Antenna solution for wireless power transfer-near field communication enabled communication device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9337903-B2
Application number	US-201514657338-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 13, 2015
Priority date	Nov 16, 2012
Publication date	May 10, 2016
Grant date	May 10, 2016

Abstract

Various configurations and arrangements of various communication devices and antenna solutions are disclosed. Antenna solutions disclosed herein include a single inductive coupling element configured to resonate at a variety of resonant frequencies suitable for WPT and/or NFC communications. Resonant circuits can be provided for tuning the inductive coupling element to resonant at specific resonant frequency. The antenna solutions can be employed in WPT/NFC enabled communication devices capable of WPT and NFC communication.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A wireless power transfer and near field communication (WPT/NFC) enabled communication device, comprising:
a resonant circuit configured to tune an inductive coupling element to a WPT frequency or to an NFC frequency; and
a processor configured to:
cause the resonant circuit to tune the inductive coupling element to approximately the WPT frequency such that a first current, indicative of a WPT communication signal, is induced in the inductive coupling element when the WPT/NFC enabled communication device is placed in a first magnetic field; and
cause the resonant circuit to tune the inductive coupling element to approximately the NFC frequency such that a second current, indicative of an NFC communication signal, is induced in the inductive coupling element when the WPT/NFC enabled communication device is placed in a second magnetic field.

2. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 1 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the resonant circuit to tune its resonant frequency from among a plurality of frequencies until the resonant frequency matches the WPT frequency or the NFC frequency.

3. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 1 , wherein the resonant circuit is further configured to receive the WPT communication signal or the NFC communication signal from a second WPT/NFC enabled communication device communicatively coupled to the WPT/NFC enabled communication device.

4. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 1 , wherein the resonant circuit is further configured to transmit the WPT communication signal or the NFC communication signal to a second WPT/NFC enabled communication device communicatively coupled to the WPT/NFC enabled communication device.

5. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 1 , further comprising:
a WPT/NFC module configured to process the WPT communication signal and the NFC communication signal.

6. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 5 , wherein the WPT/NFC module is further configured to receive the first current when the inductive coupling element is tuned to approximately the WPT frequency or the second current when the inductive coupling element is tuned to approximately the NFC frequency.

7. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 6 , wherein the WPT/NFC module is further configured to transmit the first current when the inductive coupling element is tuned to approximately the WPT frequency or the second current when the inductive coupling element is tuned to approximately the NFC frequency.

8. A wireless power transfer and near field communication (WPT/NFC) enabled communication device, comprising:
a plurality of resonant circuits configured to tune an inductive coupling element to a WPT frequency or to an NFC frequency; and
a processor configured to:
cause a first resonant circuit from among a plurality of resonant circuits to tune the inductive coupling element to approximately the WPT frequency such that a first current, indicative of a WPT communication signal, is induced in the inductive coupling element when the WPT/NFC enabled communication device is placed in a first magnetic field; and
cause a second resonant circuit from among a plurality of resonant circuits to tune the inductive coupling element to approximately the NFC frequency such that a second current, indicative of an NFC communication signal, is induced in the inductive coupling element when the WPT/NFC enabled communication device is placed in a second magnetic field.

9. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 8 , wherein the processor is configured to cause the first resonant circuit to tune its resonant frequency from among a plurality of frequencies until a first resonant frequency matches the WPT frequency or the second resonant circuit to tune its resonant frequency from among a second plurality of frequencies until a second resonant frequency matches the NFC frequency.

10. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 8 , wherein the first resonant circuit is further configured to receive the WPT communication signal from a second WPT/NFC enabled communication device communicatively coupled to the WPT/NFC enabled communication device, and
wherein the second resonant circuit is further configured to receive the NFC communication signal from the second WPT/NFC enabled communication device communicatively coupled to the WPT/NFC enabled communication device.

11. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 8 , wherein the first resonant circuit is further configured to transmit the WPT communication signal to a second WPT/NFC enabled communication device communicatively coupled to the WPT/NFC enabled communication device, and
wherein the second resonant circuit is further configured to transmit the NFC communication signal to the second WPT/NFC enabled communication device.

12. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 8 , further comprising:
a WPT/NFC module configured to process the WPT communication signal and the NFC communication signal.

13. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 12 , wherein the WPT/NFC module is further configured to receive the first current when the inductive coupling element is tuned to approximately the WPT frequency or the second current when the inductive coupling element is tuned to approximately the NFC frequency.

14. The WPT/NFC enabled communication device of claim 12 , wherein the WPT/NFC module is further configured to transmit the first current when the inductive coupling element is tuned to approximately the WPT frequency or the second current when the inductive coupling element is tuned to approximately the NFC frequency.

15. A method, comprising:
receiving a first magnetic field;
tuning an inductive coupling element to a Wireless Power Transfer (WPT) frequency, wherein the WPT frequency is approximately equal to a frequency of the first magnetic field;
recovering a power signal present in the first magnetic field;
receiving a second magnetic field; and
tuning the inductive coupling element to a Near Field Communication (NFC) frequency, wherein the first NFC frequency is approximately equal to a frequency of the second magnetic field.

16. The method of claim 15 , wherein the tuning the inductive coupling element to the WPT frequency comprises:
tuning a resonant frequency of the inductive coupling element from among a plurality of frequencies until the resonant frequency matches the WPT frequency.

17. The method of claim 15 , wherein the tuning the inductive coupling element to the NFC frequency comprises:
tuning a resonant frequency of the inductive coupling element from among a plurality of frequencies until the resonant frequency matches the NFC frequency.

18. The method of claim 15 , wherein the receiving the first magnetic field comprises:
inducing a first current onto the inductive coupling element, and
wherein the receiving the second magnetic field comprises:
inducing a second current onto the inductive coupling element.

19. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
charging a battery using the first current.

20. The method of claim 18 , further comprising:
recovering information from the second current.

Assignees

• Broadcom Corp

Inventors

• Smith Aaron

Classifications

• H04B5/45

  Transponders · CPC title

• H04B5/266

  One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils · CPC title

• H04B5/02

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04B5/0062

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04B5/0037 Primary

  Electricity · mapped topic