RU2444049C2 - System and method to control communication in near field for mobile multifunctional device, when battery of this device is not charged or is only partially charged - Google Patents

Abstract

FIELD: electricity.

SUBSTANCE: multifunctional device is composed of the following components: an interface to a communication component in the near field; a battery interface; a battery control circuit connected to the battery interface, besides, the battery control circuit is designed to control operation of the specified device in compliance with condition of the battery charge connected to the battery interface, at the same time the battery control circuit is configured to ensure several modes of operation of the specified device in compliance with charge condition of the battery connected to the battery interface, and the charging condition includes two or more operation modes.

EFFECT: expansion of functional capabilities in operation modes, when the device does not provide other functional capabilities.

16 cl, 10 dwg

Description

The present invention relates to the field of mobile multifunctional electronic devices and methods for their operation. Mainly, the present invention relates to mobile multifunctional electronic devices capable of performing wireless data transmission. In particular, the present invention relates to the field of mobile electronic devices for exchanging data over short distances and how they work. More specifically, the present invention relates to methods for controlling near field communication in situations where the terminal is not powered or only partially powered.

In general, the present invention relates to battery-powered portable or mobile devices and encompasses the field of short-distance communication technology, including electromagnetic / electrostatic communication technology and short-range optical communication technology, especially Near Field Communication (NFC) technology. In one possible form of radio frequency identification (RFID) communication, electromagnetic and / or electrostatic communication is implemented in the radio frequency (RF) part of the electromagnetic spectrum using, for example, technology that primarily includes RFID transponders called, for simplicity, radio frequency (RFID) tags , and RFID transponder readers, referred to for simplicity as radio frequency (RFID) readers.

The multifunctional capabilities of the device of the present invention are the result of a combination of mobile device functions with NFC / RFID functionality. That is, in mobile electronic devices there is a common technological base and communication technology in the near field.

Plastic proximity cards (RFID cards), mobile phones without NFC readers, mobile phones with NFC readers, and mobile phones with NFC readers and hardware that emulate cards that are powered by the phone’s battery are already known.

Battery-powered terminals or mobile devices are already known, for example, terminals that integrate RFID communication logic with RFID tag emulation. For example, WO2005045744 discloses an RFID device comprising means for receiving, demodulating, and transmitting radio frequency signals. The RFID device disclosed herein has means for responding to a request from an RF reader in a tag emulation mode, and means for functioning as an RF reader in a reader mode.

WO 2006010943 discloses an emulator of multiple labels. This document discloses a device capable of emulating a plurality of radio frequency data storage devices in a single device.

Another document, US 6776339, relates to a wireless communication device having a contactless interface for a smart card reader.

Another document related to the technical field of the present invention is the international application WO 2005008575. This document discloses a device capable of operating in transponder mode without requiring power.

Especially for multifunction devices such as NFC / RFID emulators, music players, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), personal digital assistants, communicators, television devices, etc., it may happen that while the user is using the device, the battery of the device may be discharged, so that the operation of the device and, therefore, the NFC / RFID functions (emulation) will not be supported in the future, or at least the control of the NFC / RFID functions (emulation) will be lost.

It may happen that the user of the NFC / RFID function (emulation), for example, to pay for the metro, may lose the opportunity to present his electronic ticket to the control machine or the controller when the battery power is lost and, therefore, the NFC / RFID function (emulation) is lost. That is, the user of a device with a weakly charged or discharged battery may lose its authorization, for example, to enter or use a public vehicle, when the battery of the device used to emulate the NFC / RFID function (emulation) is exhausted. That is, the user will not only be unable to use the main function of the device, but will also be unable to use the functions provided by the functional means (emulation) of the NFC / RFID device. This is an important issue that needs to be resolved so that when users integrate contactless payment cards and / or electronic travel tickets into battery-powered mobile devices. The device may be able to operate in card / transponder emulation mode without requiring power (for example, if the RFID tag is glued to the device). However, the user does not have control over what information will be displayed in the emulation mode of the card / transponder.

The aforementioned problem may also occur, for example, when the battery has been removed from the All-In-One, while the user may access the NFC / RFID function, for example, a mobile phone. It is desirable to have a multifunctional device that allows the user to use the NFC / RFID functions even in the case of a low charge / low battery condition (the usual approach, which includes a separate special battery or a special charge source for the components under consideration, or a combination of NFC / RFID functions based on fully passive technology RFID still does not give satisfactory results.)

It would also be desirable to be able to use the NFC / RFID functions of a multifunctional mobile electronic device even in situations where the battery is not connected to the device.

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile multifunctional electronic device. This mobile multifunctional electronic device provides at least an interface to the first functionality (to a component providing the first functionality) with battery power and an interface to near field communication functionality (NFC). A mobile multifunctional electronic device comprises an interface for a battery, a battery management circuit, a component providing an interface to at least one of the first functionalities (to a component providing at least one of the first functionalities), an interface to an NFC communication component, and a storage device .

