Method of operating near field communication (NFC) device and NFC device

• US 9,755,702 B2
• Filed: 07/20/2015
• Issued: 09/05/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/04/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cho, Jong-Pil, Song, Il-Jong, Lee, Byeong-Hoon
• Primary Examiner(s): Wendell, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US14/803,590
• Publication Number:
  US 20170026088A1
• Time in Patent Office: 778 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation

Abstract

A method of operating a near field communication (NFC) device includes receiving, by the NFC device, a first signal from an NFC reader, transmitting, by the NFC device, a response to the first signal to the NFC reader and changing selectively, by the NFC device, a radio frequency (RF) configuration parameter associated with signal transmission operation during a signal transmission interval, based on determining whether the NFC reader recognizes the response.

Claims

1. A method of operating a near field communication (NFC) device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the NFC device, a first signal from an NFC reader;

transmitting, by the NFC device, a response to the first signal to the NFC reader; and

changing selectively, by the NFC device, a radio frequency (RF) configuration parameter associated with signal transmission operation during a signal transmission interval, based on the NFC device determining whether the NFC reader recognizes the response,

wherein the NFC device increases a bandwidth of the NFC device during the signal transmission interval by changing the RF configuration parameter, when the NFC reader does not recognize the response.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the NFC device comprises a resonance unit and an NFC chip coupled to the resonance unit through at least a first transmission terminal and a second transmission terminal,

wherein the NFC chip comprises a transmitter,

wherein the transmitter changes the RF configuration parameter during the signal transmission interval by changing a quality factor of the resonance unit, and

wherein the NFC chip changes the quality factor of the resonance unit by selectively connecting the first transmission terminal and the second transmission terminal to a ground voltage through a pull-down load.

3. A method of operating a near field communication (NFC) device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the NFC device, a first signal from an NFC reader;

transmitting, by the NFC device, a response to the first signal to the NFC reader; and

changing selectively, by the NFC device, a radio frequency (RF) configuration parameter associated with signal transmission operation during a signal transmission interval, based on the NFC device determining whether the NFC reader recognizes the response,

wherein said determining whether the NFC reader recognizes the response comprises

determining whether an intensity of an electromagnetic wave which the NFC device receives from the NFC reader is maintained prior to elapsing of a reference time that starts when the NFC device transmits the response,

wherein the NFC device changes the RF configuration parameter during the signal transmission interval upon determination that the intensity is maintained when the reference time elapses.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the NFC device again transmits a response to the first signal received from the NFC reader after the NFC device changes the RF configuration parameter.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the NFC device comprises a resonance unit and an NFC chip coupled to the resonance unit through a first power terminal and a second power terminal,

wherein the NFC chip comprises a load modulation tuner coupled to the first power terminal, the second power terminal and a ground voltage,

wherein the NFC chip changes the RF configuration parameter during the signal transmission interval by changing a load modulation amount of the load modulation tuner, and

wherein the NFC chip changes the RF configuration parameter by the load modulation tuner selectively connecting one of a current load and a resistive load between at least one of

the first power terminal and the ground voltage, and

the second power terminal and the ground voltage.

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

receiving, by the NFC device, a first signal from an NFC reader;

transmitting, by the NFC device, a response to the first signal to the NFC reader; and

changing selectively, by the NFC device, a radio frequency (RF) configuration parameter associated with signal transmission operation during a signal transmission interval, based on the NFC device determining whether the NFC reader recognizes the response,

wherein said determining whether the NFC reader recognizes the response comprises

receiving, by the NFC device, a second signal from the NFC reader, and

determining, by the NFC device, whether the first signal is the same as the second signal,

wherein the NFC device changes the RF configuration parameter during the signal transmission interval upon determination that the first signal is the same as the second signal.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising transmitting, by the NFC device, a response to the second signal to the NFC reader without changing the RF configuration parameter when the first signal is not the same as the second signal.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein the first signal and the second signal are polling requests for requesting a transmission of reception acknowledgement information of the NFC device.

9. A method of operating a near field communication (NFC) device, the method comprising:

receiving, by the NFC device, an input message from an NFC reader;

changing selectively, by the NFC device, a radio frequency (RF) configuration parameter associated with a signal reception operation during a signal reception interval, based on the NFC device determining whether the signal reception operation is regularly performed; and

transmitting, by the NFC device, a response to the input message to the NFC reader using the changed RF configuration parameter.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said determining whether the signal reception operation is regularly performed comprises:

determining, by a processor of the NFC device, whether a pattern of the input message is irregular,

wherein the NFC device changes the RF configuration parameter during the signal reception interval upon determination that the pattern of the input message is irregular.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising receiving, by the NFC device, the input message from the NFC reader after the NFC device changes the RF configuration parameter.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein said determining whether the signal reception operation is regularly performed comprises:

determining, by a processor of the NFC device, whether an error occurs in a cyclic redundancy check (CRC) pattern in the input message,

wherein the NFC device changes the RF configuration parameter during the signal reception interval when an error occurs in the CRC pattern.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein said determining whether the signal reception operation is regularly performed comprises:

determining, by a processor of the NFC device, whether a data pattern in the input message is correct;

refreshing a timer in the processor when the data pattern is correct; and

determining whether a reference time elapses after the timer is refreshed,

wherein the NFC device changes the RF configuration parameter during the signal reception interval when the reference time elapses after the timer is refreshed.

14. The method of claim 9, wherein the NFC device comprises a resonance unit and an NFC chip coupled to the resonance unit through at least a first transmission terminal and a second transmission terminal,

wherein the NFC chip includes a transmitter,

wherein the transmitter changes the RF configuration parameter during the signal reception interval by changing a quality factor of the resonance unit, and

wherein the NFC chip changes the quality factor of the resonance unit by selectively connecting the first transmission terminal and the second transmission terminal to a ground voltage through a pull-down load.

15. The method of claim 9, wherein the NFC device comprises a resonance unit and an NFC chip coupled to the resonance unit through at least a first power terminal and a second power terminal,

wherein the NFC chip comprises a frequency tuner coupled to the first power terminal, the second power terminal and a ground voltage,

wherein the frequency tuner changes the RF configuration parameter during the signal reception interval by changing a resonance frequency of the resonance unit, and

wherein the NFC chip changes the RF configuration parameter by the frequency tuner selectively connecting a capacitive load between the first power terminal and the ground voltage and between the second power terminal and the ground voltage.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein the NFC device comprises a resonance unit and an NFC chip coupled to the resonance unit through at least a first power terminal and a second power terminal,

wherein the NFC chip comprises a demodulator that demodulates the input message, and

wherein the NFC chip changes the RF configuration parameter during the signal reception interval by adjusting an intensity of amplification of the input message in the demodulator.