Millimeter wave near field communication device

• US 8,180,285 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2008
• Issued: 05/15/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/10/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Rofougaran, Ahmadreza (Reza)
• Primary Examiner(s): HSIEH, PING Y
• Application Number:
  US12/201,020
• Publication Number:
  US 20080318524A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/42, 455/43, 455/63.4, 455/101, 455/73, 455/127.4, 455/552.1, 455/553.1, 375/295, 375/316, 340/10.1, 340/10.2, 340/10.3, 340/572.1
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2225 used in active tags, i.e. provided with its own power source or in passive tags, i.e. deriving power from RF signal
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2283 mounted in or on the surface of a semiconductor substrate as a chip-type antenna or integrated with other components into an IC package
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 23/00 Antennas with active circuits or circuit elements integrated within them or attached to them
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/28 varying the amplitude
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/36 with variable phase-shifters
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 9/065 Microstrip dipole antennas patch antenna H01Q9/0407

Abstract

A device includes a processing module, a millimeter wave (MMW) oscillation module, a MMW beamforming module, and a plurality of amplifiers. The processing module determines activation of the device and thereafter modulates data to produce modulated data, determines a beamforming setting, and establishes a transmit power setting. The MMW oscillation module generates a modulated MMW signal based on the modulated data. The MMW beamforming module converts the modulated MMW signal into a plurality of MMW beamformed signals based on the beamforming setting. The plurality of amplifiers amplifies the plurality of MMW beamformed signals in accordance with the transmit power setting to produce a MMW near field transmission.

Claims

1. A device comprises:

a processing module coupled to;

determine activation of the device;

upon determination of activation, modulate data to produce modulated data;

determine a beamforming setting in accordance with the determination of activation; and

establish a transmit power setting in accordance with the determination of activation;

a millimeter wave (MMW) oscillation module coupled to generate a modulated MMW signal based on the modulated data, wherein the MMW oscillation module includes a phase locked loop coupled to generate an in-phase oscillation component and a quadrature oscillation component based on a reference oscillation and the modulated data, wherein the modulated MMW signal includes the in-phase oscillation component and the quadrature oscillation component;

a MMW beamforming module coupled to convert the modulated MMW signal into a plurality of MMW beamformed signals based on the beamforming setting, wherein the MMW beamforming module includes a plurality of phase adjust modules, wherein a phase adjust module includes;

a first adjustable gain module coupled to adjust gain of the quadrature oscillation component based on an element of the beamforming setting to produce a first adjusted oscillation;

a second adjustable gain module coupled to adjust gain of the in-phase oscillation component based on the element of the beamforming setting to produce a second adjusted oscillation; and

a summing module coupled to sum the first and second adjusted oscillations to produce one of the plurality of MMW beamformed signals; and

a plurality of amplifiers coupled to amplify the plurality of MMW beamformed signals in accordance with the transmit power setting to produce a MMW near field transmission.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing module determines the activation by at least one of:

receiving a beacon signal from a reader device;

by receiving a continuous wave signal from the reader device; and

capacitively sensing handling of the device and determining motion of the device.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing module determines the beamforming setting by:

determining orientation of the device with respect to a reader device; and

establishing the beamforming setting based on the orientation to provide a controlled radiation pattern between the device and the reader device.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing module determines the beamforming setting by:

receiving a beacon signal from a reader device; and

establishing the beamforming setting based on the beacon signal to provide a controlled radiation pattern between the device and the reader device.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the processing module establishes the transmit power setting by:

determining orientation of the device with respect to a reader device; and

determining a transmit power level for each of the plurality of amplifiers.

6. A device comprises:

a processing module coupled to;

determine activation of the device;

upon determination of activation, modulate data to produce modulated data;

determine a beamforming setting in accordance with the determination of activation; and

establish a transmit power setting in accordance with the determination of activation;

a millimeter wave (MMW) oscillation module coupled to generate a modulated MMW signal based on the modulated data, wherein the MMW oscillation module includes;

a conversion module to convert the modulated data into a modulated control voltage;

a voltage controlled oscillator to generate a differential oscillation based on the modulated control voltage, wherein the differential oscillation includes a non-inverted oscillation component and an inverted oscillation component; and

an integrator to integrate one of the non-inverted oscillation component and the inverted oscillation component to produce a quadrature oscillation component, wherein the modulated MMW signal includes the quadrature oscillation component and another one of the non-inverted oscillation component and the inverted oscillation component; and

a MMW beamforming module coupled to convert the modulated MMW signal into a plurality of MMW beamformed signals based on the beamforming setting, wherein the MMW beamforming module includes a plurality of phase adjust modules, wherein a phase adjust module includes;

a first adjustable gain module coupled to adjust gain of the quadrature oscillation component based on an element of the beamforming setting to produce a first adjusted oscillation;

a second adjustable gain module coupled to adjust gain of the another one of the non-inverted oscillation component and the inverted oscillation component based on the element of the beamforming setting to produce a second adjusted oscillation; and

a summing module coupled to sum the first and second adjusted oscillations to produce one of the plurality of MMW beamformed signals; and

a plurality of amplifiers coupled to amplify the plurality of MMW beamformed signals in accordance with the transmit power setting to produce a MMW near field transmission.

