Non-contact communication apparatus, antenna circuit, antenna drive apparatus, non-contact feeding apparatus, electronic device, tuning method, discovery method, and programs for achieving those methods

• US 10,270,168 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2015
• Issued: 04/23/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/18/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dexerials Corporation
• Original Assignee: Dexerials Corporation
• Inventors: Kanno, Masayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Phan, Tho G
• Application Number:
  US15/323,270
• Publication Number:
  US 20170155194A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10 by electromagnetic radiation, e.g. optical sensing; by corpuscular radiation
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10009 sensing by radiation using wavelengths larger than 0.1 mm, e.g. radio-waves or microwaves
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 5/335 at the feed, e.g. for impedance matching
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/005 with variable reactance for tuning the antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/04 Circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 1/0458 Arrangements for matching and coupling between power amplifier and antenna or between amplifying stages matching circuits in general H03H
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/263 Multiple coils at either side
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

A non-contact communication apparatus 100 includes an antenna resonant unit 110 and an antenna drive unit 130. In the antenna drive unit 130, for example, a measurement unit consisting of an differential amplifier A3 measures an output current from an oscillation unit 131. A control unit 140 detects a minimum value or maximum value of the output current. The resonant frequency is controlled by the use of an optimal control value corresponding to the minimum value or maximum value. Therefore, even if the resonant frequency fluctuates due to variations in antenna characteristics in manufacture or a usage environment or aging, satisfactory communication characteristics at a set resonant frequency can be obtained.

Claims

1. A non-contact communication apparatus, comprising:

an antenna resonant unit including

an antenna coil, and

a capacitor unit including a variable-capacitance capacitor;

an oscillation unit capable of outputting a signal to the antenna resonant unit;

a measurement unit that measures an output current from the oscillation unit to the antenna resonant unit; and

a control unit that detects a minimum value or maximum value of the measured output current and controls a resonant frequency of the antenna resonant unit by the use of a control value of a control signal for controlling the capacitance of the variable-capacitance capacitor of the capacitor unit, the control value within an arbitrary range including an optimal control value such that the output current becomes minimum or maximum.

2. The non-contact communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the oscillation unit outputs a signal having an oscillation frequency offset from a predetermined frequency.

3. The non-contact communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the control unit performs control by the use of a value of the control value within the arbitrary range, the value being offset from a control value such that the output current becomes minimum or maximum.

4. The non-contact communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the oscillation unit and the measurement unit are provided in an antenna drive unit connected to the antenna resonant unit.

5. The non-contact communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a storage unit that stores the optimal control value.

6. The non-contact communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising

a gain controller that controls a gain of a signal output from the oscillation unit, wherein

the control unit is configured to set the gain that is one of antenna parameters to a first value in a communication period and set the gain to a second value different from the first value in a detection period of the minimum value or maximum value of the output current.

7. The non-contact communication apparatus according to claim 6, wherein

the second value is larger than the first value.

8. The non-contact communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein

the capacitor unit includes at least one of a series resonant capacitor unit and a parallel resonant capacitor unit.

9. The non-contact communication apparatus according to claim 8, wherein

the capacitor unit includes both of the series resonant capacitor unit and the parallel resonant capacitor unit.

10. The non-contact communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the parallel resonant capacitor unit includes the variable-capacitance capacitor, and

the series resonant capacitor unit includes a fixed-capacitance capacitor.

11. The non-contact communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the parallel resonant capacitor unit includes a fixed-capacitance capacitor, and

the series resonant capacitor unit includes the variable-capacitance capacitor.

12. The non-contact communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein

the parallel resonant capacitor unit and the series resonant capacitor unit each include the variable-capacitance capacitor.

13. An antenna circuit of a non-contact communication apparatus including an oscillation unit, a measurement unit, and a control unit, comprising:

an antenna coil;

a capacitor unit including a variable-capacitance capacitor;

an input line into which a signal having an oscillation frequency set by the oscillation unit is input; and

a control signal line connected to the variable-capacitance capacitor, wherein

a control value within an arbitrary range including an optimal control value of a control signal for controlling a capacitance of the variable-capacitance capacitor is input into the control signal line, the control signal being output from the control unit, the optimal control value corresponding to a minimum value or maximum value of an output current from the oscillation unit to the antenna circuit, the output current being measured by the measurement unit.

14. An antenna drive apparatus that drives an antenna resonant unit including an antenna coil and a capacitor unit including a variable-capacitance capacitor, comprising:

an oscillation unit capable of outputting a signal to the antenna resonant unit;

a measurement unit that measures an output current from the oscillation unit to the antenna resonant unit; and

a control value input unit into which a control value of a control signal for controlling a capacitance of the variable-capacitance capacitor is input for controlling a resonant frequency of the antenna resonant unit, the control value being within an arbitrary range including an optimal control value such that the measured output current becomes minimum or maximum.

15. A non-contact feeding apparatus, comprising:

an antenna resonant unit including

an antenna coil, and

a capacitor unit including a variable-capacitance capacitor;

an oscillation unit capable of outputting a signal to the antenna resonant unit;

a measurement unit that measures an output current from the oscillation unit to the antenna resonant unit; and

a control unit that detects a minimum value or maximum value of the measured output current and controls a resonant frequency of the antenna resonant unit by the use of a control value of a control signal for controlling a capacitance of the variable-capacitance capacitor of the capacitor unit, the control value being within an arbitrary range including an optimal control value such that the output current becomes minimum or maximum.

16. A tuning method for a resonant frequency of an antenna resonant unit including an antenna coil and a capacitor unit including a variable-capacitance capacitor, the method comprising:

setting, in an oscillation unit, an oscillation frequency of a signal output to the antenna resonant unit;

measuring an output current from the oscillation unit to the antenna resonant unit;

detecting a minimum value or maximum value of the measured output current; and

storing, in a storage unit, a control value of a control signal for controlling the capacitance of the variable-capacitance capacitor of the capacitor unit, the control value being within an arbitrary range including an optimal control value such that the output current becomes minimum or maximum.

17. A program for tuning processing of a non-contact communication apparatus including an antenna resonant unit including an antenna coil and a capacitor unit including a variable-capacitance capacitor, the program causing the non-contact communication apparatus to execute:

setting, in an oscillation unit, an oscillation frequency of a signal output to the antenna resonant unit;

measuring an output current from the oscillation unit to the antenna resonant unit;

detecting a minimum value or maximum value of the measured output current; and

storing, in a storage unit, a control value of a control signal for controlling a capacitance of the variable-capacitance capacitor of the capacitor unit, the control value being within an arbitrary range including an optimal control value such that the output current becomes minimum or maximum.