Method for activating a communication mode of a peer communication unit

• US 7,652,556 B2
• Filed: 12/22/2003
• Issued: 01/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Kunkat, Holger, Breitfuss, Klemens
• Primary Examiner(s): Zimmerman; Brian A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Jiang; Yong Hang
• Application Number:
  US10/541,653
• Publication Number:
  US 20060119470A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,227 Days
• Field of Search: 340/10.42, 340/572.1, 340/10.1, 340/10.3, 340/10.33, 340/10.34
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10029 the collision being resolved in the time domain, e.g. using binary tree search or RFID responses allocated to a random time slot
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10297 arrangements for handling protocols designed for non-contact record carriers such as RFIDs NFCs, e.g. ISO/IEC 14443 and 18092 cryptographic protocols H04L9/00; network security protocols H04L63/00; real-time communication protocols in data switching networks H04L65/00; network protocols for data switching network services H04L67/00

Abstract

When activating a desired communication mode of an ID communication partner device (2) from a group of possible communication modes, which group comprises at least a TTF mode and an RTF mode, the ID communication partner device (2) and at least one other ID communication partner device (4) are brought into a communication connection, wherein a carrier signal (CS) is output by the at least one other ID communication partner device (4), which carrier signal (CS) is received by the ID communication partner device (2), and wherein the carrier signal (CS) is repeatedly designated by at least one mode activation signal (AS) by means of the at least one other ID communication partner device (4), and wherein the presence of the mode activation signal (AS) is recognized by the ID communication partner device (2), giving a recognition result signal (RRS), and wherein, as a function of the recognition result signal (RRS), the desired communication mode of the ID communication partner device (2) is activated.

Claims

1. A method for activating a desired communication mode of an ID communication partner device from a group of possible communication modes, which group comprises at least a first mode and a second mode,

wherein the ID communication partner device and at least one other ID communication partner device are brought into a communication connection and

wherein a carrier signal is output by the at least one other ID communication partner device, which carrier signal is received by the ID communication partner device, and

wherein the carrier signal is repeatedly designated by at least one mode activation signal by the at least one other ID communication partner device, and

wherein the absence or the presence of the mode activation signal is recognized by the ID communication partner device, giving a recognition result signal, and

wherein, as a function of the recognition result signal, the desired communication mode of the ID communication partner device is activated, the ID communication partner device being always activated to the same mode selected from a Reader Talks First (RTF) mode and a Tag Talks First (TTF) mode when the recognition result signal indicates the absence of the mode activation signal, the ID communication partner device being always activated to the other mode of the RTF mode and the TTF mode when the recognition result signal indicates the presence of the mode activation signal, the ID communication partner device being configured to operate in the RTF mode and the TTF mode.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one mode activation signal is formed by at least one sinusoidal signal and the carrier signal is designated by a modulation using the at least one sinusoidal signal.

3. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the mode activation signal is recognized by correlation.

4. A method as claimed in claim 2, wherein the mode activation signal is recognized by filtering out the sinusoidal signal.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carrier signal is designated only at predefined time intervals.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein a recognition of a communication status is carried out and wherein the repeated designation of the carrier signal by the mode activation signal is carried out as a function of the communication status.

7. An integrated circuit for an ID communication partner device designed as a communication station, which integrated circuit comprises the following means:

output means for outputting a carrier signal, which carrier signal can be received by another ID communication partner device,

generation means for generating at least one mode activation signal, and

designation means for repeatedly designating the carrier signal with the at least one mode activation signal such that the at least one mode activation signal is selectively present, the at least one mode activation signal being configured to be recognized by the another ID communication partner device to always activate the same mode selected from a Reader Talks First (RTF) mode and a Tag Talks First (TTF) mode when the presence of the at least one mode activation signal is recognized, the another ID communication partner being further configured to always activate the other mode of the RTF mode and the TTF mode when the absence of the at least one mode activation signal is recognized, the another ID communication partner device being configured to operate in the RTF mode and the TTF mode.

8. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the generation means are designed to form the at least one mode activation signal using at least one sinusoidal signal, and

wherein the designation means are designed to designate the carrier signal with the at least one sinusoidal signal using modulation.

9. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 7, wherein the designation means are designed to designate the carrier signal only at predefined time intervals.

10. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 7,

wherein communication status recognition means are also provided, by means of which a communication status of the ID communication partner device can be recognized, and

wherein the designation means are designed to repeatedly designate the carrier signal by the mode activation signal as a function of the communication status.

11. An ID communication partner device, which is designed as a communication station and which is provided with an integrated circuit as claimed in claim 7.

12. An integrated circuit for an ID communication partner device designed as a data carrier, which integrated circuit comprises the following means:

activation means for activating a desired communication mode of the ID communication partner device from a group of possible communication modes, the desired communication mode being either a Reader Talks First (RTF) mode or a Tag Talks First (TTF) mode, the activation means being configured to switch between the RTF mode and the TTF mode,

storage means for storing mode control data of the group of possible communication modes, which group comprises at least a first mode and a second mode,

reception means for receiving a carrier signal that is output by another ID communication partner device and is designated with a mode activation signal, and

recognition means for recognizing the absence or the presence of the at least one mode activation signal, by means of which recognition means a recognition result signal can be generated, as a function of which recognition result signal the activation of the desired communication mode of the ID communication partner device can be activated by the activation means,

wherein the activation means is configured to always activate the ID communication partner device to the same mode selected from the RTF mode and the TTF mode when the recognition result signal indicates the absence of the at least one mode activation signal, the activation means being further configured to always activate the ID communication partner device to the other mode of the RTF mode and the TTF mode when the recognition result signal indicates the presence of the at least one mode activation signal.

13. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 12, wherein the recognition means are designed to carry out the recognition of the presence of the at least one mode activation signal by a demodulation using correlation.

14. An integrated circuit as claimed in claim 12, wherein the recognition means are designed to recognize the presence of the at least one mode activation signal by filtering out this signal.

15. An ID communication partner device, which is designed as a data carrier and which is provided with an integrated circuit as claimed in claim 12.