupled to the first capacitive element and the inductive element by the first node, the antenna circuit being tuned for near field communications, the method comprising:

detecting a voltage at the first node by a first input terminal of a follower-assembled differential amplifier, the amplifier having a second input terminal, and an output terminal connected to the second input terminal; and

applying a first signal, representative of the voltage at the first node directly to a second electrode of said second capacitive element by the output terminal of the amplifier.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said first signal is in phase with the voltage at the first node.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said first signal is a voltage proportional to the voltage at the first node.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the antenna circuit includes a third capacitive element electrically coupled to the inductor by a second node and a fourth capacitive element having a first electrode electrically coupled to the third capacitive element and the inductor by the second node, the method further comprising applying a second signal, representative of a voltage at the second node, to a second electrode of the fourth capacitive element.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a phase shift between an input signal to the antenna circuit and the voltage at the first node, wherein the amplifier comprises a settable gain amplifier, and applying the first signal includes using the settable gain amplifier, having a gain reference value that depends on the phase shift, to supply the first signal to the second electrode of the second capacitive element.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein detecting a voltage at the first node includes detecting the voltage at the first node through a resistive dividing bridge coupled to the first input terminal of the amplifier.

7. An antenna circuit, comprising:

a first capacitive element and an inductive element electrically coupled to each other by a first node;

a second capacitive element having a first electrode electrically coupled to the first capacitive element and the inductive element by the first node; and

a controller including a differential amplifier having a first input, a second input, and an output, the output connected to the second input and to a second electrode of said second capacitive element, the controller being configured to detect a voltage at the first node, by the first input of the amplifier, and apply a first signal, representative of the voltage at the first node, to the second electrode of said second capacitive element,

wherein the antenna circuit is tuned for near field communications.

8. The circuit of claim 7, wherein the controller includes a resistive dividing bridge electrically coupled between said first node and a ground terminal, the resistive dividing bridge being configured to receive the voltage at the first node and output from a midpoint of the resistive dividing bridge an intermediate voltage based on the voltage at the first node.

9. The circuit of claim 8, wherein the amplifier is electrically coupled between the midpoint of said resistive dividing bridge and said second electrode of the second capacitive element.

10. The circuit of claim 9, further comprising:

an input configured to receive an input signal, wherein;

the first capacitive element includes a first electrode electrically coupled to the input and a second electrode electrically coupled to the first node; and

the controller includes an XOR-type logic gate having a first terminal electrically coupled to the midpoint of the resistive dividing bridge, a second terminal electrically coupled to the input, and an output configured to provide data relative to a phase shift between the input signal and the voltage at the first node.

11. The circuit of claim 10, wherein the amplifier is configured to provide the first signal as a voltage based on said data relative to the phase shift.

12. An electromagnetic field generation terminal comprising:

antenna circuit that includes;

a first capacitive element and an inductive element electrically coupled to each other by a first node;

a second capacitive element having a first electrode electrically coupled to the first capacitive element and the inductive element by the first node; and

a controller including a differential amplifier having a first input, a second input, and an output, the output connected to the second input and to a second electrode of said second capacitive element, the controller being configured to detect a voltage at the first node, by the first input of the amplifier, and apply a first signal, representative of the voltage at the first node, to the second electrode of said second capacitive element,

wherein the antenna circuit is tuned for near field communications.

13. The electromagnetic field generation terminal of claim 12, wherein the controller includes a resistive dividing bridge electrically coupled between said first node and a ground terminal, the resistive dividing bridge being configured to receive the voltage at the first node and output from a midpoint of the resistive dividing bridge an intermediate voltage based on the voltage at the first node.

14. The electromagnetic field generation terminal of claim 13, wherein the amplifier is electrically coupled between the midpoint of said resistive dividing bridge and said second electrode of the second capacitive element.

15. The electromagnetic field generation terminal of claim 14, wherein the antenna circuit includes an input configured to receive an input signal, wherein:

the first capacitive element includes a first electrode electrically coupled to the input of the antenna circuit and a second electrode electrically coupled to the first node; and

the controller includes an XOR-type logic gate having a first terminal electrically coupled to the midpoint of the resistive dividing bridge, a second terminal electrically coupled to the input of the antenna circuit, and an output configured to provide data relative to a phase shift between the input signal and the voltage at the first node.

16. The electromagnetic field generation terminal of claim 15, wherein the amplifier is configured to provide the first signal as a voltage based on said data relative to the phase shift.

17. A method for tuning a near field communications antenna circuit, the antenna circuit including a first node coupled to a first electrode of a first capacitive element, a second node coupled to a second electrode of the first capacitive element, the second node further coupled to a first electrode of a second capacitive element and to an inductive element, and a third node coupled to a second electrode of the second capacitive element, the method comprising:

detecting a voltage at the second node by a first input terminal of a follower-assembled differential amplifier, the amplifier having a second input terminal, and an output terminal connected to the second input terminal; and

compensating a phase shift between the first and second nodes by applying a first signal representative of the voltage at the second node directly to the third node,

wherein the antenna circuit tuned for near field communications.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the first signal is in phase with the voltage at the second node.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the detecting the voltage at the second node includes detecting the voltage at the second node through a resistive dividing bridge coupled to the first input terminal of the amplifier.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein said first signal is a voltage proportional to the voltage at the second node.