Non-contact wireless communication apparatus, method of adjusting resonance frequency of non-contact wireless communication antenna, and mobile terminal apparatus

• US 8,260,200 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2008
• Issued: 09/04/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/07/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Shimizu, Kanjiro, Takahashi, Toshiyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Gonzales, April G
• Application Number:
  US12/271,272
• Publication Number:
  US 20090146892A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/77, 455/193.1, 455/197.2, 320/108, 320/115, 320/150, 235/435, 340/10.1
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0726 the arrangement including a circuit for tuning the resonance frequency of an antenna on the record carrier

Abstract

A non-contact wireless communication apparatus and a mobile terminal apparatus are provided. The non-contact wireless communication apparatus includes a non-contact wireless communication antenna, a resonance capacitor, connected in parallel with the non-contact wireless communication antenna, for obtaining a predetermined resonance frequency with the non-contact wireless communication antenna, a resonance frequency adjustment unit for changing a resonance capacitance of the resonance capacitor to adjust the resonance frequency, a capacitance change amount control unit for controlling a change in resonance capacitance of the resonance capacitor in the resonance frequency adjustment unit, a resonance frequency shift unit for shifting the resonance frequency of the non-contact wireless communication antenna, and on/off control unit for performing on/off control of the resonance frequency shift unit in accordance with the amount of change in resonance capacitance of the resonance capacitor by the capacitance variation control unit.

Claims

1. A non-contact wireless communication apparatus which receives a power supply from an external device by inductive coupling in a non-contact manner, to transmit/receive a signal with the external device, the non-contact wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a non-contact wireless communication antenna;

a resonance capacitor, connected in parallel with the non-contact wireless communication antenna, for obtaining a predetermined resonance frequency with the non-contact wireless communication antenna;

resonance frequency adjustment means for changing a resonance capacitance of the resonance capacitor to adjust the resonance frequency;

capacitance change amount control means for controlling an amount of change in resonance capacitance of the resonance capacitor in the resonance frequency adjustment means;

resonance frequency shift means for shifting the resonance frequency of the non-contact wireless communication antenna; and

on/off control means for performing on/off control of the resonance frequency shift means in accordance with the amount of change in the resonance capacitance of the resonance capacitor by the capacitance change amount control means,

wherein the resonance capacitor is connected in parallel with the non-contact wireless communication antenna and is connected in series to one end of each of a first capacitor and a second capacitor of an adjustment circuit,

wherein the other end of the first capacitor is connected to a source of a first field effect transistor, and a drain of the first field effect transistor being grounded, and

the other end of the second capacitor being connected to a source of a second field effect transistor, a drain of the second field effect transistor being grounded.

2. The non-contact wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the resonance frequency shift means shifts the resonance frequency of the non-contact wireless communication antenna to a lower frequency by a predetermined frequency.

3. The non-contact wireless communication apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the resonance frequency adjustment means comprises:

a capacitance adjustment capacitor connected in series with the resonance capacitor; and

a connection control switch means for performing control of connecting and disconnecting the capacitance adjustment capacitor with the resonance capacitor.

4. The non-contact wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the resonance frequency adjustment means comprises:

a capacitance adjustment capacitor connected in series with the resonance capacitor; and

a connection control switch means for performing control of connecting and disconnecting the capacitance adjustment capacitor with the resonance capacitor.

5. The non-contact wireless communication apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the resonance frequency adjustment means includes a plurality of the capacitance adjustment capacitors and a plurality of the connection control switch means, and control connection and disconnection of each of the capacitance adjustment capacitors with the resonance capacitor by performing on/off control for each connection control switch means to change the resonance capacitance of the resonance capacitor.

6. The non-contact wireless communication apparatus according to claim 5, wherein, by performing control of connection and disconnection of each of the capacitance adjustment capacitors with the respective connection control switch means, a capacitance of each capacitance adjustment capacitor of the resonance frequency adjustment means is set as a capacitance which allows a resonance capacitance of the resonance capacitor to change substantially linearly.

7. The non-contact wireless communication apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the resonance frequency adjustment means are provided on an anode side and a cathode side of the resonance capacitor, respectively.

