System to calibrate phase using system information

• US 10,567,092 B2
• Filed: 09/01/2017
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2017
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Hueber, Gernot, Macnamara, Ian Thomas, Bruckbauer, Johannes
• Primary Examiner(s): Sandiford, Devan A
• Application Number:
  US15/694,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20190074914A1
• Time in Patent Office: 900 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/12 of transmit antennas, e.g. of the amplitude or phase
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/0331 with a digital phase-locked loop [PLL] processing binary samples, e.g. add/subtract logic for correction of receiver clock H04L7/0337 takes precedence

Abstract

Embodiments of methods and systems for operating a communications device are described. In one embodiment, a method for operating a communications device that communicates via inductive coupling involves adjusting a phase configuration of the communications device in response to at least one system or environmental parameter, modulating a carrier signal with the adjusted phase configuration using active load modulation (ALM), and transmitting the modulated carrier signal from the communications device for inductive coupling. In some embodiments, the at least one system or environmental parameter is selected from one or more of the following: a distance information, a geometric information, a system code, a technology code, a transmitter current and/or a transmitter power, a detuning condition, a quality factor and a resonant frequency of a resonant system.

Claims

1. A method for operating a communications device that communicates via inductive coupling, the method comprising:

adjusting a phase configuration of the communications device in response to at least one system or environmental parameter, wherein the at least one system or environmental parameter comprises a distance information between the communications device and a counterpart device determined using a proximity sensor, wherein the proximity sensor is selected from one or more of the following;

ultrasonic sensor, infrared sensor, laser sensor, camera sensor, light sensor, and audio sensor;

modulating a carrier signal with the adjusted phase configuration using active load modulation (ALM); and

transmitting the modulated carrier signal from the communications device for inductive coupling.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one system or environmental parameter further comprises a system or environmental parameter selected from one or more of the following:

a field strength of inductive coupling;

a coupling condition of inductive coupling;

an antenna geometry of the communications device or a corresponding reader;

a process, voltage and temperature (PVT) variation of the communications device;

a system architecture of the communications device;

a matching network characteristic of the communications device;

a communications protocol of the communications device;

a communications data rate of the communications device;

a retransmission configuration of the communications device;

a reconfiguration setting of the communications device;

a communications timing of the communications device; and

an application of the communications device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the system parameter and/or the technology parameter is associated with NFC Forum Digital Protocol.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the phase configuration of the communications device comprises adjusting the phase configuration of the communications device according to a function of a group of system or environmental parameters.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the phase configuration of the communications device comprises adjusting a phase configuration of an analog receiver of the communications device.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein adjusting the phase configuration of the analog receiver comprises selecting a set of tap points of a delay-locked loop (DLL) of the analog receiver or operating a phase shifter or a tunable filter of the analog receiver.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the phase configuration of the communications device comprises adjusting a phase configuration of a clock generation circuit of the communications device.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein adjusting the phase configuration of the clock generation circuit comprises selecting a set of tap points of a phase-locked loop (PLL) of the clock generation circuit or operating a phase shifter or a delay line of the clock generation circuit.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the phase configuration of the communications device comprises adjusting a phase configuration of an analog transmitter of the communications device.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the phase configuration of the communications device comprises adjusting the phase configuration of the communications device before a transmission of a data frame.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the phase configuration of the communications device comprises adjusting the phase configuration of the communications device during a transmission of a data frame.

12. The method of claim 1, further comprising obtaining the at least one system or environmental parameter during a startup of the communications device or before each data frame transmission.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the phase configuration of the communications device comprises selecting a set of tap points of a phase-locked loop (PLL) of the communications device.

14. A method for operating a communications device that communicates via inductive coupling, the method comprising:

adjusting a phase of a carrier signal in response to at least one system or environmental parameter, wherein the at least one system or environmental parameter comprises a distance information between the communications device and a counterpart device determined using a proximity sensor, wherein the proximity sensor is selected from one or more of the following;

ultrasonic sensor, infrared sensor, laser sensor, camera sensor, light sensor, and audio sensor;

modulating the carrier signal with the adjusted phase using active load modulation (ALM); and

transmitting the modulated carrier signal from the communications device for inductive coupling.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the at least one system or environmental parameter further comprises a system or environmental parameter selected from one or more of the following:

a field strength of inductive coupling;

a coupling condition of inductive coupling;

an antenna geometry of the communications device or a corresponding reader;

a process, voltage and temperature (PVT) variation of the communications device;

a system architecture of the communications device;

a matching network characteristic of the communications device;

a communications protocol of the communications device;

a communications data rate of the communications device;

a retransmission configuration of the communications device;

a reconfiguration setting of the communications device;

a communications timing of the communications device; and

an application of the communications device.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein adjusting the phase of the carrier signal comprises adjusting the phase of the carrier signal according to a function of a group of system or environmental parameters.