CN115333579B

CN115333579B - Near field communication device

Info

Publication number: CN115333579B
Application number: CN202210510568.2A
Authority: CN
Inventors: A·特拉莫尼
Original assignee: STMicroelectronics Rousset SAS
Current assignee: STMicroelectronics Rousset SAS
Priority date: 2021-05-11
Filing date: 2022-05-11
Publication date: 2024-01-23
Anticipated expiration: 2042-05-11
Also published as: CN115333579A

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a near field communication device including a near field communication controller. The near field communication controller comprises at least one first demodulator adapted to apply a first type of demodulation to a first signal modulated according to a first or second type of modulation; and at least one second demodulator adapted to apply a second type of demodulation to the first signal.

Description

Near field communication device

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates generally to electronic circuits and devices, and more particularly to near field communication circuits and devices.

Background

Near Field Communication (NFC) circuits are becoming more and more popular and are used in many electronic devices, particularly smart phones.

Disclosure of Invention

There is a need for improved near field communication devices.

One embodiment provides a near field communication device comprising a near field communication controller, the near field communication controller comprising:

at least one first demodulator adapted to apply a first type of demodulation to a first signal modulated according to a first type of modulation or a second type of modulation; and

at least one second demodulator adapted to apply a second type of demodulation to the first signal. One embodiment also provides a near field communication system comprising:

a first near field communication device comprising a near field communication controller, the near field communication controller comprising:

at least one first demodulator adapted to apply a first type of demodulation to a first signal modulated according to a first type of modulation or a second type of modulation;

at least one second demodulator adapted to apply a second type of demodulation to the first signal; and

a second near field communication device external to the first near field communication device and adapted to provide a first signal.

One embodiment provides a near field communication method, wherein,

the near field communication device comprises a near field communication controller comprising:

a first demodulator adapted to apply a first type of demodulation to a first signal modulated according to a first type of modulation or a second type of modulation;

a second demodulator adapted to apply a second type of demodulation to the first signal;

a second type of demodulation is performed on the first signal with a second demodulator.

One embodiment provides a computer program comprising instructions to drive a near field communication device comprising a near field communication controller, the near field communication controller comprising:

at least one second demodulator adapted to apply a second type of demodulation to the first signal;

In an embodiment, the near field communication controller comprises a near field detection device adapted to periodically analyze the presence of the first signal and to form the second signal upon detecting the presence of the first signal; and

the second signal includes a first frequency related to a clock frequency of the first signal.

In one embodiment, the near field detection device is formed by a finite state machine.

In an embodiment, the near field communication controller comprises a frequency analyzer adapted to determine a carrier frequency of the first signal.

In one embodiment, the frequency analyzer determines the carrier frequency of the first signal prior to the second type of demodulation; and

if the carrier frequency is approximately equal, preferably equal, to 131 kilohertz (kHz), then only the second type of demodulation is performed;

if the carrier frequency is approximately equal, preferably equal, to 13.56 megahertz (MHz), then both the first type of demodulation and the second type of demodulation are performed.

In one embodiment, the near field communication controller comprises a near field detection device and the second signal comprises a first frequency;

the frequency analyzer determining a first number of cycles of a first frequency occurring during a period of a fifth signal as a reference and provided by an oscillator of the near field communication controller; and

if the first number of cycles is within the first set of values, the carrier frequency of the first signal is considered to be 131kHz;

if the first number of cycles is within the second set of values, the carrier frequency of the first signal is considered to be 13.56MHz.

In one embodiment, the first set of values ranges from 2 to 4 and the second set of values ranges from 285 to 345.

In one embodiment, the near field communication device comprises a first oscillator circuit tuned to a frequency of about 13.56MHz, preferably equal to 13.56MHz, the first oscillator circuit comprising a first near field communication antenna and a first impedance matching circuit.

In one embodiment, the near field communication device comprises a second oscillating circuit tuned to a frequency approximately equal to 131kHz, preferably equal to 131kHz, the second oscillating circuit comprising a second near field communication antenna and a second impedance matching circuit.

In one embodiment, a near field communication controller includes:

a first modulator adapted to provide a third signal modulated according to a first type of modulation; and

a second modulator adapted to provide a fourth signal modulated according to the second type of modulation.

In one embodiment:

the first demodulator is adapted to identify whether the first signal is modulated according to a first type of modulation;

the second demodulator is adapted to identify whether the first signal is modulated according to a second type of modulation; and

if the second demodulator identifies that the first signal is modulated according to a second type of modulation, the memory of the near field communication controller is filled with data from the second type of demodulation.

