Contactless data transmission

• US 8,660,487 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2009
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 06/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Original Assignee: Infineon Technologies AG
• Inventors: Kargl, Walter, Ehrlich, Edmund, Emsenhuber, Matthias
• Primary Examiner(s): GONZALES, APRIL GUZMAN
• Application Number:
  US12/477,293
• Publication Number:
  US 20100311328A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,728 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.2, 235/439, 235/451, 235/492, 320/137, 340/10.1, 340/10.3, 340/10.34, 340/572.1, 340/10.5, 343/742, 343/741, 343/866
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10217 parameter settings controlling the transmission power of the interrogator
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• 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 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/12 of the resonant type
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/80 involving the exchange of data, concerning supply or distribution of electric power, between transmitting devices and receiving devices
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/263 Multiple coils at either side
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

A contactless device having an energy antenna configured to transmit/receive an energy signal; and a data antenna configured to transmit a data signal. Also, a method for transmitting a contactless signal including transmitting/receiving an energy signal from an energy antenna of a contactless device; and transmitting a data signal from a data antenna of the contactless device.

Claims

1. A contactless device, comprising:

an energy antenna configured to transmit/receive a non-data modulated energy signal only; and

a data antenna configured to transmit a data signal at a substantially similar carrier frequency as the as the non-data modulated energy signal, thereby resulting in a superposition of the data signal and the non-data modulated energy signal.

2. The contactless device of claim 1, wherein the energy antenna is a narrowband antenna.

3. The contactless device of claim 1, wherein the data antenna is a wideband antenna.

4. The contactless device of claim 1, wherein the energy antenna comprises a resonant circuit having a high quality factor, and the data antenna comprises a resonant circuit having a low quality factor.

5. The contactless device of claim 1, wherein only the energy antenna comprises a resonant circuit, and the resonant circuit has a high quality factor and is matched to resonance.

6. The contactless device of claim 1, further comprising a modulator configured to generate the data signal using one of ASK-modulation, PSK-modulation, FSK-modulation, QAM-modulation, and DMT-modulation.

7. The contactless device of claim 1, wherein the data antenna is further configured to receive a load-modulated signal.

8. The contactless device of claim 1, wherein the data antenna comprises a voltage compensation source configured to compensate for a voltage induced by the energy signal in the data antenna.

9. The contactless device of claim 1, wherein the energy antenna comprises a voltage compensation source configured to compensate for a voltage induced by the data signal in the energy antenna.

10. The contactless device of claim 1, wherein the energy antenna and the data antenna are positioned with respect to one another such that a voltage induced by the energy signal in the data antenna is geometrically cancelled.

11. The contactless device of claim 1, wherein the energy antenna and the data antenna are located in a same plane.

12. The contactless device of claim 1, wherein the contactless device is a contactless reader.

13. The contactless device of claim 1, wherein the contactless device is a contactless card.

14. The contactless device of claim 13, wherein the energy antenna is configured to only receive the energy signal.

15. A contactless communication system comprising:

a first contactless device, comprising;

an energy antenna configured to transmit/receive a non-data modulated energy signal only; and

a data antenna configured to transmit a data signal at a substantially similar carrier frequency as the as the non-data modulated energy signal, thereby resulting in a superposition of the data signal and the non-data modulated energy signal; and

a second contactless device configured to receive the superposition of the energy signal and the data signal.

16. The contactless communication system of claim 15, wherein the second contactless device comprises:

a transmission antenna configured to transmit a transmission signal;

a pickup antenna configured to receive the superposition of the energy signal and the data signal transmitted from the first contactless device, and the transmission signal; and

a cancellation circuit configured to subtract a voltage of the transmission antenna from a voltage of the pickup antenna.

17. The contactless communication system of claim 15, wherein the second contactless device comprises a single antenna configured to receive a superposition of the energy signal and the data signal.

18. A contactless device, comprising:

an energy antenna means for transmitting/receiving a non-data modulated energy signal only; and

a data antenna means for transmitting a data signal at a substantially similar carrier frequency as the as the non-data modulated energy signal, thereby resulting in a superposition of the data signal and the non-data modulated energy signal.

19. A method for transmitting a contactless signal comprising:

transmitting/receiving a non-data modulated energy signal only, from an energy antenna of a contactless device; and

transmitting a data signal from a data antenna of the contactless device at a substantially similar carrier frequency as the as the non-data modulated energy signal, thereby resulting in a superposition of the data signal and the non-data modulated energy signal.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the energy signal is a narrowband energy signal, and the data signal is a wideband data signal.

21. The method of claim 19, further comprising compensating for a phase shift between the energy signal and the data signal.

22. The method of claim 19, further comprising generating the data signal using one of ASK-modulation, PSK-modulation, FSK-modulation, QAM-modulation, and DMT-modulation.

23. The method of claim 19, further comprising compensating for a voltage induced by the energy signal in the data antenna.

24. The method of claim 19, further comprising compensating for a voltage induced by the data signal in the energy antenna.