Communication apparatus and computer program product

• US 9,330,289 B2
• Filed: 02/27/2012
• Issued: 05/03/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Fujimoto, Masaki, Tanioka, Keiichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Benjamin C
• Assistant Examiner(s): BURGDORF, STEPHEN R
• Application Number:
  US13/405,592
• Publication Number:
  US 20120218085A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,527 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 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: H04L 27/04 Modulator circuits; Transmitter circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/08 Amplitude regulation arrangements

Abstract

Disclosed is a communication apparatus comprising: a communication section which performs communication in an ASK modulation format with an RFID tag; and a control section which sets a modulation degree of the ASK modulation of the communication section to a large degree when polling of the RFID tag is performed by the communication section and which sets the modulation degree to a small degree when response information is received from the RFID tag through the communication section.

Claims

1. A communication apparatus which is configured to read an RFID tag, the communication apparatus comprising:

a communication section which performs communication in an ASK modulation format with an RFID tag; and

a control section which (i) when a user operates an operation section provided in a main body of the apparatus to cause the communication section to perform polling to search for the RFID tag, controls the communication section to search for the RFID tag in a state in which a modulation degree of the ASK modulation of the communication section is set to a first modulation degree larger than a second modulation degree set in advance and an electric current flowing to the communication section is made to be a first electric current amount smaller than a second electric current amount set in advance, and (ii) when the RFID tag is found by receiving response information from the RFID tag through the communication section, controls the communication section to communicate with the RFID tag in a state in which the modulation degree is set to the second modulation degree smaller than the first modulation degree and the electric current flowing to the communication section is made to be the second electric current amount larger than the first electric current amount,

wherein the control section (i) controls the communication section to search for the RFID tag in a state in which the modulation degree is set to the first modulation degree and the electric current flowing to the communication section is made to be the first electric current amount when polling to search for the RFID tag is performed by the communication section, and (ii) controls the communication section to search for the RFID tag in a state in which the modulation degree is set to the second modulation degree and the electric current flowing to the communication section is made to be the second electric current, when the RFID tag cannot be found after the polling is performed a predetermined number of times.

2. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the communication section includes an antenna and an amplitude adjustment resistance which can change amplitude of an electric signal output from the antenna; and

the control section changes the modulation degree by changing a resistance value of the amplitude adjustment resistance.

3. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section (i) controls the communication section to search for the RFID tag in a state in which the modulation degree is set to the first modulation degree and the electric current flowing to the communication section is made to be the first electric current amount when the polling to search for the RFID tag is performed by the communication section, and (ii) controls the communication section to search for the RFID tag in a state in which the modulation degree is set, step by step, to be smaller than the first modulation degree and the electric current flowing to the communication section is made, step by step, to be larger than the first electric current amount, when the RFID tag cannot be found after the polling is performed a predetermined number of times.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a power source section which includes a cell; and

a monitoring section which obtains a cell remaining amount of the power source section,

wherein the modulation degree or a timing to set the modulation degree smaller during the polling is changed according to the cell remaining amount obtained from the monitoring section.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section sets the modulation degree according to a type of RFID tag specified by the identification information of the RFID tag included in the response information when the response information is received from the RFID tag through the communication section.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the control section controls the communication section to search for the RFID tag when the user operates a certain button of the operation section.

7. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the communication apparatus includes a battery as a power source and is a portable terminal which can be carried by a user.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising:

a modulation degree storage section which stores a value of the first modulation degree and a value of the second modulation degree,

wherein the control section controls the communication section to search for the RFID tag by setting the modulation degree of the ASK modulation to the first modulation degree based on the value of the first modulation degree stored in the modulation degree storage section, and controls the communication section to communicate with the RFID tag by setting the modulation degree of the ASK modulation to the second modulation degree based on the value of the second modulation degree stored in the modulation degree storage section.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein:

the communication section includes a RF output circuit including an antenna and an amplitude adjustment resistance which can change an amplitude of an electric signal output from the antenna; and

the control section changes the modulation degree of the ASK modulation of the communication section by changing a resistance value of the amplitude adjustment resistance in the RF output circuit.

10. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program that is executable by a computer used in a communication apparatus which is configured to read an RFID tag, the program being executable by the computer to control the computer to function as:

a communication section which performs communication in an ASK modulation format with an RFID tag; and

a control section which (i) when a user operates an operation section provided in a main body of the apparatus to cause the communication section to perform polling to search for the RFID tag, controls the communication section to search for the RFID tag in a state in which a modulation degree of the ASK modulation of the communication section is set to a first modulation degree larger than a second modulation degree set in advance and an electric current flowing to the communication section is made to a first electric current amount smaller than a second electric current amount set in advance, and which (ii) when the RFID tag is found by receiving response information from the RFID tag through the communication section, controls the communication section to communicate with the RFID tag in a state in which the modulation degree is set to the second modulation degree smaller than the first modulation degree and an electric current flowing to the communication section is made to the second electric current amount larger than the first electric current amount,

wherein the control section (i) controls the communication section to search for the RFID tag in a state in which the modulation degree is set to the first modulation degree and the electric current flowing to the communication section is made to be the first electric current amount when polling to search for the RFID tag is performed by the communication section, and (ii) controls the communication section to search for the RFID tag in a state in which the modulation degree is set to the second modulation degree and the electric current flowing to the communication section is made to be the second electric current, when the RFID tag cannot be found after the polling is performed a predetermined number of times.

11. A communication apparatus which is configured to read an RFID tag, the communication apparatus comprising:

a communication section which performs communication in an ASK modulation format with an RFID tag;

a control section which (i) when a user operates an operation section provided in a main body of the apparatus to cause the communication section to perform polling to search for the RFID tag, controls the communication section to search for the RFID tag in a state in which a modulation degree of the ASK modulation of the communication section is set to a first modulation degree larger than a second modulation degree set in advance and an electric current flowing to the communication section is made to be a first electric current amount smaller than a second electric current amount set in advance, and (ii) when the RFID tag is found by receiving response information from the RFID tag through the communication section, controls the communication section to communicate with the RFID tag in a state in which the modulation degree is set to the second modulation degree smaller than the first modulation degree and the electric current flowing to the communication section is made to be the second electric current amount larger than the first electric current amount;

a power source section which includes a cell; and

a monitoring section which obtains a cell remaining amount of the power source section,

wherein the modulation degree or a timing to set the modulation degree smaller during the polling is changed according to the cell remaining amount obtained from the monitoring section.

12. A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having stored thereon a computer program that is executable by a computer used in a communication apparatus which is configured to read an RFID tag and which includes a power source section which includes a cell, and a monitoring section which obtains a cell remaining amount of the power source section, the program being executable by the computer to control the computer to function as:

a communication section which performs communication in an ASK modulation format with an RFID tag; and

a control section which (i) when a user operates an operation section provided in a main body of the apparatus to cause the communication section to perform polling to search for the RFID tag, controls the communication section to search for the RFID tag in a state in which a modulation degree of the ASK modulation of the communication section is set to a first modulation degree larger than a second modulation degree set in advance and an electric current flowing to the communication section is made to a first electric current amount smaller than a second electric current amount set in advance, and which (ii) when the RFID tag is found by receiving response information from the RFID tag through the communication section, controls the communication section to communicate with the RFID tag in a state in which the modulation degree is set to the second modulation degree smaller than the first modulation degree and an electric current flowing to the communication section is made to the second electric current amount larger than the first electric current amount;

wherein the modulation degree or a timing to set the modulation degree smaller during the polling is changed according to the cell remaining amount obtained from the monitoring section.