The mobile multifunctional electronic device is mobile and designed for battery power and is therefore provided with an interface for connecting a battery to said mobile multifunctional electronic device. The mobile multifunctional electronic device is provided with a battery control circuit connected to the battery interface (and possibly to the rest of the said device). The battery control circuit is designed to control the operation of a mobile multifunctional electronic device in accordance with the state of charge of the battery connected to it, as well as to control the use of residual energy available in the battery connected to the battery interface.

A component for providing said interface to at least one of the first functionalities (to a component providing at least one of the first functionalities) is provided in order to enable the implementation of a device with first operational qualities, for example a portable TV, a DVD player ( DVD), HD-DVD and Blu-ray digital video discs, one of the standard sound formats developed by MPEG (MPX player), radio, music a single player (for example, MP3 format), a portable game console, or implement the functionality of a universal device, such as, for example, PDA digital assistant, personal digital assistant, communicator, navigator (global positioning system (GPS) or the European Galileo system), a monitoring device, or implement, for example, the functionality of a mobile or cell phone. The component providing the first functionalities may comprise a user interface allowing the user to actively interact with the mobile multifunctional electronic device in order to use these first functionalities.

The interface to the NFC communication component can be used to provide the NFC communication functionality to the multifunction device. With an interface to a device providing NEC communication functionality, and an interface to at least one of the first functionalities (to a component providing at least one of the first functionalities), the electronic device becomes a (potentially) multifunctional device. It may be noted that the NFC communication component is also connected to the battery interface of the mobile multifunction electronic device. It can also be noted that it is intended to connect the NFC communication component to the user interface component so as to provide means for using (at least one of) the first functionalities to provide, for example, access via the NFC communication component's interface to said NFC communication component through a component user interface to provide (at least one of) the first functionality.

The battery management circuit provides for a mobile multifunctional electronic device in accordance with the state of charge of the battery connected to the battery interface, two or more operating modes selected from:

- normal operation mode for a charged battery,

- software shutdown mode for a lower battery state,

- hardware shutdown mode for a discharged battery, and

- Battery shutdown mode for an uncharged, discharged battery below the permissible limit or, for example, a remote battery, in order to prevent a deep discharge of the battery connected to the battery interface, since a deep discharge can damage this battery or at least reduce its capacity.

The mentioned modes of software shutdown, hardware shutdown and battery shutdown can be combined into the general category of the low battery mode (connected battery), while the normal operation mode can be designated as the charged battery mode. It should be noted here that the software shutdown mode and hardware shutdown mode can be implemented as one operating mode. You may also notice that in battery shutdown mode, even the battery management circuit is disconnected from the battery (or the battery is removed). It should be noted that the hardware shutdown mode also includes a software shutdown mode and that the battery shutdown includes both hardware and software shutdown modes.

The device according to the embodiments of the invention further comprises a storage device connected via the said interface of the NFC-communication component and intended for storing configurations of this component for at least two different modes of its operation.

That is, the device according to the present invention allows at least in one of the aforementioned modes of software shutdown, hardware shutdown or battery shutdown to ensure the operation of the NFC communication component (connected via the NFC component interface) in addition to the operation of this component in normal operation.

Using said storage device (for storing configurations of an NFC communication component connected via an interface of an NFC component for at least two of the operating modes), the mobile multifunction device can be configured to provide (possibly) different configurations of the NFC communication component for “normal operation” and one of the mentioned “low battery modes” (a battery connected to or disconnected from a battery interface). A mobile multifunctional electronic device allows (as expected, limited) "emergency" use of the NFC-communication component (connected via the interface to the said NFC-component) in at least one of the low battery modes (including the disconnected battery mode).

Said storage device may be pre-programmed to allow, for example, one or two selected NFC communication functions to be performed in one of the low battery modes (connected battery) when, for example, an NFC communication event is detected by an NFC communication component (connected via the NFC component interface) in one of the modes of a discharged battery (connected battery) and can provide all the NFC functions in normal operation.

In the main implementation, the storage device can be programmed to use various threshold values of the battery voltage to disable software / hardware in order to disable the first functionality at higher voltages of the battery (connected battery), on the one hand, and disable the mentioned NFC- functionality communication (NFC component connected via an interface to the NFC component) at lower battery voltages (connected battery), on the other hand. It should be noted that in this context, the operating modes are different.

In this basic embodiment of the present invention, it can be embodied in the same way as a set of integrated circuits for a mobile multifunction device.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the mobile multifunctional electronic device further comprises a component providing at least one of said functionality and connected to an interface of at least one functionality. In another embodiment of the present invention, the mobile multifunctional electronic device further comprises a battery connected to a battery interface. In another embodiment of the present invention, the mobile multifunctional electronic device further comprises an NFC communication component connected to said NFC communication component interface.

In this embodiment of the invention, the device is already equipped with the first functionality (or at least one of them) provided with battery power. In this embodiment, the interface may be implemented as a connection, for example, as an application protocol interface for first functionality. It should be noted that the interface is not necessarily detachable. That is, the interface can be implemented in the form of a hard wired connection, logical channels (with software implementation), or even in the form of printed circuits on a printed circuit board (or the corresponding implementation on an integrated circuit chip).

