Electronic device removably mounted on portable terminal equipment

• US 7,421,284 B2
• Filed: 07/14/2005
• Issued: 09/02/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Kabushiki Kaisha Toshiba (Toshiba Corporation)
• Inventors: Ishibashi, Takanobu
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh; Sonny
• Application Number:
  US11/180,607
• Publication Number:
  US 20060014566A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,146 Days
• Field of Search: 455/556.1, 455/558, 455/550.1, 455/556.2, 455/557, 455/575.1, 455/90.2, 455/90.3, 455/74, 455/91, 455/95, 455/422.1, 455/41.1, 455/41.2
• US Class Current: 455/556.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces

Abstract

A contact less function chip includes a communication control circuit for contact less communication and a memory which stores setting data items of various communication protocols for contact less communication applied to the communication control circuit for contact less communication. When the contact less function chip is mounted on a mobile telephone, it acquires equipment information of the mobile telephone, determines a communication protocol for contact less communication to be preferentially performed based on the equipment information of the mobile telephone and makes a communication setting for the communication control circuit according to setting data of the communication protocol which is determined to be preferentially performed.

Claims

1. An electronic device which is removably mounted on portable terminal equipment, the electronic device comprising:

a communication control circuit configured to perform radio communications with an external device in a state in which the electronic device is mounted on the portable terminal equipment;

a determining section configured to determine setting contents for the communication control circuit corresponding to the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted;

a setting section configured to make settings for the communication control circuit based on the setting contents determined by the determining section; and

a communicating section configured to perform data communications with the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted,

wherein the determining section determines setting contents corresponding to a communication protocol used for radio communication by the communication control circuit based on equipment information acquired from the portable terminal equipment by use of the communicating section, and

wherein the setting section sets a communication protocol for the communication control circuit based on the setting contents corresponding to the communication protocol determined by the determining section.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a memory which stores a plurality of setting data items corresponding to various communication protocols used to perform radio communication by the communication control circuit,

wherein the determining section determines, setting contents corresponding to a communication protocol used for radio communication by the communication control circuit based on equipment information acquired from the portable terminal equipment, and the setting section makes a setting for the communication control circuit based on setting data determined by the determining section.

3. The electronic device according to claim 2, wherein setting data of a new communication protocol acquired from the portable terminal equipment is registered in the memory when setting data of the new communication protocol used for radio communication by the communication control circuit is acquired from the portable terminal equipment by use of the communicating section.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the determining section determines one of a plurality of communication protocols which is realized as a top-priority communication protocol and used for radio communication by the communication control circuit based on equipment information acquired from the portable terminal equipment by use of the communicating section, and the setting section makes a setting for the communication control circuit to enhance the operation speed of the radio communication using the top-priority communication protocol determined by the determining section.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the determining section determines a required one of various communication protocols used for radio communication by the communication control circuit based on equipment information acquired from the portable terminal equipment by use of the communicating section, and the setting section makes a setting for the communication control circuit to make only the required communication protocol determined by the determining section usable.

6. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the radio communication performed by the communication control circuit is a short-range radio communication.

7. An electronic device which is removably mounted on portable terminal equipment, the electronic device comprising:

a communication control circuit which performs radio communication with an external device in a state in which the electronic device is mounted on the portable terminal equipment,

a determining section which determines setting contents for the communication control circuit corresponding to the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted, and

a setting section which makes settings for the communication control circuit based on the setting contents determined by the determining section,

wherein the communication control circuit performs radio communications with an external device by use of an antenna mounted on the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted, the determining section determines setting contents corresponding to the characteristic of the antenna mounted on the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted, and the setting section makes a setting for the communication control circuit based on setting contents corresponding to the characteristic of the antenna mounted on the portable terminal equipment and determined by the determining section.

8. The electronic device according to claim 7, further comprising a memory which stores setting data items corresponding to the characteristics of various antennas mounted on various portable terminal equipments,

wherein the determining section determines setting contents corresponding to the characteristic of the antenna mounted on the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted, and the setting section makes a setting for the communication control circuit based on the setting data determined by the determining section.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, further comprising a communicating section which performs data communication with the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted,

wherein setting data acquired from the portable terminal equipment is registered into the memory when new setting data different from the setting data already stored in the memory is acquired from the portable terminal equipment via the communicating section.

10. The electronic device according to claim 7, further comprising a measuring section which measures the characteristic of an antenna mounted on the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted,

wherein the determining section determines setting contents corresponding to the characteristic of the antenna mounted on the portable terminal equipment measured by the measuring section.

11. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the measuring section measures the characteristic of the antenna mounted on the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted by supplying a test signal to the antenna.

12. The electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the measuring section measures a value of an equivalent circuit of the antenna mounted on the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted, and the determining section determines setting contents corresponding to the characteristic of the antenna by comparing the value of the equivalent circuit of the antenna measured by the measuring section with preset data.

13. The electronic device according to claim 7, further comprising a communicating section which performs data communication with the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted,

wherein the determining section determines setting contents corresponding to the characteristic of the antenna mounted on the portable terminal equipment based on equipment information acquired from the portable terminal equipment via the communicating section.

14. The electronic device according to claim 7, wherein the radio communication performed by the communication control circuit is a short-range radio communication.

15. A control method for an electronic device that is removably mounted on portable terminal equipment and includes acquiring equipment information of the portable terminal equipment from the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted, the method comprising:

determining setting contents for a communication control circuit according to the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted, and

making settings for the communication control circuit which performs radio communication with an external device based on the thus determined setting contents in a state in which the electronic device is mounted on the portable terminal equipment,

wherein the determining setting contents determines setting contents corresponding to a communication protocol used for radio communication by the communication control circuit based on the equipment information acquired from the portable terminal equipment, and the setting sets a communication protocol for the communication control circuit based on the setting contents corresponding to the thus determined communication protocol.

16. The control method for the electronic device according to claim 15, wherein the radio communication performed by the communication control circuit is a short-range radio communication.

17. A control method for an electronic device that is removably mounted on portable terminal equipment the method comprising:

determining setting contents for a communication control circuit according to the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted, and

making settings for the communication control circuit which performs radio communication with an external device based on the thus determined setting contents in a state in which the electronic device is mounted on the portable terminal equipment,

wherein determining setting contents determines setting contents corresponding to the characteristic of an antenna mounted on the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted and used for radio communication with an external device by the communication control circuit, and the setting is to make a setting for the communication control circuit based on the determined setting contents corresponding to the characteristic of the antenna mounted on the portable terminal equipment.

18. The control method for the electronic device according to claim 17, further comprising measuring the characteristic of an antenna mounted on the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted,

wherein the determining is to determine setting contents corresponding to the measured characteristic of the antenna mounted on the portable terminal equipment.

19. The control method for the electronic device according to claim 17, further comprising acquiring equipment information of the portable terminal equipment from the portable terminal equipment on which the electronic device is mounted,

wherein the determining is to determine setting contents corresponding to the characteristic of the antenna mounted on the portable terminal equipment based on the equipment information acquired from the portable terminal equipment.

20. The control method for the electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the radio communication performed by the communication control circuit is a short-range radio communication.