Switching between multiple coupling modes

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9913077-B2
Application number	US-201514656023-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Mar 12, 2015
Priority date	Dec 20, 2007
Publication date	Mar 6, 2018
Grant date	Mar 6, 2018

Abstract

A device for transmitting in multiple coupling modes has a transmission module ( 11 ), at least one periphery module ( 18 ), and an antenna ( 16, 17 ) for each of the multiple coupling modes. Further, in a method of switching between multiple coupling modes, switching is conducted between at least polling and listening phases of first and second coupling modes. The device and the method enable a seamless switching between e.g. a near field communication and a body coupled communication. Such a coupling or switching is particularly useful for performing secure transactions whereby through body coupled communication a body-worn tag is interrogated which provides a secure code for a transaction initiated through near field communication with a transaction terminal.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A method of operating a device for bi-modal communication with external devices, the method comprising:
communicating via a first communication system for NFC communication in a first coupling mode, with a first external device;
communicating via a second communication system for body coupled communication (BCC) in a second coupling mode, with a second external device, the device and the first and second external devices each being a different device, the first and second communication systems being different systems, and the first coupling mode being different than the second coupling mode;
alternatively switching, by a controller, depending on time, between time periods for operating in the first coupling mode and different time periods for operating in the second coupling mode, and in each of the first and second coupling modes, depending on time, switching between operating in at least a polling phase and at different times operating in a listening phases of operation of the first coupling mode and the second coupling mode, and wherein the listening phase of the second coupling mode is interleaved between listening phases of at least one technology associated with the NFC communication; and
responsive to a request from the first external device:
requesting a search of the second external device for information stored on the second external device;
receiving the information from the second external device; and
transmitting the information stored on the second external device to the first external device.

2. A computer, accessing a computer program comprising program code means for causing the computer, when the computer program is run on the computer within a device, to:
communicate, via a first communication system for NFC communication in a first coupling mode, with a first external device, said NFC communication comprising a plurality of technologies;
communicate, via a second communication system for body coupled communication (BCC) in a second coupling mode, with a second external device, the device and the first and second external devices each being a different device, the first coupling mode being different than the second coupling mode;
alternatively switch, by a controller, depending on time, between time periods for operating in the first coupling mode and different time periods for operating in the second coupling mode, and in each of the first and second coupling modes, depending on time, switching between operation in at least a polling phase and at different times operating in a listening phases of the first coupling mode and the second coupling mode, wherein the listening phase of the second coupling mode is interleaved between a listening phase of a selected one of the plurality of technologies associated with the NFC communication; and
respond to a request for information, from the first external device by:
requesting a search of the second external device;
receiving the information from the second external device; and
transmitting the information stored on the second external device to the first external device.

3. A computer program product comprising a machine-readable medium that is not a propagating signal or wave, storing a computer program according to claim 2 .

4. A device for bi-modal communication with external devices, the device comprising:
a first communication system configured for NFC communication in a first coupling mode, with a first external device, said NFC communication comprising a plurality of technologies;
a second communication system configured for body coupled communication (BCC) in a second coupling mode, with a second external device, the device and the first and second external devices each being a different device, the first and second communication systems being different systems, and the first coupling mode being different than the second coupling mode;
a controller configured to alternatively switch, depending on time, between time periods for communicating through the first communication system and different time periods for communicating through the second communication system, wherein a length of time of communicating through the second communication system is at least proportional to a length of time of communicating through the first communication system, wherein the length of time of communicating through the first communication system is based on a number of the plurality of technologies associated with the first communication system;
wherein responsive to a request for information from the first external device, received through the first communication system, the second communication system communicating with the second external device for initiating a search for the information, for receiving information stored on the second external device, and providing the information to the requesting first external device through the first communication system.

5. The device of claim 4 , further comprising:
a user input for initiating communication of information with the first external device, the communication including the request for information from the first external device and transmission of the information to the first external device.

6. The device of claim 5 , wherein the user input comprises apparatus configured to initiate communication by at least one of: a user touching the device, or the user moving the first external device into contact with the device.

7. The device of claim 4 , wherein the switching is conducted periodically.

8. The device of claim 4 , wherein the first coupling mode is an inductive coupling mode, and the second coupling mode is a capacitive coupling mode.

9. The device of claim 8 , wherein in a polling phase of the inductive coupling mode one or more of multiple inductive coupling mechanisms are polled.

10. The device of claim 8 , wherein in a listening phase of the inductive coupling mode answers from multiple inductive coupling mechanisms are received.

11. The device of claim 8 , wherein the inductive coupling mode is used for near field communication and the capacitive coupling mode is used for body coupled communication.

12. The device of claim 4 , wherein a listening phase and a polling phase of at least one of the first and second coupling modes occur alternatively.

13. The device of claim 4 , wherein a time of a polling phase and a listening phase of the first coupling mode equals a time of a polling phase and a listening phase of the second coupling mode.

14. The device of claim 4 , wherein: in response to a request from the first external device, received through the first communication system, requesting that the second external device search for authentication information, and when the search is successful, the second external device providing the authentication information.

15. A tangible computer-readable storage medium that is not a transitory propagating signal or wave, encoded with modules of instructions and control information for performing a method of operating a device for bi-modal communication with external devices, the method comprising:
communicating, via a first communication system for NFC communication in a first coupling mode, with a first external device;
communicating, via a second communication system for body coupled communication (BCC) in a second coupling mode, with a second external device, the device and the first and second external devices each being a different device, the first coupling mode being different than the second coupling mode;
alternatively switching by a controller, depending on time, between time periods for communicating with the f

Assignees

• Koninklijke Philips Nv

Inventors

• Klabunde Karin
• Corroy Steven
• Baldus Heribert
• Gallo Francesco

Classifications

• H04B5/0031

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04B5/0081

  Electricity · mapped topic

• H04B13/005

  Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body · CPC title

• H04W74/06

  using polling · CPC title

• H04B5/0018

  Electricity · mapped topic