In one embodiment, if the first demodulator identifies that the first signal is modulated according to a first type of modulation, the memory of the near field communication controller is filled with data from the first type of demodulation.

In one embodiment, the first type of modulation is implemented according to a standard selected from the ISO/IEC14443-2:2016 and ISO18_092 standards;

the second type of modulation is implemented according to the IEEE1902_1-2009 standard;

the first type of demodulation is carried out according to a standard selected from the ISO/IEC14443-2:2016 and ISO18_092 standards; and is also provided with

The second type of demodulation is implemented according to the IEEE1902_1-2009 standard.

In one embodiment, the near field communication controller is a controller adapted to implement at least one NFC forum standard.

Drawings

The above features and advantages and other features and advantages are described in detail in the following detailed description, which is given by way of illustration and not limitation in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of one embodiment of a near field communication system;

fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a near field communication system;

fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of a near field communication system;

FIG. 4 schematically illustrates one embodiment of a near field communication method; and

fig. 5 schematically shows another embodiment of a near field communication method.

Detailed Description

Like features are labeled with like reference numerals in the various figures. In particular, structural and/or functional features common in the various embodiments may have the same reference numerals and may be provided with the same structural, dimensional, and material properties.

For clarity, only the operations and elements useful for understanding the embodiments described herein are shown and described in detail. In particular, basic electronic components such as transistors, resistors and related electronic circuits are not shown. A person skilled in the art will be able to use his or her knowledge to implement the various devices described and their operation.

Unless otherwise indicated, when two elements are referred to as being connected, this means directly connected without any intervening elements other than conductors, and when two elements are referred to as being coupled, this means that the two elements may be connected or they may be coupled via one or more other elements.

In the following disclosure, unless otherwise indicated, when referring to absolute position qualifiers, for example, the terms "front", "back", "top", "bottom", "left", "right", etc., or relative position qualifiers, for example, the terms "above", "below", "upper", "lower", etc., or directional qualifiers, for example "horizontal", "vertical", etc., reference is made to the orientations shown in the figures.

Unless otherwise indicated, the expressions "substantially", "about", "substantially" and "on the order of …" mean within 10%, and preferably within 5%.

Near Field Communication (NFC) systems utilize radio frequency electromagnetic fields generated by one device (terminal or reader) to communicate with another device (card). In particular in the case of a smart phone, the same device may operate in reader mode by generating a field for another device or in card mode by capturing a field generated by another device. This technique involves establishing very short-range communications (less than about ten centimeters) between two devices.

In this specification, a system is considered in which at least one device is compatible with NFC technology according to the NFC forum.

Increasingly important, a single device must be able to support communications with different standards. In general, phones compatible with NFC operations also include the functionality of other short-range communication technologies. Among these other technologies, many devices use bluetooth technology in addition to NFC technology. However, the transceiver circuitry used by each technology is unique.

In some applications, bluetooth technology is replaced by Near Field Magnetic Induction (NFMI) communication technology. This NFMI technology has a larger range (up to about 2 meters) than NFC technology, which enables it to replace bluetooth technology in certain applications. The advantage of NFMI technology over bluetooth is that a shorter range facilitates confidentiality of transmitted information and better throughput.

Examples of applications where NFMI technology may be preferred over bluetooth technology relate to wireless headsets or headphones for cellular telephones and the like. Such headsets most often use bluetooth technology to communicate with telephones. The use of NFMI technology rather than bluetooth in such applications would be particularly helpful in improving the confidentiality of information transmitted between the phone and the headset, particularly during telephone conversations.

However, NFC and NFMI technologies use overlapping frequencies and modulation techniques that are close to each other. This limits the possibilities of equipping electronic devices such as smartphones with NFC-specific circuits and NFMI-specific circuits, so that each circuit interferes with the operation of the other circuit.

The described embodiments contemplate utilizing some analogy between NFC and NFMI technologies to allow the same device to use both technologies while avoiding the use of one to interfere with the operation of the other.

To this end, near field communication circuits intended to have all or part of the device communicate using NFC technology also using near field magnetic induction technology (NFMI).

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a near field communication system.

Fig. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a communication system comprising at least one near field communication device 10 a. The near field communication device 10a comprises a near field communication controller 20.

