CONCURRENT WIRELESS POWER TRANSMISSION AND NEAR-FIELD COMMUNICATION

• US 20100190436A1
• Filed: 08/25/2009
• Published: 07/29/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/26/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Widmer, Hanspeter, Sieber, Lukas, Cook, Nigel P.
• Application Number:
  US12/547,200
• Publication Number:
  US 20100190436A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0031 for data transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0037 for power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0075 using inductive coupling transformers or inductances adapted for inductive coupling H01F38/14
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments are directed to wireless power transfer and Near-Field Communication (NFC) operation. An electronic device includes an antenna configured to resonate at an NFC frequency and generate an induced current. The electronic device further including rectifier circuitry and NFC circuitry each concurrently coupled to the induced current. The rectifier circuitry configured to rectify the induced current into DC power for the electronic device and the NFC circuitry configured to demodulate any data on the induced current. A method for concurrent reception of wireless power and NFC includes receiving an induced current from an antenna, rectifying the induced current into DC power for use by an electronic device, and demodulating the induced current concurrent with rectifying to determine any data for the NFC.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

an antenna configured to resonate in a magnetic near-field and generate an induced current during resonance;

rectifier circuitry coupled to the antenna to rectify the induced current from the antenna during resonance; and

Near-Field Communication (NFC) circuitry coupled to the antenna to demodulate any data on the induced current.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the NFC circuitry further comprises at least one of active transceiver circuitry and passive transceiver circuitry.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein when the NFC circuitry includes the passive transceiver circuitry, the rectifier circuitry is further configured to provide power to the passive transceiver circuitry.

4. The device of claim 3, wherein the rectifier circuitry is further configured to limit power to the passive transceiver circuitry.

5. The device of claim 2, wherein when the NFC circuitry includes the active transceiver circuitry, the rectifier circuitry is further configured to provide power to the active transceiver circuitry.

6. The device of claim 5, further comprising a switch to disable the power to the active transceiver circuitry to disable the active transceiver circuitry.

7. The device of claim 2, wherein the NFC circuitry is further configured to demodulate the data on the induced current and to modulate transmit data in one of the passive transceiver circuitry and active transceiver circuitry.

8. The device of claim 1, wherein the antenna is concurrently coupled to the rectifier circuitry during rectification of the induced power and to the NFC circuitry during at least one of the demodulation of any data on the induced current and the modulation from transmit data received from one of the passive transceiver circuitry and the active transceiver circuitry.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the NFC circuitry is configured as Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) circuitry.

10. An electronic device, comprising:

an antenna configured to resonate at an NFC frequency and generate an induced current; and

rectifier circuitry and NFC circuitry each concurrently coupled to the induced current, the rectifier circuitry configured to rectify the induced current into DC power for the electronic device and the NFC circuitry configured to demodulate any data on the induced current.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein the induced current is generated from at least one of an unmodulated carrier wave and a modulated data carrier wave including modulated data thereon.

12. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein when the induced current is generated from a modulated data carrier wave, the rectifier circuitry also rectifies the modulated data into DC power.

13. A method for concurrent reception of wireless power and NFC, comprising:

receiving an induced current from an antenna;

rectifying the induced current into DC power for use by an electronic device; and

demodulating the induced current concurrent with rectifying to determine any data for the NFC.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein demodulating comprises demodulating any data for at least one of active transceiver circuitry and passive transceiver circuitry.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising powering with the DC power the at least one of the active transceiver circuitry and the passive transceiver circuitry.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein when the at least one active transceiver circuitry and passive transceiver circuitry includes both, the method further comprising switching the DC power off from the active transceiver circuitry to direct demodulating to the passive transceiver circuitry.

17. The method of claim 13, wherein the induced current is generated from at least one of an unmodulated carrier wave and a modulated data carrier wave including modulated data thereon.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein when the induced current is generated from a modulated data carrier wave, the method further comprising rectifying the modulated data into DC power.

19. An electronic device for concurrent reception of wireless power and NFC, comprising:

means for receiving an induced current from an antenna;

means for rectifying the induced current into DC power for use by an electronic device; and

means for demodulating the induced current concurrent with rectifying to determine any data for the NFC.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein the means for demodulating comprises means for demodulating any data for at least one of active transceiver circuitry and passive transceiver circuitry.

21. The electronic device of claim 20, further comprising means for powering with the DC power the at least one of the active transceiver circuitry and the passive transceiver circuitry.

22. The electronic device of claim 21, wherein when the at least one active transceiver circuitry and passive transceiver circuitry includes both, the electronic device further comprising means for switching the DC power off from the active transceiver circuitry to direct demodulating to the passive transceiver circuitry.