A component of at least one of the first functionalities (via said first functionalities interface) is provided to enable implementation of a device with first operational qualities, for example, a portable TV, a DVD player, high definition digital video discs in HD formats -DVD and Blu-Ray, a player of one of the standard sound formats developed by MPEG (MPX player), a radio, music (for example, MP3 format) player, a portable game console, or implement the functionality of a universal device, such as, for example, the PDA digital assistant, a personal digital assistant, communicator, navigator (global positioning system (GPS) or the European Galileo system), a monitoring device, or implement, for example, the functionality of a mobile or cell phone . The component providing the first functionalities may comprise a user interface allowing the user to actively interact with the mobile multifunctional electronic device in order to use these first functionalities.

The mobile multifunctional electronic device also contains a battery connected to the battery interface. A battery can be implemented as a replaceable battery (module) similarly to a battery known from conventional cell phones. A battery can be implemented as a replaceable battery of primary cells similarly to batteries known from conventional miniature electronic devices. A battery can be implemented as a built-in battery similarly to batteries known for some portable MP3 playback devices. As with the interface to the first functionality, it should be noted that the interface to the battery is not necessarily disconnectable. That is, the interface can be implemented as a hard wired connection or as printed circuits on a printed circuit board.

A battery control circuit is provided in order to control the operation of the mobile multifunctional electronic device in accordance with the state of charge of the battery connected to the mobile multifunctional electronic device, and also to control the use of residual energy available in the battery connected to the battery interface.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the mobile multifunctional electronic device further comprises an NFC communication component connected to an NFC communication component interface. Again, you may notice that the interface is not necessarily disconnectable. That is, the interface can be embodied as a hard-wired connection, logical communication channels (with a software implementation) or even as printed circuits on a printed circuit board (or as an appropriate implementation on an integrated circuit chip).

In another embodiment of the present invention, the NFC communication component is provided with a dedicated storage device that stores information about how the NFC component or the mobile multifunction electronic device operates in at least two modes from normal operation, software shutdown, hardware shutdown, and / or disconnecting the battery after detecting an NFC activation event.

This embodiment relates to a device in which said storage device is used as a dedicated component in order to be able to guarantee that the NFC communication component can access this dedicated storage device in case of software / hardware shutdown of the first functionality. The dedicated storage device has the additional advantage that it can be adapted to operate at low voltage so that the energy consumption of the NFC communication component can be extended with respect to the operation of, for example, the only storage device used by the NFC communication component and the component providing at least one of the first features. This implementation may involve the use of components (storage devices) operable at low voltage, at least in an NFC communication component. The use of components operating at low voltage is already known in the art, in particular in NFC-transponders without batteries powered by radio frequency radiation.

In yet another embodiment, the dedicated storage device is operable in a partially powered state. This form of the invention is intended to specifically allow low-power operation of the NFC communication component when not all storage devices need to be powered, for example, only from a received radio frequency field (for example, from a nearby NFC reader).

In yet another embodiment, the mobile multifunctional electronic device is provided with a user interface, said storage device being configured to configure user data inputted through said interface. It can be noted that the user interface can be provided mainly for the first functionality of the mobile multifunction device. It is also contemplated to implement various user interface elements for the first functionality and the aforementioned component or functionality of the NFC communication.

In yet another embodiment, the mobile multifunctional electronic device is equipped with a storage device for storing configurations of a battery control circuit for at least two of said operating modes. In this embodiment of the present invention, the operation of the battery management circuit relies on a storage device, so that the battery management circuit uses / manages the battery energy / directs it to NFC components or modules based on the current operating mode. Due to the fact that the battery management is based on a storage device, and not on a circuit-implemented control logic, the device can be provided with various ways of transitioning from a powered state to a non-powered state.

In yet another embodiment, the mobile multifunctional electronic device is provided with a user interface, and the battery control circuit is configured to configure data input by the user through said interface. That is, in this embodiment, the user is also able to determine the actual operation of the battery management device / circuit (NFC interface unit is visible / invisible) in addition to choosing what will be visible. In this embodiment of the present invention, the user can also select various procedures and states of software and (partially) hardware shutdown. In this embodiment, the user can choose how the device can behave after the battery energy is gradually reduced. In this embodiment, the user can also choose under which conditions the battery control circuit can power the NFC components, or, for example, only the storage device mentioned, and thus support the NFC transponder functions of the NFC components of the device. The user interface provides the user with a means to select the behavior of the terminal in the power off mode when the terminal is still receiving power, that is, in advance.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the first functionality further includes cell phone functions. That is, a mobile multifunctional device can be implemented as a mobile phone with NFC support. With the present invention, it becomes possible to use, for example, an NFC component of an NFC-enabled mobile phone, even if the battery power is insufficient to operate, for example, the radio unit of the global mobile communications system (GSM) of a mobile phone. Especially if this mobile (or cell) phone is used as an electronic ticket for access, for example, to underground transport, it becomes necessary to be able to access vehicles even if the battery of the mobile phone is discharged when trying to contact a (absent) base station in the subway.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the first functionality includes data playback functions, such as functions of a decoder / player of the MP2 and MP3 formats, a portable TV, and the like. It is also planned to combine in a multifunctional device, for example, an MP3 player with a communication device, such as a mobile phone, and an NFC capable device.