In the following description, an electronic device integrated with at least one near field communication circuit or controller implementing a Near Field Communication (NFC) protocol is referred to as a near field communication device. "near field" is understood to mean an electromagnetic field of limited range, ranging from a few centimeters to about 2 meters, depending on the protocol used.

The Near Field Communication (NFC) controller 20 includes various electronic components or circuitry for generating or detecting radio frequency signals. In this example, it is assumed that the device 10, 10a (e.g., a smart phone) is capable of operating in an NFC reader mode by transmitting a radio frequency field to another remote device 10b, or in a card mode by sensing the field generated by that remote device 10b.

According to the described embodiment, the controller 20 is also intended to be able to communicate using NFMI technology when the device 10a is in range of a remote device generating near field magnetic induction signals.

For this purpose, use is made of the fact that the NFC device monitors (periodically) the presence of an external electromagnetic field when not in reader mode. This allows the controller 20 to implement a configuration procedure between NFC communication and NFMI communication depending on the nature of the detected field.

More specifically, the controller 20 plans to first determine the type of technology used by the remote device upon detecting presence within the range of the device 10 a.

In the example shown in fig. 1, the controller 20 includes, among other things:

at least one first demodulator 21 (demodulator 1) adapted to apply a first type of demodulation D1 to a first signal S1 modulated according to a first type of modulation or a second type of modulation M1, M2; and

at least one second demodulator 25 (demodulator 2) adapted to apply a second type of demodulation D2 to the first signal S1.

The near field communication controller 20 first detects and analyzes the first near field communication signal S1.

The first signal S1 originates from a second near field communication device 10b, for example located outside the near field communication device 10, 10 a.

To simplify the following description, the same symbols will be reserved to designate signals conveying the same information even though they are physically different (e.g., analog or digital, modulated or demodulated, etc.). Thus, the processing chain described throughout will refer to signal S1 as long as it contains the information (data) sent by device 10b.

The first signal S1 is provided to the near field communication controller 20 after being captured by the oscillating circuit 12a (first matching circuit and antenna) of the device 10 a.

In the example shown in fig. 1, the first oscillating circuit 12a is tuned to a frequency approximately equal to, and preferably equal to, 13.56MHz.

In this example, the first oscillating circuit 12a comprises a first near field communication antenna and a first impedance matching circuit. In this configuration, if the first signal S1 has a carrier frequency of 13.56MHz, the first signal S1 can be optimally received.

According to this single antenna embodiment, the antenna and its impedance matching circuit are also adapted to pick up a first signal S1 having a carrier frequency of the order of 131 kHz.

According to the described embodiment, the first signal S1 may be a signal of NFC type or a signal of NFMI type. The near field communication controller 20 makes it possible to operate with either type of signal S1.

The signal S1 of the NFC type is according to ISO/IEC14443-2:2016 part 2: the radio frequency power and signal interface or type of modulation of ISO18_092 is structured, for example type A, B or F. These types of modulation are common in near field communication devices implementing the NFC forum protocol.

When the first signal S1 is modulated according to the NFC protocol, its carrier frequency is approximately equal to, preferably equal to, 13.56MHz.

The NFMI type signal S1 is constructed from a type of modulation conforming to the IEEE1902_1-2009 standard. For example, NFMI modulation may be a phase-hop type, such as 8BPSK protocol.

When the first signal is modulated according to the NFMI protocol, its carrier frequency is approximately equal to 131kHz, for example equal to 131.072kHz.

In order to be able to operate the first signal S1, whether of NFC or NFMI type, the near field communication controller 20 comprises at least a first demodulator 21, the first demodulator 21 being adapted to apply a first type of demodulation D1 to the first signal S1. The first demodulator 21 may be adapted to identify whether the first signal S1 is modulated according to NFC type A, B or F protocol with a carrier frequency of 13.56MHz.

The near field communication controller 20 further comprises at least a second demodulator 25, the second demodulator 25 being adapted to apply a second type of demodulation D2 to the first signal S1. The second demodulator 25 may be adapted to identify whether the first signal S1 is modulated according to the NFMI protocol.

Thus, if the first signal S1 is structured according to the NFC forum protocol, the near field communication controller 20 may function as a standard NFC communication controller to receive information contained in the first signal S1 or to send information to the first signal S1 using the same NFC protocol. If the first signal is structured according to the NFMI protocol, the near field communication controller 20 may function as a standard NFMI communication controller to receive information contained in the first signal S1 or to send information to the first signal S1 according to the same NFMI protocol. Such a configuration is advantageous because a single near field communication controller 20 can communicate with devices using the NFC forum protocol or devices using the NFMI protocol, and all without the need to integrate several different communication controllers each dedicated to NFC or the NFMI protocol. This greatly reduces product development costs and component costs.

