Broadcom Europe Limited

Innovision Research & Technology Plc

Other

Brewster Kaleidoscope LLC

Peter Robert Symons

Heikki Huomo

Andrew David White

David Bernard Mapleston

Colin Philip Brooks

Timothy Ward

Robert Brown

Ian Keen

Kevin Lamacraft

Richard Underwood

A Near Field Communication (NFC) device has a short range wireless radio frequency communicator capable of seeking to initiate short range communication by transmitting an RF signal and of responding to such initiation so that communication between two short range wireless radio frequency communicators occurs when in range. The NFC device also has a high data rate data communicator for communicating directly with another high data rate data communicator to receive and transmit data when the short range wireless radio frequency communicator has communicated with another in-range short range wireless radio frequency communicator.

Near field communication (NFC) device as an initiator to high data rate communication

A NFC communicator or NFC communications enabled device has a data store to store data, a coupler to couple inductively with the magnetic field of a radio frequency signal and a signal generator to supply a radio frequency signal to the coupler. A modulator is provided to modulate a radio frequency signal in accordance with data and a demodulator is provided to extract data from a modulated radio frequency signal inductively coupled to the coupler. A controller enables the NFC communicator or NFC communications enabled device both to initiate near field radio frequency communication with another near field RF communicator and to respond to near field radio frequency communication initiated by another near field RF communicator. The NFC communicator or NFC communications enabled device also has a power deriver that derives power from a radio frequency signal inductively coupled to the coupler to charge a chargeable power supply.

Charging a chargeable power supply of a near field communication (NFC) enabled device from a radio frequency (RF) signal inductively coupled onto a magnetic field

A NFC communications enabled device has a data store to store data, an inductive coupler to couple inductively with the magnetic field of a radio frequency signal and a signal supplier to supply a radio frequency signal to the inductive coupler. A modulator modulates a radio frequency signal in accordance with data and a demodulator extracts data from a modulated radio frequency signal inductively coupled to the coupler. A controller enables the NFC communications enabled device both to initiate near field radio frequency communication with another near field RF communicator and to respond to near field radio frequency communication initiated by another near field RF communicator. The inductive coupler has an antenna and a variable impedance element. The controller is configured to control the variable impedance element to control a magnetic field strength associated with a radio frequency signal supplied by the signal supplier.

Communication devices having controlled impedances

A near field communications (NFC) enabled device configured to adaptively switch between a power saving sense mode and a communication mode is provided. The NFC enabled device includes a sense signal controller configured to cause an initiating coupler to generate a sense signal, and a sensor unit configured to determine when a target RF communicator is in near field range based on a change in an impedance of the initiating coupler. The NFC enabled device also includes an activation signal controller configured to cause the initiating coupler to send an activation signal to a target coupler upon determination by the sensor unit that the target RF communicator is in near field range. The NFC enabled device generates the sense signal when in the power saving sense mode, and sends the activation signal to the target RF communicator when in the communication mode.

Near field RF communicators and near field RF communications enabled devices

A NFC communicator or NFC communications enabled device (oror) has a data store () to store data, a coupler (oror) to couple inductively with the magnetic field of a radio frequency signal and a signal generator () to supply a radio frequency signal to the coupler. A modulator () is provided to modulate a radio frequency signal in accordance with data and a demodulator () is provided to extract data from a modulated radio frequency signal inductively coupled to the coupler. A controller () enables the NFC communicator or NFC communications enabled device both to initiate near field radio frequency communication with another near field RF communicator and to respond to near field radio frequency communication initiated by another near field RF communicator. The NFC communicator or NFC communications enabled device also has a power deliver (oror) that derives power from a radio frequency signal inductively coupled to the coupler to charge a chargeable power supply.

A NFC communicator or NFC communications enabled device has a data store to store data, an inductive coupler to couple inductively with the magnetic field of a radio frequency signal and a signal supplier to supply a radio frequency signal to the inductive coupler. A modulator is provided to modulate a radio frequency signal in accordance with data and a demodulator is provided to extract data from a modulated radio frequency signal inductively coupled to the coupler A controller enables the NFC communicator or NFC communications enabled device both to initiate near field radio frequency communication with another near field RF communicator and to respond to near field radio frequency communication initiated by another near field RF communicator. The inductive coupler has an antenna and a variable impedance element and the controller is operable to control the variable impedance element to control a magnetic field strength associated with a radio frequency signal supplied by the signal supplier.

A near field RF communicator () has an inductive coupler () and a first signal provider () to cause the inductive coupler to provide a first signal that when inductively coupled to the inductive coupler of another near field RF communicator in near field range is insufficient to cause initiation of communication with that other near field RF communicator. A sensor () senses a change in an impedance of the inductive coupler () due to inductive coupling of the first signal between the inductive couplers of the said near field RF communicator and a said other near field RF communicator in near field range. A controller () determines whether or not another near field RF communicator is in near field range on the basis of any change in impedance sensed by the sensor and, if another near field RF communicator is determined to be in near field range, causes a second signal to be inductively coupled to the other near field RF communicator to initiate communication between the two near field RF communicators. The sensor may use a phase detector () to enable a change in impedance to be sensed by detecting a change in a current-voltage phase relationship resulting from a change in impedance.

A NFC communicator or NFC communications enabled device () has a data store () to store data, an inductive coupler () to couple inductively with the magnetic field of a radio frequency signal and a signal supplier () to supply a radio frequency signal to the inductive coupler. A modulator () is provided to modulate a radio frequency signal in accordance with data and a demodulator () is provided to extract data from a modulated radio frequency signal inductively coupled to the coupler. A controller () enables the NFC communicator or NFC communications enabled device both to initiate near field radio frequency communication with another near field RF communicator and to respond to near field radio frequency communication initiated by another near field RF communicator. The inductive coupler () has an antenna () and a variable impedance element () and the controller () is operable to control the variable impedance element () to control a magnetic field strength associated with a radio frequency signal supplied by the signal supplier.

Near field communications, NFC, communicators and NFC communications enabled devices

A variable configuration apparatus has components or sub-systems. At least some components (and) have mechanical coupling elements (andand) that enable the configuration of the apparatus to be varied by changing at least one of the relative orientation and position of those components or subsystems. These mechanical coupling elements (andand) incorporate wireless signal coupling elements (and) that cooperate to provide a wireless coupling which enables wireless coupling between the components. The wireless coupling may be used to transfer at least one of data and power between the components. The wireless signal coupling elements may be capacitive coupling elements that provide capacitive coupling between the components or sub-systems. In an example, the apparatus is a video camera and one component or sub-system is a display screen () and another component or sub-system is the main body () of the video camera ().

Variable configuration apparatus

A detectable component has a first inductive coupler (L;M) adapted to couple inductively to a second inductive coupler (L) of a detection apparatus when the detectable component is in range of or coupled to the detection apparatus. The first inductive coupler has a resistive component (M) with a resistance that varies with magnetic field to cause modulation of a carrier signal supplied to the second inductive coupler of the detection apparatus, the detectable component having a characteristic signature that enables the detectable component to be distinguished by the detection apparatus from other such detectable components having different characteristic signatures.

Growing community of inventors

Wokingham, United Kingdom

Peter Robert Symons