Broadcom Corporation

Freescale Semiconductor,inc.

Other

Dialog Semiconductor Gmbh

Broadcom Europe Limited

Broadcom Innovision Limited

Nxp Usa, Inc.

Alastair Lefley

Robin Wilson

Toshiki Kitaguchi

Ian Winter

A near field communications (NFC) device is disclosed that load modulates and regulates a radio frequency (RF) signal. The NFC device includes a rectifier that rectifies the RF signal to provide a direct current voltage. The NFC device also includes a modulator that modulates a data signal. The modulator provides a first voltage when the data signal is at a first level and provides a second voltage when the data signal is at a second level. The NFC device utilizes a regulator to regulate and to load modulate the RF signal. The regulator adjusts an impedance based upon a comparison of the DC voltage provided by the regulator to the first voltage provided by the modulator for the data signal at the first level or to the second voltage provided by the modulator for the data signal at the second level.

Regulation and load modulation in a near field communication device

Embodiments of the present disclosure can be used to produce smaller, more compact antenna drivers at a reduced cost. Systems and methods for integrating components of an antenna driver with components of a shunt regulator and clamp are provided. By combining these components according to embodiments of the present disclosure, transistor count in an antenna driver can be reduced. This integrated device advantageously allows antenna driver functionality, regulator functionality, and clamp control functionality to be provided at a reduced manufacturing cost and with reduced real estate.

NFC device combining components of antenna driver and shunt regulator

A communication device is disclosed that includes an antenna circuit with coupling connections that are used interchangeably as a receive coupling connection and a transmit coupling connection for an RF signal. A driver maintains a constant voltage or a constant current on a first coupling connection of the antenna circuit based on a drive signal that includes an output voltage and an output current. A demodulator extracts modulation from the RF signal based on a fluctuating voltage or a fluctuating current on a second coupling connection of the antenna circuit.

Recovering data in a near field communication apparatus

A wireless communication device for communicating in the near-field via active load modulation. The device including an antenna configured to receive a magnetic field, a recovery device configured to recover a clock from the magnetic field, and a multiplexer configured to receive the recovered clock and a reference clock, and to output one of the recovered clock and the reference clock based on a current operational state of the wireless communication device, The wireless communication device further including a shunt regulator configured to produce the active load modulation by modulating an impedance of the wireless communication device, a phase-locked loop (PLL) configured to receive one of the recovered clock and the reference clock and to utilize the received clock to control the active load modulation, and a driver configured to contribute to the active load modulation by adjusting an amplitude of a voltage across the antenna.

NFC device with PLL controlled active load modulation

Load modulating regulator for a near filed communication device

A communications device is disclosed that includes an antenna circuit with coupling connections that are used interchangeably as a receive coupling connection and a transmit coupling connection for an RF signal. A driver maintains a constant voltage or a constant current on a first coupling connection of the antenna circuit based on a drive signal that includes an output voltage and an output current. A demodulator extracts modulation from the RF signal based on a fluctuating voltage or a fluctuating current on a second coupling connection of the antenna circuit.

Recovering data in a near field communications apparatus

An in-phase, quadrature phase (IQ) mixer for a near field communications (NFC) device is disclosed that includes a signal provider that provides an in-phase (I) mixing signal and a quadrature phase (Q) mixing signal so that the period of the I mixing signal is equal to a period for the Q mixing signal. A controller is configured to control the signal provider so that the average of the I mixing signal over two periods is minimized and the average of the Q mixing signal over two periods is also minimized. The controller is also configured to control the signal provider so that the average propagation delay for the I mixing signal and the Q mixing signal is minimized individually and relative to each other.

Demodulation mixing for a near field communications (NFC) device

A near field RF communicator has: an antenna operable to generate an RF signal to enable inductive coupling via the magnetic field of the RF signal between the antenna and another near field RF communicator or RF transponder in near field range; and a signal generator operable to generate a multi-level digital sine wave drive signal to drive the antenna to generate the RF signal, wherein the signal generator comprises a selector operable to select one or more digital sequences to provide one or more digital signals from which the digital sine wave drive signal is generated.

Near field RF communicators and near field communications enabled devices

Liquid crystal display (LCD) systems and related methods to achieve reduced resistance of the connections between the display controller device and MLA common sub-groups or groups of signal lines of the display unit avoiding differences of contrast between adjacent lines of an LCD display unit have been achieved. In a preferred embodiment of a Multiple Line Addressing (MLA) Super Twisted Nematic (STN) LCD driver the lines of the common sub-groups are interlaced alternately from both sides of the display control device to the correspondent sides of the display unit in a way that the uppermost common sub-group is driven from a first side of the display control device, the second uppermost sub-group is driven from the side opposite to said first side, the third uppermost sub-group is driven from said first side again and so on. The number of lines per common sub-group is variable. One advantage of the interlaced scheme invented is that the overall glass routing distance is shorter hence reducing resistance. Furthermore, compared to prior art there is no longer a marked difference in routing distance between adjacent lines, thus avoiding differences of contrast. The interlacing scheme can be used for conventional LCD as well.

Growing community of inventors

Kemble, United Kingdom

Alastair Lefley