Method and system for providing an antenna that is optimized for near-field-communication (NFC) and reduces the effect of far-field-communication (FFC)

• US 9,825,671 B2
• Filed: 04/05/2013
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 04/05/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Maxlinear Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Maxlinear Incorporated
• Inventors: Ling, Curtis, Chominski, Paul P.
• Primary Examiner(s): Hanidu, Ganiyu A
• Application Number:
  US13/857,805
• Publication Number:
  US 20130267173A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,691 Days
• Field of Search: 455 411, 455 412, 455 413, 455121, 455306, 4551881, 455450, 455509, 455522, 455 69, 455572, 455574, 4552261, 455230, 455411
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/00 Near-field transmission systems, e.g. inductive or capacitive transmission systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/266 One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

A communication system may include a first broadband device and a second broadband device. Signals may be wirelessly communicated from the first broadband device to the second broadband device at a power level that is below a spurious emissions mask. The communicated signals may be transmitted over a designated frequency band. A barrier separates the first broadband device from the second broadband device. The first broadband device may be paired with the second broadband device, and the signals may be wirelessly communicated from the first to the second broadband device. The signals may be communicated using signal emitting/receiving components, which may be jointly configured to optimize near-field communication while nullifying or substantially reducing signaling in other ranges, particularly far-field or intermediate-field ranges. The signal emitting/receiving components may comprise dipole or coil antennas, with the desired optimization and nullification being achieved based on controlling of electromagnetic fields.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

one or more circuits for use in a first broadband device that is operable to communicate signals to a second broadband device at a power level that is below a spurious emissions mask and to transmit the communicated signals over a designated frequency spectrum band, the one or more circuits being operable to;

wirelessly communicate signals from the first broadband device to the second broadband device when a barrier separates the first broadband device from the second broadband device, wherein;

a signal transmission component of the first broadband device and a signal reception component of the second broadband device are jointly configured to nullify or reduce signals in areas other than a region between the components.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the one or more circuits are operable to pair the first broadband device with the second broadband device.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the one or more circuits are operable to pair the first broadband device with the second broadband device using one or more broadband near-field communication (BNC) protocols.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the signal transmission component of the first broadband device and the signal reception component of the second broadband device comprise one or more antennas or coils.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more circuits are operable to configure and/or utilize the one or more antennas or coils of each of the signal transmission component of the first broadband device and the signal reception component of the second broadband device to nullify or reduce the signals in the areas other than the region between the components by:

optimizing electromagnetic field in the region between the one or more antennas or coils of the signal transmission component of the first broadband device and the one or more antennas or coils of the signal reception component of the second broadband device; and

nullifying electromagnetic field in other regions.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the one or more circuits are operable to configure or apply the optimization of the electromagnetic fields between the one or more antennas or coils of the signal transmission component of the first broadband device and the one or more antennas or coils of the signal reception component of the second broadband device to reinforce each other to create a near field effect.

7. The system of claim 4, wherein the one or more circuits are operable to configure and/or utilize the one or more antennas such as near field stored energy near the antennas is larger in relation to the radiated energy.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more circuits are operable to align the first broadband device with the second broadband device; and

the first broadband device and the second broadband device are on opposite sides of the barrier.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more circuits are operable to utilize one or more signals and/or one or more signal quality indicators to enable the alignment of the first broadband device with the second broadband device.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein:

one or both of the first broadband device and the second broadband wireless device are operable to generate the one or more signals and/or the one or more signal quality indicators;

the one or more signals comprises test signals, preambles and pilot tones; and

the one or more signal quality indicators comprises error rates, signal to noise ratio, signal to interference plus noise ratio, carrier to noise ratio, carrier to interference noise ratio, error vector magnitude, and signal strength indicator.

11. The system of claim 8, wherein the one or more circuits are operable to generate visual and/or audio cues by one or both of the first broadband device and the second broadband device to aid with the alignment.

12. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the one or more circuits are operable to detect usable channels within a frequency spectrum band designated for use by the first broadband device and the second broadband device; and

the wireless communication of the signals utilizes one or more of the detected usable channels.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the one or more circuits are operable to aggregate a plurality of the detected usable channels, wherein the wirelessly communicating of the signals utilizes at least a portion of the aggregated plurality of the detected usable channels.

21. The method of claim 13, comprising aligning the first broadband device with the second broadband device, wherein the first broadband device and the second broadband device are on opposite sides of the barrier.

22. The method of claim 21, comprising utilizing one or more signals and/or one or more signal quality indicators to enable the aligning of the first broadband device with the second broadband device.

23. The method of claim 22, comprising generating by one or both of the first broadband device and the second broadband device the one or more signals and/or the one or more signal quality indicators, wherein:

the one or more signals comprises test signals, preambles and pilot tones; and

the one or more signal quality indicators comprises error rates, signal to noise ratio, signal to interference plus noise ratio, carrier to noise ratio, carrier to interference noise ratio, error vector magnitude, and signal strength indicator.

24. The method of claim 21, comprising generating visual and/or audio cues by one or both of the first broadband device and the second broadband device to aid with the aligning.

25. The method of claim 13, comprising detecting usable channels within a frequency spectrum band designated for use by the first broadband device and the second broadband device, wherein the wireless communication of the signals utilizes one or more of the detected usable channels.

26. The method of claim 25, comprising aggregating a plurality of the detected usable channels, wherein the wirelessly communicating of the signals utilizes at least a portion of the aggregated plurality of the detected usable channels.

14. A method, comprising:

in a communication system comprising a first broadband device and a second broadband device, wherein each of the first broadband device and the second broadband device is operable to communicate signals at a power level that is below a spurious emissions mask and to transmit the communicated signals over a designated frequency spectrum band;

wirelessly communicating signals from the first broadband device to the second broadband device when a barrier separates the first broadband device from the second broadband device, wherein;

a signal transmission component of the first broadband device and a signal reception component of the second broadband device are jointly configured to nullify or reduce signals in areas other than a region between the components.

15. The method of claim 14, comprising pairing the first broadband device with the second broadband device.

16. The method of claim 15, comprising pairing the first broadband device with the second broadband device using one or more broadband near-field communication (BNC) protocols.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein each of the signal transmission component of the first broadband device and the signal reception component of the second broadband device comprise one or more antennas or coils.

18. The method of claim 17, comprising configuring and/or utilizing the one or more antennas or coils of each of the signal transmission component of the first broadband device and the signal reception component of the second broadband device to nullify or reduce the signals in the areas other than the region between the components by:

optimizing electromagnetic field in the region between the one or more antennas or coils of the signal transmission component of the first broadband device and the one or more antennas or coils of the signal reception component of the second broadband device and,

nullifying electromagnetic field in other regions.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising configuring or applying the optimization of the electromagnetic fields between the one or more antennas or coils of the signal transmission component of the first broadband device and the one or more antennas or coils of the signal reception component of the second broadband device to reinforce each other to create a near field effect.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more circuits are operable to configure and/or utilize the one or more antennas such as near field stored energy near the antennas is larger in relation to the radiated energy.