Charging a chargeable power supply of a near field communication (NFC) enabled device from a radio frequency (RF) signal inductively coupled onto a magnetic field

• US 9,143,202 B2
• Filed: 03/28/2013
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP USA, Inc. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: Broadcom Corporation (Broadcom, Inc.)
• Inventors: Symons, Peter Robert
• Primary Examiner(s): GIRMA, FEKADESELASS
• Application Number:
  US13/852,139
• Publication Number:
  US 20130217326A1
• Time in Patent Office: 908 Days
• Field of Search: 340/834.8, 340/538.16, 340/12.38, 340/455, 340/636.17, 340/14.67, 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/572, 455/573, 455/556.1, 455/343.1, 455/558, 320/109, 320/106, 320/139
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/10 using inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/402 the two or more transmitting or the two or more receiving devices being integrated in the same unit, e.g. power mats with several coils or antennas with several sub-antennas
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/00034 Charger exchanging data with an electronic device, i.e. telephone, whose internal battery is under charge
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/77 for interrogation
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/79 for data transfer in combination with power transfer

Abstract

A NFC communicator or NFC communications enabled device has a data store to store data, a coupler to couple inductively with the magnetic field of a radio frequency signal and a signal generator to supply a radio frequency signal to the coupler. A modulator is provided to modulate a radio frequency signal in accordance with data and a demodulator is provided to extract data from a modulated radio frequency signal inductively coupled to the coupler. A controller enables the NFC communicator or NFC communications enabled device both to initiate near field radio frequency communication with another near field RF communicator and to respond to near field radio frequency communication initiated by another near field RF communicator. The NFC communicator or NFC communications enabled device also has a power deriver that derives power from a radio frequency signal inductively coupled to the coupler to charge a chargeable power supply.

Claims

1. A Near Field Communications (NFC) enabled device, comprising:

an NFC component module configured to communicate with another NFC enabled device via inductive coupling utilizing a data path;

a power deriver module configured to rectify an unmodulated communications signal received from the other NFC enabled device to provide a rectified power, the rectified power conditionally charging a chargeable power supply utilizing a power path; and

a controller module configured to enable the power deriver module to charge the chargeable power supply upon detection of the unmodulated communications signal;

wherein the data path and the power path are separate paths.

2. The NFC enabled device of claim 1, wherein the power path and the data path are configured to terminate in a connection to a common coupling device,

wherein the NFC component module is configured to communicate with the other NFC enabled device using the common coupling device, and

wherein the power deriver module is further configured to receive the unmodulated communications signal using the common coupling device.

3. The NFC enabled device of claim 1, wherein the power path and the data path are configured to terminate in a connection to a first and a second coupling device, respectively,

wherein the NFC component module is configured to communicate with the other NFC enabled device using the first coupling device, and

wherein the power deriver module is further configured to receive the unmodulated communications signal using the second coupling device.

4. The NFC enabled device of claim 2, wherein the common coupling device comprises:

an inductor and a capacitor connected in parallel with one another.

5. The NFC enabled device of claim 2, wherein the power deriver comprises:

a bridge rectifier coupled to the common coupling device.

6. The NFC enabled device of claim 1, wherein the NFC component module is further configured to utilize power from the chargeable power supply or the rectified power.

7. The NFC enabled device of claim 1, wherein the NFC component module is further configured to utilize the chargeable power supply to communicate with the other NFC enabled device;

and

wherein the controller is further configured to enable the power deriver module to charge the chargeable power supply when the chargeable power supply cannot provide sufficient power to the NFC component module.

8. A Near Field Communications (NFC) enabled device, comprising:

an NFC component module configured to communicate via inductive coupling with another NFC enabled device utilizing a first carrier frequency when the NFC enabled device is operating in a communications mode;

a power deriver module configured to charge a chargeable power supply utilizing a second carrier frequency when the NFC enabled device is operating in a power derivation mode; and

a frequency detector module configured to switch operation of the NFC enabled device between the communications mode and the power derivation mode based on whether a detected carrier frequency received from the other NFC enabled device is substantially equal to the first carrier frequency or the second carrier frequency;

wherein the NFC component module is further configured to communicate with the other NFC enabled device utilizing a data path, and

wherein the power deriver module is further configured to charge the chargeable power supply utilizing a power path, the data path and the power path being separate paths.

9. The NFC enabled device of claim 8, wherein the NFC component module is further configured to disable communications with the other NFC enabled device when the NFC enabled device is operating in the power derivation mode;

and

wherein the power deriver module is further configured to disable charging when the NFC enabled device is operating in the communications mode.

10. The NFC enabled device of claim 8, wherein the power path and the data path are configured to terminate in a connection to a common coupling device,

wherein the NFC component module is configured to communicate with the other NFC enabled device using the common coupling device, and

wherein the power deriver module is configured to receive the second carrier frequency using the common coupling device.

11. The NFC enabled device of claim 8, wherein the power path and the data path are configured to terminate in a connection to a first and a second coupling device, respectively,

wherein the NFC component module is configured to communicate with the other NFC enabled device using the first coupling device, and

wherein the power deriver module is further configured to receive the second carrier frequency using the second coupling device.

12. The NFC enabled device of claim 10, wherein the common coupling device comprises:

an inductor and a capacitor connected in parallel with one another.

13. The NFC enabled device of claim 10, wherein the power deriver comprises:

a bridge rectifier coupled to the common coupling device.

14. The NFC enabled device of claim 9, wherein the NFC component module is further configured to utilize power from the chargeable power supply or the rectified power.

15. A Near Field Communications (NFC) enabled device, comprising:

an NFC component module configured to communicate via inductive coupling with another NFC enabled device in accordance with one of an initiator or a target mode of operation;

a power deriver module configured to charge a chargeable power supply when the NFC enabled device is operating in the target mode of operation; and

a controller module configured to switch operation of the NFC enabled device from the initiator mode of operation to the target mode of operation based on a charge requirement of the chargeable power supply;

wherein the NFC component module is further configured to communicate with the other NFC enabled device utilizing a data path; and

wherein the power deriver module is further configured to charge the chargeable power supply utilizing a power path substantially simultaneously with communications between the NFC component module and the other NFC enabled device, the data path and the power path being separate paths.

16. The NFC enabled device of claim 15, wherein the power path and the data path are configured to terminate in a connection to a common coupling device,

wherein the NFC component module is further configured to communicate with the other NFC enabled device using the common coupling device, and

wherein the power deriver module is configured to charge the chargeable power supply using the common coupling device.

17. The NFC enabled device of claim 15, wherein the power path and the data path are configured to terminate in a connection to a first and a second coupling device, respectively,

wherein the NFC component module is configured to communicate with the other NFC enabled device using the first coupling device, and

wherein the power deriver module is further configured to charge the chargeable power supply using the second coupling device.

18. The NFC enabled device of claim 16, wherein the common coupling device comprises:

an inductor and a capacitor connected in parallel with one another.

19. The NFC enabled device of claim 16, wherein the power deriver comprises:

a bridge rectifier coupled to the coupling device.

20. The NFC enabled device of claim 15, wherein the NFC component module is further configured to utilize power from the chargeable power supply or the rectified power.