Near field communication devices, systems, and methods using Q factor adjustments

• US 9,596,003 B2
• Filed: 03/06/2014
• Issued: 03/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 03/07/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Jong-Pil, Song, Il-Jong
• Primary Examiner(s): Yun, Eugene
• Application Number:
  US14/199,346
• Publication Number:
  US 20140256253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,104 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0726 the arrangement including a circuit for tuning the resonance frequency of an antenna on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10148 the step consisting of dynamically tuning the resonant circuit of the interrogation device that is emitting the interrogation signal, e.g. for impedance matching inside of the interrogation device for tuning related to loop aerials in general H01Q7/00
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10237 the reader and the record carrier being capable of selectively switching between reader and record carrier appearance, e.g. in near field communication [NFC] devices where the NFC device may function as an RFID reader or as an RFID tag
• 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: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

An NFC (near field communication) device can include a resonance unit and an NFC chip. The resonance unit may communicate with an external device through an electromagnetic wave. The NFC chip can provide output data to the resonance unit, receive input data from the resonance unit, and can reduce a Q factor (quality factor) of the resonance unit when a signal receive operation is performed in a card mode, and can maintain the Q factor of the resonance unit in a reader mode and when a signal transmit operation is performed in the card mode.

Claims

1. An NFC (near field communication) device comprising:

a resonance unit configured to generate a first voltage in response to an electromagnetic wave;

a rectifier configured to generate a second voltage by rectifying the first voltage;

a regulator configured to generate an internal voltage having a voltage level of a constant magnitude by using the second voltage to output the internal voltage to a first node; and

a Q (quality) sink unit connected between the first node and a ground voltage, the Q sink unit being turned on to reduce a Q factor (quality factor) of the resonance unit when a signal receive operation is performed in a card mode, and being turned off to maintain the Q factor in a reader mode and when a signal transmit operation is performed in the card mode.

2. The NFC device of claim 1, wherein the Q sink unit comprises:

a Q sink controller configured to generate a Q sink signal enabled when the signal receive operation is performed in the card mode and disabled in the reader mode and when the signal transmit operation is performed in the card mode; and

a pull-down unit configured to connect the first node to the ground voltage through a pull-down load when the Q sink signal is enabled and to cut off the first node from the ground voltage when the Q sink signal is disabled.

3. The NFC device of claim 2, further comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU) configured to generate a mode signal that represents the card mode or the reader mode and the signal receive operation or the signal transmit operation when the mode is the card mode,

wherein the Q sink controller generates the Q sink signal based on the mode signal.

4. The NFC device of claim 2, wherein the pull-down unit comprises:

a switch connected to the first node and turned on in response to the Q sink signal; and

a current source connected between the switch and the ground voltage to generate a current having a constant magnitude.

5. The NFC device of claim 2, wherein the pull-down unit comprises:

a slew control unit configured to generate first to n^th Q sink sub-signals, which are sequentially enabled at a first time interval, when the Q sink signal is enabled and to generate first to n^th Q sink sub-signals, which are sequentially disabled at the first time interval, when the Q sink signal is disabled;

first to n^th switches connected to the first node and turned on in response to the first to n^th Q sink sub-signals, respectively; and

first to n^th current sources connected between the first to n^th switches and the ground voltage, respectively, to generate a current having a constant magnitude.

6. The NFC device of claim 2, wherein the pull-down unit comprises:

a switch connected to the first node and turned on in response to the Q sink signal; and

a resistor connected between the switch and the ground voltage.

7. The NFC device of claim 2, wherein the pull-down unit comprises:

a slew control unit configured to generate first to n^th Q sink sub-signals, which are sequentially enabled at a first time interval, when the Q sink signal is enabled and to generate first to n^th Q sink sub-signals, which are sequentially disabled at the first time interval, when the Q sink signal is disabled;

first to n^th switches connected to the first node and turned on in response to the first to n^th Q sink sub-signals, respectively; and

first to n^th resistors connected between the first to n^th switches and the ground voltage, respectively.

