Measuring system with interface for near field communication

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11128347-B2
Application number	US-201916584083-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 26, 2019
Priority date	Oct 1, 2018
Publication date	Sep 21, 2021
Grant date	Sep 21, 2021

Abstract

This disclosure includes a measuring device and a corresponding method. According to an exemplary embodiment, the measuring device comprises the following: a measuring circuit connected to one or more sensors; an RF frontend for near field communication (NFC) with an external device; a controller circuit coupled to the RF frontend and the measuring circuit and operative to receive measured values supplied from the measuring circuit, and wherein the controller circuit is further operative to check whether active communication with the external device occurs during a measurement and to store or discard one or more measured values supplied from the measuring circuit depending on this check. It is checked whether an NFC magnetic field is present during the measurement. Further configurations include a system comprising a measuring device and an NFC-enabled device.

First claim

We claim:

1. A measuring device comprising:
a measuring circuit connected to a sensor;
an RF frontend implementing near field communications to communicate with an external device;
a controller circuit coupled to the RF frontend and the measuring circuit, the RF frontend operative to receive measured values supplied from the measuring circuit; and
wherein the controller circuit is further operative to: i) monitor whether active data communication with the external device occurs via the near field communications during a measurement of the measuring circuit producing the measured values; and ii) selectively store each of the received measured values supplied from the measuring circuit depending on detection of the active data communication via the near field communications during the measurement.

2. The measuring device as in claim 1 , wherein the controller circuit is further operative to: i) check, before starting the measurement via the measuring circuit, whether the active data communication is currently occurring with the external device, and ii) initiate a respective measurement via the measuring circuit only when no active communications are occurring between the RF frontend and the external device.

3. The measuring device as in claim 1 , wherein the RF frontend is coupled to the external device via a near field communication magnetic field; and
wherein the RF frontend is operative to provide a supply voltage to the measuring circuit and the controller circuit based on conversion of the near field communication magnetic field into the supply voltage.

4. The measuring device as in claim 3 further comprising:
an energy storage device to store the supply voltage, the energy storage device operative to provide the supply voltage to the measuring circuit and the controller circuit during conditions in which the measuring circuit produces the measured values associated with the sensor.

5. The measuring device as in claim 1 , wherein the near field communications is conveyed via a wireless carrier signal; and
wherein the active data communication includes modulation of data onto the wireless carrier signal.

6. The measuring device as in claim 5 , wherein the external device modulates the data onto the near field communications.

7. The measuring device as in claim 5 , wherein the RF frontend is operative to modulate the data onto the wireless carrier signal.

8. The measuring device as in claim 1 , wherein the controller circuit is operative to discard the measured values generated by the measuring circuit in response to detection of the active data communication over the near field communications.

9. The measuring device as in claim 1 , wherein the controller circuit is operative to store the measured values generated by the measuring circuit in response to not detecting presence of the active data communication over the near field communications.

10. The measuring device as in claim 9 , wherein the RF frontend is operative to power the measuring circuit via a supply voltage derived from the near field communications during a condition in which the near field communications is absent.

11. The measuring device as in claim 1 , wherein the measuring circuit is operative to produce the measured values based on monitoring of an output of the sensor.

12. The measuring device as in claim 1 , wherein the RF frontend is operative to notify the external device to terminate generation of the near field communications for a predetermined time to accommodate execution of the measurement.

13. The measuring device as in claim 1 , wherein the RF frontend is operative to notify the external device to be removed from a vicinity of the measuring device to accommodate execution of the measurement.

14. A measuring device comprising:
a measuring circuit connected to a sensor;
an RF frontend in communication with an external device via a near field communication magnetic field;
a controller circuit coupled to the RF frontend and the measuring circuit, the controller circuit operative to receive measured values from the measuring circuit; and
wherein the controller circuit is further operative to: i) determine times in which the near field communication magnetic field is present during a measurement by the measuring circuit, and ii) selectively store the measured values received from the measuring circuit depending on a timing of the measuring circuit producing the measured values.

15. The measuring device as in claim 14 , wherein the controller circuit is operative to send a request via the near field communication magnetic field to the external device, the request notifying the external device to temporarily discontinue transmitting a near field communication magnetic field for a predetermined period of time.

16. The measuring device as in claim 15 further comprising:
an energy storage device operative to buffer a supply voltage for the measuring circuit and the controller circuit.

17. The measuring device as in claim 16 , wherein the RF frontend is operative to provide the supply voltage to the measuring circuit and the controller circuit, the supply voltage generated from energy received from the near field communication magnetic field.

18. The measuring device as in claim 14 , wherein the controller circuit is further operative to discard the measured values in response to detection of the near field communication magnetic field during the measurement.

19. The measuring device as in claim 14 , wherein the controller circuit is further operative to store the measured values in response to detecting absence of the near field communication magnetic field during the measurement.

20. The measuring device as in claim 14 , wherein the RF frontend is operative to communicate the measured values to the external device over the near field communication magnetic field.

21. A method comprising:
establishing a near field communication connection between a communication device and a near field communication frontend of a measuring device having a measuring circuit coupled to a sensor;
via the measuring device, performing a measurement, the measurement including a plurality of measured values supplied from the measuring circuit;
monitoring for presence of active communications over the near field connection during the measurement; and
selectively storing each of the measured values depending on the occurrence of the active communications.

22. The method as in claim 21 , wherein a start of a measurement via the measuring circuit is delayed until the active communications via the near field communication connection are terminated.

23. The method as in claim 22 further comprising:
via the active near field communications transmitted over the near field communication connection, generating a supply voltage to power the measuring circuit.

24. A method comprising:
establishing a near field communication connection between a communication device and a near field communication frontend of a measuring device having a measuring circuit coupled to a sensor, the near field communication connection being established via a near field communication magnetic field;
carrying out a measurement in which a plurality of measured values are supplied from the measuring circuit to the communication device over the near field communication connection;
monitoring for presence of the near field communication magnetic field during the measurement; and
selectively storing each

Assignees

• Infineon Technologies Ag

Inventors

• Holweg Gerald
• Kollegger Carolin
• Schweighofer Johannes
• Siegl Inge
• Steffan Christoph

Classifications

• H04B5/70

  specially adapted for specific purposes · CPC title

• H04B5/24

  Inductive coupling · CPC title

• G08C17/02 Primary

  using a radio link · CPC title

• H04W4/80

  Services using short range communication, e.g. near-field communication [NFC], radio-frequency identification [RFID] or low energy communication · CPC title

• H04B1/59

  Responders; Transponders · CPC title