Operation in very close coupling of an electromagnetic transponder system

• US 6,703,921 B1
• Filed: 04/05/2000
• Issued: 03/09/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 04/07/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Enguent, Jean-Pierre, Wuidart, Luc, Bardouillet, Michel
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): NGUYEN, NAM V
• Application Number:
  US09/543,278
• Time in Patent Office: 1,434 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.2, 340/10.34, 340/10.3, 340/10.4, 340/850, 340/870.44, 341/20-35, 572/3, 572/1, 455/41
• US Class Current: 340/10.4
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0701 at least one of the integrated circuit chips comprising an arrangement for power management
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer

Abstract

A method and a system of data transmission between a terminal for generating an electromagnetic field and a transponder, the terminal and the transponder each including an oscillating circuit forming an antenna, and the transponder including an electronic circuit adapted to absorbing and giving back power provided by the terminal field, the oscillating circuits of the transponder and of the terminal being capable of transmitting radio-electric signals of determined frequency, this method including causing a detuning of at least one of the oscillating circuits with respect to the determined frequency when the transponder and the terminal are very close to each other.

Claims

1. A method of data transmission between a terminal for generating an electromagnetic field and a transponder, the terminal and the transponder each including an oscillating circuit forming an antenna, and said transponder including an electronic circuit adapted to drain and give back power provided by the electromagnetic field from the terminal, the oscillating circuits of the transponder and of the terminal being capable of transmitting radio-electric signals of determined frequency, the method including causing a detuning of at least one of the oscillating circuits with respect to the determined frequency, so as to decrease a coupling coefficient between the oscillating circuits while maintaining communication between the transponder and the terminal, when the transponder and the terminal are very close to each other.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the oscillating circuits are tuned when the transponder is further away from the terminal than a critical coupling position between the oscillating circuits, at least one of the circuits being detuned when the transponder is between the critical coupling position and the terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein detuning is caused when respective antennas of the transponder and of the terminal are at less than two centimeters away from each other.

4. The method of claim 1, further including detuning both oscillating circuits.

5. The method of claim 1, further including modifying a data transmission rate from the transponder to the terminal and/or from the terminal to the transponder according to whether the oscillating circuits are or are not tuned to the determined frequency.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said determined frequency corresponds to a frequency of a remote supply carrier of the transponder.

7. A system of wireless and contactless data transmission between a terminal that generates an electromagnetic field and at least one transponder having no independent supply means, at least one of the terminal and the transponder including means for implementing the method of claim 1.

8. A method for communication between a terminal and a remote transponder that receives operating power from the terminal, the method comprising acts of:

generating with the terminal an electromagnetic field;

determining a distance between the terminal and the remote transponder;

detuning an oscillating circuit of one of the terminal and the transponder, so as to decrease a coupling coefficient between the transponder and the terminal in a detuned state, in response to the distance between the terminal and the transponder being less than a predetermined value;

wherein the transponder still receives operating power from the terminal in the detuned state.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein detuning the oscillating circuit includes an act of regulating a phase of a current through the oscillating circuit.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein regulating the phase of the current includes acts of:

measuring the phase of the current; and

varying a capacitance of the oscillating circuit so as to achieve a desired phase of the current.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein measuring the phase of the current includes acts of:

measuring the current with a current-measuring device to provide a measured current;

comparing a phase of the measured current with a phase of a reference signal using a phase comparator; and

determining the phase of the current based on the comparing act.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein determining the distance includes acts of:

measuring a first voltage when the oscillating circuit is in a tuned mode;

measuring a second voltage when the oscillating circuit is in the detuned mode;

comparing the first and second voltages to provide a comparison bit; and

determining the distance between the terminal and the transponder, relative to a critical coupling point, based on a value of the comparison bit.

13. The method of claim 8, further comprising an act of varying a rate of data transmission between the terminal and the remote transponder based at least in part on the distance between the terminal and the remote transponder.