Preferably, the near field communication controller 20 comprises a frequency analyzer 22 (FC), the frequency analyzer 22 being adapted to determine the carrier frequency of the first signal S1. The frequency analyzer 22 is adapted to determine whether the first signal S1 has a carrier frequency of 13.56MHz or 131kHz, or another frequency. Depending on the detected carrier frequency, the second demodulator 25 and possibly the first demodulator 21 may be activated. This helps reduce the power consumption of the controller by allowing only one and/or the other of the demodulators to be activated depending on the detected carrier frequency.

Preferably, the near field communication controller 20 further comprises a near field detection device 23 (field detector) that periodically monitors the presence of the first signal S1. As shown, a near field detection device 23 may be arranged at the input of the frequency analyzer 22. If the near field detection device 23 detects the first signal S1, the frequency analyzer 22 is powered on. If a frequency equal to 13.56MHz or 131kHz is detected, the near field communication controller 20 may switch from a low power standby phase to an active phase, in which the near field communication controller 20 switches to, for example, a so-called NFC protocol card or reader mode, or a so-called point-to-point (P2P) mode.

According to the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the near field detection device 23 is also preferably designed to form the second signal S2 upon detection of the presence of the first signal S1. The second signal S2 corresponds to the clock frequency reconstructed from the first signal S1. In other words, the signal S2 constitutes the clock signal of the frequency analyzer extracted from the signal S1. The clock signal may correspond to a fraction or multiple of the modulation rate of the first signal S1. For example, the score may be equal to 1/2.

In one variant, the near field detection device 23 is equivalent in terms of its physical implementation to a near field detection device of a standard NFC controller.

As an example, the near field detection device 23 may be formed by a finite state machine. This allows fast signal processing and keeps power consumption low.

As is customary for NFC controllers, a processor (represented by block 200) and one or more volatile or non-volatile memories 70 (m) are included. For simplicity, links between various elements not required for understanding the described embodiments are not shown in detail. Upon reception, the communication controller 20 fills the memory 70 with the demodulated data D1 from the NFC demodulator 21.

According to the described embodiment, when the first signal S1 is formed using the NFMI protocol, NFMI type data from the second type of demodulation D2 applied to the first signal S1 may be filled in the memory 70 of the controller 20 or in the further memory 70.

In order to enable data to be transmitted from the first near field communication device 10, 10a to the second near field communication device 10b, the near field communication controller 20 may comprise, for example, a first modulator 27 (A, B, F modulator) and a second modulator 24 (NFMI modulator).

The first modulator 27 is adapted to provide a third modulated signal S3 of NFC type (A, B or F). The third signal S3 is transmitted to the oscillator circuit 12a via one or more amplifiers 28 (drivers) of a radio frequency transmit chain, which for simplicity is only partly shown. Thus, the first near field communication device 10a may operate as a standard NFC communication device.

The second modulator 24 is adapted to provide a modulated signal S4 of a fourth NFMI type. The fourth signal S4 may be transmitted to the oscillator circuit 12a via the same transmit chain (possibly adjusting the matching circuit) as used for the NFC type. The fourth signal S4 may be modulated by phase hopping as in the 8 Binary Phase Shift Keying (BPSK) protocol. The fourth signal S4 may also be encoded using a differential manchester type. Thus, by using the fourth signal S4, the first near field communication device 10, 10a may additionally act as an NFMI communication device.

In order to limit interference between a signal modulated using the NFC protocol and another signal modulated using the NFMI protocol, it is contemplated that the transmissions of the two signals may not be simultaneous.

Fig. 2 shows a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a near field communication system.

The elements of the embodiment of fig. 2 that are taken from the embodiment described in connection with fig. 1 will not be described in detail.

In contrast to the embodiment of fig. 1, the near field communication controller 20 of fig. 2 comprises an oscillator 26 (reference oscillator, ref.osc.). The oscillator 26 generates a fifth signal S5, the fifth signal S5 serving as a reference for determining the carrier frequency of the first signal S1.

An example of the operation of the controller 20 having the oscillator 26 will be described later with reference to fig. 5.

Fig. 3 shows a schematic diagram of a further embodiment of a near field communication system.

