COMMUNICATIONS SYSTEM AND COMMUNICATIONS APPARATUS

• US 20090322479A1
• Filed: 04/30/2008
• Published: 12/31/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Fukuda, Kunio
• Granted Patent: US 8,598,985 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10198 setting parameters for the interrogator, e.g. programming parameters and operating modes
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/28 the pass enabling tracking or indicating presence
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

A communications system configured to execute data transmission between a transponder having no radio wave generating source thereof and a reader/writer is provided. The communications system includes, a service permission level notifier configured to tell a service permission level for associated with a received signal level for permitting service acceptance from the reader/writer to the transponder, and an access controller configured to determine in the transponder whether the received signal level from the reader/writer is at the notified service permission level to determine accessibility to the transponder from the reader/writer.

Claims

1. A communications system configured to execute data transmission between a transponder having no radio wave generating source thereof and a reader/writer, the communication system comprising:

a service permission level notifier configured to notify a service permission level associated with a received signal level for permitting service acceptance from said reader/writer to said transponder; and

an access controller configured to determine in said transponder whether the received signal level from said reader/writer is at said notified service permission level to determine accessibility to said transponder from said reader/writer.

2. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein said transponder is a reflector for transmitting data by a modulated reflected-wave signal by use of absorption and reflection of received radio wave based on an operation of an antenna terminal and said reader/writer is a reflected-wave reader for reading the modulated reflected-wave signal transmitted from said reflector.

3. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein said reader/writer is configured to set a service permission level in accordance with an application that provides a service for said transponder.

4. The communications system according to claim 1, wherein a service entry sequence is provided in which said reader/writer notifies said transponder of a beacon frame at a predetermined time interval and said transponder returns a response frame in response to the beacon frame by use of a predetermined entry period provided after transmission of said beacon frame,

said service permission level notifier notifying said transponder of a service permission level through a beacon frame to be transmitted by said reader/writer, and

said access controller determining whether a received signal level of the beacon frame received by said transponder from said reader/writer is at said service permission level to determine accessibility from said reader/writer.

5. A communications apparatus in a communications system configured to execute data transmission between a transponder having no radio wave generating source thereof and a reader/writer, said communications apparatus operating as said transponder and comprising:

a communicator configured to execute, as said transponder, data transmission and reception with said reader/writer; and

a communications controller configured to control a communications operation performed by said communicator,

wherein said communications controller sets a service permission level associated with a received signal for permitting service acceptance from said reader/writer and determines whether a received signal level from said reader/writer is at the notified service permission level to determine accessibility to said transponder from said reader/writer.

6. The communications apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said communicator has an antenna and a reflector configured to transmit data by a modulated reflected-wave signal by use of absorption and reflection of a received radio wave based on a terminal operation of said antenna.

7. The communications apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said communications controller sets a service permission level given from said reader/writer.

8. The communications apparatus according to claim 5, wherein said communications system uses a service entry sequence in which said reader/writer notifies said transponder of a beacon frame at a predetermined time interval and said transponder returns a response frame in response to the beacon frame by use of a predetermined entry period provided after transmission of said beacon frame, and

wherein said communications controller determines whether a received signal level of the beacon frame received by said transponder from said reader/writer is at said service permission level to determine accessibility to said transponder from said reader/writer.

9. A communications apparatus in a communications system configured to execute data transmission between a transponder having no radio wave generating source thereof and a reader/writer, said communications apparatus operating as said reader/writer, comprising:

a communicator configured to execute, as said reader/writer and data transmission and reception with said transponder; and

a communications controller configured to control a communications operation performed by said communicator,

wherein said communications controller sets a service permission level associated with a received signal level for permitting service acceptance by said transponder to notify said transponder of said service permission level.

10. The communications apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said communicator is a reflected-wave reader configured to transmit a non-modulated carrier and read a modulated reflected-wave signal from said reflector.

11. The communications apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said communications controller sets a service permission level associated with a received signal level for permitting service acceptance by said transponder in accordance with an application for providing a service to said transponder.

12. The communications apparatus according to claim 9, wherein said communications system uses a service entry sequence in which said reader/writer notifies said transponder of a beacon frame at a predetermined time interval and said transponder returns a response frame in response to the beacon frame by use of a predetermined entry period provided after transmission of said beacon frame and

said communications controller transmits said set service permission level to said transponder by putting said service permission level onto said beacon frame.

13. A communications system configured to execute data transmission between a transponder having no radio wave generating source thereof and a reader/writer, said communications system comprising:

service permission level notifying means for telling a service permission level for associated with a received signal level for permitting service acceptance from said reader/writer to said transponder; and

access control means for determining in said transponder whether the received signal level from said reader/writer is at said notified service permission level to determine accessibility to said transponder from said reader/writer.

14. A communications apparatus in a communications system configured to execute data transmission between a transponder having no radio wave generating source thereof and a reader/writer, said communications apparatus operating as said transponder and comprising:

communication means for executing, as said transponder, data transmission and reception with said reader/writer; and

communications control means for controlling a communications operation done by said communication means,

wherein said communications control means sets a service permission level associated with a received signal for permitting service acceptance from said reader/writer and determines whether a received signal level from said reader/writer is at the notified service permission level to determine accessibility to said transponder from said reader/writer.

15. A communications apparatus in a communications system for execute data transmission between a transponder having no radio wave generating source thereof and a reader/writer, said communications apparatus operating as said reader/writer and comprising:

communicator means for executing, as said reader/writer, data transmission and reception with said transponder; and

communications control means for controlling a communications operation done by said communicator means,

wherein said communications control means sets a service permission level associated with a received signal level for permitting service acceptance by said transponder to notify said transponder of said service permission level.