Communications device, resonant circuit, and method of applying control voltage

• US 8,634,772 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2012
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/30/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Kanno, Masayoshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Trinh, Sonny
• Application Number:
  US13/416,903
• Publication Number:
  US 20120252391A1
• Time in Patent Office: 683 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/39, 340/572.5, 340/572.7, 340/10.1, 343/700.R
• US Class Current: 455/41.1
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/243 with built-in antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/005 with variable reactance for tuning the antenna
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems

Abstract

A communications device includes a resonant antenna including a variable capacitance element having a dielectric unit formed of a ferroelectric material, and performing non-contact communications with the outside; and a control voltage generation unit generating a control voltage for controlling capacitance of the variable capacitance element, applying the generated control voltage to the dielectric unit of the variable capacitance element, and inverting an application direction of the control voltage applied to the dielectric unit at a predetermined rate.

Claims

1. A communications device comprising:

a resonant antenna including a variable capacitance element having a dielectric unit formed of a ferroelectric material, and performing non-contact communications with the outside; and

a control voltage generation unit generating a control voltage for controlling capacitance of the variable capacitance element, applying the generated control voltage to the dielectric unit of the variable capacitance element, and inverting an application direction of the control voltage applied to the dielectric unit at a predetermined rate, wherein at least one of a first control voltage applying operation just before a timing for inverting the application direction of the control voltage and a second control voltage applying operation just after the timing is the non-contact communications operation with the outside.

2. The communications device according to claim 1, wherein both the first control voltage applying operation and the second control voltage applying operation are the non-contact communications operation with the outside.

3. The communications device according to claim 1, wherein the first control voltage applying operation is the non-contact communications operation with the outside, and the second control voltage applying operation is an operation except for the non-contact communications operation with the outside.

4. The communications device according to claim 1, wherein the control voltage generation unit inverts the application direction of the control voltage and performs the second control voltage applying operation a predetermined number of times after performing the first control voltage applying operation a predetermined number of times.

5. The communications device according to claim 4, wherein the predetermined number of times is once.

6. The communications device according to claim 1, wherein a period of the first control voltage applying operation and a period of the second control voltage applying operation are equal to each other.

7. The communications device according to claim 1, wherein a period of the second control voltage applying operation is shorter than a period of the first control voltage applying operation.

8. The communication device according to claim 1, further comprising a signal processing unit operable to perform a predefined process on a received alternating current (AC) signal.

9. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the resonant antenna comprises a resonant coil and a resonant capacitor.

10. A resonant circuit comprising:

a variable capacitance element having a dielectric unit formed of a ferroelectric material; and

a control voltage generation unit generating a control voltage for controlling capacitance of the variable capacitance element, applying the generated control voltage to the dielectric unit of the variable capacitance element, and inverting an application direction of the control voltage applied to the dielectric unit at a predetermined rate, wherein at least one of a first control voltage applying operation before a timing for inverting the application direction of the control voltage and a second control voltage applying operation after the timing corresponds to the non-contact communications operation with the outside.

11. The resonant circuit according to claim 10, wherein both the first control voltage applying operation and the second control voltage applying operation correspond to the non-contact communications operation with the outside.

12. The resonant circuit according to claim 10, wherein the first control voltage applying operation is the non-contact communications operation with the outside, and the second control voltage applying operation is an operation except for the non-contact communications operation with the outside.

13. The resonant circuit according to claim 10, wherein the control voltage generation unit inverts the application direction of the control voltage and performs the second control voltage applying operation a predetermined number of times after performing the first control voltage applying operation a predetermined number of times.

14. The resonant circuit according to claim 13, wherein the predetermined number of times is once.

15. The resonant circuit according to claim 10, wherein a period of the first control voltage applying operation and a period of the second control voltage applying operation are equal to each other.

16. The resonant circuit according to claim 10, wherein a period of the second control voltage applying operation is shorter than a period of the first control voltage applying operation.

17. A method of applying a control voltage comprising:

in a communications device including a variable capacitance element having a dielectric unit formed of a ferroelectric material, and a control voltage generation unit generating a control voltage for controlling capacitance of the variable capacitance element;

applying, by the control voltage generation unit, a first control voltage to the dielectric unit in a predetermined direction; and

applying, by the control voltage generation unit, a second control voltage through inverting an application direction of the control voltage at a predetermined rate after applying the first control voltage in the predetermined direction, wherein at least one of a first control voltage applying operation before a timing for inverting the application direction of the control voltage and a second control voltage applying operation after the timing corresponds to the non-contact communications operation with the outside.