Transmitter and Method for Substantially Reducing Dead Zones in an Inductive Contactless Mobile Payment System

• US 20160203472A1
• Filed: 02/20/2015
• Published: 07/14/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 01/14/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd. (Samsung Group)
• Original Assignee: LoopPay Incorporated
• Inventors: WALLNER, George
• Granted Patent: US 9,864,985 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/341 Active cards, i.e. cards including their own processing means, e.g. including an IC or chip
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2038/143 for signals
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 38/14 Inductive couplings for wireless supply or distribution of electric power using inductive coupling H02J50/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

A transmitter to generate a signal to be read by a reader is described. The transmitter includes a driver circuit; and at least two inductors connected to the driver circuit. The driver circuit controls the current flow through the inductor and the current flow results in a signal such that the signal strength is above the detection limit of the reader for each of the inductors which may have at least one null region. Additionally, the inductors are positioned such that the null regions of the inductors do not overlap.

Claims

1. A transmitter to generate a signal to be read by a reader, comprising:

a driver circuit; and

at least two inductors connected to the driver circuit;

wherein the driver circuit controls the current flow through the inductor that results in a signal;

wherein each inductor has at least one null region, wherein the signal strength is below the detection limit of the reader; and

wherein the inductors are positioned such that the null regions of the inductors do not overlap.

2. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the inductors are positioned to produce regions where the signal strength is greater than the detection limit of the reader to result in good data read.

3. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein there are only two inductors.

4. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein at least one inductor is an L-mode inductor.

5. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein at least one inductor is an X-mode inductor.

6. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the inductor further comprises a conductive material.

7. The transmitter of claim 6, wherein the conductive material is selected from a group consisting of a metal wire, a printed circuit board, and stamped sheet metal shapes.

8. The transmitter of claim 6, wherein the conductive material is plated.

9. The transmitter of claim 6, wherein the conductive material is coated with a material selected from a group consisting of enamel, acrylic or plastic.

10. The transmitter of claim 6, wherein the conductive material is shaped in the form selected from the group consisting of irregular, circle, polygon, rectangle, square, and triangle.

11. The transmitter of claim 4, wherein the inductor further comprises a core.

12. The transmitter of claim 11, wherein the core is made of ferrite.

13. The transmitter of claim 11, wherein the core has a cross-sectional shape selected from the group consisting of irregular, circle, polygon, rectangle, square, and triangle.

14. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein at least one inductor is an L-mode inductor and at least one inductor is an X-mode inductor.

15. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein both the inductors are an L-mode inductor.

16. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein both the inductors are an X-mode inductor.

17. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein at least one inductor does not have its null region, wherein the signal strength is below the detection limit of the reader, positioned above the reader.

18. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the driver circuit flows the current through multiple inductors at the same time.

19. The transmitter of claim 1, wherein the driver circuit flows the current through multiple inductors at the separate times.

21. A method of driving the transmitter of claim 1, comprising flowing current through only one inductor at a given time.

20. A transmitter to generate a signal to be read by a reader, comprising:

a driver circuit; and

an inductor connected to the driver circuit;

wherein the driver circuit controls the current flow through the inductor that results in a signal transmission; and

wherein the driver circuit passes the current through the inductor multiple times while the inductor is moved relative to the reader head passing through a number of positions; and

wherein at at least one of the number of positions the inductor passes through the inductor produces a transmission signal that is greater than the reader threshold for a good data read.

22. A method of driving a transmitter that includes a driver circuit and at least two inductors connected to the driver circuit with each inductor having at least one null region with a signal strength below the detection limit of a signal reader, wherein the driver circuit controls the current flow through the inductor that results in a signal, said method comprising the steps of:

positioning the at least two inductors in the transmitter so that the null regions of the inductors do not overlap; and

flowing current through the at least two inductors to generate a composite signal.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the composite signal has a null region wherein the signal strength is below the detection limit of the reader.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the composite signal has a signal strength skewed towards one side of the reader.

25. The method of claim 22, wherein the null region of the composite signal is located at a unique location with no overlap with the null regions of the individual inductors of the transmitter.

26. A method of driving the transmitter of claim 22, wherein the step of flowing current through the at least two inductors comprises alternating between flowing current through the at least two inductors at a given time and flowing current through only one inductor at a given time.

27. A method of driving transmitter of claim 22, wherein the step of flowing current through the at least two inductors comprises having the current flow in the same direction through all of the inductors.

28. A method of driving transmitter of claim 22, wherein the step of flowing current through the at least two inductors comprises having at least one inductor having the current flow in the opposite direction as compared with all of the other inductors.

29. A method to generate a signal to be read by a reader by a transmitter including a driver circuit and an inductor connected to the driver circuit, said method comprising the steps of:

flowing a current through the inductor multiple times to produce repeated signals for transmission;

moving the inductor relative to the reader head passing through a number of positions while the current is being passed through the inductor;

wherein at at least one of the number of positions the inductor passes through, the inductor produces a transmission signal that is greater than the reader threshold for a good data read.