According to yet a further embodiment of the present invention, the battery may be detached from the mobile multifunction electronic device.

According to a still further aspect of the present invention, there is provided a mobile electronic device providing at least one interface to at least one of the functionalities (to a component providing at least one of the functionalities). Said device comprises a component providing an interface to at least one of the functionality (to a component providing at least one of the functionality), a battery interface and a battery control circuit. The battery management circuit is connected to the battery interface. The battery management circuit is designed to control the operation of a mobile multifunctional electronic device in accordance with the state of charge of the battery connected to the battery interface. The battery management circuit provides a number of operating modes of the mobile multifunctional electronic device in accordance with the state of charge of the battery connected to the battery interface; said state of charge includes two or more operating modes, selectable from at least the following modes: normal operation modes, software shutdown mode, hardware shutdown mode, and battery shutdown mode. Said device comprises a user-configurable storage device for storing configurations of a mobile electronic device for at least two of said operating modes.

Essentially, in the interface for at least one of the functionality (for a component that provides at least one of the functionality), this functionality may be arbitrary. The interface can connect, for example, to a portable TV, digital video disc (DVD) players, HD-DVD and Blu-ray digital video discs, an MP3 player, a radio receiver, a music player (for example, MP3 format), a portable game console, as well as the functionality of a universal device, such as, for example, PDA digital assistant, PDA, communicator, navigator (GPS or Galileo systems), surveillance device or security tool, flashlight, digital camera, whether, for example, to connect to the functionality of a mobile or cell phone. Various configurations of a mobile electronic device for at least two of the operating modes may include, for example, restricting the execution of certain programs or providing power to various components of the mobile electronic device. In principle, this form of the invention may be a device with the ability to determine additional modes of operation, such as "a mode for playing audio signals, but turning off the video", "operate the display of" electronic paper ", but block the touch screen" ..., without limiting these examples. It can also be provided to set different voltages (or state of charge) for each available or newly defined operating modes.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the mobile electronic device further comprises a component that provides at least one functionality and is connected to an interface of at least one functionality. At least one functionality can be implemented, for example, by a portable TV, DVD players, HD-DVD and Blu-ray digital video discs, an MPX player, a radio, a music (e.g. MP3) player, a portable game console or implement the functionality of a universal device, such as, for example, PDA digital assistant, personal digital assistant, communicator, navigator (GPS or Galileo systems), surveillance device or security tool , Digital camera, or, for example, a flashlight, or, for example, the functionality of a mobile or cell phone. As already described in the previous part of the description, the functionality can be connected via a disconnected interface or through an interface implemented by hardware.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the mobile electronic device further comprises a battery connected to the battery interface.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the mobile electronic device comprises a user interface, the battery management circuit being configured to configure data input by the user through this interface. That is, unlike all forms of implementing battery control circuits of the prior art, a user is free to select individualized settings for each operating mode (or battery state) of a mobile electronic device. It should be noted that this storage device can be configured as a non-volatile storage device to store settings even in battery shutdown mode (or even when the battery has been removed).

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, said at least one functionality is at least one functionality selected from the group consisting of cell phone functionality, NFC functionality, and data playback functionality. It is also envisaged to implement in the device a digital camera (for capturing still images or video) or storage media (such as a USB flash drive), or a mobile phone (for one of the current or future standards of the global mobile communications system (GSM), a universal system mobile communications (UMTS), i-mode mobile Internet access services or similar), or a navigation system (including, for example, a Galileo or GPS receiver).

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an interface for a mobile electronic device, as described in the previous part of the description. The interface enables the user of the mobile electronic device to configure it to choose how to use the mobile electronic device in at least two modes from normal operation, software shutdown, hardware shutdown and / or battery shutdown.

In an embodiment of the present invention, said mobile electronic device is a mobile multi-function electronic device having an NFC communication component, as described in the previous part of the description. In this embodiment, the interface allows the user of the mobile multifunctional electronic device to configure it to choose how to use the NFC communication component in at least two modes from normal operation, software shutdown, hardware shutdown and / or battery shutdown.

In an example embodiment of the present invention, said interface enables a user of a mobile multifunctional electronic device to select various configurations of an NFC communication component in at least two of the following operating modes: normal operation mode, software shutdown mode, hardware shutdown mode, and / or battery shutdown mode .

