ANTENNA SOLUTION FOR WIRELESS POWER TRANSFER - NEAR FIELD COMMUNICATION ENABLED COMMUNICATION DEVICE

• US 20140141715A1
• Filed: 12/28/2012
• Published: 05/22/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Smith, Aaron
• Granted Patent: US 9,031,502 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

Various configurations and arrangements of various communication devices and antenna solutions are disclosed. Antenna solutions disclosed herein include a single inductive coupling element configured to resonate at a variety of resonant frequencies suitable for WPT and/or NFC communications. Resonant circuits can be provided for tuning the inductive coupling element to resonant at specific resonant frequency. The antenna solutions can be employed in WPT/NFC enabled communication devices capable of WPT and NFC communication.

Claims

1. An antenna module configured to facilitate wireless power transfer (WPT) and near field communication (NFC) in a WPT/NFC enabled communication device, comprising:

a single inductive coupling element configured to resonate at at least a WPT resonant frequency suitable for WPT communication and an NFC resonant frequency suitable for NFC communication;

a resonant circuit configured to tune the single inductive coupling element to the WPT resonant frequency and the NFC resonant frequency based on wherein;

when placed in an oscillating magnetic field resonating at the WPT resonant frequency indicative of a WPT communication signal produced by a WPT inductive coupling element of a WPT transmitter, the resonant circuit tunes the single inductive coupling element to approximately the WPT resonant frequency such that a current is induced in the antenna module indicative of the WPT communication signal; and

when placed in an oscillating magnetic field resonating at the NFC resonant frequency indicative of an NFC communication signal produced by an NFC coupling element of a NFC transmitter, the resonant circuit tunes the single inductive coupling element to approximately the NFC resonant frequency such that a current is induced in the antenna module indicative of the NFC communication signal.

2. The antenna module of claim 1, wherein the NFC communication signal from the NFC transmitter is recovered from the current induced in the antenna module when placed in an oscillating magnetic field indicative of an NFC communication signal resonating at the NFC resonant frequency and wherein the recovered NFC communication signal is passed along to a WPT/NFC module in the WPT/NFC communication device.

3. The antenna module of claim 1, wherein the WPT communication signal from the WPT transmitter is recovered from the current induced in the antenna module when placed in an oscillating magnetic field indicative of an WPT communication signal resonating at the WPT resonant frequency and wherein the recovered WPT communication signal is passed along to a WPT/NFC module in the WPT/NFC communication device.

4. The antenna module of claim 1, wherein the resonant circuit further comprises an NFC resonant circuit for tuning the single inductive coupling element to the NFC resonant frequency and a WPT resonant circuit for tuning the single inductive coupling element to the WPT resonant frequency.

5. The antenna module of claim 4, further comprising a filter configured to determine whether:

the oscillating magnetic field is resonating at the WPT frequency and, if so signaling the WPT resonant circuit to tune the single inductive coupling element to the WPT resonant frequency; and

the oscillating magnetic field is resonating at the NFC frequency and, if so signaling the NFC resonant circuit to tune the single inductive coupling element to the NFC resonant frequency.

6. The antenna module of claim 4, further comprising a switching network configured to switch between the WPT resonant circuit and the NFC resonant circuit until an oscillating magnetic field resonating at approximately the WPT resonant frequency or the NFC resonant frequency is found and then:

if the oscillating magnetic field is resonating at the WPT resonant frequency, signaling the WPT resonant circuit to tune the single inductive coupling element to the WPT resonant frequency until the WPT communication signal is received; and

if the oscillating magnetic field is resonating at the NFC resonant frequency, signaling the NFC resonant circuit to tune the single inductive coupling element to the NFC resonant frequency until the NFC communication signal is received.

7. The antenna module of claim 1, wherein the resonant circuit is further configured to receive an NFC communication signal from the WPT/NFC communication device and to communicate the NFC communication signal to another NFC enabled device by tuning the single inductive coupling element to produce an oscillating magnetic field indicative of the NFC communication signal at the NFC communication frequency.