7. A millimeter wave (MMW) near field communication (NFC) device comprises:

a high data rate section coupled to convert outbound data into a high data rate symbol stream;

a low power millimeter wave (MMW) transmitter section coupled to convert the high data rate symbol stream into a MMW signal having an NFC transmit range, wherein the MMW transmitter section includes a phase locked loop coupled to generate an in-phase oscillation component and a quadrature oscillation component based on a reference oscillation and the high data rate symbol stream, wherein the MMW signal includes the in-phase oscillation component and the quadrature oscillation component; and

a beamforming section coupled to convert the MMW signal into a plurality of MMW beamformed signals that, when combined in air, produce a narrow focused radiation pattern between the MMW NFC device and a reader device, wherein the beamforming section includes a plurality of phase adjust modules, wherein a phase adjust module includes;

a first adjustable gain module coupled to adjust gain of the quadrature oscillation component based on an element of the beamforming setting to produce a first adjusted oscillation;

a second adjustable gain module coupled to adjust gain of the in-phase oscillation component based on the element of the beamforming setting to produce a second adjusted oscillation; and

a summing module coupled to sum the first and second adjusted oscillations to produce one of the plurality of MMW beamformed signals.

8. The MMW NFC device of claim 7, wherein the high data rate section comprises one of:

an FSK (frequency shift keying) modulator;

an MSK (minimum shift keying) modulator;

a PSK (phase shift keying) modulator; and

an ASK (amplitude shift keying) modulator.

9. The MMW NFC device of claim 7, wherein the beamforming section comprises:

a processing module coupled to determine a beamforming setting upon activation of the MMW NFC device; and

a MMW beamforming module coupled to convert the MMW signal into the plurality of MMW beamformed signals based on the beamforming setting.

10. The MMW NFC device of claim 9, wherein the processing module determines the beamforming setting by:

determining orientation of the MMW NFC device with respect to a reader device; and

establishing the beamforming setting based on the orientation to provide a controlled radiation pattern between the MMW NFC device and the reader device.

11. The MMW NFC device of claim 9, wherein the processing module determines the beamforming setting by:

receiving a beacon signal from a reader device; and

establishing the beamforming setting based on the beacon signal to provide a controlled radiation pattern between the MMW NFC device and the reader device.

12. The MMW NFC device of claim 9, wherein the processing module further functions to:

update the beamform setting as the MMW NFC device moves.

13. A millimeter wave (MMW) near field communication (NFC) device comprises:

a high data rate section coupled to convert outbound data into a high data rate symbol stream;

a low power millimeter wave (MMW) transmitter section coupled to convert the high data rate symbol stream into a MMW signal having an NFC transmit range, wherein the MMW transmitter section module includes;

a conversion module to convert the high data rate symbol stream into a modulated control voltage;

a voltage controlled oscillator to generate a differential oscillation based on the modulated control voltage, wherein the differential oscillation includes a non-inverted oscillation component and an inverted oscillation component; and

an integrator to integrate one of the non-inverted oscillation component and the inverted oscillation component to produce a quadrature oscillation component, wherein the MMW signal includes the quadrature oscillation component and another one of the non-inverted oscillation component and the inverted oscillation component; and

a beamforming section coupled to convert the MMW signal into a plurality of MMW beamformed signals that, when combined in air, produce a narrow focused radiation pattern between the MMW NFC device and a reader device, wherein the beamforming section includes a plurality of phase adjust modules, wherein a phase adjust module includes;

a first adjustable gain module coupled to adjust gain of the quadrature oscillation component based on an element of the beamforming setting to produce a first adjusted oscillation;

a second adjustable gain module coupled to adjust gain of the another one of the non-inverted oscillation component and the inverted oscillation component based on the element of the beamforming setting to produce a second adjusted oscillation; and

a summing module coupled to sum the first and second adjusted oscillations to produce one of the plurality of MMW beamformed signals.