NFC DEVICE CONTEXT DETERMINATION THROUGH PROXIMITY GESTURAL MOVEMENT DETECTION

• US 20130309964A1
• Filed: 05/16/2012
• Published: 11/21/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: HALL, Steven D., Brand, Robert W.
• Granted Patent: US 9,306,626 B2
• 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

Abstract

An apparatus and system are provided for interpreting the gestural path of a first NFC device within NFC range of a second NFC device, or the gestural path of the second NFC device within range of the first NFC device, to determine context for a pre-determined function. The second NFC device includes a plurality of inductive coupling elements, each element configured to output a signal when within range of the first NFC device. A controller module receives the signal from each element when the first NFC device is within range and determines a path of the first NFC device across the second NFC device based on a time difference of receipt at the controller of the signals. The plurality of inductive coupling elements may be active or passive, and interact with the first NFC device in a peer-to-peer mode or read/write mode, depending on the configuration of each device.

Claims

1. A first near field communication (NFC) capable device, comprising:

an antenna module configured to detect a generated magnetic field from a second NFC capable device, the antenna module comprising;

a primary inductive coupling element configured to receive and transmit data with the second NFC capable device; and

a plurality of passive inductive coupling elements, each passive inductive coupling element configured to provide a detection signal when within range of the generated magnetic field; and

a controller module configured to determine a motion of the second NFC capable device relative to the first NFC capable device based on the detection signal from each passive inductive coupling element.

2. The first NFC capable device of claim 1, wherein:

a first passive inductive coupling element from the plurality of passive inductive coupling elements is configured to provide a first detection signal as the generated magnetic field of the second NFC capable device passes within range of the first passive inductive coupling element;

a second passive inductive coupling element from the plurality of passive inductive coupling elements is configured to provide a second detection signal as the generated magnetic field of the second NFC capable device passes within range of the second passive inductive coupling element; and

the controller module is configured to determine the motion of the second NFC capable device relative to the first NFC capable device based on the detection signal from the first inductive coupling element and the second inductive coupling element.

3. The first NFC capable device of claim 1, wherein:

the array of passive inductive coupling elements comprises a plurality of NFC tags;

the detection signal comprises a general purpose input/output (GPIO) signal, each NFC tag being configured to provide the GPIO signal when detecting the generated magnetic field; and

the controller module further comprises a timer configured to generate a timing reference,

wherein the controller module determines the motion of the second NFC capable device relative to the first NFC capable device based on the timing reference and the GPIO signal from each NFC tag that detects the generated magnetic field.

4. The first NFC capable device of claim 1, wherein:

the array of passive inductive coupling elements comprises a plurality of NFC coils, each NFC coil coupled to an envelope detector, the detection signal being an analog signal provided by the envelope detector when within range of the generated magnetic field.

5. The first NFC capable device of claim 4, wherein:

the controller module further comprises an analog-to-digital (A/D) converter, the A/D converter configured to sense a voltage level above a specified threshold of the detection signal, and a timer configured to generate a timing reference,

wherein the controller module determines the motion of the second NFC capable device relative to the first NFC capable device based on the timing reference and the sensed voltage level of the detection signal from the plurality of NFC coils.

6. The first NFC capable device of claim 1, wherein the first NFC capable device comprises a NFC tag and the second NFC capable device comprises a NFC reader.

7. The first NFC capable device of claim 1, wherein the first NFC capable device initiates a pre-determined transaction associated with and in response to the determined motion.

8. A first near field communication (NFC) capable device, comprising:

a modulator module configured to modulate a signal onto a carrier wave to provide a modulated signal;

an antenna module comprising a primary coil and at least one secondary coil, the primary coil and the at least one secondary coil each comprising an inductive coupling element and an envelope detector, the antenna module configured to;

apply the modulated signal to the primary coil to generate a magnetic field to provide the modulated signal to a second NFC capable device; and

provide an envelope detection signal to identify when the second NFC capable device is within the generated magnetic field of the primary coil or the at least one secondary coil; and

a controller module configured to determine a motion of the second NFC capable device relative to the first NFC capable device based on the envelope detection signal from the antenna module.

9. The first NFC capable device of claim 8, wherein:

the primary coil is configured to provide a first envelope detection signal as the second NFC capable device passes within the generated magnetic field of the primary coil;

the at least one secondary coil is configured to provide a second envelope detection signal as the second NFC capable device passes within the generated magnetic field of the at least one secondary coil; and

the controller module comprises a timer configured to generate a timing reference, is the controller module being configured to determine the motion of the second NFC capable device relative to the first NFC capable device based on the timing reference and the first envelope detection signal and the second envelope detection signal.

10. The first NFC capable device of claim 9, wherein:

the primary coil is configured to receive a first current from the controller module, the first current in the primary coil inducing a second current in the at least one secondary coil;

the envelope detector in the primary coil is configured to change the first envelope detection signal based on changes in the first current;

the envelope detector in the at least one secondary coil is configured to change the second envelope detection signal based on changes in the second current; and

the controller module is configured to detect the change in the first envelope detection signal and the second envelope detection signal and determine the motion of the second NFC capable device relative to the first NFC capable device, based on the detected change in the first envelope detection signal and the second envelope detection signal,

wherein the changes in the first current indicate that the second NFC capable device is within the generated magnetic field of the primary coil and wherein the changes in the second current indicate that the second NFC capable device is within the generated magnetic field of the at least one secondary coil.

