Electronic device with communication capability

• US 7,050,007 B2
• Filed: 09/05/2003
• Issued: 05/23/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2002
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Akiho, Hiraku, Sawada, Junichi, Kikuchi, Akihiro, Okazaki, Yutaka, Goto, Kazuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Ho, Tan
• Application Number:
  US10/497,114
• Publication Number:
  US 20050040997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 991 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 343/741, 343/742, 343/866, 343/867, 235/462.15, 455/90.3
• US Class Current: 343/702
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07771 the record carrier comprising means for minimising adverse effects on the data communication capability of the record carrier, e.g. minimising Eddy currents induced in a proximate metal or otherwise electromagnetically interfering object
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/0008 General problems related to the reading of electronic memory record carriers, independent of its reading method, e.g. power transfer
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10316 using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers antennas in general H01Q1/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10346 the antenna being of the far field type, e.g. HF types or dipoles
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10386 the interrogation device being of the portable or hand-handheld type, e.g. incorporated in ubiquitous hand-held devices such as PDA or mobile phone, or in the form of a portable dedicated RFID reader
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/2216 used in interrogator/reader equipment
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/38 formed by a conductive layer on an insulating support patch antennas H01Q9/0407; microstrip dipole antennas H01Q9/065; microstrip slot antennas H01Q13/106; transmission line microstrip antennas H01Q13/206; manufacturing reflecting surfaces using insulating material for supporting the reflecting surface H01Q15/142
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/04 Screened antennas H01Q7/02, H01Q7/06 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/06 with core of ferromagnetic material H01Q7/02 takes precedence

Abstract

A communication-capable electronic device is provided which includes a metallic housing (122) to accommodate electronic parts of the device, and a communication terminal (90) that makes communications with a communication-cable IC card (110) incorporating an antenna (115). The communication antenna (90) is located such that when the IC card is placed near the housing (122), the antenna (115) built in the IC card (110) faces, at a part thereof, a part of the communication terminal (90) while the rest of the antenna (115) of the IC Card (110) does not face the housing (122). Thus, it is possible to prevent the inductance in the antenna (115) of the IC card (110) from being reduced.

Claims

1. A communication-capable electronic device comprising:

a housing for accommodating parts of the device; and

a communication antenna disposed inside the housing to make communications with an IC card having a loop antenna built therein,

the communication antenna being disposed in a location where a part of the antenna incorporated in the IC card is to face a part of the communication antenna, while the rest of the antenna in the IC card does not face that part of the communication antenna, when the IC card is located near the housing.

2. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the housing is made of a metal.

3. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the communication antenna is disposed at an end of the housing.

4. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein in an area, facing the IC card, of the housing, there is provided a positioner to determine a position where the IC card faces the housing.

5. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the IC card is square;

the loop antenna is disposed along the periphery of the IC card; and

the communication antenna is disposed in a position where one side of the loop antenna overlaps the communication antenna while the other side of the loop antenna, opposite to the one side, does not overlap the housing.

6. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the IC card is rectangular; and

the housing has at least the antenna provided thereon; and

the width of the area of the housing, facing a part of the IC card, is smaller than the long-side length of the IC card.

7. The device as set forth in claim 6, wherein the communication antenna is disposed to extend form one end of the housing in an area smaller than the width of the short side of the IC card.

8. The device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the communication antenna includes a loop coil for inductive coupling.

9. The device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the loop coil is smaller than the antenna at the IC card, to which it is inductively coupled.

10. The device as set forth in claim 8, wherein the loop coil has a magnetic member.

11. The device as set forth in claim 10, wherein the magnetic member is disposed to face one main side of the loop coil, opposite to the other main side facing the IC card.

12. The device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the magnetic member has set therefor a specific permeability λ

′ and

a product Ms·

t of saturation magnetization Ms and thickness t.

13. The device as set forth in claim 12, wherein the magnetic member is penetrated in the center of the loop coil and disposed, at the side of the loop coil where the winding interval is small, to have one main side thereof directed to face the main side of the loop coil, opposite to the other main side facing the IC card.

14. The device as set forth in claim 13, wherein the magnetic member is formed smaller than the loop coil at the side of the loop coil where the winding interval is small while being larger than the loop coil at the side of the loop coil where the winding interval is large.

15. The device as set forth in claim 11, wherein the loop coil is formed from a plane winding of a conductor, whose sections opposite to each other across the center of the loop coil are disposed asymmetrically to be different in interval from each other.

16. The device as set forth in claim 15, wherein the loop coil is different in winding interval at one side thereof from at the other side in a direction in which the IC card is scanned.