Near field communication device

• US 10,334,421 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2017
• Issued: 06/25/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Jongpil, Lee, Youngjoo
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Perez, Angelica M
• Application Number:
  US15/458,051
• Publication Number:
  US 20180070198A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413
• 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 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/033 using the transitions of the received signal to control the phase of the synchronising-signal-generating means, e.g. using a phase-locked loop
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/52 using AGC [Automatic Gain Control] circuits or amplifiers

Abstract

Disclosed is a near field communication device which includes an antenna, a transmission amplifier, a matching circuit connected between the antenna and the transmission amplifier, and a transmitter. The transmitter transmits a transmit clock to the matching circuit through the transmission amplifier, extracts an extraction clock from a waveform formed in the matching circuit, stores a phase difference between the transmit clock and the extraction clock, and controls transmission of an information signal through the antenna, the transmission amplifier, and the matching circuit based on the phase difference.

Claims

1. A near field communication device comprising:

an antenna;

a transmission amplifier;

a matching circuit connected between the antenna and the transmission amplifier; and

a transmitter configured to transmit a transmit clock to the matching circuit through the transmission amplifier, to extract an extraction clock from a waveform formed in the matching circuit, to determine information relating to a phase difference between the transmit clock and the extraction clock, and to control transmission of an information signal through the antenna, the transmission amplifier, and the matching circuit based on the determined information relating to the phase difference,

wherein the waveform formed in the matching circuit is formed in response to transmission of the transmit clock to the matching circuit.

2. The near field communication device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter comprises:

a comparison and selection block configured to compare a phase of the extraction clock with a phase of the transmit clock and to generate phase selection information corresponding to the phase difference based on a result of the comparison.

3. The near field communication device of claim 2, wherein the transmitter further comprises:

a phase lookup table configured to store phase differences and pieces of phase selection information corresponding to the respective phase differences, and

wherein the comparison and selection block uses the determined information relating to the phase difference and the lookup table to generate the phase selection information.

4. The near field communication device of claim 1, wherein the transmitter operates in one of a phase measurement mode and a transmission mode, and

wherein the transmitter further comprises:

a phase control block configured to store information about the phase difference in the phase measurement mode.

5. The near field communication device of claim 4, wherein the stored information comprises phase selection information.

6. The near field communication device of claim 4, wherein, in the transmission mode, the waveform formed in the matching circuit is formed in response to a signal received from an external source, and wherein the phase control block outputs an adjusted clock by adjusting a phase of the extraction clock based at least in part on the information relating to the phase difference.

7. The near field communication device of claim 6, wherein the transmitter further comprises:

a reference clock generation block configured to output a reference clock; and

a multiplexer configured to select the reference clock as the transmit clock in the phase measurement mode so as to be transmitted to the transmission amplifier and to select the adjusted clock as the transmit clock in the transmission mode so as to be transmitted to the transmission amplifier.

8. The near field communication device of claim 7, wherein transmission information is added to the adjusted clock prior to transmission of the adjusted clock by the transmission amplifier.

9. The near field communication device of claim 6, wherein the phase control block comprises:

a phase locked loop configured to output a phase locked clock locked at the phase of the extraction clock;

a phase splitter configured to generate a plurality of clocks having different phases by adjusting the phase of the phase locked clock; and

a clock selector configured to select one of the clocks as the adjusted clock based on the stored information about the phase difference.

10. The near field communication device of claim 6, wherein the phase control block comprises:

a phase splitter configured to generate a plurality of clocks having different phases; and

a clock selector configured to select one of the clocks as the adjusted clock based on the stored information about the phase difference,

wherein the one of the clocks that is selected by the clock selector using the information about the phase difference changes as a cycle of the extraction clock progresses over time.

13. The near field communication device of claim 1, wherein the phase difference indicates information about a difference between a resonant frequency of the antenna and the matching circuit and a center frequency of the transmit clock.

14. The near field communication device of claim 13, wherein the extraction clock is delayed relative to the transmit clock when the resonant frequency is lower than the center frequency, and

wherein the extraction clock is advanced relative to the transmit clock when the resonant frequency is higher than the center frequency.

11. A near field communication device comprising:

an antenna;

a transmission amplifier;

a matching circuit connected between the antenna and the transmission amplifier; and

a transmitter configured to extract a first extraction clock from a first waveform formed in the matching circuit, transmit a transmit clock, by selecting the first extraction clock as the transmit clock, to the matching circuit through the transmission amplifier, to extract a second extraction clock from a second waveform formed in the matching circuit while transmitting the transmit clock through the matching circuit, and to detect a phase difference between the transmit clock and the second extraction clock.

12. The near field communication device of claim 11, wherein the transmitter operates in one of a phase measurement mode and a transmission mode, wherein the first waveform formed in the matching circuit is formed in response to a signal received from an external source, wherein the transmitter transmits the transmit clock, extracts the second extraction clock, and detects the phase difference in the phase measurement mode, and wherein the transmitter further comprises:

a phase control block configured to store information about the phase difference in the phase measurement mode, the phase control block comprising;

a phase locked loop configured to output a phase locked clock locked at a phase of the first extraction clock; and

wherein the phase control block transmits the phase locked clock to the transmission amplifier in the phase measurement mode and transmits an adjusted clock to the transmission amplifier in the transmission mode,

wherein the adjusted clock is generated by adjusting a phase of the first extraction clock based at least in part on the phase difference.

15. The near field communication device of claim 11, wherein the transmitter operates in one of a phase measurement mode and a transmission mode, wherein the first waveform formed in the matching circuit is formed in response to a signal received from an external source, wherein the transmitter transmits the transmit clock, extracts the second extraction clock, and detects the phase difference in the phase measurement mode, and wherein the transmitter further comprises:

a phase locked loop configured to output a phase locked clock locked at a phase of the first extraction clock; and

a multiplexer configured to select the phase locked clock as the transmit clock in the phase measurement mode so as to be transmitted to the transmission amplifier and to select an adjusted clock as the transmit clock in the transmission mode so as to be transmitted to the transmission amplifier,

wherein the adjusted clock is generated by adjusting a phase of the first extraction clock based at least in part on the phase difference.

16. The near field communication device of claim 11, wherein the transmitter extracts a third extraction clock from a third waveform of a signal received through the antenna from the outside, generates an adjusted clock by adjusting a phase of the third extraction clock based on the detected difference, and transmits an information signal through the transmission amplifier, the matching circuit, and the antenna using the adjusted clock.

17. A near field communication device comprising:

an antenna;

a transmission amplifier;

a matching circuit connected between the antenna and the transmission amplifier; and

a transmitter that operates in one of a phase measurement mode and a transmission mode and that is configured to transmit a transmit clock to the matching circuit through the transmission amplifier, the transmitter comprising;

a multiplexer that is configured to select a first clock as the transmit clock in the phase measurement mode so as to be transmitted to the transmission amplifier to detect a phase difference between the transmit clock and a first extraction clock extracted from the matching circuit while transmitting the transmit clock through the matching circuit and to select a second clock as the transmit clock in the transmission mode so as to be transmitted to the transmission amplifier,

wherein the second clock is based on the phase difference.

18. The near field communication device of claim 17, wherein the transmitter is further configured to extract a second extraction clock from the matching circuit, to adjust a phase of the second extraction clock according to the phase difference to generate the second clock.

19. The near field communication device of claim 17, wherein the transmitter is further configured to extract a third extraction clock from the matching circuit to generate the first clock.

20. The near field communication device of claim 17, wherein the transmitter further comprises a reference clock generation block configured to generate the first clock.