Mobile wireless communications device including NFC antenna matching control circuit and associated methods
AssigneeBlackBerry Limited
InventorsLizhong Zhu, Libo Zhu, Robert Michael Philip Gondosch, Craig Stuart MacKenzie
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Abstract
A mobile wireless communications device includes a near-field communications (NFC) transceiver, NFC antennas and an NFC control circuit. The NFC transceiver generates a received signal strength based on a received signal from an adjacent NFC device. The NFC control circuit includes an antenna switch circuit coupled between the NFC transceiver and the NFC antennas. A capacitance sensing circuit is coupled to the NFC antennas to determine capacitance values thereof. A processor operates the antenna switch circuit based upon the received signal strength and the capacitance values.
Claims23
A mobile wireless communications device comprising:
- a near-field communications (NFC) transceiver configured to generate a received signal strength based on a received signal from an adjacent NFC device;
- a plurality of NFC antennas;
- and
- an NFC control circuit comprising
- an antenna switch circuit coupled between said NFC transceiver and said plurality of NFC antennas,
- a capacitance sensing circuit coupled to said plurality of NFC antennas and configured to determine capacitance values thereof, and
- a processor configured to operate said antenna switch circuit based upon the received signal strength and the capacitance values.
A mobile wireless communications device comprising:
- a near-field communications (NFC) transceiver configured to generate a received signal strength based on a received signal from an adjacent NFC device;
- a plurality of NFC antennas;
- and
- an NFC control circuit comprising
- an antenna switch circuit coupled between said NFC transceiver and said plurality of NFC antennas,
- a capacitance sensing circuit comprising a plurality of capacitance sensors coupled to said plurality of NFC antennas, and configured to determine capacitance values thereof, and
- a processor configured to
- receive a control signal to operate said NFC control circuit in a card emulation mode or in a reader mode, and
- operate said antenna switch circuit based upon the received signal strength and the capacitance values.
A method for operating a mobile wireless communications device comprising a near-field communications (NFC) transceiver;
- a plurality of NFC antennas;
- and an NFC control circuit comprising an antenna switch circuit coupled between the NFC transceiver and plurality of NFC antennas, a capacitance sensing circuit coupled to the plurality of NFC antennas, and a processor coupled to the antenna switch circuit and to the capacitive sensing circuit, the method comprising:
- generating at the NFC transceiver a received signal strength based on a received signal from an adjacent NFC device;
- determining capacitance values of the plurality of NFC antennas via a capacitance sensing circuit;
- and
- operating the antenna switch circuit via the processor based upon the received signal strength and the capacitive values.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.