That is, a user interface is provided in said mobile electronic multifunction device in order to configure the device to respond in various ways to the battery / shutdown variously to detectable NFC communication events. It can be noted that the device according to the present invention should be able to use the NFC-communication component even in one of the indicated modes of software shutdown, hardware shutdown or battery disconnection of the mobile multifunction device, since otherwise it would not be very advisable to determine the corresponding configurations (except for what) for the NFC link component.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, said interface allows a user to determine the operation of a terminal for a power-off mode. That is, the interface allows the user to determine the parameters of the terminal when the device goes into one of the states with the power turned off, such as the shutdown mode, which can happen, for example, in normal operation mode, program shutdown mode, hardware shutdown mode and / or battery shutdown mode (including, for example, a remote battery). It should be clear that this interface can only be accessed by the user in the power-on mode, that is, in advance, before switching to one of the modes of operation with a low-charged battery or low battery voltage, or with the device turned off.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a mobile multifunctional electronic device disclosed in the previous part of the description. The method includes detecting an NFC communication event, determining a current operating mode of the mobile multifunctional electronic device, determining a configuration of said NFC communication component associated with the detected operation mode, and using the NFC component of the mobile multifunctional electronic device in accordance with the determined configuration of the NFC communication component.

The method may include detecting an NFC communication event, determining the current operation mode as normal operation mode, software shutdown mode, hardware shutdown mode, or battery shutdown mode. Determining the configuration of the NFC communication component associated with the detected operation mode (i.e., for at least two of the mentioned normal operation modes, software shutdown mode, hardware shutdown mode or battery shutdown), and using the NFC component of the mobile multifunction electronic device in accordance with the specific configuration of the NFC link component.

That is, according to embodiments of the present invention, the mobile multifunctional device receives / detects an NFC communication event and responds / responds to this detected communication event in accordance with (data related to) the current operating mode of said device.

It should be noted that the step of using the NFC component of the mobile multifunctional electronic device in accordance with the specific configuration of the NFC communication component may further include powering the NFC component with energy from the battery control circuit even in the hardware shutdown mode. If the device is in a state with the battery turned off, the only energy that is available to use the NFC components will come from external (radio frequency) sources.

It should also be noted that the determination of the current state of operation may be performed before the detection of an NFC communication event. That is, the NFC component can be warned that it is in a state of reduced power consumption and therefore it knows that it / the mobile multifunctional electronic device is currently in a state of software shutdown or hardware shutdown when an NFC communication event is detected and therefore It can also determine in advance how to answer the reception or how to configure the NFC component of the multifunction device.

In an embodiment of the present invention, said operation mode of the mobile multifunction device includes a normal operation mode and at least one of operation modes selected from a software shutdown mode, a hardware shutdown mode, and a battery shutdown mode. In this embodiment of the invention, various modes of operation are determined for different states of charge of the battery. It can be noted that the battery shutdown mode is considered as an operating mode, even if a severe limitation of operation is assumed.

According to one embodiment of the present invention, a device may have only two different operating modes for which configurations of an NFC communication component are determined, for example, normal operation mode and program shutdown mode. In a more complex embodiment of the invention, the user may have options for selecting a different NEC communication configuration for each of the above modes of operation (although this implementation has the disadvantage that the user cannot intuitively determine which of the various low-battery modes currently device is located).

In another embodiment, the method further includes using the received RF energy from the NFC communication event to power the NFC communication component of the mobile multifunction electronic device. This implementation is especially useful for NFC components that can act as an NFC transponder in case of hardware shutdown and battery shutdown modes.

In a simple implementation of this embodiment of the invention, the RF-energized NFC communication component may send a signal to the battery control circuit to request, for example, a short period of battery power. Using the residual energy from the battery, the NFC component can process / respond to the NFC communication request.

An example embodiment of the method of the present invention further includes using a portion of the received RF energy of the NFC communication event to read (or at least partially) a memory device (or to power it), which stores information related to the configuration of the NFC communication component associated with the detected mode the operation of the device, that is, for at least two modes of normal operation, software shutdown, hardware shutdown or battery shutdown.

It is also intended to use this implementation only in order to use the received energy to request limited access to the battery for reading from the storage device with the currently selected configuration of the NFC communication component.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the means for determining the current operating mode decide that the operating mode of the mobile multifunctional electronic device is a software shutdown or hardware shutdown mode. In this embodiment, said method further includes powering an NFC component of a mobile multifunction electronic device after detecting said NFC communication event.

This can be accomplished, for example, by notifying the battery management circuit / power management circuitry of the mobile multifunctional electronic device to power the NFC component for, for example, a predetermined period of time.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes receiving user input data defining configurations of the NFC communication component for normal operation modes, software shutdown, hardware shutdown and battery shutdown, and storing said configurations of the NFC communication component in the storage device of the mobile multifunction electronic device .

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes determining a battery voltage of the mobile multifunctional electronic device by the battery control circuit, determining a current operating mode of the mobile multifunctional electronic device, determining a configuration of the mobile multifunctional electronic device associated with said specific operating mode, and operating the mobile multifunctional electronic device according to its specific onfiguratsiey.