Elements of the embodiment of fig. 3 taken from the embodiment described in connection with fig. 1 or the embodiment described in connection with fig. 2 will not be described in detail.

In contrast to the embodiments of fig. 1 and 2, the near field communication device 10, 10a of fig. 3 comprises a second matching circuit and an antenna 12b. The second oscillating circuit 12b is then tuned to a frequency approximately equal to and preferably equal to 131 kHz.

The second oscillating circuit 12b may include a second near field communication antenna and a second impedance matching circuit that are different from the first antenna and the first impedance matching circuit. The second oscillating circuit shares the controller 20 with the first oscillating circuit 12a. The presence of different oscillating circuits for 13.56MHz and 131kHz frequencies allows optimizing the corresponding circuits to improve the communication.

According to another embodiment, not shown, the same antenna shares two impedance matching circuits dedicated to 13.56MHz and 131kHz frequencies, respectively.

The fact that the near field communication device or system 10, 10a, 10b is implemented as described in the above embodiments allows sharing the circuitry of the NFC controller for NFMI operation. This helps to reduce the footprint of the device.

The first near field communication device 10, 10a and the second near field communication device 10b form a near field communication system 100, e.g. in the near field communication system 100 the second near field communication device 10b is in the form of one or more headphones worn by a user in his ear.

Fig. 4 schematically shows an embodiment of a near field communication method.

Fig. 4 shows a communication method implemented by the communication device 10, 10a according to the embodiment of fig. 1.

When a signal is received by oscillator circuit 12a, field detector 23 detects (block 41, field detector) the presence of signal S1 and "wakes up" controller circuit 20. The frequency analyzer 22 then determines the carrier frequency of the first signal S1, verifies the frequency corresponding to 13.56MHz with the first signal S1 (block 42, fc.

As long as the detected frequency does not match 13.56MHz (the output of block 42 is N), the method loops back to field detection.

If the determined carrier frequency is approximately equal to, preferably equal to, 13.56MHz (the output of block 42 is Y), then a second type of demodulation D2 is applied to the first signal S1 with the second demodulator 25 and, in parallel, a first type of demodulation D1 is applied to the first signal S1 with the first demodulator 21.

Verify that the listed signal S1 of demodulator 21 (demodulator 1) corresponds to a first type of modulation M1 corresponding to one of NFC types A, B or F (block 43, M1. If not (the output of block 43 is N), demodulator 21 stops. If the signal S1 corresponds to an NFC signal (Y at the output of block 43), the demodulated result D1 is sent to one of the memories 70 (m) to be interpreted by the other usual circuits of the device.

Verify that the listed signal S1 of demodulator 25 (demodulator 2) conforms to the second type of modulation M1 (block 44, M2. If not (the output of block 44 is N), demodulator 25 stops. If the signal S1 does correspond to an NFC signal (output Y of block 44), the demodulated result D2 is sent to one of the memories 70 to be interpreted by other usual circuits of the device.

In a variant, the frequency analyzer 22 determines whether the first signal S1 has a carrier frequency of 13.56MHz or 131kHz, provided that the latter can be picked up by the oscillator circuit 12a tuned to 13.56MHz. The method may also determine whether the carrier frequency is approximately equal to, preferably equal to, 131kHz and only perform the second type of demodulation D2.

Fig. 5 shows a communication method of a communication device 10, 10a according to the embodiment of fig. 3 or comprising two oscillating circuits 12a and 12b.

According to the present embodiment, the field detector 23 is shared by the two oscillating circuits 12a, 12b. It detects the field (block 41, field detector) and wakes up the other controller circuits (at least the frequency analyzer) when the signal S1 is detected.

In the example of fig. 5, the frequency analyzer 22 uses the reference oscillator 26 (S5, fig. 3) and the cycle count to determine whether the frequency is 13.56MHz (box 51, 13.56MHz. If the cycle count identifies a carrier frequency of the signal of 13.56MHz (the output of block 51 is Y), the method performs the same steps as when the output of block 42 described in connection with FIG. 4 is Y.

If the cycle count does not identify a frequency of 13.56MHz (the output of block 51 is N), a check is made (block 52, 131 kHz.

If the carrier frequency of the signal S1 is indeed 131kHz (the output of block 52 is Y), the method applies only the second type of demodulation D2 to the first signal D1. This corresponds to the branches of the method in fig. 4 being performed using only demodulator 25 (blocks 25, 44, 70). In the event that the cycle count does not identify a frequency equal to or approximately equal to 131kHz (the output of box 52 is N), the method loops back to field detection.