11. The first NFC capable device of claim 10, wherein:

the at least one secondary coil further comprises a plurality of secondary coils, an envelope detector coupled to each secondary coil from the plurality and positioned relative to the primary coil such that the first current in the primary coil induces a secondary current in each secondary coil; and

the controller module is further configured to detect changes in an envelope detection signal output by the envelope detector of each secondary coil from the plurality.

12. The first NFC capable device of claim 9, wherein:

the primary coil is configured to receive a first current from the controller module;

the at least one secondary coil is configured to receive a second current from the controller module;

the envelope detector in the primary coil is configured to change the first envelope detection signal based on changes in the first current caused by the second NFC capable device passing within the generated magnetic field of the primary coil;

the envelope detector in the at least one secondary coil is configured to change the second envelope detection signal based on changes in the second current caused by the second NFC capable device passing within the generated magnetic field of the at least one secondary coil; and

the controller module is configured to detect the changes in the first envelope detection signal and the second envelope detection signal and to determine the motion of the second NFC capable device relative to the first NFC capable device, based on the detected changes in the first envelop detection signal and the second envelope detection signal.

13. The first NFC capable device of claim 12, wherein the at least one secondary coil further comprises a plurality of secondary coils, each secondary coil from the plurality having an envelope detector and each secondary coil receiving current from the controller module;

and

the controller module is further configured to detect changes in an envelope detection signal output by the envelope detector of each secondary coil from the plurality.

14. The first NFC capable device of claim 8, wherein the first NFC capable device comprises a NFC reader and the second NFC capable device comprises a NFC tag.

15. A gesture detection system, comprising:

a first near field communication (NFC) capable device, the first NFC capable device comprising;

an antenna module comprising a plurality of inductive coupling elements, the antenna module configured to detect a motion of a second NFC capable device as the second NFC capable device passes within range of one or more of the inductive coupling elements in the plurality; and

a controller module configured to determine the motion of the second NFC capable device relative to the first NFC capable device based on a detection signal from each of the one or more inductive coupling elements in the plurality over which the second NFC capable device passes,

wherein controller module receives the detection signal from each of the one or more inductive coupling elements in the array for use in the determination.

16. The gesture detection system of claim 15, wherein:

the plurality of inductive coupling elements comprises passive inductive coupling elements; and

the second NFC capable device is configured to generate a magnetic field;

wherein each passive inductive coupling element from the plurality of inductive coupling elements outputs a general purpose input/output (GPIO) signal as the detection signal when an induced voltage in each passive inductive coupling element within range of the generated magnetic field exceeds a tag activation voltage.

17. The gesture detection system of claim 16, wherein:

a first passive inductive coupling element from the plurality of inductive coupling elements is configured to provide a first GPIO signal as the generated magnetic field of the second NFC capable device passes within range of the first passive inductive coupling element;

a second passive inductive coupling element from the plurality of passive inductive coupling elements is configured to provide a second GPIO signal as the generated magnetic field of the second NFC capable device passes within range of the second passive inductive coupling element; and

the controller module is configured to determine the motion of the second NFC capable device relative to the first NFC capable device based on the first GPIO signal and the second GPIO signal.

18. The gesture detection system of claim 15, further comprising:

a modulator module configured to modulate a signal onto a carrier wave to provide a modulated signal;

wherein the plurality of inductive coupling elements comprises a primary coil and at least one secondary coil, the primary coil and each secondary coil comprising an inductive coupling element and an envelope detector;

wherein the detection signal comprises an envelope detection signal; and

wherein the antenna module is further configured to apply the modulated signal to the primary coil to generate a magnetic field to provide the modulated signal to the second NFC capable device, and provide the envelope detection signal from the primary coil and each secondary coil to the controller module.

19. The gesture detection system of claim 18, wherein:

the primary coil is configured to provide a first envelope detection signal as the second NFC capable device passes within the generated magnetic field of the primary coil;

the at least one secondary coil is configured to provide a second envelope detection signal as the second NFC capable device passes within the generated magnetic field of the secondary coil; and

the controller module comprises a timer configured to generate a timing reference, the controller module being configured to determine the motion of the second NFC capable device relative to the first NFC capable device based on the timing reference and the first envelope detection signal and the second envelope detection signal.

20. A first near field communication (NFC) capable device, comprising:

an antenna module configured to detect a generated magnetic field from a second NFC capable device;

an accelerometer configured to output a motion signal; and

a controller module;

wherein the first NFC capable device is configured to activate the accelerometer upon detection of the generated magnetic field;

wherein the controller module is configured to determine a motion of the first NFC capable device relative to a prior position of the first NFC capable device based on the motion signal from the accelerometer; and

wherein the controller module is configured to initiate a transaction associated with the determined motion.