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US 10,896,300 B2Granted
Wireless communication device and method
AssigneeSTMicroelectronics Austria GmbH
InventorsFrancesco Antonetti, Christoph Chlestil
Life of this patent
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Abstract
A Near Field Communication (NFC) reader can wirelessly cooperate with a rectangular prism-shaped transponder having an NFC transponder antenna. The NFC reader includes an NFC controller, a matching network coupled to the NFC controller, and a receptacle capable of at least partially holding the transponder. The receptacle has a bottom wall, a lateral wall and a shape designed such that the transponder cannot be placed in the receptacle in a direction where the NFC transponder antenna is parallel to the bottom wall. The receptacle includes first and second NFC reader antennas located in two non-parallel parts of the lateral wall and a connection coupling the first and second reader antennas to the matching network.
Claims23
A Near Field Communication (NFC) reader comprising:
- a near field communication (NFC) controller;
- a receptacle comprising a bottom wall, a first lateral wall, a second lateral wall, a third lateral wall, and a fourth lateral wall, an inner portion of the first lateral wall facing substantially in parallel with an inner portion of the second lateral wall, an inner portion of the third lateral wall facing substantially in parallel with an inner portion of the fourth lateral wall, the receptacle capable of at least partially holding a transponder having a rectangular prism shape, the receptacle having a shape designed such that the transponder cannot be placed in the receptacle in a direction where an NFC antenna of the transponder is parallel to the bottom wall of the receptacle;
- a first NFC reader antenna having a first coil coupled to the NFC controller, the first coil arranged to have a first terminal in the first lateral wall and a second terminal in the second lateral wall, the first coil arranged substantially along an outer edge in the first lateral wall, extending from the first lateral wall to the second lateral wall through the bottom wall, and arranged substantially along an outer edge in the second lateral wall;
- and
- a second NFC reader antenna having a second coil coupled to the NFC controller, the second coil arranged to have a first terminal in the third lateral wall and a second terminal in the fourth lateral wall, the second coil arranged substantially along an outer edge in the third lateral wall, extending from the third lateral wall to the fourth lateral wall through the bottom wall, and arranged substantially along an outer edge in the fourth lateral wall.
2 more elements
A cup holder comprising:
- a near field communication (NFC) controller;
- a matching network coupled to the NFC controller;
- a receptacle body capable of holding a cylindrical shaped object and a rectangular prism-shaped object, the receptacle body having a bottom wall, a first lateral wall, a second lateral wall, a third lateral wall, a fourth lateral wall, and a shape designed such that the cylindrical shaped object cannot be placed in the receptacle body in a direction where a largest surface of the cylindrical shaped object is parallel to the bottom wall, an inner portion of the first lateral wall facing substantially in parallel with an inner portion of the second lateral wall, an inner portion of the third lateral wall facing substantially in parallel with an inner portion of the fourth lateral wall;
- a first NFC reader antenna having a first coil coupled to the NFC controller, the first coil arranged to have a first terminal in the first lateral wall and a second terminal in the second lateral wall, the first coil arranged substantially along an outer edge in the first lateral wall, extending from the first lateral wall to the second lateral wall through the bottom wall, and arranged substantially along an outer edge in the second lateral wall;
- a second NFC reader antenna having a second coil coupled to the NFC controller, the second coil arranged to have a first terminal in the third lateral wall and a second terminal in the fourth lateral wall, the second coil arranged substantially along an outer edge in the third lateral wall, extending from the third lateral wall to the fourth lateral wall through the bottom wall, and arranged substantially along an outer edge in the fourth lateral wall;
- and
- a connection coupling the first and second NFC reader antennas to the matching network.
4 more elements
A method comprising:
- providing a near field communication (NFC) controller;
- providing a receptacle comprising a bottom wall, a first lateral wall, a second lateral wall, a third lateral wall, and a fourth lateral wall, an inner portion of the first lateral wall facing substantially in parallel with an inner portion of the second lateral wall, an inner portion of the third lateral wall facing substantially in parallel with an inner portion of the fourth lateral wall;
- providing a first NFC reader antenna having a first coil coupled to the NFC controller, the first coil arranged to have a first terminal in the first lateral wall and a second terminal in the second lateral wall, the first coil arranged substantially along an outer edge in the first lateral wall, extending from the first lateral wall to the second lateral wall through the bottom wall, and arranged substantially along an outer edge in the second lateral wall;
- and
- providing a second NFC reader antenna having a second coil coupled to the NFC controller, the second coil arranged to have a first terminal in the third lateral wall and a second terminal in the fourth lateral wall, the second coil arranged substantially along an outer edge in the third lateral wall, extending from the third lateral wall to the fourth lateral wall through the bottom wall, and arranged substantially along an outer edge in the fourth lateral wall;
- receiving a rectangular prism-shaped transponder having an NFC transponder antenna parallel to a main surface of the rectangular prism-shaped transponder, a body of the receptacle having a shape designed such that the rectangular prism-shaped transponder cannot be placed in the receptacle in a direction where the main surface of the rectangular prism-shaped transponder is parallel to the bottom wall;
- operating the first NFC antenna in a single ended mode to determine whether the rectangular prism-shaped transponder has been detected;
- if the rectangular prism-shaped transponder is detected by the first NFC antenna, continuing to operate the first NFC antenna while the second NFC antenna is not enabled;
- if the rectangular prism-shaped transponder is not detected by the first NFC antenna, operating the second NFC antenna in the single ended mode to determine whether the rectangular prism-shaped transponder has been detected;
- if the rectangular prism-shaped transponder is detected by the second NFC antenna, continuing to operate the second NFC antenna while the first NFC antenna is not enabled;
- and
- if the rectangular prism-shaped transponder is not detected by the second NFC antenna, repeating the step of operating the first NFC antenna in the single ended mode to determine whether the rectangular prism-shaped transponder has been detected.
9 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.