NEGOTIATING COMMUNICATION PARAMETERS BETWEEN NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATIONS (NFC) CAPABLE DEVICES

• US 20130005244A1
• Filed: 06/28/2011
• Published: 01/03/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Waters, John, LAWS, Peter
• Granted Patent: US 8,831,512 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• 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

An apparatus and method is disclosed to negotiate communications parameters between near field communications (NFC) capable devices. In some embodiments, the NFC capable devices operate in a negotiation phase to negotiate one or more communications parameters prior to transferring information. In other embodiments, the NFC capable devices simultaneously negotiate the one or more communications parameters with the transferring of the information.

Claims

1. A method for negotiating a communication parameter between communication devices, comprising:

(a) maintaining, by a first communication device, an unmodulated data communication at a first power for a first duration in accordance with the communication parameter;

(b) receiving, by the first communication device, a request communication from a second communication device indicating that the first communication parameter is insufficient;

(c) adjusting, by the first communication device, the communication parameter in accordance with the request to provide a second communication parameter;

(d) providing, by the first communication device, a second unmodulated data communication at a second power for the first duration in accordance with the second communication parameter, the second power being different from the first power.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

(f) modulating, by the first communication device, a first data communication onto a carrier wave to provide a modulated data communication to the second communication device, the first data communication including the communication parameter and information that is to be transferred to the second communication device.

3. The method of claim 2, step (f) comprises:

(f)(i) encapsulating the communication parameter into a header portion of a data frame and the information into a data portion of the data frame;

(f)(ii) modulating the data frame with the carrier wave to provide a modulated data frame; and

(f)(iii) generating a magnetic field using the modulated data frame in accordance with the communication parameter to provide the modulated data communication.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

(g) receiving, by the first communication device, a response to the modulated data communication from the second communication device.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication parameter relates to a power of the unmodulated data communication.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein the one or more communications parameters are selected from a group consisting of:

a transmission power level;

an antenna configuration; and

a modulation scheme.

10. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

(g) receiving, by the first communication device, a response to the modulated data communication from the second communication device.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication parameter relates to a duration of the unmodulated data communication.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein the one or more communications parameters are selected from a group consisting of:

a transmission data rate;

a modulation scheme; and

a frame size.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein the communication parameter relates to a power of the unmodulated data communication.

7. A method for negotiating a communication parameter between communication devices, comprising:

(a) maintaining, by a first communication device, an unmodulated data communication at a first power for a first duration in accordance with the communication parameter;

(b) receiving, by the first communication device, a request communication from a second communication device indicating that the first communication parameter is insufficient;

(c) adjusting, by the first communication device, the communication parameter in accordance with the request to provide a second communication parameter;

(d) providing, by the first communication device, a second unmodulated data communication at the first power for a second duration in accordance with the second communication parameter, the second duration being different from the first duration.

8. The method of claim 7, further comprising:

(f) modulating, by the first communication device, a first data communication onto a carrier wave to provide a modulated data communication to the second communication device, the first data communication including the communication parameter and information that is to be transferred to the second communication device.

9. The method of claim 8, step (f) comprises:

(f)(i) encapsulating the communication parameter into a header portion of a data frame and the information into a data portion of the data frame;

(f)(ii) modulating the data frame with the carrier wave to provide a modulated data frame; and

(f)(iii) generating a magnetic field using the modulated data frame in accordance with the communication parameter to provide the modulated data communication.

13. A method for negotiating a communication parameter between communication devices, comprising:

(a) harvesting, by the first communication device, power from an unmodulated data communication, the unmodulated data communication being provided by a second communication device at a first power for a first duration in accordance with the communication parameter;

(b) determining, by the first communication device, whether the first power and the first duration are sufficient to process information and to provide a response to the information;

(c) providing, by the first communication device, a request communication to the second communication device to indicate an adjustment to the communication parameter when the first power and the first duration are insufficient; and

(d) receiving, by the first communication device, a second unmodulated data communication at a second power for the first duration, the second power being different from the first power.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

(e) receiving, by the first communication device, a modulated data communication via a magnetic field, the modulated data communication including the communication parameter and the information.

15. The method of claim 14, further comprising:

(f) providing, by the first communication device, a response to the information from the second communication device.

17. A method for negotiating a communication parameter between communication devices, comprising:

(a) harvesting, by the first communication device, power from an unmodulated data communication, the unmodulated data communication being provided by a second communication device at a first power for a first duration in accordance with the communication parameter;

(b) determining, by the first communication device, whether the first power and the first duration are sufficient to process the information and to provide a response to the information;

(c) providing, by the first communication device, a request communication to the second communication device to indicate an adjustment to the communication parameter when the first power and the first duration are insufficient; and

(d) receiving, by the first communication device, a second unmodulated data communication at the first power for a second duration, the second duration being different from the first duration.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising:

(e) receiving, by the first communication device, a modulated data communication via a magnetic field, the modulated data communication including the communication parameter and the information.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

(f) providing, by the first communication device, a response to the information from the second communication device.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the communication parameter relates to a duration of the unmodulated data communication.