In an exemplary embodiment, the cycle count includes a count of a first number C1 of cycles occurring during a period of the fifth signal S5. If the first number C1 is within the first set of values V1, then the carrier frequency of the incident signal S1 will be considered to be 131kHz (the output of block 52 is Y). If the first number C1 is within the second set of values V2, the carrier frequency of the first signal S1 will be considered to be 13.56MHz (the output of block 51 is Y).

In one example, the first set of values V1 ranges from 2 to 4. The second set of values V2 may also range from 285 to 345. This allows a robust differentiation of the carrier frequency value of the signal S1.

In the example shown in fig. 4 and 5, if the second demodulator 25 identifies that the first signal S1 is modulated according to the second type of modulation M2, the memory 70 of the near field communication controller 20 is filled with data from the second type of demodulation D2. In this case, the near field communication controller 20 may stop the first type demodulation D1 so as not to complicate the data processing. This also ensures that data related to NFC and NFMI signal types are not mixed and interference is limited.

Additionally or alternatively, if the first demodulator 21 identifies that the first signal S1 is modulated according to the first type of modulation M1, the memory 70 of the near field communication controller 20 is filled with data from the second type of demodulation D2. In this case, the second type demodulation D2 may be stopped so as not to complicate the data processing. This also ensures that data related to NFC and NFMI signal types are not mixed and interference is limited.

The described embodiments may be implemented in whole or in part using software from a computer program executed by processor 200. The program comprises instructions that cause a processor and more generally the near field communication device 10 as described above to implement the described method.

The computer program executed by the processor 200 may be stored in a memory arranged in the near field communication controller 20, for example, or in the near field communication device 10, 10a, 10b.

Various embodiments and modifications have been described. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that certain features of the embodiments may be combined and that other variations will readily occur to those skilled in the art.

Finally, based on the functional description provided above, in particular with respect to the first and second demodulation D1, D2, the first and second modulation M1, M2, the frequency analysis by the analyzer 22, and the near field detection by the near field detection device 23, the actual implementation of the embodiments and variants described herein is within the capabilities of a person skilled in the art. The near field communication controller 20 or near field communication device 10, 10a may comprise instructions that control and/or computing devices to read and implement a computer program executed by the processor 200. Such control and/or computing devices are well known to those skilled in the art and are not described in detail.

A near field communication device (10) comprising a near field communication controller (20) may be summarized as comprising: at least one first demodulator (21) adapted to apply a first type of demodulation (D1) to a first signal (S1) modulated according to a first or second type of modulation (M1, M2); at least one second demodulator (25) adapted to apply a second type of modulation (D2) to the first signal (S1).

A near field communication system (100) having a first near field communication device (10 a) comprising a near field communication controller (20) may be summarized as comprising: at least one first demodulator (21) adapted to apply a first type of demodulation (D1) to a first signal (S1) modulated according to a first or second type of modulation (M1, M2); -at least one second demodulator (25) adapted to apply a second type of modulation (D2) to the first signal (S1); and a second near field communication device (10 b) external to the first near field communication device (10 a) and adapted to provide a first signal (S1).

A near field communication method, wherein a near field communication device (10 a) comprising a near field communication controller (20) may be summarized as comprising: a first demodulator (21) adapted to apply a first type of modulation (D1) to a first signal (S1) modulated according to the first or second type of modulation (M1, M2); -a second demodulator (25) adapted to apply a second type of modulation (D2) to the first signal (S1); a second type of modulation (D2) is applied to the first signal (S1) by means of a second demodulator (25).

A computer program comprising instructions for driving a near field communication device (10) comprising a near field communication controller (20) may be summarized as comprising: at least one first demodulator (21) adapted to apply a first type of modulation (D1) to a first signal (S1) modulated according to a first or second type of modulation (M1, M2); -at least one second demodulator (25) adapted to apply a second type of modulation (D2) to the first signal (S1); a second type of modulation (D2) is applied to the first signal (S1) by means of a second demodulator (25).

The near field communication controller (20) may comprise a near field detection device (23), the near field detection device (23) being adapted to periodically analyze the presence of the first signal (S1) and to form a second signal (S2) upon detection of the presence of the first signal (S1); and the second signal (S2) may comprise a first frequency related to the clock frequency of the first signal (S1).

