Communications Apparatus

• US 20090088077A1
• Filed: 04/11/2006
• Published: 04/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 04/11/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Innovision Research & Technology PLC (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Brown, Robert, Symons, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 9,301,337 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.200
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0712 the arrangement being capable of triggering distinct operating modes or functions dependent on the strength of an energy or interrogation field in the proximity of the record carrier active means for hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07336
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00 Circuit arrangements for charging or depolarising batteries or for supplying loads from batteries
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0037 for power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/02 using transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer
• 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 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

Communications apparatus has a short range wireless radio frequency communicator (1301 a) capable of at least one of seeking to initiate short range communication by transmitting an RF signal and of responding to such initiation so that communication between two short range wireless radio frequency communicators occurs when an antenna of a short range wireless radio frequency communicator seeking to initiate communication by transmitting an RF signal is in range of or comes into range of the antenna of another short range wireless radio frequency communicator responsive to such initiation so that the magnetic field of the RF signal transmitted by the short range wireless radio frequency communicator seeking to initiate communication is inductively coupled to the antenna of the short range wireless radio frequency communicator responsive to such initiation to enable communication of at least one of power and data between the short range wireless radio frequency communicators. The communications apparatus also has a high data rate data communicator (1301b) for communicating directly with another high data rate data communicator to at least one of receive and transmit data when the short range wireless radio frequency communicator (1301a) has communicated with another in-range short range wireless radio frequency communicator.

Claims

1. Communications apparatus having:

a controller;

a short range wireless radio frequency communicator having a radio frequency signal generator with an antenna operable to transmit an RF signal, the controller being operable to seek to initiate communication with other short range wireless radio frequency communicators by causing the radio frequency generator to transmit an RF signal so that an antenna of any short range wireless radio frequency communicator responsive to such initiation that is in range of or that comes into range of the short range wireless radio frequency communicator is inductively coupled to the antenna of the short range wireless radio frequency communicator via the magnetic field of the RF signal transmitted by the short range wireless radio frequency communicator to enable communication of at least one of power and data between the short range wireless radio frequency communicators; and

a high data rate data communicator operable to communicate directly with another high data rate data communicator to at least one of receive and transmit data when the short range wireless radio frequency communicator has communicated with another short range wireless radio frequency communicator.

3. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the short range wireless radio frequency communicator is operable to at least one of:

couple inductively with another short range wireless radio frequency communicator to enable at least receipt of data from the other short range wireless radio frequency communicator and transmission of data to the other short range wireless radio frequency communicator;

couple inductively with another short range wireless radio frequency communicator to enable the other short range wireless radio frequency communicator to derive a power supply from a signal supplied by the short range wireless radio frequency communicator; and

communicate data by modulation of a radio frequency signal.

6. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the short range wireless radio frequency communicator comprises at least one of an RFID reader, an RFID tag and an NFC communicator.

7. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the short range wireless radio frequency communicator comprises at least one of:

an RFID reader operable to couple wirelessly with an FWD tag or NFC communicator operating in a tag mode to at least one of receive data from the RFID tag or the NFC communicator operating in the tag mode and to supply a signal from which RFID tag or the NFC communicator operating in the tag mode can derive a power supply; and

an NFC communicator operable in a reader mode in which the NFC communicator emulates an RFID reader.

9. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the short range wireless radio frequency communicator is operable to communicate with another short range wireless radio frequency communicator to enable initiation of data communication by the high data rate data communicator transfer.

10. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the short range wireless radio frequency communicator is operable to carry out an initialisation procedure comprising at least one of an identification, a verification, an authorisation and a validation process before data communication by the high data rate data communicator.

11. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the high data rate data communicator is operable to carry out an initialisation procedure comprising at least one of identification, a verification, an authorisation and a validation process.

12. Communications apparatus according to claim 10, wherein the initialisation procedure comprises a payment verification or validation process.

13. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising a controller operable to enable data communication between the high data rate data communicator and another high data rate data communicator when communication of the at least one of power and data has occurred.

14. Communications apparatus according to claim 13, wherein at least one of:

the controller is operable to control both the short range wireless radio frequency communicator and the high data rate data communicator; and

the controller comprises respective controllers for the short range wireless radio frequency communicator and the high data rate data communicator.

16. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the high data rate data communicator is operable to communicate using at least one of wireless communication, optical communication and wired communication.

17. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the high data rate data communicator is operable to communicate using at least one of:

a wireless ultra wide band communications method;

a wireless USB communications method;

a Bluetooth communications method;

an infrared communications method;

a contact based USB communications method;

flash memory card technology;

or

a wired or wireless high-speed data xMax communications method.

18. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of:

the high data rate data communicator is operable to communicate at a data rate that at its highest is of the order of hundreds of Mbps, preferably above about 500 Mbps; and

the short range wireless radio frequency communicator is operable to communicate at a data rate that lies or rates that lie in the range 100 kilo bits per second (1 Kbps) to 1 Mega bit per second (1 Mbps).

20. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein at least one of:

(1) the short range wireless radio frequency communicator and the high data rate data communicator are provided in a common housing; and

(2) the short range wireless radio frequency communicator and the high data rate data communicator are separable.

22. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the high data rate data communicator is operable to communicate data comprising at least one of:

audio data;

text data;

video data;

image data;

graphics data;

authorisation data;

verification data;

identification data;

executable code;

a computer program, a sub-routine, upgrade, patch for a computer program;

credit card, banking details or other financial data;

website details;

upgrade information; and

compressed and/or encrypted versions of any of the preceding types of data.

23. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the apparatus is a standalone apparatus.

24. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, provided within or associated with another apparatus.

28. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the short range wireless radio frequency communicator is operable to communicate using a 13.56 Mega Hertz RF signal.

29. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, provided by a device comprising at least one of:

a memory card;

a personal communications device;

a mobile telephone;

a PDA;

an advertising device;

or

a poster or other written/advertising media.

32. Communications apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising at least one further communications apparatus having:

a short range wireless radio frequency communicator having a radio frequency signal receiver with an antenna operable, when the short range wireless radio frequency communicator is in range of or comes into range of an antenna of any other short range wireless radio frequency communicator that is seeking to initiate communication by transmitting an RF signal, to couple inductively to the antenna of that other short range wireless radio frequency communicator via the magnetic field of the transmitted RF signal to enable communication of at least one of power and data between the short range wireless radio frequency communicators; and

a high data rate data communicator operable to communicate directly with another high data rate data communicator to at least one of receive and transmit data when the short range wireless radio frequency communicator has communicated with another short range wireless radio frequency communicator.

2. Communications apparatus having:

a short range wireless radio frequency communicator having a radio frequency signal receiver with an antenna operable, when the short range wireless radio frequency communicator is in range of or comes into range of an antenna of any other short range wireless radio frequency communicator that is seeking to initiate communication by transmitting an RF signal, to couple inductively to the antenna of that other short range wireless radio frequency communicator via the magnetic field of the transmitted RF signal to enable communication of at least one of power and data between the short range wireless radio frequency communicators; and

a high data rate data communicator operable to communicate directly with another high data rate data communicator to at least one of receive and transmit data when the short range wireless radio frequency communicator has communicated with another short range wireless radio frequency communicator.

8. Communications apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the short range wireless radio frequency communicator comprises at least one of an RFID tag operable to couple wirelessly with an RFID reader or NFC communicator operating in a reader mode to at least one of supply data to the RFID reader or the NFC communicator operating in the reader mode and derive a power supply in response to receipt of a signal from the RFID reader or the NFC communicator operating in the reader mode;

and an NFC communicator operable in a tag mode in which the NFC communicator emulates a tag.

4. (canceled)

5. (canceled)

15. (canceled)

19. (canceled)

21. (canceled)

25. Communications apparatus having a short range wireless radio frequency communicator operable to communicate wirelessly directly with another short range wireless radio frequency communicator in its vicinity to enable communication of at least one of power and data between the short range wireless radio frequency communicators and a high data rate data communicator operable to communicate directly with another high data rate data communicator to at least one of receive and transmit data when the short range wireless radio frequency communicator has communicated with another short range wireless radio frequency communicator.

26. Communications apparatus having:

1) a short range wireless radio frequency communicator capable of at least one of seeking to initiate short range communication by transmitting an RF signal and of responding to such initiation so that communication between two short range wireless radio frequency communicator occurs when an antenna of a short range wireless radio frequency communicator seeking to initiate communication by transmitting an RF signal is in range of or comes into range of the antenna of another short range wireless radio frequency communicator responsive to such initiation so that the magnetic field of the RF signal transmitted by the short range wireless radio frequency communicator seeking to initiate communication is inductively coupled to the antenna of the short range wireless radio frequency communicator responsive to such initiation to enable communication of at least one of power and data between the short range wireless radio frequency communicators; and

2) a high data rate data communicator operable to communicate directly with another high data rate data communicator to at least one of receive and transmit data when the short range wireless radio frequency communicator has communicated with another in-range short range wireless radio frequency communicator.

27. Communications apparatus comprising an NFC communicator operable to couple inductively with another NFC communicator via an RF field generated by one of the NFC communicators as soon as the NFC communicators are in range of one another to enable data communication between the NFC communicators at a first data communication rate;

and a high data rate data communicator operable to communicate directly with another high data rate data communicator to at least one of receive and transmit data at a rate higher than the first data communication rate when the NFC communicator has communicated with another NFC communicator.

30. (canceled)

31. (canceled)