Short-range wireless communication apparatus and cellular phone terminal

• US 8,567,685 B2
• Filed: 05/21/2010
• Issued: 10/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Sueoka, Takashi, Tsushima, Takaaki, Chiba, Masayuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Mai, Thien T
• Application Number:
  US12/785,167
• Publication Number:
  US 20100227558A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,257 Days
• Field of Search: 235/492, 235/493, 235/380, 340/539.13, 340/539.23, 340/458, 340/468, 340/572.8, 340/531, 340/815.4, 455/455, 455/76, 455/90.1, 455/436, 455/552.1, 455/41.2, 362/565, 362/154, 379/413
• US Class Current: 235/492
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0707 the arrangement being capable of collecting energy from external energy sources, e.g. thermocouples, vibration, electromagnetic radiation G06K19/0702 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0712 the arrangement being capable of triggering distinct operating modes or functions dependent on the strength of an energy or interrogation field in the proximity of the record carrier active means for hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07336
• 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 19/07703 the interface being visual
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/318 Received signal strength
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

There is provided a short-range wireless communication apparatus and a cellular phone terminal that can surely and immediately notify a user of the optimum distance between a contactless IC card reader/writer and a contactless IC card not through an MPU or a CPU and if the contactless IC card function is locked, surely notify the user as such. In an RFID card, a magnetic field strength/brightness conversion section adjusts the brightness of two LEDs in accordance with the detected magnetic field strength of a carrier wave. A blink generation circuit detects whether the RFID card is in a communication state and blinks the LEDs if so. A function combining section combines the functions to indicate the magnetic field strength and the communication state with the brightness and blinking of the LEDs. An LED with another color illuminates only when an RFID function LSI is in a lock state.

Claims

1. A short-range wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a magnetic field strength detector detecting magnetic field strength from a carrier wave by extracting direct-current potential from the carrier wave used for short-range wireless communication;

a magnetic field strength notification device notifying a user of the magnetic field strength detected by the magnetic field strength detector, the magnetic field strength notification device including a light-emitting device which emits light with a brightness proportional to a detected magnetic field strength, the light-emitting device including a first lighting element having a first color and a second lighting element having a second color, and the magnetic field strength notification device increasing a duty cycle of the first lighting element in proportion to the detected magnetic field strength and decreasing a duty cycle of the second lighting element in proportion to the detected magnetic field strength;

a communication detector detecting signal communication from a carrier wave used for short-range wireless communication, the light-emitting device blinking the first lighting element and the second lighting element during an entire time that the communication detector detects signal communication with a duty cycle in proportion to the detected magnetic field strength; and

a magnetic field strength notification signal generator generating a magnetic field strength notification signal for operating the magnetic field strength notification device in accordance with the magnetic field strength detected by the magnetic field strength detector, the magnetic field strength notification signal generator converting the magnetic field strength detected by the magnetic field strength detector into a brightness adjustment signal for the light-emitting device and providing the brightness adjustment signal of the magnetic field strength notification signal to the light-emitting device.

2. The short-range wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the magnetic field strength notification signal generator converts the magnetic field strength detected by the magnetic field strength detector into a duty signal indicative of a lighting/extinguishing ratio of the light-emitting device and provides the duty signal of the brightness adjustment signal to the light-emitting device.

6. The short-range wireless communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a third lighting element having a third color different than the first color and the second color, the communication notification device illuminating the third lighting element and extinguishing the first lighting element and the second lighting element when the communication notification device detects that communication is disabled.