8. A wireless power transfer and near field communication (WPT/NFC) enabled communication device, comprising:

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

wherein the plurality of modules includes a WPT/NFC module configured enable communication between the WPT/NFC enabled communication device and another WPT enabled device or another NFC enabled device;

a single inductive coupling element configured to resonate at at least a WPT resonant frequency suitable for WPT communication and an NFC resonant frequency suitable for NFC communication;

a resonant circuit configured to tune the single inductive coupling element to the WPT resonant frequency and the NFC resonant frequency based on wherein;

when placed in an oscillating magnetic field resonating at the WPT resonant frequency indicative of a WPT communication signal produced by a WPT inductive coupling element of a WPT transmitter, the resonant circuit tunes the single inductive coupling element to approximately the WPT resonant frequency such that a current is induced in the antenna module indicative of the WPT communication signal; and

when placed in an oscillating magnetic field resonating at the NFC resonant frequency indicative of an NFC communication signal produced by an NFC coupling element of a NFC transmitter, the resonant circuit tunes the single inductive coupling element to approximately the NFC resonant frequency such that a current is induced in the antenna module indicative of the NFC communication signal.

9. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 8, wherein the resonant circuit further comprises an NFC resonant circuit for tuning the single inductive coupling element to the NFC resonant frequency and a WPT resonant circuit for tuning the single inductive coupling element to the WPT resonant frequency.

10. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 9, further comprising a filter configured to determine whether:

the oscillating magnetic field is resonating at the WPT frequency and, if so signaling the WPT resonant circuit to tune the single inductive coupling element to the WPT resonant frequency; and

the oscillating magnetic field is resonating at the NFC frequency and, if so signaling the NFC resonant circuit to tune the single inductive coupling element to the NFC resonant frequency.

11. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 9, further comprising a switching network configured to switch between the WPT resonant circuit and the NFC resonant circuit until an oscillating magnetic field resonating at approximately the WPT resonant frequency or the NFC resonant frequency is found and then:

if the oscillating magnetic field is resonating at the WPT resonant frequency, signaling the WPT resonant circuit to tune the single inductive coupling element to the WPT resonant frequency until the WPT communication signal is received; and

if the oscillating magnetic field is resonating at the NFC resonant frequency, signaling the NFC resonant circuit to tune the single inductive coupling element to the NFC resonant frequency until the NFC communication signal is received.

12. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 8, wherein the NFC/WPT module further comprises a front end module configured to provide an interface between the other NFC capable device and the WPT/NFC enabled communication device.

13. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 12, wherein the front end module is further configured to recover information from the NFC communication signal and to derive a harvested power from the NFC communication signal.

14. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 12, wherein the front end module is further configured to receive the WPT communication signal from a WPT transmitter.

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

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

16. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 8, wherein one of the plurality of modules is a cellular communication module configured to provide communication between the WPT/NFC enabled communication and other devices using a cellular communication standard.

17. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 8, wherein the WPT/NFC enabled communication device is configured to communicate an NFC communication signal to another NFC enabled device by tuning the single inductive coupling element to produce an oscillating magnetic field indicative of the NFC communication signal at the NFC communication frequency.

18. An NFC/WPT module configured to facilitate wireless power transfer (WPT) and near field communication (NFC) in a WPT/NFC enabled communication device, comprising:

an antenna module comprising;

a single inductive coupling element configured to resonate at at least a WPT resonant frequency suitable for WPT communication and an NFC resonant frequency suitable for NFC communication; and

a resonant circuit configured to tune the single inductive coupling element to the WPT resonant frequency and the NFC resonant frequency based on wherein;

when placed in an oscillating magnetic field resonating at the WPT resonant frequency indicative of a WPT communication signal produced by a WPT inductive coupling element of a WPT transmitter, the resonant circuit tunes the single inductive coupling element to approximately the WPT resonant frequency such that a current is induced in the antenna module indicative of the WPT communication signal; and

when placed in an oscillating magnetic field resonating at the NFC resonant frequency indicative of an NFC communication signal produced by an NFC coupling element of a NFC transmitter, the resonant circuit tunes the single inductive coupling element to approximately the NFC resonant frequency such that a current is induced in the antenna module indicative of the NFC communication signal;

an NFC demodulator configured for recovering and demodulating the NFC signal from the current induced in the antenna module indicative of the NFC communication signal; and

a WPT power harvesting module configured to recover and harvest power from the current induced in the antenna module indicative of the WPT communication signal.

19. The NFC/WPT module of claim 18 further comprising an NFC power harvesting module configured to harvest power from the current induced in the antenna module indicative of the NFC communication signal.

20. The NFC/WPT module of claim 18 further comprising an NFC modulator for modulating an NFC communication signal such that the modulated communication signal can be communicated to another NFC enabled communication device by tuning the single inductive coupling element to produce an oscillating magnetic field indicative of the modulated NFC communication signal at the NFC communication frequency.