SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATIONS HAVING LOCAL SECURITY

• US 20090081943A1
• Filed: 09/26/2008
• Published: 03/26/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Freelinc Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Radeum, Inc.
• Inventors: Dobyns, Douglas Howard, Dobyns, Howard Bernard, Woodard, Jed Erich, Sutera, Anthony Joseph
• Application Number:
  US12/239,737
• Publication Number:
  US 20090081943A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/20 for contactless carriers, e.g. RFID carriers
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/24 for communication related to weapons
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/32 including a particular configuration of antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 2203/34 involving multiple cooperating jammers
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/42 characterized by the control of the jamming frequency or wavelength
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/68 using passive jamming, e.g. by shielding or reflection shielding of apparatus or components against electric or magnetic field H05K9/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/827 using characteristics of target signal or of transmission as countermeasure against jamming H04K3/25, e.g. using direct sequence spread spectrum or fast frequency hopping spread spectrum techniques H04B1/69
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/84 related to preventing electromagnetic interference in petrol station, hospital, plane or cinema
• CPC Class Codes: H04K 3/92 related to allowing or preventing remote control

Abstract

A system and method for near field communications is provided. The system includes a near field generator configured to generate a near field detectable signal comprising information, a near field detector configured to receive the near field detectable signal and output the information, and an Electro-Magnetic (EM) Radio Frequency (RF) jamming transmitter configured to radiate an EM RF jamming signal, in order to jam reception of EM RF signals in the vicinity of at least one of the near field generator and near field detector.

Claims

1. A near field communications system, the system comprising:

a near field generator configured to generate a near field detectable signal comprising information;

a near field detector configured to receive the near field detectable signal and output the information; and

an Electro-Magnetic (EM) Radio Frequency (RF) jamming transmitter configured to radiate an EM RF jamming signal, in order to jam reception of EM RF signals in the vicinity of at least one of the near field generator and near field detector.

2. The system as in claim 1, wherein the near field generator and near field detector operate a semi-static magnetic field at a frequency within the bandwidth of the EM RF jamming transmitter.

3. A method for a near field communications system, the method comprising:

forming a magnetic energy field using a near field generator for transmission of information via near field communications;

radiating an Electro-Magnetic (EM) Radio Frequency (RF) jamming signal, in order to jam reception of EM RF signals in the vicinity of at least one of the near field generator and a near field detector; and

enabling the near field detector to receive the information via the near field signal when in the vicinity of the EM RF jamming signal.

4. A near field communications system, the system comprising:

a near field generator configured to generate a near field detectable signal comprising information;

a near field detector configured to receive the near field detectable signal and output the information;

an Electro-Magnetic (EM) Radio Frequency (RF) jamming transmitter configured to radiate an EM RF jamming signal, in order to jam reception of EM RF signals in the vicinity of at least one of the near field generator and the near field detector; and

an EM shield surrounding the near field generator to block EM frequencies from interfering with operations of the near field generator.

5. The system as in claim 4, wherein the EM shield is configured to block EM RF.

6. The system as in claim 4, wherein the EM shield is a Faraday cage.

7. A near field communications system, the system comprising:

a near field generator configured to generate a near field detectable signal comprising information;

a near field detector configured to receive the near field detectable signal and output the information;

an Electro-Magnetic (EM) Radio Frequency (RF) jamming transmitter configured to radiate an EM RF jamming signal, in order to jam reception of EM RF signals in the vicinity of at least one of the near field generator and the near field detector; and

an EM shield surrounding the near field detector to block EM frequencies from interfering with operations of the near field detector and to allow magnetic fields to pass through the EM shield.

8. The system, as in claim 7, further comprising a second EM shield surrounding the near field generator to block EM frequencies from interfering with operations of the near field generator and to allow magnetic fields through the EM shield.

11. The system as in claim 8, wherein the near field generator has a plurality of diverse antennas.

12. The system as in claim 11, further comprising a shield surrounding each antenna of the plurality of diverse antennas for the near field generator.

13. The system as in claim 8, wherein the near field detector has a plurality of diverse antennas.

14. The system as in claim 11, further comprising a shield surrounding each antenna of the plurality of diverse antennas for the near field detector.

15. The system as in claim 8, wherein the shield is a Faraday cage.

16. The system as in claim 8, wherein the EM shield is designed to reduce near field loss as near field communications pass through the EM shield.

17. The system as in claim 16, wherein the EM shield is designed to reduce magnetic field loss from eddy currents in the EM shield as near field communications pass through the EM shield.

18. The system as in claim 16, wherein the EM shield includes apertures to reduce magnetic field loss from eddy currents and to maximize EM attenuation.

19. The system as in claim 16, wherein the EM shield includes conductive non-magnetic material in a non-conductive matrix to reduce magnetic field loss from eddy currents and to maximize EM RF attenuation.

20. The system as in claim 8, further comprising a near field antenna using antenna material for at least one of the near field generator and the near field detector that shields from EM interference.

21. The system as in claim 8, further comprising a near field antenna having an antenna shape for at least one of the near field generator and the near field detector that shields from EM interference.

22. The system as in claim 8, further comprising a near field antenna having antenna windings for at least one of the near field generator and the near field detector configured to shield from EM interference.

9. A near field communications system, the system comprising:

a near field generator configured to generate a near field detectable signal comprising information;

a near field detector configured to receive the near field detectable signal and output the information; and

an Electro-Magnetic (EM) shield surrounding the near field detector to block EM frequencies from interfering with operations of the near field detector.

