DYNAMIC BOOST OF NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATIONS (NFC) PERFORMANCE/COVERAGE IN DEVICES

• US 20140129425A1
• Filed: 03/12/2013
• Published: 05/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Yang, Songnan, Adrangi, Farid, Karacaoglu, Ulun, Konanur, Anand, Iriawan, Denny, Stepek, Thomas J.
• Granted Patent: US 9,773,241 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/39
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10158 methods and means used by the interrogation device for reliably powering the wireless record carriers using an electromagnetic interrogation field
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/3278 RFID or NFC payments by means of M-devices
• CPC Class Codes: H03G 3/3042 in modulators, frequency-changers, transmitters or power amplifiers transmission power control in bidirectional transmission systems H04W52/04

Abstract

Described herein are architectures, platforms and methods for dynamic amplification/boosting of near field communications (NFC) antenna transmission power in a device during NFC related functions that require increase in an NFC antenna transmission power such as a payment transaction. For example, to comply with Europay MasterCard and Visa (EMVco) standards with regard to higher NFC antenna transmission power during the EMVco transactions, the NFC antenna transmission power may be dynamically controlled to maximize efficiency of a battery/power supply of the device.

Claims

1. A device comprising:

one or more processors;

a near field communication (NFC) module;

a boosting circuit coupled to the NFC module and the one or more processors, wherein the boosting circuit is configured to facilitate an increase in an NFC antenna transmission power based upon detection of a near field coupling transaction that requires increased NFC antenna transmission power.

2. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the boosting circuit includes a power amplifier (PA) with a configurable amplifier gain, wherein the configurable amplifier gain is dynamically adjusted to generate increased NFC antenna transmission power.

3. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the near field coupling transaction that requires increased NFC antenna transmission power is detected by the NFC module or by the one or more processors.

4. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the boosting circuit is an external power amplifier (PA).

5. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the boosting circuit is an internal power amplifier (PA) integrated with the NFC module to form a single module.

6. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors or the NFC module is configured to increase the NFC antenna transmission power until completion of the detected near field coupling transaction that requires increased NFC antenna transmission power.

7. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors or the NFC module is configured to increase the NFC antenna transmission power within a time threshold that includes a duration of time that the NFC antenna transmission power is increased.

8. The device as recited in claim 1, wherein the one or more processors or the NFC module is configured to increase the NFC antenna transmission power by directly increasing input current or voltage to the NFC module.

9. A device comprising:

one or more processors;

a near field communication (NFC) module;

a controller switch coupled to the NFC module or the one or more processors, wherein the controller switch is configured to facilitate a regular NFC antenna transmission power during a proximity usage and facilitates an increased NFC antenna transmission power upon detection of a near field coupling transaction that requires increased NFC antenna transmission power;

a power amplifier (PA) coupled to the controller switch, wherein the PA includes a fix amplifier gain to provide the increased NFC antenna transmission power, and wherein the PA is bypassed during the proximity usage; and

an NFC antenna coupled to the PA and the controller switch, the NFC antenna is configured to generate the regular NFC antenna transmission or the increased NFC antenna transmission power.

10. The device as recited in claim 9, wherein the one or more processors and the NFC module are configured to control the controller switch, wherein a default mode of the controller switch facilitates the regular NFC antenna transmission power.

11. The device as recited in claim 9, wherein the PA is integrated with the NFC module to form a single module.

12. The device as recited in claim 9, wherein the near field coupling transaction that requires increased NFC antenna transmission power includes Europay MasterCard and Visa (EMVco) transactions.

13. The device as recited in claim 9, wherein the one or more processors or the NFC module is configured to utilize the PA until completion of the near field coupling transaction that requires increased NFC antenna transmission power.

14. The device as recited in claim 9, wherein the one or more processors or the NFC module is configured to utilize the PA within a time threshold, the time threshold includes a duration of time before the increased NFC antenna transmission power reverts back to the regular NFC antenna transmission power.

15. The device as recited in claim 9, wherein the one or more processors or the NFC module is configured to increase the NFC antenna transmitting power by directly increasing input current or voltage to the NFC module.

16. A method of adjusting near field communications (NFC) antenna transmission power during NFC related functions in a device, the method comprising:

configuring the NFC antenna transmission power at proximity mode, the proximity mode utilizes a regular NFC antenna transmission power;

detecting NFC related functions that require increased NFC antenna transmission power;

issuing a command to activate a boosting operation, the boosting operation includes switching from the regular NFC antenna transmission power to a boosted NFC antenna transmission power;

completing the NFC related functions that require increased NFC transmission power; and

issuing another command to deactivate the boosting operation, the deactivation includes reverting back from the boosted NFC transmission power to the regular NFC antenna transmission power.

17. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the configuring the NFC antenna transmission power at proximity mode includes coupling of a processor or system on a chip to an NFC antenna to generate the regular transmission power.

18. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the issuing of the command to activate boosting operation includes configuring a switch to connect the output of an NFC module to a fix gain power amplifier (PA), the fix gain PA facilitates the boosted NFC antenna transmission power.

19. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the issuing of the command to activate the boosting operation includes increasing a configurable amplifier gain of a power amplifier (PA) during an e-commerce transaction, the e-commerce transaction includes Europay MasterCard and Visa (EMVco) transactions.

20. The method as recited in claim 16, wherein the deactivating of the boosting operation is implemented after expiration of a time threshold, the time threshold includes duration of time that the boosting operation is activated.