SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR COMMUNICATING BETWEEN NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION DEVICES WITHIN A TARGET REGION USING NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION

• US 20120220227A1
• Filed: 08/23/2011
• Published: 08/30/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 08/23/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Freelinc Holdings, LLC
• Original Assignee: Radeum, Inc.
• Inventors: Dobyns, Douglas Howard
• Granted Patent: US 9,397,726 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 49/1584 Full Mesh, e.g. knockout
• 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 52/383 power control in peer-to-peer links
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/46 in multi hop networks, e.g. wireless relay networks

Abstract

Systems and methods for communication between near field communication devices within a target communication region using near field magnetic induction is disclosed. One method comprises generating a near field detectable signal at an active node having a power level sufficient to enable communication with a plurality of near field communication nodes located within the target communication region. Information is modulated onto the near field detectable signal using at least one of the near field communication nodes. The modulated information is detected at the active node. The information is then relayed on the near field detectable signal from the active node to at least one of the plurality of near field communication nodes within the target communication region.

Claims

1. A system for communication between near field communication devices within a target communication region using near field magnetic induction, comprising:

an active node with a near field magnetic induction transducer configured to generate a near field detectable signal within a target communication region; and

a plurality of near field communication nodes located within the target communication region that are configured to sense the near field detectable signal and modulate information onto the near field detectable signal, wherein the active node is configured to detect the information modulated onto the near field detectable signal and relay the information to at least one of the plurality of near field communication nodes using the near field detectable signal to enable the plurality of near field communication nodes to send information to selected near field communication nodes within the target region through the active node.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the active node has a power level at least 10 times greater than a power level consumed by a near field communication node located within the target communication region.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the active node is configured to generate the near field detectable signal at a power level greater than 1 kilowatt.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the active node is configured to generate the near field detectable signal at a power level greater than 100 kilowatts.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the near field magnetic induction transducer is configured to generate the near field detectable signal at a frequency having a wavelength that is at least 2 pi times greater than a distance between the active node and the plurality of near field communication nodes.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the target communication region has a perimeter with a distance from the active node that is less than 2 pi times the wavelength of the near field detectable signal.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of communication nodes are configured to modulate the information onto the near field detectable signal using load modulation.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein the active node is configured to relay the information onto the near field detectable signal by varying a characteristic of the near field detectable signal, with the characteristic selected from the group consisting of a frequency, a phase, an amplitude, and combinations thereof.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of communication nodes are identifiable with a predetermined address to enable the active node to communicate with one or more of the plurality of near field communication nodes.

10. The system of claim 1, wherein the active node is further configured to encrypt the relayed information such that it can only be decrypted by one or more selected near field communication nodes.

11. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of communication nodes are configured to encrypt the information such that it can only be decrypted by one or more of the active node and selected near field communication nodes.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein the active node is further configured to communicate with additional active nodes to enable data from a first active node to be passed through a second active node to a third active node that is outside of the first active node'"'"'s range.

13. The system of claim 1, wherein at least one of the plurality of near field communication nodes has a plurality of mutually orthogonal antennas, wherein at least one of the mutually orthogonal antennas are operable to extract information from the near field detectable signal and modulate information onto the near field detectable signal.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the active node has a plurality of mutually orthogonal antennas, wherein at least one of the mutually orthogonal antennas are operable to extract information from the near field detectable signal and modulate information onto the near field detectable signal.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of near field communication nodes comprise a personal area network.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein the plurality of near field communication nodes comprise a mesh network.

17. A method for communication between near field communication devices within a target communication region using near field magnetic induction, comprising:

generating a near field detectable signal at an active node having a power level sufficient to enable communication with a plurality of near field communication nodes located within the target communication region;

modulating information onto the near field detectable signal using at least one of the plurality of near field communication nodes;

detecting the modulated information at the active node; and

relaying the information on the near field detectable signal from the active node to at least one of the plurality of near field communication nodes within the target communication region.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating the near field detectable signal at the active node having a power level of greater than 1 kilowatt.

19. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating the near field detectable signal at the active node having a power level of greater than 100 kilowatts.

20. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating the near field detectable signal at a frequency having a wavelength that is at least 2 pi times greater than a distance between the active node and the plurality of near field communication nodes.

21. The method of claim 17, further comprising generating the near field detectable signal at a frequency having a wavelength such that a perimeter of the target communication region is less than 2 pi times the wavelength of the near field detectable signal.

22. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

modulating the information onto the near field detectable signal using a first near field communication node in the plurality of near field communication nodes; and

detecting the modulated information at a second near field communication node in the plurality of near field communication nodes.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising detecting the modulated information on at least two near field communication nodes in the plurality of near field communication nodes.

24. The method of claim 17, further comprising modulating information onto the near field detectable signal with at least one of the plurality of near field communication nodes by varying a characteristic of the near field detectable signal, with the characteristic selected from the group consisting of a frequency, a phase, an amplitude, and combinations thereof.

25. The method of claim 17, further comprising relaying the information on the near field detectable signal from the active node by varying a characteristic of the near field detectable signal, with the characteristic selected from the group consisting of a frequency, a phase, an amplitude, and combinations thereof.

26. The method of claim 17, wherein modulating information onto the near field detectable signal further comprises identifying a destination for the information as at least one near field communication module located in the target communication region.

27. The method of claim 17, wherein modulating information onto the near field detectable signal further comprises modulating the information onto the near field detectable signal using at least one of a plurality of mutually orthogonal antennas at the near field communication node.

28. The method of claim 17, wherein detecting the modulated information at the active node further comprises detecting the modulated information on at least one of a plurality of mutually orthogonal antennas of the active node that are configured to detect information contained in the near field detectable signal.

29. The method of claim 17, wherein relaying the information on the near field detectable signal from the active node to at least one of the plurality of near field communication nodes within the target communication region further comprises detecting the information at the active node using at least one of a plurality of mutually orthogonal antennas and modulating the detected information on to the near field detectable signal to transmit the information to the at least one near field communication node.

30. A method for communicating between near field communication devices within a target communication region using near field magnetic induction, comprising:

generating a near field detectable signal at an active node having a power level sufficient to enable communication with a plurality of near field communication nodes located within the target communication region;

modulating information onto the near field detectable signal using a first near field communication node in the plurality of near field communication nodes; and

detecting the modulated information with at least one of the plurality of near field communication nodes to enable the plurality of near field communication nodes to communicate information on the near field detectable signal.

31. The method of claim 30, wherein generating the near field detectable signal at the active node does not add information to the magnetic field.

32. The method of claim 30, further comprising modulating information onto the near field detectable signal using the active node.

33. The method of claim 30, wherein modulating information onto the near field detectable signal further comprises modulating the information onto the near field detectable signal using at least one of a plurality of mutually orthogonal antennas at the near field communication node.

34. The method of claim 30, wherein detecting the modulated information further comprises detecting the modulated information on at least one of a plurality of mutually orthogonal antennas of the at least one of the plurality of near field communication nodes to extract information contained in the near field detectable signal.

35. The method of claim 30, wherein modulating information onto the near field detectable signal further comprises including an identification address as a destination for the information as at least one near field communication module located in the target communication region.

36. The method of claim 30, wherein generating a near field detectable signal at an active node having a power level sufficient to enable communication with a plurality of near field communication nodes located within the target communication region further comprises defining the target communication region to have a perimeter with a distance from the active node that is less than 2 pi times the wavelength of the near field detectable signal.