Communication method, device, and system

• US 9,400,903 B2
• Filed: 01/24/2014
• Issued: 07/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/03/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nationz Technologies Inc.
• Original Assignee: Nationz Technologies Inc.
• Inventors: Dong, Rui, Wang, Haixiang
• Primary Examiner(s): Mehmood, Jennifer
• Assistant Examiner(s): Casillashernandez, Omar
• Application Number:
  US14/162,787
• Publication Number:
  US 20140139322A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 340 101- 105
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/83 input devices, e.g. keyboards, mice or controllers thereof
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10267 the arrangement comprising a circuit inside of the interrogation device
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10366 the interrogation device being adapted for miscellaneous applications
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

The present invention relates to a communication method, device, and system. The communication method include using low-frequency alternating magnetic field signals to control a communication distance between a first radio frequency (RF) device and second RF device. The communication device receives and uses a first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal transmitted from a second RF device to control the communication distance to the second RF device. The communication system includes a first RF device and a second RF device. The first RF device generates and transmits a first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal and receives a second low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal, and the second RF device generates and transmits the second low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal and receives the first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal. The first RF device and the second RF device control the communication distance using the first and second low-frequency alternating magnetic field signals.

Claims

1. A communication method, comprising:

controlling a communication distance between a first radio frequency (RF) device and a second RF device using a low-frequency magnetic field; and

exchanging information between the first RF device and the second RF device within a predetermined distance range using RF channels;

wherein, one of the first RF device and the second RF device receives a first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal from the other of the first RF device and the second RF device to control the communication distance between the first RF device and the second RF device;

wherein receiving the first low-frequency alternating magnetic signal to control the communication distance further includes;

detecting the received first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal;

converting the first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal into a first electrical signal;

comparing the first electrical signal with a first preset threshold value; and

controlling the communication distance between the first RF device and second RF device based on a comparison result;

wherein the first RF device is a card reader, the second RF device is a card, the first electrical signal is a voltage signal, and the first threshold value is a voltage threshold V_t,

wherein the voltage threshold V_t is determined by;

under selected transmission parameters, measuring voltage-distance curves of a plurality of terminals and obstacles, the selected transmission parameters including a frequency of the low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal, a modulation mode, a coding mode, and a transmission magnetic flux density B_e;

obtaining a reference voltage-distance curve, the reference voltage-distance curve being an average value of curves of the terminals and obstacles; and

selecting a voltage value at a distance point at half of a maximum valid card transaction range on the reference voltage-distance curve as V_t for the card reader.

2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein:

the first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal is related to a frequency f0 and, when a frequency of first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal is less than or equal to the frequency f0, the first RF device and the second RF device are within a valid distance range.

3. The communication method according to claim 2, and the frequency f0 is determined by:

determining a distance control target (D_in, D_v) based on the first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal, wherein Din represents a distance in which, within a range of 0-D_in, card transaction is ensured, and D_v represents a distance fluctuation range in which, within D_in˜

(D_in+D_v), card transaction is allowed and, beyond D_in+D_v, card transaction is not allowed;

determining a detection voltage fluctuation range δ

_r of the card reader;

determining a detection voltage fluctuation range δ

_c of the card;

determining said voltage-distance curves of the plurality terminals and obstacles at the frequency f of first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal;

based on the distance control target (D_in, D_v), determining a detection voltage fluctuation range δ

_a of the card reader, the range δ

_a being equal to a difference between a voltage corresponding to a distance point D_in on a voltage-distance curve with an average field intensity attenuation curve slope and obtained from the voltage-distance curves of the plurality of terminals and obstacles and the voltage corresponding to a distance point (D_in+D_v);

determining a detection voltage fluctuation range δ

_t of the of the card caused by a mobile terminal containing the card, the parameter δ

_t representing a fluctuation range of a detection voltage of the card caused by attenuation characteristics of the mobile terminal and δ

_t=δ

_a−

δ

_r−

C;

calculating a maximum field intensity difference δ

at various distances with distance control range of various terminals and obstacles;

if δ

is greater than δ

_t, decreasing a frequency f and continuing from the step of determining the voltage-distance curves;

if δ

is less than δ

_t,

increasing the frequency f and continuing from the step of determining the voltage-distance curves; and

if δ

is equal to δ

_t, determining the current frequency f is the frequency f0.

4. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the modulation mode, the coding mode, and the transmission magnetic flux density Be of the first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal is selected by:

selecting a coding mode without an average DC component;

selecting no modulation or a carrier modulation mode without amplitude change;

selecting the transmission magnetic flux density Be by;

under a selected operating frequency that is less than a f0, a selected modulation and a selected coding mode, selecting magnetic detection and an amplification gain that are easy to achieve by the card reader;

detecting an inherent noise voltage amplitude Vn of the detection voltage of the card reader when there is no low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal;

detecting the detection voltage Vr of the card reader when the card reader is sending the low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal using the selected modulation and coding mode; and

selecting the transmission magnetic flux density Be such that such that Vr/Vn>

SNR, where SNR is signal-to-noise-ratio of the card reader.

5. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein:

the one of the first RF device and the second RF device sends a second low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal to the other of the first RF device and the second RF device with communication distance confirmation information.

6. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein:

one of the first RF device and the second RF device receives a second low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal from the other of the first RF device and the second RF device;

identification information carried in the second low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal is used to control communication distance between the first RF device and the second RF device.

7. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein:

one of the first RF device and the second RF device converts the second low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal into a second electrical signal and compares the second electrical signal with a second preset threshold; and

when the second electrical signal is greater than or equal to the second preset threshold and the identification information in the second low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal is the same as identification information of the one of the first RF device and the second RF device sending the first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal, it is determined that the first RF device and the second RF device are within a valid distance range.