3. A short-range wireless communication apparatus comprising:

a communication detector detecting signal communication from a carrier wave used for short-range wireless communication;

a communication notification device notifying a user that the communication detector is detecting the signal communication, the communication notification device including a light-emitting device which emits light with a brightness proportional to a detected magnetic field strength, the light-emitting device including a first lighting element having a first color and a second lighting element having a second color, and the communication notification device increasing a duty cycle of the first lighting element in proportion to the detected magnetic field strength and decreasing a duty cycle of the second lighting element in proportion to the detected magnetic field strength, the light-emitting device blinking the first lighting element and the second lighting element during an entire time that the communication detector detects signal communication with a duty cycle in proportion to the detected magnetic field strength; and

a communication notification signal generator generating a communication notification signal for operating the communication notification device in accordance with the signal communication detected by the communication detector, the communication notification signal generator converting the signal strength detected by the communication detector into a brightness adjustment signal for the light-emitting device and providing the brightness adjustment signal of the communication notification signal to the light-emitting device.

7. The short-range wireless communication apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising:

a third lighting element having a third color different than the first color and the second color, the communication notification device illuminating the third lighting element and extinguishing the first lighting element and the second lighting element when the communication notification device detects that communication is disabled.

4. A cellular phone terminal comprising:

a control unit configured to control cellular phone functions;

a short-range wireless communication unit, wherein the short-range wireless communication unit having,

a magnetic field strength detector detecting magnetic field strength from a carrier wave by extracting direct-current potential from the carrier wave used for short-range wireless communication,

a magnetic field strength notification device notifying a user of the magnetic field strength detected by the magnetic field strength detector, the magnetic field strength notification device including a light-emitting device which emits light with a brightness proportional to a detected magnetic field strength, the light-emitting device including a first lighting element having a first color and a second lighting element having a second color, and the magnetic field strength notification device increasing a duty cycle of the first lighting element in proportion to the detected magnetic field strength and decreasing a duty cycle of the second lighting element in proportion to the detected magnetic field strength,

a communication detector detecting signal communication from a carrier wave used for short-range wireless communication, the light-emitting device blinking the first lighting element and the second lighting element during an entire time that the communication detector detects signal communication with a duty cycle in proportion to the detected magnetic field strength, and

a magnetic field strength notification signal generator generating a magnetic field strength notification signal for operating the magnetic field strength notification device in accordance with the magnetic field strength detected by the magnetic field strength detector, the magnetic field strength notification signal generator converting the magnetic field strength detected by the magnetic field strength detector into a brightness adjustment signal for the light-emitting device and providing the brightness adjustment signal of the magnetic field strength notification signal to the light-emitting device.

8. The cellular phone terminal according to claim 4, wherein the short-range wireless communication unit further comprises:

a third lighting element having a third color different than the first color and the second color, the communication notification device illuminating the third lighting element and extinguishing the first lighting element and the second lighting element when the communication notification device detects that communication is disabled.

5. A cellular phone terminal comprising:

a control unit configured to control cellular phone functions;

a short-range wireless communication unit, wherein the short-range wireless communication unit having,

a communication detector detecting signal communication from a carrier wave used for short-range wireless communication,

a communication notification device notifying a user that the communication detector is detecting the signal communication, the communication notification device including a light-emitting device which emits light with a brightness proportional to a detected magnetic field strength, the light-emitting device including a first lighting element having a first color and a second lighting element having a second color, and the communication notification device increasing a duty cycle of the first lighting element in proportion to the detected magnetic field strength and decreasing a duty cycle of the second lighting element in proportion to the detected magnetic field strength, the light-emitting device blinking the first lighting element and the second lighting element during an entire time that the communication detector detects signal communication with a duty cycle in proportion to the detected magnetic field strength, and

a communication notification signal generator generating a communication notification signal for operating the communication notification device in accordance with the signal communication detected by the communication detector, the communication notification signal generator converting the magnetic field strength detected by the magnetic field strength detector into a brightness adjustment signal for the light-emitting device and providing the brightness adjustment signal of the magnetic field strength notification signal to the light-emitting device.

9. The cellular phone terminal according to claim 5, wherein the short-range wireless communication unit further comprises:

a third lighting element having a third color different than the first color and the second color, the communication notification device illuminating the third lighting element and extinguishing the first lighting element and the second lighting element when the communication notification device detects that communication is disabled.