This embodiment of the invention enables the user or manufacturer of the mobile multifunction device to determine the actual operation of the battery management device / circuit (in addition to configuring the NFC unit as visible or not visible), in addition to choosing what will be visible. Thanks to the memory / storage device to which the battery control circuit can be accessed, the manufacturer is able to select various configurations of the mobile multifunction device for each of the operation modes. That is, in this embodiment of the present invention, the manufacturer / user can select and / or set the operating modes, for example, defining additional operating conditions, such as “one software shutdown mode”, in which, for example, the mobile phone goes into “offline mode” or only sporadically connects to the base station to request pending short messages or similar operations. It also provides for the implementation of new modes of (partial) hardware shutdown, in which, for example, only the display backlight is turned off in hardware to conserve battery power and extend the operating time of the mobile multifunction device.

In this form of the invention, there is freedom of choice and determination (at least by the manufacturer) of the operation of the battery management circuit so that this battery management circuit utilizes / controls battery energy / directs it to (software / hardware) components (e.g., NFC modules ) based on the current operating mode.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes receiving user-entered data defining the configurations of the mobile multifunctional electronic device for at least one of the normal operation modes, software shutdown, hardware shutdown and / or battery shutdown, as well as saving said configurations of the NFC-component communication in a storage device of a mobile multifunctional electronic device.

In this embodiment of the present invention, the user is also able to determine the actual operation of the battery management device / circuit (for example, the NFC unit is visible / invisible) in addition to choosing what will be visible. That is, the user has the ability to configure the battery control circuit so that it uses the battery energy / controls / directs it to the components of the mobile multifunction device according to the current state of voltage / battery charge. The user may have the freedom to choose “hard disconnect” to provide the full functionality of the mobile multifunctional electronic device, or may have the freedom to select one (or several) of the applications that should remain operational for maximum time. The user can choose whether the device will be able to use the NFC component for an extended period of time or whether he wants to allow, for example, the operation of the television device only with a battery charged at least more than 50%. This feature can be applied to almost any application or operational parameter of a mobile multifunctional electronic device.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of operating a mobile electronic device described in the previous part of the description. The method includes the steps of receiving user input data defining the configurations of a mobile electronic device for at least two modes from normal operation, software shutdown, hardware shutdown and / or battery shutdown, and storing the mentioned configurations of the mobile electronic device in its storage device. This first step of the present invention is to define by the user various operating modes or configurations for (or in addition to) (at least one of) known configurations. That is, the user can freely determine various threshold voltage values at which the device can change one of the mentioned configurations to another. The user is free to define additional configurations, such as a flashlight mode in which only display illumination is effective (for example, between software and hardware shutdowns). However, this embodiment of the method of the present invention can only be considered as an introduction to the invention.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the method further includes determining a state of charge of the battery, determining a mode of operation of the mobile multifunctional electronic device associated with a particular state of charge of the battery, and the operation of the mobile electronic device in accordance with this particular mode of operation. In contrast to the prior art, the device is used in accordance with a specific job that has previously been set by the user. For example, if the device is a mobile phone with the DVB-H (television for cell phone) function and the user wants to watch a special TV show, he can choose to have the device interrupt all other applications (and disable all additional components) if the expected time before the television is interrupted (due to low battery) becomes, for example, less than 90 minutes (the expected time of a football match or an average movie). That is, you can precisely select all the applications and components that can be disabled for each battery state and / or each operating mode. It is also possible to determine different paths through determined operating modes for each of the successive power outages. You can set, for example, in a mobile cell phone, a battery shutdown for the first battery voltage (to ensure, for example, that the remaining battery energy is sufficient to make an emergency call even under suboptimal conditions) and provide a second lower threshold for a second battery shutdown (to guarantee that a phone call will be able to use all the remaining battery power). In this embodiment, the counter may be reset, for example, by a charging process.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product that includes sections of program code stored on a computer-readable medium and for performing the operations of a method according to any of the aforementioned embodiments of the invention, when the computer program product is executed in a mobile multifunction device or terminal with mobile communications.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer program product that comprises sections of program code stored on a computer-readable medium and intended to perform operations of the aforementioned method according to an embodiment of the invention, when this computer program product is executed in a processor-based device, computer, terminal network device, mobile terminal or terminal with the possibility of mobile communication.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a software tool. The software tool includes parts of a program for performing operations of the above methods when the software tool is implemented in a computer program and / or executed.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer data signal embodied on a carrier wave and representing instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the operations of the method to be performed according to the aforementioned embodiment of the invention.

Below the invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Figure 1 is an illustration of an example of a mobile multifunctional electronic device according to the prior art.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an example mobile multifunctional electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a normal state of NFC reader / writer mode.

Figure 3 shows the mobile multi-function electronic device of figure 2 in a normal state in emulation mode of an NFC card according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 4 shows the mobile multi-function electronic device of figure 2 when the battery is low and the device is turned off in the NFC card emulation mode according to one embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 shows the phases of the discharge of the battery relative to the actual operating conditions of the mobile multifunctional electronic device.

FIG. 6 is another illustration of an example mobile multifunctional electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention in a normal state of NFC reader / writer mode.

7 depicts the mobile multifunctional electronic device of FIG. 6 in the mode of turning off the phone, software shutdown, hardware shutdown or battery shutdown according to one embodiment of the present invention.