8. The non-contact wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein gates of the first and second field effect transistors are supplied with a control signal that performs the ON/OFF control.

9. A method of adjusting a resonance frequency of a non-contact wireless communication antenna in a non-contact wireless communication apparatus which receives a power supply from an external device by inductive coupling in a non-contact manner, to transmit/receive signals with the external device, the method comprising:

adjusting, by a resonance frequency adjustment means, the resonance frequency by changing a resonance capacitance of a resonance capacitor connected in parallel with a non-contact wireless communication antenna and for obtaining a predetermined resonance frequency with the non-contact wireless communication antenna; and

on/off controlling, by an on/off control means, a resonance frequency shift means in accordance with an amount of change in the resonance capacitance of the resonance capacitor,

wherein the resonance capacitor is connected in parallel with the non-contact wireless communication antenna and is connected in series to one end of each of a first capacitor and a second capacitor of an adjustment circuit,

wherein the other end of the first capacitor is connected to a source of a first field effect transistor, and a drain of the first field effect transistor being grounded, and

the other end of the second capacitor being connected to a source of a second field effect transistor, a drain of the second field effect transistor being grounded.

10. The non-contact wireless communication apparatus according to claim 9, wherein gates of the first and second field effect transistors are supplied with a control signal that performs the ON/OFF control.

11. A mobile terminal apparatus including non-contact wireless communication means which receives a power supply from an external device by inductive coupling in a non-contact manner, to transmit/receive signals with an external device, the non-contact wireless communication means comprising:

a non-contact wireless communication antenna;

a resonance capacitor, connected in parallel with the non-contact wireless communication antenna, for obtaining a predetermined resonance frequency with the non-contact wireless communication antenna;

resonance frequency adjustment means for changing a resonance capacitance of the resonance capacitor to adjust the resonance frequency;

capacitance variation control means for controlling resonance capacitance variation of the resonance capacitor in the resonance frequency adjustment means;

resonance frequency shift means for shifting the resonance frequency of the non-contact wireless communication antenna; and

on/off control means for performing on/off control of the resonance frequency shift means in accordance with the variation of the resonance capacitance of the resonance capacitor by the capacitance variation control means,

wherein the resonance capacitor is connected in parallel with the non-contact wireless communication antenna and is connected in series to one end of each of a first capacitor and a second capacitor of an adjustment circuit,

wherein the other end of the first capacitor is connected to a source of a first field effect transistor, and a drain of the first field effect transistor being grounded, and

the other end of the second capacitor being connected to a source of a second field effect transistor, a drain of the second field effect transistor being grounded.

12. The non-contact wireless communication apparatus according to claim 11, wherein gates of the first and second field effect transistors are supplied with a control signal that performs the ON/OFF control.

13. A non-contact wireless communication apparatus which receives a power supply from an external device by inductive coupling in a non-contact manner, to transmit/receive signals with an external device, the non-contact wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a non-contact wireless communication antenna;

a resonance capacitor, connected in parallel with the non-contact wireless communication antenna, for obtaining a predetermined resonance frequency with the non-contact wireless communication antenna;

a resonance frequency adjustment unit configured to change a resonance capacitance of the resonance capacitor to adjust the resonance frequency;

a capacitance change amount control unit configured to control a change in resonance capacitance of the resonance capacitor in the resonance frequency adjustment means;

a resonance frequency shift unit configured to shift the resonance frequency of the non-contact wireless communication antenna; and

an on/off control unit configured to perform on/off control of the resonance frequency shift unit in accordance with the change of the resonance capacitance of the resonance capacitor by the capacitance change amount control unit,

wherein the resonance capacitor is connected in parallel with the non-contact wireless communication antenna and is connected in series to one end of each of a first capacitor and a second capacitor of an adjustment circuit,

wherein the other end of the first capacitor is connected to a source of a first field effect transistor, and a drain of the first field effect transistor being grounded, and

the other end of the second capacitor being connected to a source of a second field effect transistor, a drain of the second field effect transistor being grounded.

14. A mobile terminal apparatus, comprising the non-contact wireless communication apparatus according to claim 13.

15. The non-contact wireless communication apparatus according to claim 13, wherein gates of the first and second field effect transistors are supplied with a control signal that performs the ON/OFF control.