Communication device, non-contact type IC card mounting same, and information apparatus

• US 7,729,660 B2
• Filed: 04/14/2006
• Issued: 06/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kondo, Satoru, Kamiyama, Kenichi, Tanaka, Yukio
• Primary Examiner(s): Milord; Marceau
• Application Number:
  US11/570,566
• Publication Number:
  US 20090224893A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,509 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 455/291, 455/83, 455/193.2, 455/558
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: H04Q 2213/13095 PIN / Access code, authentication

Abstract

A communication device able to share one antenna and in addition able to sufficiently exhibit characteristics of a function as a reader, writer and a card function, a non-contact type IC card provided with that, and an information apparatus, wherein the device has a first transmission circuit 220 having first and second output terminals and outputting a carrier from the first and second output terminals in a first mode; an antenna circuit 210 including a node ND210, an inductor 211 having one end connected to the node, and having the other end connected to the second output terminal of the first transmission circuit, and a capacitor 212 connected between the node and the first output terminal of the first transmission circuit; a second transmission circuit 230 connected to the node of the antenna circuit and outputting the transmission data in a second mode; at least one reception circuit 240 connected to the node of the antenna circuit and performing reception processing with respect to data received at the antenna circuit; and a circuit switch unit 280 forming the antenna circuit as a serial resonance circuit including the inductor and the capacitor in the first mode and forming the antenna circuit as a parallel resonance circuit including the inductor and the capacitor in the second mode.

Claims

1. A communication device comprising:

a first transmission circuit having first and second output terminals and outputting carriers from the first and second output terminals in a first mode;

an antenna circuit including a node, an inductor having one end connected to the node and having the other end connected to the second output terminal of the first transmission circuit, and at least one capacitor connected between the node and the first output terminal of the first transmission circuit;

a second transmission circuit connected to the node of the antenna circuit and outputting the transmission data in a second mode;

at least one reception circuit connected to the node of the antenna circuit and performing reception processing with respect to data received at the antenna circuit; and

a circuit switch unit forming the antenna circuit as a serial resonance circuit including the inductor and the capacitor in the first mode and forming the antenna circuit as a parallel resonance circuit including the inductor and the capacitor in the second mode.

2. A communication device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the first transmission circuit includes

a first transmission buffer which connects the first output terminal to a power source potential or reference potential at the time of the first mode and connects the first output terminal to a reference potential connects at the time of the second mode and

a second transmission buffer which connects the second output terminal to a reference potential or power source potential at the time of the first mode and connects the second output terminal to a reference potential at the time of the second mode and

the circuit switch unit is formed jointly using the first transmission buffer and the second transmission buffer.

3. A communication device as set forth in claim 1, wherein

the circuit switch unit includes a switch connected between a first output terminal and second output terminal of the first transmission circuit, held in the OFF state at the time of the first mode, and held in the ON state at the time of the second mode.

4. A communication device as set forth in claim 3, wherein

the antenna circuit further has a capacitor parallel to the inductor connected to the node and the other end of the inductor.

5. A communication device as set forth in claim 4, wherein the antenna circuit includes

the capacitor connected to the node and

another capacitor included in a resonance circuit of either a serial resonance circuit formed at the time of the first mode or a parallel resonance circuit formed at the time of the second mode in accordance with the state of the switch and connected in series with the capacitor and

a connection node of the two serially connected capacitors is connected through a load element to a power source potential.

6. A communication device as set forth in claim 4, wherein the capacitances of the capacitors are set so that an impedance of the parallel resonance circuit at the time of the second mode is larger than an impedance of the serial resonance circuit at the time of the first mode.

7. A communication device as set forth in claim 3, wherein the antenna circuit includes

the capacitor connected to the node and

another capacitor included in a resonance circuit of either a serial resonance circuit formed at the time of the first mode or a parallel resonance circuit formed at the time of the second mode in accordance with the state of the switch and connected in series with the capacitor.

8. A communication device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the circuit switch unit includes:

a first switch connected between a first output terminal of the first transmission circuit and a reference potential, held in the off state at the time of the first mode, and held in the on state at the time of the second mode and

a second switch connected between a second output of the first transmission circuit and a reference potential, held in the off state at the time of the first mode, and held in the on state at the time of the second mode.

9. A non-contact type IC card comprising:

a first transmission circuit having first and second output terminals and outputting carrier data from the first and second output terminals in a reader/writer mode,

an antenna circuit including a node, an inductor having one end connected to the node and having the other end connected to the second output terminal of the first transmission circuit, and at least one capacitor connected between the node and the first output terminal of the first transmission circuit;

a second transmission circuit connected to the node of the antenna circuit and modulating in load of the transmission data in the card mode;

at least one reception circuit connected to the node of the antenna circuit and performing reception processing with respect to the data received at the antenna circuit;

a circuit switch unit forming the antenna circuit as a serial resonance circuit including the inductor and the capacitor in the reader/writer mode in response to a mode control signal and forming the antenna circuit as a parallel resonance circuit including the inductor and the capacitor in the card mode;

a memory; and

a control unit for selectively supplying the transmission data to the first transmission circuit or second transmission circuit, performing predetermined processing with respect to the reception data of the reception circuit, and performing access control of the memory.