FIGS. 8 and 9 show various examples of implementation of user interfaces that allow a user to select various configurations of an NFC communication component for different operating modes of a mobile multifunction electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

10 is a flowchart of a method according to one aspect of the present invention.

In the detailed description below, identical components are assigned the same reference characters irrespective of the fact that they are shown in various embodiments of the present invention. To clearly and succinctly illustrate the present invention, the drawings may not necessarily be to scale and some functions may be shown in a somewhat schematic form.

Figure 1 is an illustration of an example of a mobile multifunctional electronic device according to the prior art. The illustrated embodiment is implemented as a near field communication (NFC) cell phone as the first functionality and an NFC communication component as the second functionality. The device is equipped with a signal processor of the main frequency band and firmware, which runs in the central processor. The central processor is connected on one side to a network interface to provide access to a radio network for a mobile or cellular network part of a mobile multifunction electronic device (MEMD). On the left side of the MEMD device, the functionality of NFC communication is implemented by an NFC integrated circuit (chip) and a security integrated circuit for NFC communication. The MEMD device is additionally equipped with a user interface in order to provide the user with means for controlling and operating the MEMD device. An interface may include displays, keys, auxiliary keyboards or keyboards, loudspeakers, vibration chimes / vibration sensors, indicator lights, infrared / electrical / radio frequency connectors, and the like. With this design, the MEMD device can function in normal operation modes (i.e., the device is turned on) like a mobile phone and an NFC communication device capable of emulating various NFC devices, such as an NFC reader or an NFC transponder (e.g., an RFID transponder). That is, such a device is capable of serving both as an NFC communication device and as a mobile phone.

However, as can be seen from the architecture of the device shown in FIG. 1, it is possible to use both components of the device, for example, both the NFC component and the cellular component, when the device is turned on or in normal operation. When the device is turned off or the power connection is interrupted, both functionalities are no longer available. That is, if the user had a long conversation on the phone (for example, on a train) until the battery of the device was discharged, and this conversation was interrupted by the phone, the user cannot continue to use the NFC communication component of the device in the future. If the user has an NFC-based access system and uses the NFC-based public transport fare system, then if the battery of the NFC-enabled device is low, the user will not only be unable to use the phone, but will not be able to use, for example, public transport or enter the house.

FIG. 2 is an illustration of an example mobile multifunctional electronic device according to one embodiment of the present invention in normal operation as an NFC reader / writer. The device is shown in normal operation. In addition to the device of FIG. 1, the device of the present invention is provided with a power control cascade or a battery control circuit. The battery management circuit or the power management stage is connected to a battery (not shown) and to the baseband / microprogram signal processor. Separate connections to NFC components are also provided, such as, for example, the NFC integrated circuit itself and the security integrated circuit. These additional connections may be provided in order to allow the battery control circuit (or power supply circuit) to optionally energize each component (and especially the components necessary to perform NFC communication and / or emulation of the NFC tag).

In particular, from FIG. 2 it can be seen how the individual components of the MEMD device can be powered during normal operation (switched on device). The MEMD does not power only the NFC safety integrated circuit. The user interfaces of the MEMD device can be powered as in the well-known screen saver modes or key lock modes of modern cell phones.

When turned on, all devices or components of the MEMD device are operational. Since the present invention relates to the operation of mobile terminals equipped with NFC / RFID, and more specifically to how to control card emulation in situations when the terminal is not turned on, there are a small number of different signs that need to be recognized in the state of the device receiving power.

However, the present invention provides a storage device connected to an NFC communication component, which in this embodiment is integrated into a baseband / microprogram signal processor. To make it possible to use the NFC / RFID interface unit for secure smart card applications, the MEMD is additionally equipped with a smart card security module.

Figure 3 shows the mobile multi-function electronic device of figure 2 in a state of normal operation in the emulation mode of an NFC card according to one embodiment of the present invention. In contrast to FIG. 2, the NFC components are driven by the battery only after the external RF field is detected by the NFC component. The operating mode of the NFC component is emulation of the NFC / RFID tag. In order to prevent unnecessary waste of energy, NFC components are only fed when necessary, that is, for example, when an RF signal is detected.

FIG. 4 is an illustration of the mobile multifunction electronic device of FIGS. 2 and 3 in a low battery state or turning off the device in an NFC card emulation mode according to one embodiment of the present invention. In the low battery or power off modes (for example, one of the hardware and software shutdown means), the main functional means (that is, the component providing the first functionalities), which are a telephone with its user interface and network access component, do not receive power. However, power management and the baseband processor with microprograms are powered to provide controls for the operation of NFC components.

It is also contemplated to implement an embodiment of the invention in which power management and the baseband signal processor and firmware are also typically in a non-powered state and can be battery powered if a signal is received from the NFC component indicating that the NFC component has detected an RF signal. This detection of the external RF field means that the RF unit detects the RF field and is able to “tune in”, that is, the RF field has a corresponding frequency and other characteristics.

The present invention can be used in the off state of a MEMD device in a software shutdown state or in a hardware shutdown state to which the device goes into because the battery voltage or charge state has dropped below a predetermined threshold value.

