Wireless Power Transfer - Near Field Communication Enabled Communication Device

• US 20140057559A1
• Filed: 08/27/2012
• Published: 02/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: SMITH, Aaron
• Granted Patent: US 9,281,871 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
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/0037 for power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/02 using transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

Various configurations and arrangements of various communication devices are disclosed. Various integrated circuits that form these communication devices can be fabricated onto one or more semiconductor substrates, chips, and/or dies using a high voltage semiconductor process, a low voltage semiconductor process, or any combination thereof. Some of these high voltage and/or low voltage semiconductor process integrated circuits can be fabricated along with other high voltage and/or low voltage semiconductor process integrated circuits of other modules onto a single semiconductor substrate, chip, and/or die. This allows the low voltage semiconductor process integrated circuits and/or high voltage semiconductor process integrated circuits of one module to be combined with low voltage semiconductor process integrated circuits and/or high voltage semiconductor process integrated circuits of another module of the communication device.

Claims

1. A wireless power transfer (WPT) enabled communication device, comprising:

a plurality of modules configured to provide communication with communication devices according to a plurality of communication standards;

a communication interface configured to communicatively couple the plurality of modules to one another,

wherein a first module from among the plurality of modules is configured implement a communication standard from among the plurality of communication standards, a first portion of the first module being fabricated using a high voltage semiconductor process and a second portion of the first module being fabricated using a low voltage semiconductor process.

2. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 1, wherein the first portion of the first module is fabricated onto a first semiconductor substrate using the high voltage semiconductor process, and

wherein the second portion of the first module is fabricated onto a second semiconductor substrate that is communicatively coupled to the first portion using the low voltage semiconductor process.

3. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 1, wherein the first module is configured to provide near field communication (NFC) between the WPT enabled communication device and another near field communication (NFC) capable device in accordance with a NFC standard.

4. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 3, wherein the first module is further configured to inductively receive a magnetic field from another NFC capable device and to recover information from the second magnetic field and to derive a harvested power from the magnetic field.

5. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 4, wherein the plurality of modules comprise:

a secure element configured to receive the harvested power.

6. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 2, wherein the first module is further configured to receive a power transmission signal from a wireless power transmitter.

7. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 5, wherein the first module is further configured to derive a harvested power from the power transmission signal and to provide the harvested power to other modules from among the plurality of modules.

8. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 6, wherein the other modules from among the plurality of modules comprise:

a power management unit.

9. A wireless power transfer (WPT) enabled communication device, comprising:

a plurality of modules configured to provide communication between the WPT enabled communication device and other standards enable communication devices according to a plurality of communication standards,

wherein a first module from among the plurality of modules is configured to operate in conjunction with a second module from among the plurality of modules to implement a communication standard from among the plurality of communication standards,

wherein the first module is fabricated using a high voltage semiconductor process, and

wherein the second module is fabricated using a low voltage semiconductor process.

10. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 9, wherein the first module operates in conjunction with the second module to provide near field communication (NFC) between the WPT enabled communication device and another near field communication (NFC) capable device in accordance with a NFC standard.

11. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 9, wherein the first module comprises:

a front end module configured to provide an interface between the other NFC capable device and the WPT enabled communication device.

12. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 11, wherein the front end module is further configured to inductively receive a magnetic field from the other NFC capable device, to recover information from the magnetic field, and to derive a harvested power from the magnetic field.

13. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 12, wherein the second module comprises:

a NFC controller configured to receive the information and the harvested power from the first module.

14. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 11, wherein the front end module is further configured to receive a power transmission signal from a wireless power transmitter.

15. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 14, further comprising:

a power management unit configured to receive a harvested power that is derived from the power transmission signal and to provide a power signal based upon the harvested power to other modules from among the plurality of modules.

16. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 9, wherein the first module is configured to operate in conjunction with a third module from among the plurality of modules to implement a second communication standard from among the plurality of communication standards,

wherein the third module being fabricated using a low voltage semiconductor process.

17. The WPT enabled communication device of claim 16, wherein the second communication standard is a cellular communication standard.

18. A front end module that is implemented as part of a wireless power transfer (WPT) enabled communication device, comprising:

an antenna module configured to inductively receive a magnetic field from another NFC capable device and a power transmission signal from a wireless power transmitter;

a first power harvesting module configured to derive a first harvested power from the magnetic field; and

a second power harvesting module configured to derive a second harvested power from the power transmission signal.

19. The front end module of claim 18, further comprising:

a modulator configured to modulate transmission information in accordance with a modulation technique to provide a modulated information signal; and

a demodulator configured to demodulate the magnetic field to recover information from the magnetic field,

wherein the antenna module is configured to apply the modulated information signal to an inductive coupling element to generate a magnetic field to provide a transmitted communication signal.

20. The front end module of claim 19, wherein the antenna module comprises a first inductive coupling element configured to receive the magnetic field from the other NFC capable device and a second inductive coupling element configured to receive the power transmission signal from the wireless power transmitter.