RFID module

• US 8,917,160 B2
• Filed: 09/23/2011
• Issued: 12/23/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/21/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.), Sony Mobile Communications Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Tsushima, Takaaki, Takahashi, Toshiyuki, Takeda, Toshihiko, Mihara, Zenkichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Hofsass, Jeffery
• Assistant Examiner(s): DARAMOLA, ISRAEL O
• Application Number:
  US13/243,586
• Publication Number:
  US 20120242456A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,187 Days
• Field of Search: 343/702, 455/41.1, 361/113, 340/572.1, 340/10.1, 331/117, 307/110, 320/108
• US Class Current: 340/10.1
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0723 the record carrier comprising an arrangement for non-contact communication, e.g. wireless communication circuits on transponder cards, non-contact smart cards or RFIDs
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0726 the arrangement including a circuit for tuning the resonance frequency of an antenna on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

An RFID module including an antenna element forming an RFID antenna; an RFID circuit block to which the antenna element is connected; and a first resonance frequency adjustment circuit having an element that includes a drain terminal connected to the antenna element, a gate terminal that is grounded, and a source terminal that is grounded, wherein a pull-up resistor is connected between the drain terminal and a power supply.

Claims

1. An RFID module comprising:

an antenna element forming an RFID antenna;

an RFID circuit block to which the antenna element is connected; and

a first resonance frequency adjustment circuit having an element that includes a drain terminal connected to the antenna element, a gate terminal that is grounded, a source terminal that is grounded, wherein a pull-up resistor is connected between the drain terminal and a power supply such that the drain terminal has separate connections to the antenna element and to the power supply,

wherein a DC level of the drain terminal is configured to be decreased through a capacitance between the drain terminal and the gate terminal when an AC waveform of a predetermined amplitude or more is input on the basis of a voltage excited in the RFID antenna when the RFID module comes close to an R/W device, and

the first resonance frequency adjustment circuit is configured to shift a resonance frequency of a loop antenna toward lower frequencies by increasing a drain-source parasitic capacitance value on the basis of the decrease of the DC level of the drain terminal.

2. The RFID module according to claim 1, wherein the antenna element has a first end and a second end, the drain terminal of the first resonance frequency adjustment circuit being connected to the first end of the antenna element, the RFID module further comprising:

a second resonance frequency adjustment circuit having an element that includes a drain terminal connected to the second end of the antenna element, a gate terminal that is grounded, and a source terminal that is grounded, wherein a pull-up resistor is connected between the drain terminal of the second resonance frequency adjustment circuit and a power supply.

3. The RFID module according to claim 2, wherein a capacitor is provided between the first end and the second end of the antenna element.

4. The RFID module according to claim 2, wherein for each of the first resonance frequency adjustment circuit and the second resonance frequency adjustment circuit, the gate terminal is grounded through a pair of resistors connected in series, and a capacitor is provided that has one end connected between the pair of resistors and has another end connected to the drain terminal of the other of the first resonance frequency adjustment circuit and the second resonance frequency adjustment circuit.

5. The RFID module according to claim 1, wherein the gate terminal is grounded through a resistor.

6. The RFID module according to claim 1, wherein the gate terminal is connected to an input/output (IO) port of the RFID circuit block.

7. The RFID module according to claim 1, wherein the antenna element forms a loop antenna.

8. The RFID module according to claim 1, wherein the element of the first resonance frequency adjustment circuit is a field effect transistor (FET).

9. The RFID module according to claim 1, wherein the first resonance frequency adjustment circuit further includes a first capacitor having a first end connected to the antenna element and a second end connected to the drain terminal.

10. The RFID module according to claim 9, wherein the second end of the first capacitor further connects to a first end of a second capacitor, and a second end of the second capacitor is grounded.

11. A near field communication (NFC) system comprising the RFID module according to claim 1.

12. A portable device comprising:

a display unit that provides a display interface to a user;

an operation unit that provides an input interface to the user;

an RFID unit; and

a control unit that performs control of each unit and data processing,

wherein the RFID unit includes;

an antenna element forming an RFID antenna;

an RFID circuit block to which the antenna element is connected; and

a resonance frequency adjustment circuit having an element that includes a drain terminal connected to the antenna element, a gate terminal that is grounded, and a source terminal that is grounded, wherein a pull-up resistor is connected between the drain terminal and a power supply, such that the drain terminal has separate connections to the antenna element and to the power supply,

wherein a DC level of the drain terminal is configured to be decreased through a capacitance between the drain terminal and the gate terminal when an AC waveform of a predetermined amplitude or more is input on the basis of a voltage excited in the RFID antenna when the RFID unit comes close to an R/W device, and

the first resonance frequency adjustment circuit is configured to shift a resonance frequency of a loop antenna toward lower frequencies by increasing a drain-source parasitic capacitance value on the basis of the decrease of the DC level of the drain terminal.

13. A communication method for an RFID module having an antenna element forming an RFID antenna, an RFID circuit block to which the antenna element is connected, and a resonance frequency adjustment circuit, the method comprising:

connecting a source grounded element of the resonance frequency adjustment circuit to one end of the antenna element;

pulling up a drain terminal of the source grounded element to a power-supply voltage through a pull-up resistor;

grounding the gate terminal of the source grounded element;

decreasing a DC level of the drain terminal of the source grounded element through a capacitance between the drain terminal and the gate terminal when an AC waveform of a predetermined amplitude or more is input on the basis of a voltage excited in the RFID antenna when the RFID module comes close to an R/W device; and

shifting a resonance frequency of a loop antenna toward lower frequencies by increasing a drain-source parasitic capacitance value on the basis of the decrease of the DC level.