Array and method for improved wireless communication

• US 10,594,368 B1
• Filed: 01/31/2019
• Issued: 03/17/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 01/31/2019
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Capital One Services LLC (Capital One Financial Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Capital One Services LLC (Capital One Financial Corporation)
• Inventors: Wurmfeld, David Kelly, Pharr, Jeff
• Primary Examiner(s): Urban, Edward F
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hu, Rui M
• Application Number:
  US16/263,673
• Time in Patent Office: 411 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/72 in cryptographic circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/336 Signal-to-interference ratio [SIR] or carrier-to-interference ratio [CIR]
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/263 Multiple coils at either side
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0608 Antenna selection according to transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• 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

Abstract

A system for communicating with a wireless device including a base including a front surface; a plurality of communication coils disposed on the front surface and arranged in a matrix, the coils being tuned to a near-field communication frequency; a selector coupled to the coils; at least one memory storing instructions; and at least one processor coupled to the selector and executing the instructions to perform operations. The operations include at least receiving a plurality of feedback signals associated with the coils; identifying a selected one of the coils associated with a strongest one of the feedback signals; and causing the selector to couple the selected coil with a wireless communication module.

Claims

1. A system for communicating with a wireless device comprising:

a base comprising a front surface;

a plurality of communication coils disposed on the front surface and arranged in a matrix, the coils being tuned to a near-field communication frequency;

a selector coupled to the coils;

a plurality of feedback receivers, each of the feedback receivers being;

disposed on the substrate, behind the front surface, and arranged in the matrix separated from the coils by an insulative layer deposited over the feedback receivers;

associated with a respective one of the coils;

below the respective one of the coils; and

within a threshold distance from the respective one of the coils;

at least one memory storing instructions; and

at least one processor coupled to the selector and executing the instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from the plurality of feedback receivers, a plurality of feedback signals associated with the coils;

identifying a selected one of the coils associated with a strongest one of the feedback signals; and

causing the selector to couple the selected coil with a wireless communication module.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the selector comprises:

a row decoder coupled to the processor and to the coils; and

a column decoder coupled to the processor and to the coils.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the selector comprises relay switches coupled to the processor and to each of the communication coils.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the coils comprise square loop coils.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the coils have the same dimensions.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the coils has a dimension different from dimensions of other ones of the coils.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein

the coils are arranged in a rectangular matrix, and

a number coils in a first dimension of the matrix is different from a number coils in a second dimension of the matrix.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the coils are arranged in a square matrix.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the coils has a shape different from shapes of other ones of the coils.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein receiving feedback signals comprises:

performing a scan of the feedback receivers by querying the feedback receivers during a predetermined time period; and

interrupting the scan when a signal from at least one of the feedback receivers is above a triggering threshold.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein operations further comprise:

identifying a group of the coils associated with feedback signals above a triggering threshold;

causing the selector to couple the identified group of coils with the wireless communication module;

initiating communication with the wireless device simultaneously using the selected coil and the identified group of coils.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein initiating communication comprises:

transmitting a START command simultaneously to the selected coil and the identified group of coils;

receiving a plurality of response signals from the selected coil and the identified group of coils; and

aggregating the response signals to generate a composite response.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise transmitting an error signal to a graphical user interface when the strongest feedback signal is below a triggering threshold.

14. The system of claim 1 further comprising:

a plurality of local switches, each of the local switches being coupled to the processor and to at least two of the coils;

wherein the operations further comprise activating at least one of the local switches when the strongest feedback signal is below a triggering threshold.

15. An apparatus for wireless communication comprising:

a base comprising a front surface;

a plurality of communication coils, the coils being;

disposed parallel to the front surface;

arranged in a matrix; and

tuned to a near-field communication frequency;

a selector coupled to each of the coils;

a plurality of feedback receivers, each of the feedback receivers being;

disposed on the substrate, behind the front surface, and arranged in the matrix separated from the coils by an insulative layer deposited over the feedback receivers;

associated with a respective one of the coils;

below the respective one of the coils; and

within a threshold distance from the respective one of the coils;

at least one memory storing instructions; and

a processor coupled to the selector and executing the instructions to perform operations comprising;

receiving, from the plurality of feedback receivers, a plurality of feedback signals associated with the coils;

identifying a selected one of the coils associated with a strongest one of the feedback signals; and

causing the selector to couple the selected coil with a wireless communication module.

16. A method of communication with a wireless device comprising:

receiving, from a plurality of feedback receivers, a plurality of feedback signals associated with a plurality of communication coils;

identifying a selected one of the coils associated with a strongest one of the feedback signals;

causing a selector coupled to the coils to connect a wireless communication module with the selected coil; and

initiating wireless communications with the wireless device using the selected coil, wherein the coils are arranged in a matrix on a base and being tuned to a near-field communication frequency; and

the feedback receivers are;

disposed on the substrate, behind the front surface, and arranged in the matrix separated from the coils by an insulative layer deposited over the feedback receivers;

associated with a respective one of the coils;

below the respective one of the coils; and

within a threshold distance from the respective one of the coils.