Sizing of an electromagnetic transponder system for a dedicated distant coupling operation

• US 7,049,935 B1
• Filed: 07/13/2000
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 07/20/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Original Assignee: STMicroelectronics SA (STMicroelectronics NV)
• Inventors: Enguent, Jean-Pierre, Wuidart, Luc
• Primary Examiner(s): Horabik, Michael
• Assistant Examiner(s): SHIMIZU, MATSUICHIRO
• Application Number:
  US09/615,273
• Time in Patent Office: 2,140 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.4, 331/65
• US Class Current: 340/10.4
• 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

Abstract

A system of contactless electromagnetic transmission between a terminal including a series oscillating circuit for generating an electromagnetic field and a transponder including a parallel oscillating circuit, these oscillating circuits being sized so that the coupling coefficient between them rapidly decreases when the distance separating the transponder from the terminal becomes smaller than a predetermined value.

Claims

1. An electromagnetic transponder including a parallel oscillating circuit adapted to being excited by a series oscillating circuit of a read/write terminal when the electromagnetic transponder enters an electromagnetic field of the read/write terminal, wherein components of the parallel oscillating circuit of the electromagnetic transponder are sized so that a distance at which a voltage across the oscillating circuit of the transponder is maximum is greater than a distance at which a coupling coefficient between the oscillating circuit of the transponder and the oscillating circuit of the terminal is maximum.

2. The electromagnetic transponder of claim 1, wherein the components of the parallel oscillating circuit of the electromagnetic transponder are sized such that the electromagnetic transponder operates at a distance of 5 cm or greater from the read/write terminal.

3. The electromagnetic transponder of claim 1, wherein the parallel oscillating circuit is configured to have a minimal inductance.

4. The electromagnetic transponder of claim 1, wherein an inductance of the parallel oscillating circuit is chosen in accordance with the following relation:

$k<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>o<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>p<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>t=\sqrt{\frac{\mathrm{R1L2}}{\mathrm{R2L1}}},$

where kopt represents the coupling coefficient providing a maximum voltage across the parallel oscillating circuit, where R1 represents a series resistance of the series oscillating circuit, where R2 represents an equivalent resistance of the transponder brought in parallel on inductance L2, and where L1 represents an inductance of the series oscillating circuit.

5. The electromagnetic transponder of claim 1, having a parallel oscillating circuit wherein components are sized based on an operating point at a median distance of a desired operating range, chosen to correspond to a coupling coefficient as close as possible to an optimal coupling coefficient in accordance with the following relation:

$\mathrm{V2}<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\max <br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>\left(k<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>o<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>p<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>t\right)=\sqrt{\frac{\mathrm{R2}}{\mathrm{R1}}}<br><br>\frac{V<br><br>\text{\hspace{1em}<br><br>}<br><br>g}{2},$

where V2max(kopt) is a voltage across the parallel oscillating circuit for optimal coupling between the oscillating circuits, R1 is a series resistance of the series oscillating circuit, R2 is an equivalent resistance of the transponder brought in parallel on its oscillating circuit, and Vg is an excitation voltage of the series oscillating circuit.

6. The electromagnetic transponder of claim 1, wherein a number of turns of an inductance of the parallel oscillating circuit is smaller than 3.

7. The electromagnetic transponder of claim 1, wherein respective values of a capacitance and of an inductance of the parallel oscillating circuit range is between 20 and 500 pf and between 0.1 and 10 μ

H.

11. A system of contactless electromagnetic transmission between a terminal and a transponder, wherein the transponder is that of claim 1.

8. A terminal for generating an electromagnetic field adapted to cooperate with at least one transponder when said at least one transponder enters the electromagnetic field, including a series oscillating circuit for generating the electromagnetic field, the series oscillating circuit being sized so that a distance at which a voltage across an oscillating circuit of the transponder is maximum is greater than a distance at which a coupling coefficient between the oscillating circuit of the transponder and the series oscillating circuit of the terminal is maximum.

9. The terminal of claim 8, wherein components of the series oscillating circuit are sized so that a distance at which a voltage across the oscillating circuit of the transponder is maximum is greater than a distance at which a coupling coefficient between the oscillating circuit of the transponder and the oscillating circuit of the terminal is maximum.

10. The terminal of claim 9, wherein an inductance of the series oscillating circuit includes between 3 and 15 turns.

12. A system of contactless electromagnetic transmission between a terminal and a transponder, wherein the terminal is that of claim 8.

13. A system for contactless electromagnetic transmission between a terminal and a transponder, comprising:

the terminal having a first oscillating circuit including a first resistor a first capacitor and a first inductor; and

the transponder having a second oscillating circuit including a second resistor, a second capacitor and a second inductor;

wherein at least one of the terminal and the transponder is structurally dedicated to operation where a distance between the terminal and the transponder exceeds a predetermined distance;

wherein the first resistor, the first capacitor and the first inductor are sized so that a distance at which a voltage across the second oscillating circuit is maximum is greater than a distance at which a coupling coefficient between the first and second oscillating circuits is maximum.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the second capacitor is an integrated capacitor.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the second inductance is configured to have a minimal inductance.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the first inductor includes between 3 and 15 turns.

17. A system for contactless electromagnetic transmission between a terminal and a transponder, comprising:

the terminal having a first oscillating circuit including a first resistor, a first capacitor and a first inductor; and

the transponder having a second oscillating circuit including a second resistor, a second capacitor and a second inductor;

wherein at least one of the terminal and the transponder is structurally dedicated to operation where a distance between the terminal and the transponder exceeds a predetermined distance;

wherein the second resistor, the second capacitor and the second inductor are sized so that a distance at which a voltage across the second oscillating circuit is maximum is greater than a distance at which a coupling coefficient between the first and second oscillating circuits is maximum.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the second capacitor is an integrated capacitor.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the second inductance is configured to have a minimal inductance.

20. The system of claim 17, wherein the first inductor includes between 3 and 15 turns.

21. A system for contactless electromagnetic transmission between a terminal and a transponder, comprising:

the terminal having a first oscillating circuit including a first resistor, a first capacitor and a first inductor; and

the transponder having a second oscillating circuit including a second resistor, a second capacitor and a second inductor;

wherein at least one of the terminal and the transponder is structurally dedicated to operation where a distance between the terminal and the transponder exceeds a predetermined distance;

wherein the first resistor, the first capacitor and the first inductor are connected in series with one another, and wherein the second resistor, the second capacitor and the second inductor are connected in parallel with one another.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the second capacitor is an integrated capacitor.

23. The system of claim 22, wherein the second inductance is configured to have a minimal inductance.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the first inductor includes between 3 and 15 turns.