COMMUNICATION APPARATUS

• US 20090146796A1
• Filed: 12/01/2008
• Published: 06/11/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/11/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Endo, Akira, Fukami, Tadashi, Goto, Tetsuro
• Application Number:
  US12/325,709
• Publication Number:
  US 20090146796A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.510
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0075 using inductive coupling transformers or inductances adapted for inductive coupling H01F38/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0081 with antenna coils loop aerials H01Q7/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0087 with multiple coils at either side
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/02 using transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/263 Multiple coils at either side
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers

Abstract

A communication apparatus is provided that performs short-range wireless communication in a contactless manner. The communication apparatus includes: a large antenna; a first wireless processing section configured to perform data communication via electromagnetic induction-type using the large antenna; a small antenna placed inside the large antenna; and a second wireless processing section configured to perform data communication using the small antenna.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus that performs short-range wireless communication in a contactless manner, the communication apparatus comprising:

a large antenna;

first wireless processing means for performing data communication via electromagnetic induction-type using said large antenna;

a small antenna placed inside said large antenna; and

second wireless processing means for performing data communication using said small antenna.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said first wireless processing means operates as any one of a card and a reader/writer in near field communication (NFC) using said large antenna, to perform the data communication with another communication apparatus that operates as a reader/writer or a card.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein, when said second wireless processing means is incapable of performing the data communication using said small antenna, said first wireless processing means performs the data communication using only said large antenna.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein said second wireless processing means operates as either a reflector for transmitting data via a reflected wave obtained by modulating an unmodulated carrier, or a reflected wave reader for reading data from a modulated reflected wave signal transmitted from the reflector, to perform reflected wave transmission using said small antenna.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein,

said large antenna is composed of a plurality of small antennas arranged in a unified array inside said large antenna, and

said second wireless processing means either distributes data to be communicated appropriately among the small antennas so that each of the small antennas will transmit a separate portion of the data, or integrates data received by each of the small antennas into one unit appropriately.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, when said second wireless processing means is incapable of performing the data communication using said small antenna, said first wireless processing means performs the data communication using only said large antenna.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said second wireless processing means, before multi-communication using a pair of said small antennas is started, is capable of determining whether each of the small antennas is capable of communicating with another communication apparatus individually, and allows any of the small antennas that has been determined to be incapable of communicating to enter a suspend mode, and carries out the multi-communication using only a pair of antennas that are capable of communicating.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein, when more than one of the small antennas are overlapped and capable of communicating with the same small antenna in the other communication apparatus, said second wireless processing means selects one of the more than one of the small antennas that is capable of communicating most excellently, and causes a rest of the more than one of the small antennas to enter the suspend mode.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein,

said first wireless processing means uses said large antenna to check whether the other communication apparatus is capable of performing multi-communication using a small antenna, and

said second wireless processing means carries out the multi-communication using said small antenna, only when it has been determined that the other communication apparatus is capable of performing the multi-communication using the small antenna.

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein when said first wireless processing means operates as the reader/writer, said first wireless processing means constantly supplies power to the other communication apparatus operating as a card using said large antenna, regardless of whether or not said first wireless processing means performs the data communication using said large antenna.

11. A communication system, comprising:

a near field communication (NFC)-capable reader/writer having a large antenna; and

an NFC-capable card, or an NFC-capable reader/writer that operates in a card mode, having a large antenna, wherein,

said reader/writer and said card perform short-range wireless communication therebetween in a contactless manner, and

said reader/writer and said card each have a small antenna placed inside the large antenna, and use the pair of small antennas to perform multi-communication therebetween via another contactless communication system than NFC communication.

12. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein,

said card includes a reflector for transmitting data via a reflected wave obtained by modulating an unmodulated carrier received by the small antenna,

said reader/writer includes a reflected wave reader for reading data from a modulated reflected wave signal received by the small antenna, and

said reader/writer and said card perform the multi-communication therebetween via reflected wave transmission using the pair of small antennas.

13. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein, before starting the multi-communication using the pair of small antennas, each of said reader/writer and said card checks, via the NFC communication using the pair of large antennas, whether the other party is capable of performing the multi-communication using the pair of small antennas, and carries out the multi-communication using the pair of small antennas only when it has been determined that said reader/writer and said card are capable of performing the multi-communication using the pair of small antennas.

14. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein, in at least one of said reader/writer and said card,

the small antenna is composed of a plurality of small antennas arranged in a unified array inside the large antenna, and data to be communicated is distributed appropriately among the small antennas so that each of the small antennas will transmit a separate portion of the data, or data received by each of the small antennas is integrated into one unit appropriately.

15. The communication system according to claim 14, wherein said reader/writer or card whose small antenna is composed of the plurality of small antennas arranged in a unified array inside the large antenna determines whether each of the small antennas is capable of communicating with the other party individually before starting the multi-communication using the pair of small antennas, and allows any of the small antennas that has been determined to be incapable of communicating to enter a suspend mode, and performs the multi-communication using only a pair of antennas that are capable of communicating with each other.

16. The communication system according to claim 15, wherein said reader/writer or card whose small antenna is composed of the plurality of small antennas arranged in a unified array inside the large antenna, when more than one of the small antennas are overlapped and capable of communicating with the same small antenna in the other party, selects one of the more than one of the small antennas that is capable of communicating most excellently, and causes a rest of the more than one of the small antennas to enter the suspend mode.

17. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein, when said reader/writer and said card are incapable of performing data communication using the pair of small antennas, said reader/writer and said card perform the data communication using only the pair of large antennas.

18. The communication system according to claim 11, wherein said reader/writer constantly supplies power to said card using the large antenna, regardless of whether or not said reader/writer performs data communication using the pair of large antennas.