Method for controlling NFC tag and controlled NFC tag

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9805230-B2
Application number	US-201414910346-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Aug 6, 2014
Priority date	Aug 7, 2013
Publication date	Oct 31, 2017
Grant date	Oct 31, 2017

Abstract

A method for controlling NFC tag and a controlled NFC tag, said method comprising: producing an on or off control signal causing an electronic switch to close or to open, the off or on control signal being exerted upon the electronic switch in parallel connection with the NFC antenna coil; by means of an enabling signal or a disabling signal emitted by the electronic switch, enabling or disabling transfer of electromagnetic energy coupled with the NFC antenna coil to the NFC tag chip. The controlled NFC tag comprises: an NFC tag body, an electronic switch in parallel connection with the NFC antenna coil, and an electronic switch control circuit producing on or off control signals for the electronic switch. The present invention allows information inside the NFC chip to be accessed according to certain conditions, thus avoiding unnecessary operations while enhancing the security of information stored in the NFC chip.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method for near field communication (NFC) tag control for pairing with a bluetooth headset, comprising:
generating an off control signal or an on control signal causing an electronic switch to open or to close;
applying the off control signal or the on control signal to the electronic switch connected in parallel with an NFC antenna coil of the NFC tag, wherein
when the off control signal is applied to the electronic switch connected in parallel with the NFC antenna coil of the NFC tag, electromagnetic energy coupled with the NFC antenna coil is transferred to an NFC tag chip of the NFC tag so as to enable wireless communication between a NFC card reader and the NFC tag, and
when the on control signal is applied to the electronic switch connected in parallel with the NFC antenna coil of the NFC tag, the NFC antenna coil is short-circuited, and the electromagnetic energy coupled with the NFC antenna coil is not transferred to the NFC tag chip of the NFC tag so as to disable the wireless communication between the NFC card reader and the NFC tag, such that information stored in the NFC tag chip is not read by the NFC card reader;
wherein the off control signal or the on control signal is generated by inputting an enabling signal or a disabling signal into an electronic switch control circuit comprising a booster circuit,
wherein the enabling signal is a non-zero voltage signal, and the disabling signal is a 0V voltage signal, and
wherein the electronic switch is a normally-closed switch.

2. The method for NFC tag control for pairing with a bluetooth headset according to claim 1 , wherein,
the electronic switch is integrated with the NFC tag chip, or, the electronic switch and the electronic switch control circuit are integrated with the NFC tag chip.

3. The method for NFC tag control for pairing with a bluetooth headset according to claim 1 , wherein,
the electronic switch is composed of a Junction Field-effect Transistor (JFET) or a Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistor (MOSFET).

4. A controlled near field communication (NFC) tag for pairing with a bluetooth headset, comprising:
an NFC tag body, comprising an NFC tag chip and an NFC antenna coil;
an electronic switch, comprising a first connection terminal, a second connection terminal and a control terminal, the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal being connected with two terminals of the NFC antenna coil, respectively;
an electronic switch control circuit, comprising an input terminal and an output terminal for an enabling or disabling signal, the output terminal being connected with the control terminal of the electronic switch,
wherein the electronic switch control circuit comprises a booster circuit so as to input the off control signal or the on control signal causing the electronic switch to open or to close, wherein,
when the enabling or disabling signal is input from the input terminal of the electronic switch control circuit, the output terminal of the electronic switch control circuit outputs an off control signal or an on control signal in response, and the off control signal or the on control signal is exerted upon the control terminal of the electronic switch, so that the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal of the electronic switch are disconnected or connected correspondingly, wherein
when the off control signal is exerted upon the control terminal of the electronic switch, and the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal of the electronic switch are disconnected, electromagnetic energy coupled with the NFC antenna coil is transferred to an NFC tag chip of the NFC tag so as to enable wireless communication between a NFC card reader and the NFC tag, and
when the on control signal is exerted upon the control terminal of the electronic switch, and the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal of the electronic switch are connected, the NFC antenna coil is short-circuited, and the electromagnetic energy coupled with the NFC antenna coil is not transferred to the NFC tag chip of the NFC tag so as to disable the wireless communication between the NFC card reader and the NFC tag, such that information stored in the NFC tag chip is not read by the NFC card reader,
wherein the enabling signal is a non-zero voltage signal, and the disabling signal is a 0V voltage signal, and
wherein the electronic switch is a normally-closed switch.

5. The controlled NFC tag for pairing with a bluetooth headset according to claim 4 , wherein,
the electronic switch is integrated with the NFC tag chip, or, the electronic switch and the electronic switch control circuit are integrated with the NFC tag chip.

6. The controlled NFC tag for pairing with a bluetooth headset according to claim 4 , wherein,
the electronic switch comprises an n-channel or p-channel Junction Field-effect Transistor (JFET), a grid electrode of the JFET being the control terminal of the electronic switch, and a source electrode and a drain electrode of the JFET being the first connection terminal and the second connection terminal of the electronic switch.

7. The controlled NFC tag for pairing with a bluetooth headset according to claim 4 , wherein,
the electronic switch comprises two tandem n-channel or p-channel depletion-type Metal-Oxide-Semiconductor Field Effect Transistors (MOSFETs) and two protection diodes connected in parallel with the depletion-type MOSFETs, respectively, wherein, grid electrodes of the depletion-type MOSFETs together constitute the control terminal of the electronic switch.

Assignees

• Goertek Inc
• Goertek Inc

Inventors

• Liu Yang
• Chen Liguo
• Xu Xiaolong

Classifications

• G06K7/10158

  methods and means used by the interrogation device for reliably powering the wireless record carriers using an electromagnetic interrogation field · CPC title

• G06K19/07773

  Antenna details (antennas for wireless devices, e.g. RFID tags, in general H01Q1/22) · CPC title

• G06K7/10316 Primary

  using at least one antenna particularly designed for interrogating the wireless record carriers (antennas in general H01Q1/22) · CPC title

• G06K19/073 Primary

  Special arrangements for circuits, e.g. for protecting identification code in memory (protection against unauthorised use of computer memory G06F12/14) · CPC title