Near field communications apparatus

• US 9,698,871 B2
• Filed: 07/11/2012
• Issued: 07/04/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 07/11/2011
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm technologies international, ltd. (Qualcomm, Inc.)
• Inventors: Tay, Zern, Patel, Shyam, McFarthing, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Ney
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fleming-Hall, Erica
• Application Number:
  US13/546,343
• Publication Number:
  US 20130017782A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,819 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411
• 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: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/70 specially adapted for specific purposes

Abstract

A near field communications apparatus comprising a signal source, a transmit antenna and means for detecting a change in the input impedance of the transmit antenna to detect the presence of a device which is compatible with the apparatus.

Claims

1. A near field communications (NFC) apparatus comprising:

a transmit antenna;

a signal source configured to generate a chirp signal which is transmitted using the transmit antenna, the chirp signal having a frequency that increases from an initial frequency to a final frequency over a period of time;

a receive section coupled to the transmit antenna and configured to detect changes in an input impedance of the transmit antenna as the frequency of the chirp signal changes; and

a processor configured to determine, based on the detected changes in the input impedance of the transmit antenna, whether a compatible NFC device is within an operating range of the NFC apparatus and whether the compatible NFC device is either a passive NFC device or an active NFC device;

wherein the receive section is configured to detect a change in a real part or an imaginary part of the input impedance of the transmit antenna, and

wherein the processor is configured to;

identify the passive NFC device based on the detected change in the real part of the input impedance of the transmit antenna;

or

identify the active NFC device based on the detected change in the imaginary part of the input impedance of the transmit antenna.

2. The near field communications apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receive section comprises a quadrature receiver.

3. The near field communications apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receive section comprises a scalar receiver and a level detector.

4. The near field communications apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receive section is configured to measure the input impedance at a number of discrete frequencies within a frequency range associated with the chirp signal generated by the signal source.

5. The near field communications apparatus claim 1, wherein the signal source is configured to generate a first chirp signal in a first frequency range and a second chirp signal in a second frequency range.

11. The near field communications apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the receive section is configured to detect a change in both a real part of the input impedance and an imaginary part of the input impedance of the transmit antenna; and

the processor is configured to identify the compatible NFC device as either a passive NFC device or an active NFC device based on the detected changes in real part of the input impedance and the imaginary part of the input impedance.

12. The near field communications apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to identify the compatible NFC device as the passive NFC device based on a detected increase in the real part of the input impedance and a detected decrease in the imaginary part of the input impedance.

13. The near field communications apparatus of claim 11, wherein the processor is configured to identify the compatible NFC device as the active NFC device based on a detected decrease in the real part of the input impedance and a detected increase in the imaginary part of the input impedance.

6. A method of operating a near field communications (NFC) apparatus, the method comprising:

transmitting a chirp signal generated by a signal source using a transmit antenna, the chirp signal having a frequency that increases from an initial frequency to a final frequency over a period of time;

receiving, at a receive section of the NFC apparatus, a current that is proportional to a current in the transmit antenna;

detecting changes in an input impedance of the transmit antenna as the frequency of the transmitted chirp signal changes, wherein the detecting comprises detecting a change in a real part or an imaginary part of the input impedance of the transmit antenna;

determining, based on the detected changes in the input impedance of the transmit antenna, whether a compatible NFC device is within an operating range of the NFC apparatus and whether the compatible NFC device is a passive NFC device or an active NFC device; and

identifying the passive NFC device based on the detected change in the real part of the input impedance of the transmit antenna, or identifying the active NFC device based on the detected change in the imaginary part of the input impedance of the transmit antenna.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein changes in the input impedance of the transmit antenna are detected using a quadrature receiver.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein changes in the input impedance of the transmit antenna are detected using a scalar receiver and a level detector.

9. The method of claim 6, wherein the detecting further comprises:

measuring the input impedance at a number of discrete frequencies within a frequency range associated with the chirp signal generated by the signal source.

10. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

generating a first chirp signal in a first frequency range; and

generating a second chirp signal in a second frequency range.

14. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

detecting a change in both a real part of the input impedance and an imaginary part of the input impedance of the transmit antenna; and

identifying the compatible NFC device as either a passive NFC device or an active NFC device based on the detected changes in real part of the input impedance and the imaginary part of the input impedance.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the compatible NFC device is identified as the passive NFC device based on a detected increase in the real part of the input impedance and a detected decrease in the imaginary part of the input impedance.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the compatible NFC device is identified as the active NFC device based on a detected decrease in the real part of the input impedance and a detected increase in the imaginary part of the input impedance.