10. The system as in claim 9, further comprising a second EM shield surrounding the near field generator to block EM frequencies from interfering with operations of the near field generator.

23. A near field communications system, the system comprising:

a near field generator configured to generate a near field detectable signal comprising information;

a near field detector configured to receive the near field detectable signal and output the encoded information; and

a defeat structure configured to reduce Electro-Magnetic (EM) frequencies from interfering with operations of at least one of the near field generator and the near field detector.

24. The system, as in claim 23 wherein the defeat structure is a shielding device.

25. The system, as in claim 24 wherein the shielding device is a Faraday cage.

26. The system as in claim 24, wherein the shielding device is designed to reduce near field loss.

27. The system as in claim 24, wherein the shielding device is designed to reduce magnetic field loss from eddy currents.

28. The system as in claim 24, wherein the shielding device includes apertures to reduce magnetic field loss from eddy currents and to maximize EM Radio Frequency (RF) attenuation.

29. The system as in claim 24, wherein the shielding device includes conductive non-magnetic material in a non-conductive matrix to reduce magnetic field loss from eddy currents and to maximize EM Radio Frequency (RF) attenuation.

30. The system as in claim 23, further comprising using an antenna for at lest one of the near field generator and the near field detector having antenna material that shields from EM interference.

31. The system as in claim 23, further comprising using an antenna for at least one of the near field generator and the near field detector, having an antenna shape that shields from electromagnetic interference.

32. The system as in claim 23, further comprising an antenna for at least one of the near field generator and the near field detector, the antenna having antenna windings that shield from EM interference.

33. The system as in claim 23, further comprising near field antennas for at least one of the near field generator and the near field detector oriented in more than one plane.

34. The system as in claim 23, further comprising near field antennas oriented in only one plane.

35. The system as in claim 23, further comprising near field antennas for at least one of the near field generator and the near field detector having a shielding device surrounding each individual antenna.

36. The system as in claim 23, further comprising near field antennas for having a shielding device surrounding a grouping of antennas.

37. The system as in claim 23, wherein the defeat structure is an antenna shape optimized for magnetic field reception and reduction of EM Radio Frequency (RF) reception.

38. The system as in claim 23, wherein the defeat structure includes an antenna material that is insensitive to EM fields and sensitive to magnetic fields.

39. The system as in claim 23, wherein the defeat structure includes shielding around an antenna winding.

40. A near field communications system, the system comprising:

a near field generator configured to generate a near field detectable signal; and

a near field load configured to inductively couple with the near field detectable signal and vary a load which correlates to information to be exchanged, wherein the near field generator can detect the information by monitoring the load created by the near field load;

wherein at least one of the near field generator and the near field load receive an Electro-Magnetic (EM) Radio Frequency (RF) jamming signal configured to jam reception of EM RF signals.

41. The system as in claim 40, further comprising an EM RF jamming transmitter configured to radiate the EM RF jamming signal, in order to jam reception of EM RF signals in the vicinity of at least one of the near field generator and the near field load.

42. The system as in claim 40, further comprising an Electro-Magnetic (EM) shield surrounding the near field generator to block EM frequencies from interfering with operations of the near field generator.

43. The system as in claim 40, further comprising an Electro-Magnetic (EM) shield surrounding the near field load to block EM frequencies from interfering with operations of the near field load.

44. The system, as in claim 42 wherein the EM shield device is a Faraday cage.

45. The system as in claim 42, wherein the EM shield is designed to reduce near field loss.

46. The system as in claim 42, wherein the EM shield is designed to reduce magnetic field loss from eddy currents.

47. The system as in claim 42, wherein the EM shield includes apertures to reduce magnetic field loss from eddy currents and to maximize EM Radio Frequency (RF) attenuation.

48. The system as in claim 42, wherein the EM shield includes conductive non-magnetic material in a non-conductive matrix to reduce magnetic field loss from eddy currents and to maximize EM Radio Frequency (RF) attenuation.

49. The system, as in claim 43 wherein the EM shield device is a Faraday cage.

50. The system as in claim 43, wherein the EM shield is designed to reduce near field loss.

51. The system as in claim 43, wherein the EM shield is designed to reduce magnetic field loss from eddy currents.

52. The system as in claim 43, wherein the EM shield includes apertures to reduce magnetic field loss from eddy currents and to maximize EM Radio Frequency (RF) attenuation.

53. The system as in claim 43, wherein the EM shield includes conductive non-magnetic material in a non-conductive matrix to reduce magnetic field loss from eddy currents and to maximize EM Radio Frequency (RF) attenuation.

54. The system as in claim 40, further comprising using an antenna for at lest one of the near field generator and the near field load having antenna material that shields from EM interference.

55. The system as in claim 40, further comprising using an antenna for at least one of the near field generator and the near field load, having an antenna shape that shields from EM interference.

56. The system as in claim 40, further comprising an antenna for at least one of the near field generator and the near field load, the antenna having antenna windings that shield from EM interference.

57. The system as in claim 40, further comprising near field antennas for at least one of the near field generator and the near field load oriented in more than one plane.

58. The system as in claim 40, further comprising near field antennas oriented in only one plane.

59. The system as in claim 40, further comprising near field antennas for at least one of the near field generator and the near field load having a shielding device surrounding each individual antenna.

60. The system as in claim 40, further comprising near field antennas for having a shielding device surrounding a grouping of antennas.