8. The NFC device of claim 1, further comprising:

a field detector configured to receive the first voltage to generate a field intensity signal corresponding to a magnitude of the first voltage,

wherein the Q sink unit controls a reduction degree of the Q factor of the resonance unit based on the field intensity signal when the signal receive operation is performed in the card mode.

9. The NFC device of claim 8, wherein the Q sink unit comprises:

a Q sink controller configured to generate a Q sink signal enabled when the signal receive operation is performed in the card mode and disabled in the reader mode and when the signal transmit operation is performed in the card mode and to generate a Q factor tuning signal based on the field intensity signal; and

a pull-down unit configured to connect the first node to the ground voltage through a pull-down load having a magnitude corresponding to the Q factor tuning signal when the Q sink signal is enabled and to cut off the first node from the ground voltage when the Q sink signal is disabled.

10. The NFC device of claim 9, wherein the pull-down unit comprises:

a switch connected to the first node and turned on in response to the Q sink signal; and

a variable current source connected between the switch and the ground voltage to generate a current having a magnitude corresponding to the Q factor tuning signal.

11. The NFC device of claim 9, wherein the pull-down unit comprises:

a slew control unit configured to generate first to n^th Q sink sub-signals, which are sequentially enabled at a first time interval, when the Q sink signal is enabled and to generate first to n^th Q sink sub-signals, which are sequentially disabled at the first time interval, when the Q sink signal is disabled;

first to n^th switches connected to the first node and turned on in response to the first to n^th Q sink sub-signals, respectively; and

first to n^th variable current sources connected between the first to n^th switches and the ground voltage, respectively, to generate a current having a magnitude corresponding to the Q factor tuning signal.

12. The NFC device of claim 9, wherein the pull-down unit comprises:

a switch connected to the first node and turned on in response to the Q sink signal; and

a variable resistor connected between the switch and the ground voltage and having a resistance with a magnitude corresponding to the Q factor tuning signal.

13. The NFC device of claim 9, wherein the pull-down unit comprises:

a slew control unit configured to generate first to n^th Q sink sub-signals, which are sequentially enabled at a first time interval, when the Q sink signal is enabled and to generate first to n^th Q sink sub-signals, which are sequentially disabled at the first time interval, when the Q sink signal is disabled;

first to n^th switches connected to the first node and turned on in response to the first to n^th Q sink sub-signals, respectively; and

first to n^th variable resistors connected between the first to n^th switches and the ground voltage, respectively, and having a resistance with a magnitude corresponding to the Q factor tuning signal.

14. An NFC (near field communication) device comprising:

a resonance circuit configured to generate a first voltage in response to an electromagnetic wave;

a rectifier circuit configured to generate a second voltage by rectifying the first voltage;

a regulator circuit configured to generate an internal voltage having a voltage level of a constant magnitude using the second voltage to output the internal voltage to a first node; and

a Q (quality) sink circuit connected between the first node and a ground voltage, the Q sink circuit configured to reduce a Q factor of the resonance circuit when a signal receive operation is performed in a card mode of the NFC device, and configured to maintain the Q factor in a reader mode of the NFC device and when a signal transmit operation is performed in the card mode.

15. The NFC device of claim 14, wherein the Q sink circuit comprises:

a Q sink controller circuit configured to enable a Q sink signal when the signal receive operation is performed in the card mode and disable the Q sink signal in the reader mode and when the signal transmit operation is performed in the card mode.

16. The NFC device of claim 15 further comprising:

a pull-down circuit configured to connect the first node to the ground voltage through a pull-down load when the Q sink signal is enabled and to cut off the first node from the ground voltage when the Q sink signal is disabled.

17. The NFC device of claim 15, further comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU) configured to generate a mode signal that represents the card mode or the reader mode and the signal receive operation or the signal transmit operation in the card mode, wherein the Q sink controller circuit generates the Q sink signal based on the mode signal.