Electronic devices that communicate via magnetically coupled and RF coupled communication circuits

• US 8,660,535 B2
• Filed: 10/18/2012
• Issued: 02/25/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications AB (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Haartsen, Jacobus Cornelis
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, TUAN HOANG
• Application Number:
  US13/654,688
• Publication Number:
  US 20130044793A1
• Time in Patent Office: 495 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411- 413, 455/411, 455/550.1, 455/556.1
• US Class Current: 455/411
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/70 specially adapted for specific purposes
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

An electronic communication device includes a RF wireless transmitter circuit that transmits a block of data to another communication device via RF signals transmitted at a first rate. A magnetically coupled receiver circuit receives a communication control signal from the other communication device via magnetic coupling thereto at a second rate which is less than the first rate, and is configured to respond to the communication control signal by selectively triggering the RF wireless transmitter circuit to transmit another block of data when available for transmission. An inductive charging circuit converts magnetic signals received from the other communication device into power, and supplies the power to the RF wireless transmitter circuit. The RF wireless transmitter circuit transmits data blocks in RF bursts.

Claims

1. An electronic communication device comprising:

a RF wireless transmitter circuit that is configured to transmit a block of data to another communication device via RF signals transmitted at a first rate;

a magnetically coupled receiver circuit that is configured to receive a communication control signal from the other communication device via magnetic coupling thereto at a second rate which is less than the first rate, and is configured to respond to the communication control signal by selectively triggering the RF wireless transmitter circuit to transmit another block of data when available for transmission; and

an inductive charging circuit that is configured to convert magnetic signals received from the other communication device into power, and to supply the power to the RF wireless transmitter circuit,

wherein the RF wireless transmitter circuit is further configured to transmit data blocks in RF bursts.

2. The electronic communication device of claim 1, wherein:

the RF wireless transmitter circuit consumes power at a greater rate when transmitting than what can be generated by the charging circuit from the magnetic signals, and

a number of data bits in each data block varies in response to how much power is supplied by the charging circuit before falling below a threshold level needed to operate the RF wireless transmitter circuit.

3. The electronic communication device of claim 1, wherein:

the RF wireless transmitter circuit comprises a TransferJet transmitter circuit; and

the magnetically coupled receiver circuit comprises a Near Field Communication (NFC) receiver circuit.

4. The electronic communication device of claim 3, wherein the NFC receiver circuit is the only circuit in the electronic communication device that is capable of receiving communication signals through magnetic coupling from the other communication device, and the TransferJet transmitter circuit is the only circuit in the electronic communication device that is capable of transmitting RF communication signals directly to the other communication device.

5. The electronic communication device of claim 1, wherein:

the RF wireless transmitter circuit consumes power at a greater rate when transmitting than what can be generated by the charging circuit from the magnetic signals; and

the RF wireless transmitter circuit is further configured to increase a time delay between transmission bursts in response to the communication control signal, which is received via magnetic coupling through the magnetically coupled receiver circuit, indicating that the previously transmitted block of data was not properly received by the other communication device in order to cause the charging circuit to accumulate power over a longer time between burst transmissions.

6. The electronic communication device of claim 1, wherein:

the RF wireless transmitter circuit consumes power at a greater rate when transmitting than what can be generated by the charging circuit from the magnetic signals, and

the RF wireless transmitter circuit is further configured to decrease a transfer rate of data bits in an upcoming transmission RF burst in response to the communication control signal, which is received via the magnetically coupled receiver circuit, indicating that the previously transmitted block of data was not properly received by the other communication device.

7. The electronic communication device of claim 1, wherein:

the RF wireless transmitter circuit is further configured to retransmit at least a portion of a previously transmitted block of data in response to the communication control signal, which is received via the magnetically coupled receiver circuit, indicating that the previously transmitted block of data was not properly received by the other communication device; and

the RF wireless transmitter circuit is further configured to transmit a next block of data in response to the communication control signal indicating that the previously transmitted block of data was properly received by the other communication device.

8. The electronic communication device of claim 7, wherein the NFC transmitter circuit is the only circuit in the electronic communication device that is capable of transmitting communication signals through magnetic coupling to the other communication device, and the TransferJet receiver circuit is the only circuit in the electronic communication device that is capable of receiving RF communication signals directly from the other communication device.

9. An electronic communication device comprising:

a RF wireless receiver circuit that is configured to receive a block of data from another communication device via RF signals transmitted at a first rate;

a communication controller that is configured to verify the received data block and to generate a control signal that indicates the outcome of the verification; and

a magnetically coupled transmitter circuit that is configured to transmit the communication control signal to the other communication device via magnetic coupling thereto at a second rate which is less than the first rate.

10. The electronic communication device of claim 9, wherein:

the communication controller is further configured to control length of a delay time between receipt of the data block and transmission of the corresponding communication control signal to the other communication device in response to the outcome of the verification; and

the communication controller is further configured to respond to a failed verification outcome by increasing the delay time to delay an upcoming transmission of a data block from the other communication device to allow an inductive charging circuit in the other communication device to accumulate more stored power from magnetic signals from the magnetically coupled transmitter circuit.

11. The electronic communication device of claim 9, wherein:

the RF wireless receiver circuit comprises a TransferJet receiver circuit; and

the magnetically coupled transmitter circuit comprises a Near Field Communication (NFC) transmitter circuit.

12. The electronic communication device of claim 9, wherein:

the communication controller is further configured to control length of a delay time between receipt of the data block and transmission of the corresponding communication control signal to the other communication device in response to the outcome of the verification, and

the communication controller is further configured to determine a number of bit errors in the received data block and to control the delay time in response to the number of bit errors.

13. The electronic communication device of claim 9, wherein:

the communication controller is further configured to respond to the outcome of the verification by transmitting via the magnetically coupled transmitter circuit a command that regulates a transfer rate of data bits in an upcoming transmission of a data block from the other communication device.

14. The electronic communication device of claim 13, wherein:

the communication controller is further configured to determine a number of bit errors in the received data block, and transmit the command via the magnetically coupled transmitter circuit to regulate the transfer rate of data bits in the upcoming data block transmission from the other communication device in response to the determined number of bit errors.

15. An electronic communication device comprising:

a RF wireless receiver circuit that is configured to receive a block of data from another communication device via RF signals transmitted at a first rate;

a communication controller that is configured to verify the received data block and to generate a control signal that indicates the outcome of the verification; and

a magnetically coupled transmitter circuit that is configured to transmit the communication control signal to the other communication device via magnetic coupling thereto at a second rate which is less than the first rate,

wherein the communication controller is further configured to determine a signal power level of the data block received by the RF wireless receiver circuit, and to transmit via the magnetically coupled transmitter circuit a command that regulates a transfer rate of data bits in an upcoming data block transmission from the other communication device in response to the signal power level.

16. An electronic communication device comprising:

a RF wireless receiver circuit that is configured to receive a block of data from another communication device via RF signals transmitted at a first rate;

a communication controller that is configured to verify the received data block and to generate a control signal that indicates the outcome of the verification; and

a magnetically coupled transmitter circuit that is configured to transmit the communication control signal to the other communication device via magnetic coupling thereto at a second rate which is less than the first rate,

wherein the communication controller is further configured to determine a signal power level of the data block received by the RF wireless receiver circuit, and to control length of a delay time between receipt of the data block and transmission of the corresponding communication control signal to the other communication device in response to the outcome of the determined signal power level to thereby control an amount of power that is stored between transmissions by an inductive charging circuit in the other communication device from magnetic signals that are transmitted by the magnetically coupled transmitter circuit.