Communication partner appliance with automatic send mode activation

• US 9,374,137 B2
• Filed: 03/09/2015
• Issued: 06/21/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 10/29/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Breitfuss, Klemens
• Primary Examiner(s): Jain, Ankur
• Application Number:
  US14/642,661
• Publication Number:
  US 20150180551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 470 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0707 the arrangement being capable of collecting energy from external energy sources, e.g. thermocouples, vibration, electromagnetic radiation G06K19/0702 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0712 the arrangement being capable of triggering distinct operating modes or functions dependent on the strength of an energy or interrogation field in the proximity of the record carrier active means for hindering electromagnetic reading or writing G06K19/07336
• 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: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/80 Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication

Abstract

A communication partner appliance is implemented within a near field communication system. The communication partner appliance includes a receiver, a detector, and a processor. The receiver receives a NFC command signal from another communication partner appliance. The detector detects whether a carrier signal from the other communication partner appliance is present at the receiver at a time other than during a transmission of the NFC command signal from the other communication partner appliance to the receiver. The processor controls a power supply element based on a determination by the detector whether the carrier signal from the other communication partner appliance is present at the receiver. The power supply element is configured to establish a connection to either a first power supply or a second power supply. The first power supply is dependent on the carrier signal, and the second power supply is independent of the carrier signal.

Claims

1. A communication partner appliance comprising:

a transmitter configured to transmit a near-field communication (NFC) command signal to another communication partner appliance according to an active communication mode, wherein the NFC command signal includes a request for data from the other communication partner appliance; and

a processor coupled to a generator and the transmitter, wherein the processor is configured to switch from the active communication mode to a passive communication mode in response to a determination that a response signal is not received from the other communication partner appliance within a first time period based upon a predetermined number of oscillations of a carrier signal.

2. The communication partner appliance of claim 1, wherein the predetermined number of oscillations of the carrier signal is between 10 and 90.

3. The communication partner appliance of claim 2, wherein the predetermined number of oscillations of the carrier signal is between 20 and 60.

4. The communication partner appliance of claim 3, wherein the predetermined number of oscillations of the carrier signal is substantially 30.

5. The communication partner appliance of claim 1, wherein the processor is configured to transmit a second activation signal after completion of a second time period based upon a second number of oscillations of the carrier signal.

6. The communication partner appliance of claim 5, wherein the second time period is substantially three times the first time period.

7. The communication partner appliance of claim 5, wherein the second time period is substantially four times the first time period.

8. The communication partner appliance of claim 5, wherein the second number of oscillations of the carrier signal is substantially 60.