10. A non-contact IC card as set forth in claim 9, wherein

the first transmission circuit includes

a first transmission buffer connects the first output terminal to a power source potential or reference potential at the time of the reader/writer mode and connects the first output terminal to a reference potential at the time of the card mode and

a second transmission buffer connects the second output terminal to a reference potential or power source potential at the time of the reader/writer mode and connects the second output terminal to a reference potential at the time of the card mode, and

the circuit switch unit is formed by joint use of the first transmission buffer and the second transmission buffer.

11. A non-contact IC card as set forth in claim 9, wherein the circuit switch unit includes a switch connected between a first output terminal and second output terminal of the first transmission circuit, held in the off state at the time of a reader/writer mode, and held in the on state at the time of the card mode.

12. A non-contact type IC card as set forth in claim 11, wherein the antenna circuit further has a capacitor parallel to the inductor connected to the node and the other end of the inductor.

13. A non-contact type IC card as set forth in claim 12, wherein the antenna circuit includes

the capacitor connected to the node and

another capacitor included in a resonance circuit of either a serial resonance circuit formed at the time of the reader/writer mode or a parallel resonance circuit formed at the time of the card mode in accordance with the state of the switch and connected in series with the capacitor and

a connection node of the two serially connected capacitors is connected through a load element to a power source potential.

14. A non-contact type IC card as set forth in claim 12, wherein the capacitances of the capacitors are set so that an impedance of the parallel resonance circuit at the time of the card mode is larger than an impedance of the serial resonance circuit at the time of the reader/writer mode.

15. A non-contact type IC card as set forth in claim 11, wherein the antenna circuit includes

the capacitor connected to the node and

another capacitor included in a resonance circuit of either a serial resonance circuit formed at the time of the reader/writer mode or a parallel resonance circuit formed at the time of the card mode in accordance with the state of the switch and connected in series with the capacitor.

16. A non-contact IC card as set forth in claim 9, wherein the circuit switch unit includes:

a first switch connected between a first output terminal of the first transmission circuit and a reference potential, held in the off state at the time of the reader/writer mode, and held in the on state at the time of the card mode and

a second switch connected between a second output of the first transmission circuit and a reference potential, held in the off state at the time of the reader/writer mode, and held in the on state at the time of the card mode.

17. An information apparatus having a communication function with a communication network, comprising:

a communication device having a reader/writer function and a card function,

the communication device having

a first transmission circuit having first and second output terminals and outputting carriers from the first and second output terminals in the first mode,

an antenna circuit including a node, an inductor having one end connected to the node and having the other end connected to the second output terminal of the first transmission circuit, and at least one capacitor connected between the node and the first output terminal of the first transmission circuit,

a second transmission circuit connected to the node of the antenna circuit and outputting the transmission data in the second mode,

at least one reception circuit connected to the node of the antenna circuit and performing reception processing with respect to the data received at the antenna circuit, and

a circuit switch unit forming the antenna circuit as a serial resonance circuit including the inductor and the capacitor in the first mode and forming the antenna circuit as a parallel resonance circuit including the inductor and the capacitor in the second mode.

18. An information apparatus as set forth in claim 17, wherein

the first transmission circuit includes

a first transmission buffer which connects the first output terminal to a power source potential or reference potential at the time of the first mode and connects the first output terminal to a reference potential at the time of the second mode and

a second transmission buffer which connects the second output terminal to a reference potential or power source potential at the time of the first mode and connects the second output terminal to a reference potential at the time of the second mode and

the circuit switch unit is formed jointly using the first transmission buffer and the second transmission buffer.

19. An information apparatus as set forth in claim 17, wherein the circuit switch unit includes a switch connected between a first output terminal and second output terminal of the first transmission circuit, held in the off state at the time of the first mode, and held in the on state at the time of the second mode.

20. An information apparatus as set forth in claim 19, wherein the antenna circuit further has a capacitor parallel to the inductor connected to the node and the other end of the inductor.

21. An information apparatus as set forth in claim 20, wherein the antenna circuit includes

the capacitor connected to the node and

another capacitor included in a resonance circuit of either a serial resonance circuit formed at the time of the first mode or a parallel resonance circuit formed at the time of the second mode in accordance with the state of the switch and connected in series with the capacitor.

22. An information apparatus as set forth in claim 20, wherein the antenna circuit includes

the capacitor connected to the node and

another capacitor included in a resonance circuit of either a serial resonance circuit formed at the time of the first mode or a parallel resonance circuit formed at the time of the second mode in accordance with the state of the switch and connected in series with the capacitor and

a connection node of the two serially connected capacitors is connected through a load element to a power source potential.

23. An information apparatus as set forth in claim 20, wherein the capacitances of the capacitors are set so that an impedance of the parallel resonance circuit at the time of the card mode is larger than an impedance of the serial resonance circuit at the time of the first mode.

24. An information apparatus as set forth in claim 17, wherein the circuit switch unit includes:

a first switch connected between a first output terminal of the first transmission circuit and a reference potential, held in the off state at the time of the first mode, and held in the on state at the time of the second mode and

a second switch connected between a second output of the first transmission circuit and a reference potential, held in the off state at the time of the first mode, and held in the on state at the time of the second mode.