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US 2015/0319273 A1Published application
System and Method for Enabling a Dual-Wire Protocol
AssigneeBroadcom Corporation
InventorTheodore Albert Trost
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for enabling a dual-wire protocol (DWP). A low-power alternative to the single wire protocol (SWP) is provided that uses an extra wire. DWP can reduce the NFC chip's current requirement to almost zero, while enabling higher transmission rates.
Claims16
A device, comprising:
- a first single wire protocol physical layer device that is configured to communicate bi-directionally with a second single wire protocol physical layer device via a single wire, wherein communication in a first direction over the single wire is via a voltage signal and communication in a second direction over the single wire is via a current signal;
- a digital communication block that is configured to transmit and to receive communication signals;
- and
- a selector module that is configured to couple the first single wire protocol physical layer device to an interface pin of the device when the device operates in a first mode using a single wire protocol for detection by the first single wire protocol physical layer device of a current signal from a second device, and to couple the digital communication block to the interface pin of the device when the device operates in a second mode using a two wire protocol for detection by the digital communication block of a voltage signal from the second device.
1 more element
A method, comprising
- determining, by a digital communication block in a first device, whether to communicate with a second device using either a single wire protocol where communication in a first direction over a single wire is via a voltage signal and communication in a second direction over the single wire is via a current signal or a two wire protocol where communication over two wires is via voltage signals;
- and
- configuring a selector module within the first device based on the determination, wherein the selector module is configured to couple a single wire protocol physical layer device to an interface pin of the first device when the first device operates using the single wire protocol for communication by the single wire protocol physical layer device with a second device via a current signal, and the selector module is configured to couple the digital communication block to the interface pin of the first device when the first device operates using the two wire protocol for communication by the digital communication block with the second device via a voltage signal.
A secure element device, comprising:
- a first single wire protocol physical layer device that is configured to communicate bi-directionally with a second single wire protocol physical layer device via a single wire, wherein communication in a first direction over the single wire is via a voltage signal and communication in a second direction over the single wire is via a current signal;
- a digital communication block that is configured to transmit and to receive communication signals;
- and
- a selector module that is configured to couple the first single wire protocol physical layer device to an interface pin of the secure element device when the device operates in a first mode using a single wire protocol for transmission of a current signal to a second device, and to couple the digital communication block to the interface pin of the secure element device when the device operates in a second mode using a two wire protocol for transmission by the digital communication block of a voltage signal to the second device.
1 more element
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.