The near field detection device (23) may be formed by a finite state machine.

The near field communication controller (20) may comprise a frequency analyzer (22) adapted to determine a carrier frequency of the first signal (S1).

The frequency analyzer (22) may determine a carrier frequency of the first signal (S1) prior to the second type of demodulation (D2); and if the carrier frequency is approximately equal to, preferably equal to, 131kHz, the second type of demodulation (D2) may be performed alone; if the carrier frequency is approximately equal to, preferably equal to, 13.56MHz, both the first type demodulation (D1) and the second type demodulation (D2) may be performed.

The near field communication controller (20) may comprise a near field detection device (23) and the second signal (S2) may comprise a first frequency (F1); the frequency analyzer (22) may determine a first number (C1) of cycles of a first frequency (F1) occurring during a period of a fifth signal (S5) as a reference and provided by an oscillator (26) of the near field communication controller (20); if the first number of cycles (C1) is within a first set of values (V1), the carrier frequency of the first signal may be considered to be 131kHz; if the first number of cycles (C1) is within the second set of values (V2), the carrier frequency of the first signal (S1) can be considered to be 13.56MHz.

The first set of values (V1) may range from 2 to 4, and wherein the second set of values (V2) may range from 285 to 345.

The near field communication device (10) may comprise a first oscillating circuit (12 a) tuned to a frequency of about 13.56MHz, preferably equal to 13.56MHz, the first oscillating circuit (12 a) may comprise a first near field communication antenna and a first impedance matching circuit.

The near field communication device (10) may comprise a second oscillating circuit (12 b) tuned to a frequency approximately equal to, preferably equal to, 131kHz, the second oscillating circuit (12 b) may comprise a second near field communication antenna and a second impedance matching circuit.

The near field communication controller (20) may comprise a first modulator (27), the first modulator (27) being adapted to provide a third signal (S3) modulated according to a first type of modulation (M1); and a second modulator (24), the second modulator (24) being adapted to provide a fourth signal (S4) modulated according to the second type of modulation (M2).

The first demodulator (21) may be adapted to identify whether the first signal (S1) is modulated according to a first type of modulation (M1); the second demodulator (25) may be adapted to identify whether the first signal (S1) is modulated according to a second type of modulation (M2); and if the second demodulator (25) identifies that the first signal (S1) is modulated according to a second type of modulation (M2), data from the second type of demodulation (D2) may be filled in a memory (70) of the near field communication controller (20).

If the first demodulator (21) identifies that the first signal (S1) is modulated according to a first type of modulation (M1), data from the first type of demodulation (D1) is filled in a memory (70) of the near field communication controller (20).

The first type of modulation (M1) may be implemented according to a standard selected from the ISO/IEC14443-2:2016 and ISO18_092 standards; the second type of modulation (M2) may be implemented according to the IEEE1902_1-2009 standard; the first type of demodulation (D1) may be carried out according to a standard selected from the ISO/IEC14443-2:2016 and ISO18_092 standards; the second type of demodulation (D2) may be implemented according to the IEEE1902_1-2009 standard.

The near field communication controller (20) may be a controller adapted to implement at least one NFC forum standard.

The various embodiments described above may be combined to provide further embodiments. These and other changes can be made to the embodiments in light of the above-detailed description. In general, in the following claims, the terms used should not be construed to limit the claims to the specific embodiments disclosed in the specification and the claims, but should be construed to include all possible embodiments to which such claims are entitled and the full scope of equivalents. Accordingly, the claims are not limited by the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A near field communication device, comprising:

a near field communication controller comprising:

at least one first demodulator configured to perform a first type of demodulation on a first signal, the first signal being modulated according to a first type of modulation or a second type of modulation;

a near field detection device configured to generate a second signal, and the second signal comprises a first frequency,

an oscillator providing a third signal, the third signal being a reference signal;

a frequency analyzer configured to determine a first number of cycles of the first frequency occurring during a period of the third signal; and

at least one second demodulator configured to perform a second type of demodulation on the first signal.

2. The near field communication device of claim 1, wherein:

the near field detection device is further configured to:

periodically detecting whether the first signal is present; and

generating the second signal in response to detecting the presence of the first signal, an

The first frequency is associated with a clock frequency of the first signal.

3. The near field communication device of claim 2, wherein the near field detection device is implemented by a finite state machine.

4. The near field communication device of claim 1, wherein the frequency analyzer is configured to determine a carrier frequency of the first signal.

