Adaptive NFC transceivers

• US 9,292,782 B2
• Filed: 10/26/2011
• Issued: 03/22/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/26/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Savoj, Jafar, Wong, Angelica
• Primary Examiner(s): Safaipour, Bobbak
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sandiford, Devan
• Application Number:
  US13/282,349
• Publication Number:
  US 20130109305A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,609 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07749 the record carrier being capable of non-contact communication, e.g. constructional details of the antenna of a non-contact smart card
• 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

Abstract

Exemplary embodiments are directed to a transceiver having an adaptive matching circuit. A transceiver may include a matching circuit that is coupled to an antenna and includes an adjustable capacitor. The transceiver may further include an envelope detector coupled to the antenna and a sensor for sensing a voltage at an output of the envelope detector.

Claims

1. A transceiver, comprising:

a matching circuit coupled to a near field communication (NFC) antenna and including first and second adjustable capacitors;

an envelope detector responsive at least in part to mutual inductance variations in the NFC antenna from an NFC handshaking device, the matching circuit coupled between the envelope detector and the NFC antenna and the matching circuit including a first series capacitor and the first adjustable capacitor in shunt together forming a first voltage divider configured to generate a reduced input signal to a first input of the envelope detector and a second series capacitor and the second adjustable capacitor in shunt together forming a second voltage divider configured to generate a reduced input signal to a second input of the envelope detector; and

a sensor configured to sense a voltage at an output of the envelope detector and adjust a capacitance of the first and second adjustable capacitors based on a peak voltage at the output of the envelope detector determined by sweeping a spectrum of capacitance values of the first and second adjustable capacitors.

2. The transceiver of claim 1, the envelope detector coupled to the NFC antenna through a resistive network.

3. The transceiver of claim 2, the resistive network comprising a first resistor external to an associated chip and a second resistor integrated on the associated chip.

4. The transceiver of claim 1, further comprising a control module configured to adjust the capacitance of the adjustable capacitor.

5. The transceiver of claim 4, the control module configured to adjust the capacitance of the adjustable capacitor in response to a change in an inductance at the NFC antenna.

6. The transceiver of claim 1, further comprising an antenna driver coupled in parallel with the adjustable capacitor.

7. The transceiver of claim 1, the adjustable capacitor integrated on an associated chip and the series capacitor external to the associated chip.

16. The transceiver of claim 1, the first and second adjustable capacitors also coupled in parallel with the NFC antenna.

8. A method, comprising:

measuring a transmitter output voltage while first and second adjustable capacitors of a matching network are respectively at a first capacitance value and a second capacitance value, the matching network coupled between the transmitter output voltage and a near field communication (NFC) antenna coupled to the matching network;

measuring by an envelope detector the transmitter output voltage while the first and second adjustable capacitors are of at least one other capacitance value, the transmitter output voltage responsive at least in part to mutual inductance variations in the NFC antenna from an NFC handshaking device and the matching network including a first series capacitor and the first adjustable capacitor in shunt together forming a first voltage divider configured to generate a reduced input signal to a first input of the envelope detector and a second series capacitor and the second adjustable capacitor in shunt together forming a second voltage divider configured to generate a reduced input signal to a second input of the envelope detector; and

setting the first and second adjustable capacitors to a capacitance value associated with a maximum measured transmitter output voltage based on a peak voltage at an output of the envelope detector determined by sweeping a spectrum of capacitance values of the first and second adjustable capacitors.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising increasing the capacitance value of the adjustable capacitor after measuring the transmitter output voltage while the adjustable capacitor is at the first capacitance value.

10. The method of claim 9, the increasing comprising increasing the capacitance value of the adjustable capacitor with a control module.

11. The method of claim 8, further comprising comparing the transmitter output voltage associated with the first capacitance value to the transmitter output voltage associated with a second capacitance value.

12. The method of claim 8, the measuring a transmitter output voltage while an adjustable capacitor of a matching network is at a first capacitance value comprising measuring a voltage at the output of the envelope detector.

13. The method of claim 8, the measuring a transmitter output voltage while the adjustable capacitor of a matching network is at at least one other capacitance value comprising measuring a voltage at the output of the envelope detector.

14. The method of claim 8, further comprising increasing the capacitance value if the transmitter output voltage associated with a second capacitance value is greater than the transmitter output voltage associated with the first capacitance value.

15. A device, comprising:

means for measuring a transmitter output voltage while first and second adjustable capacitors of a matching network are respectively at a first capacitance value and a second capacitance value, the matching network coupled between the transmitter output voltage and a near field communication (NFC) antenna coupled to the matching network;

means for measuring by an envelope detector the transmitter output voltage while the first and second adjustable capacitors are of at least one other capacitance value, the transmitter output voltage responsive at least in part to mutual inductance variations in the NFC antenna from an NFC handshaking device and the matching network including a first series capacitor and the first adjustable capacitor in shunt together forming a first voltage divider configured to generate a reduced input signal to a first input of the envelope detector and a second series capacitor and the second adjustable capacitor in shunt together forming a second voltage divider configured to generate a reduced input signal to a second input of the envelope detector; and

means for setting the first and second adjustable capacitors to a capacitance value associated with a maximum measured transmitter output voltage based on a peak voltage at an output of the envelope detector determined by sweeping a spectrum of capacitance values of the first and second adjustable capacitors.