8. The communication method according to claim 6, wherein:

the other of the first RF device and the second RF device controls the communication distance between the first RF device and the second RF device based on received first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal and, when it is considered that the first RF device and the second RF device are within a valid distance range, sends back the second low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal.

9. The communication method according to claim 8, the first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal is related to a frequency f0 and, when a frequency of first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal is less than or equal to the frequency f0, mobile terminals equipped with the second RF device are within a valid distance range, the frequency f0 is determined by:

determining a distance control target (Din, Dv) based on the first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal, wherein Din represents a distance in which, within a range of 0-Din, card transaction is ensured for the mobile terminals equipped with the second RF device, and Dv represents a distance fluctuation range in which, within Din˜

(Din−

Dv), card transaction is allowed and, beyond Din+Dv, card transaction is not allowed;

determining a detection voltage fluctuation range δ

r of the second RF device caused by the first RF device;

determining a detection voltage fluctuation range δ

c caused by the second RF device;

determining said voltage-distance curves of the plurality terminals and obstacles at the frequency f of first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal;

based on the distance control target (Din, Dv), determining a detection voltage fluctuation range δ

a of the second RF device, the range δ

a being equal to a difference between a voltage corresponding to a distance point Din on a voltage-distance curve with an average field intensity attenuation curve slope and obtained from the voltage-distance curves of the plurality of terminals and obstacles and the voltage corresponding to a distance point (Din+Dv);

determining a detection voltage fluctuation range δ

t of the second RF device caused by a mobile terminal containing the second RF device, the parameter δ

t representing a fluctuation range of a detection voltage of the card caused by attenuation characteristics of the mobile terminal and δ

t=δ

a−

δ

r−

δ

c;

calculating a maximum field intensity difference δ

at various distances with distance control range of various terminals and obstacles;

if δ

is greater than δ

t, decreasing a frequency f and continuing from the step of determining the voltage-distance curves;

if δ

is less than δ

t, increasing the frequency f and continuing from the step of determining the voltage-distance curves; and

if δ

is equal to δ

t, determining the current frequency f is the frequency f0.

10. The communication method according to claim 8, the first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal is related to a frequency f0′

and, when a frequency of first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal is less than or equal to the frequency f0′

, mobile terminals equipped with the second RF device are within a valid distance range, the frequency f0′

is determined by;

determining a distance control target (Din, Dv′

) based on the first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal, wherein Din represents a distance in which, within a range of 0-Din, card transaction is ensured for the mobile terminals equipped with the second RF device, and Dv′

represents a distance fluctuation range in which, within Din˜

(Din+Dv′

), card transaction is allowed and, beyond Din+Dv′

, card transaction is not allowed;

determining a detection voltage fluctuation range δ

r of the second RF device caused by the first RF device;

determining a detection voltage fluctuation range δ

c caused by the second RF device;

determining said voltage-distance curves of the plurality terminals and obstacles at the frequency f of first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal;

based on the distance control target (Din, Dv′

), determining a detection voltage fluctuation range δ

a′

of the second RF device, the range δ

a′

being equal to a difference between a voltage corresponding to a distance point Din on a voltage-distance curve with an average field intensity attenuation curve slope and obtained from the voltage-distance curves of the plurality of terminals and obstacles and the voltage corresponding to a distance point (Din+Dv);

determining a detection voltage fluctuation range δ

t′

of the second RF device caused by a mobile terminal containing the second RF device, the parameter δ

t′

representing a fluctuation range of a detection voltage of the card caused by attenuation characteristics of the mobile terminal and δ

t′

=δ

a′

−

δ

r′

−

δ

c′

;

calculating a maximum field intensity difference δ

′

at various distances with distance control range of various terminals and obstacles;

if δ

′

is greater than δ

t′

, decreasing a frequency f′ and

continuing from the step of determining the voltage-distance curves;

if δ

′

is less than δ

t′

, increasing the frequency f′ and

continuing from the step of determining the voltage-distance curves; and

if δ

′

is equal to δ

t′

, determining the current frequency f′

is the frequency f0′

.

11. The communication method according to claim 8, wherein the modulation mode, the coding mode, and the transmission magnetic flux density Br of the first low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal is selected by:

selecting a coding mode without an average DC component;

selecting no modulation or a carrier modulation mode without amplitude change;

selecting the transmission magnetic flux density Br by;

under a selected operating frequency that is less than f0, a selected modulation and a selected coding mode, selecting a typical noise mobile terminal and magnetic detection and the amplification gain that are easy to achieve in the second RF device;

detecting an inherent noise voltage amplitude Vn of the detection voltage of the second RF device when there is no low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal;

detecting the detection voltage Vc of the second RF device when the first RF device is sending the low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal using the selected modulation and coding mode; and

selecting the transmission magnetic flux density Br such that such that Vc/Vn>

SNR, where SNR is signal-to-noise-ratio of the second RF device.

12. The communication method according to claim 11, wherein the modulation mode, the coding mode, and the transmission magnetic flux density Bc of the second low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal is selected by:

selecting a coding mode without an average DC component;

selecting no modulation or a carrier modulation mode without amplitude change;

selecting the transmission magnetic flux density Bc by;

under a selected operating frequency that is less than f0′

, the selected modulation and the selected coding mode, selecting a typical noise terminal and magnetic detection and the amplification gain that are easy to achieve by the first RF device;

detecting an inherent noise voltage amplitude Vn′

of the detection voltage of the first RF device when no low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal;

detecting the detection voltage Vr of the first RF device when the mobile terminal is sending the low-frequency alternating magnetic field signal using the selected modulation and coding mode; and

selecting the transmission magnetic flux density Bc such that such that Vr/Vn′

>

SNR′

, where SNR′

is signal-to-noise-ratio of the first RF device.