5. The near field communication device of claim 4, wherein:

the frequency analyzer is configured to: determining the carrier frequency of the first signal before the at least one second demodulator performs the second type of demodulation, an

The second type demodulation is performed separately in response to the carrier frequency being 131kHz, and the first type demodulation and the second type demodulation are both performed in response to the carrier frequency being 13.56MHz.

6. The near field communication device of claim 4, wherein:

the carrier frequency of the first signal is determined to be 131kHz in response to the first number being within a first set of values and the carrier frequency of the first signal is determined to be 13.56MHz in response to the first number being within a second set of values.

7. The near field communication device of claim 6, wherein the first set of values ranges from 2 to 4 and the second set of values ranges from 285 to 345.

8. The near field communication device of claim 1, comprising:

a first oscillating circuit tuned to a frequency of 13.56MHz, and comprising a first near field communication antenna and a first impedance matching circuit.

9. The near field communication device of claim 8, comprising:

a second oscillating circuit tuned to a frequency of 131kHz and comprising a second near field communication antenna and a second impedance matching circuit.

10. The near field communication device of claim 1, comprising:

a first modulator configured to provide a third signal modulated according to the first type of modulation; and

a second modulator configured to provide a fourth signal modulated according to the second type of modulation.

11. The near field communication device of claim 1, wherein:

the first demodulator is configured to identify whether the first signal is modulated according to the first type of modulation,

the second demodulator is configured to identify whether the first signal is modulated according to the second type of modulation, and

in response to the second demodulator identifying that the first signal is modulated according to the second type of modulation, data associated with the second type of modulation is stored in a memory of the near field communication controller.

12. The near field communication device of claim 11, wherein data associated with the first type of modulation is stored in a memory of the near field communication controller in response to the first demodulator identifying that the first signal is modulated according to the first type of modulation.

13. The near field communication device of claim 1, wherein:

the first type of modulation is implemented according to a standard selected from the ISO/IEC14443-2:2016 standard and the ISO18_092 standard,

the second type of modulation is implemented according to the IEEE1902_1-2009 standard,

the first type of demodulation is performed according to a standard selected from the ISO/IEC14443-2:2016 standard and the ISO18_092 standard, and

14. The near field communication device of claim 1, wherein the near field communication controller is configured to implement at least one near field communication, NFC, forum standard.

15. A near field communication system, comprising:

a first near field communication device comprising:

a near field communication controller comprising:

at least one first demodulator configured to perform a first type of demodulation on a first signal, the first signal being modulated according to a first type of modulation or a second type of modulation; and

at least one second demodulator configured to perform a second type of demodulation on the first signal,

a second near field communication device, external to the first near field communication device, configured to output the first signal;

a frequency analyzer configured to determine a first number of cycles of the first frequency that occur during a period of the third signal.

16. The near field communication system of claim 15, wherein the frequency analyzer is configured to determine a carrier frequency of the first signal.

17. The near field communication system of claim 16, wherein the frequency analyzer is configured to: the carrier frequency of the first signal is determined before the at least one second demodulator performs the second type of demodulation.

18. A method for near field communication, comprising:

performing, by a first demodulator of a near field communication controller of the near field communication device, a first type of demodulation on a first signal, the first signal being modulated according to a first type of modulation or a second type of modulation; and

performing, by a second demodulator of the near field communication controller, a second type of demodulation on the first signal;

generating a second signal, the second signal comprising a first frequency;

providing a third signal by an oscillator of the near field communication controller, the third signal being a reference signal; and

a first number of cycles of the first frequency occurring during a period of the third signal is determined by a frequency analyzer of the near field communication controller.

19. The method of claim 18, comprising:

periodically detecting, by a near field detection device of the near field communication controller, whether the first signal is present;

generating, by the near field detection device, the second signal in response to detecting the presence of the first signal; and

the first frequency is associated with a clock frequency of the first signal.

20. A memory having stored thereon executable instructions that, when executed by a controller, cause the controller to:

performing a first type of demodulation on a first signal, the first signal being modulated according to a first type of modulation or a second type of modulation;

performing a second type of demodulation on the first signal;

generating a second signal, the second signal comprising a first frequency; and

21. The memory of claim 20, wherein the executable instructions cause the controller to:

periodically detecting whether the first signal is present;

generating a second signal in response to detecting the presence of the first signal; and

wherein the first frequency is associated with a clock frequency of the first signal.