Apparatus and Method for Near-Field Communication

• US 20100021176A1
• Filed: 11/15/2007
• Published: 01/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 11/16/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Silicon Laboratories Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Integration Associates, Inc. (Silicon Laboratories Incorporated)
• Inventors: Farmer, Robert, Holcombe, Wayne T., Svajda, Miroslav, Konecny, Pavel, Nauleau, Jean-Luc
• Granted Patent: US 8,041,227 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 398/115
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 10/1143 Bidirectional transmission
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/02 using transceiver
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers

Abstract

A communication device is disclosed having optical and near-field communication capability. The device includes an optical transceiver circuit fabricated on an integrated circuit die and configured to transmit and receive far field signals. A near field transceiver circuit is also fabricated on the integrated circuit die and is configured to transmit and receive near-field electro-magnetic signals. Control circuitry is provided to selectively enable the optical transceiver circuit and the near field transceiver circuit responsive to an external control signal.

Claims

1. A communication device having optical and near-field communication capability, the device comprising:

an integrated circuit die;

an optical transceiver circuit fabricated on the integrated circuit die and configured to transmit and receive optical signals;

a near field transceiver circuit fabricated on the integrated circuit die and configured to transmit and receive near-field electro-magnetic signals; and

control circuitry configured to selectively enable the optical transceiver circuit and the near field transceiver circuit responsive to an external control signal.

2. The communication device of claim 1, the device further comprising an external shield, and where the integrated circuit die includes an antenna interface pin electrically coupled to the external shield, where the near field transceiver circuit is electrically coupled to the antenna interface pin for receiving near field signals using the external shield.

3. The communication device of claim 2, where the integrated circuit die includes a transmit data interface pin electrically coupled to the external shield where a baseband data signal applied to the transmit data interface pin also drives the external shield to transmit near field signals using the external shield.

4. The communication device of claim 2, the device further comprising a transmit antenna, and where the integrated circuit die includes a transmit antenna interface pin electrically coupled to the transmit antenna, where the near field transceiver circuit is electrically coupled to the transmit antenna interface pin for transmitting near field signals using the transmit antenna.

5. The communication device of claim 2, the device further comprising a transmit antenna, and where the integrated circuit die includes a transmit data interface pin electrically coupled to the transmit antenna, where a baseband data signal applied to the transmit data interface pin also drives the transmit antenna.

6. The communication device of claim 2, wherein a pairing controller is coupled to the far field transceiver circuit, where the pairing controller is configured to send and receive pairing control messages using the near field transceiver circuit in order to establish a far field communication link with another device having another near field transceiver circuit and another pairing controller.

7. The communication device of claim 1, where the optical transceiver circuit further comprises an IrDA specification compliant transceiver.

8. The communication device of claim 1, where the near field transceiver circuit is further configured to sense a resistance coupled to an interface pin of the integrated circuit die and set an operating parameter of the near field transceiver circuit based on a magnitude of the sensed resistance.

9. A method for providing near field communication capability in a transceiver device, the method comprising the steps of:

fabricating an optical transceiver circuit and a near field transceiver circuit on an integrated circuit die, where the optical transceiver circuit is configured to transmit and receive optical signals, and further wherein the near field transceiver circuit is configured to transmit and receive near-field electro-magnetic signals; and

providing control circuitry for selectively enabling the optical transceiver circuit and the near field transceiver circuit responsive to a control signal.

10. The method of claim 9, the method further comprising the steps of

providing an external shield for shielding the integrated circuit die from noise;

electrically coupling the external shield to the integrated circuit die; and

receiving near field signals using the external shield.

11. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising the steps of:

electrically coupling a transmit antenna to the integrated circuit die; and

transmitting near field signals using the transmit antenna.

12. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising the steps of:

electrically coupling a transmit antenna to the integrated circuit die; and

near field transmitting a baseband data signal by directly applying the baseband data signal to the transmit antenna.

13. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising the step of near field transmitting a baseband data signal by directly applying the baseband data signal to the external shield.

14. The method of claim 10, the method further comprising the steps of:

providing pairing control for sending and receiving pairing control messages using the near field transceiver circuit; and

establishing a far field communication link with another device having another near field transceiver circuit and another pairing controller by exchanging pairing control messages with the another device.

15. The method of claim 9, the method further comprising the steps of:

sensing a resistance present at an interface of the integrated circuit die; and

setting an operating parameter of the near field transceiver circuit based on a magnitude of the sensed resistance.

16. An integrated circuit device, the device comprising:

long range communication means for performing at least one of transmitting and receiving long range signals;

near field communication means for performing at least one of transmitting and receiving near-field electro-magnetic signals;

control means for selectively enabling the long range and near field communication means responsive to a control signal.

17. The device of claim 16, the device further including external shielding means for shielding the integrated circuit device from noise, the external shielding means being electrically coupled to the integrated circuit device for receiving near field signals.

18. The device of claim 17, the device further including transmit antenna means electrically coupled to the integrated circuit device for transmitting near field signals.

19. The device of claim 17, the device further including transmit antenna means electrically coupled to the integrated circuit device for near field transmitting a baseband data signal by directly applying the baseband data signal to the transmit antenna means.

20. The device of claim 17, the device further including pairing control means for sending and receiving pairing control messages using the near field communication means in order to establish a long range communication link with another device using the long range communication means.

21. The system for near field communication, the system comprising:

a first integrated circuit device, the first device having formed thereon a first transceiver circuit, a near field transceiver circuit, and control circuitry for selectively enabling one of the first transceiver circuit and the near field transceiver circuit responsive to an external control signal; and

a second integrated circuit device, the second device having formed thereon a near field transceiver circuit, where the near field transceiver of the first device and the near field transceiver of the second device are capacitively coupled to one another in order to exchange near field data signals.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein:

the first integrated circuit device further includes a pairing controller configured to send messages using the near field transceiver of the first device; and

the second integrated circuit device further includes a first transceiver circuit and a pairing controller configured to receive messages using the near field transceiver of the second device, the pairing controller of the second device being configured to receive messages from the pairing controller of the first integrated circuit device in order to establish a communication link between the first transceiver of the first integrated circuit device and the first transceiver of the second integrated circuit device.

23. The system of claim 22, where the near field transceivers of the first and second integrated circuit devices are each configured to communicate with one another in a half duplex manner.

24. The system of claim 22, where the first transceiver of the first integrated circuit device and the first transceiver of the second integrated circuit device each further comprise an optical transceiver.

25. The system of claim 22, where the first transceiver of the first integrated circuit device and the first transceiver of the second integrated circuit device each further comprise a radio frequency transceiver.

26. The system of claim 21, where the near field transceiver of the first integrated circuit device is further configured to transmit a baseband data signal.

27. The system of claim 21, where the first transceiver circuit of each of the first and second integrated circuit devices further comprises a USB transceiver.

28. The system of claim 27, where the near field transceiver circuits of each of the first and second integrated circuit devices are further configured to provide a secondary communication channel for the USB transceivers of the first and second integrated circuit devices.