Figure 4 shows an implementation that can be used to use the (residual) energy left in the battery in power-off situations when the NFC / RFID unit detects an external field.

The device depicted selectively powers parts of the system to provide power-off, software-off, or hardware-off functionality to the end user of the MEMD device.

Although it is not usually intended to implement mobile devices having “unexpected behavior”, this invention can provide the user with NFC functionality in both cases, both when the phone is on and in low battery / off phone modes. In any case, this implementation is not capable of ensuring NFC operability in the battery (or fully discharged battery) shutdown modes when the energy remaining in the battery is insufficient to power the NFC component (battery control circuit or baseband signal processor and microprograms).

That is, the illustrated implementation may provide NFC functionality in some shutdown modes, and in some of the shutdown modes it does not provide NFC functionality, which can lead to confusion and frustration for users when the device sometimes, when it appears to be “turned off”, may be able to use an NFC component, and sometimes it’s not capable of it. In addition, in the future, the user cannot be sure that all functions (especially NFC functions) are turned off when the user turns off the device.

The invention may allow a user to control the visibility of a card emulation in all operational states. The device may also have means for performing certain predetermined operations after receiving a battery shutdown or a hardware shutdown situation so that preferred / user preselected information is provided in the tag logic memory and the device is able to provide preferred output for another device providing a suitable polling field for power logic device tags. The device must have controls to prohibit and allow emulation of all cards. It can also have controls divided into smaller grades for emulating cards, such as the following: for example, prohibit emulation of NFC "Mifare Classic" cards and allow NFC emulation according to ISO 14443-4. It is also possible to enable the NFC application "bus ticket" and deny, for example, the NFC application or the functionality of the "credit card".

This invention enables the user to have the same (or different) settings in place, also when the phone is turned off, by providing a shared storage device or firmware to set operation parameters in both cases (on and off). In the simple case (different or the same), the settings or configuration of the NFC component for different operating conditions of the MEMD device can be stored in a pre-programmable MEMD memory device (inaccessible to the user). In a more complex embodiment of the MEMD device, the user can select using an interface, such as that shown in FIGS. 8 or 9, in which state of operation / operation mode, which configuration of the NFC component should be selected / enabled. To enable the user to select various settings for the NFC component, the MEMD device is equipped with a user interface for selecting card emulation configurations for the phone (MEMD). The user interface is only available when the phone is on. An example of configurable options is shown in Figs. 8 and 9. The terminal is able to provide some automatic settings, and the user can control and make changes based on their needs using the dedicated user interface.

The system shown in FIG. 4 may, for example, rely on the residual energy remaining in the battery between software shutdown (SW) and hardware shutdown (HW) voltages, or between software shutdown and battery shutdown. In the “phone off” situation (or “MEMD device off”), the battery voltage level may be somewhere above the threshold for a hardware shutdown. Below a software shutdown voltage, the operation is clearly the operation in the “battery low” state (or “MEMD device off”). With regard to this invention, the shutdown mode, on the one hand, and program shutdown, on the other hand, are no different, except that in the case of a discharged battery, the telephone cannot be turned on by the user, which does not matter for the form of implementation shown in FIG. four.

When the phone is in a state with a battery voltage above the hardware shutdown voltage and turned off, only the user interface as well as the network side components and the RF components are essentially turned off. The processor is able to activate and execute the phone software when it is activated by interrupting the "presence of an external field" from the NFC component. At this time, the processor can also execute the program related to card emulation and decide whether the card emulation is visible to the reader (not the user). It can also execute some other program code related to card emulation, like a program that implements card emulation. However, the signal from the NFC component will not activate the user interface or parts of the phone that provide communication over the cellular network.

This approach provides in many cases the means necessary to fulfill, for example, the requirements of public transport for users who are able to leave the metro structure with a closed turnstile, even when the phone has run out of battery power (for its main application / first functionality).

In the MEMD device of FIG. 4, an NFC component is capable of activating a baseband signal processor and microprogram by an interrupt signal. Card emulation can be located anywhere from a single component to a component combined with an NFC component or (more likely) integrated or integrated into the block / processor of the main frequency band signals and microprograms.

Figure 5 shows the phases of the discharge of the battery relative to the actual operating conditions of the mobile multifunctional electronic device, taking into account the voltage of the battery. 5, the diagram depicts various modes of operation shown with respect to their perception by the user of the MEMD device. The user can only perceive the “on” or “off” state (regardless of the actual battery voltage) and the mode of the charged battery or discharged battery of the MEMD device. The main difference between the modes of a charged battery and a discharged battery is that in a discharged battery state the device cannot be turned on.

In the charged battery mode (especially when the battery is fully charged), normal operation with all additional features (including turning off the device) is possible.

With a discharged battery or battery, typically no MEMD operation is possible at all.

Not noticed by the user, but usually implemented are the various steps of turning off the MEMD device. At the first stage, the device performs a software shutdown when the battery voltage drops below a predetermined threshold value. This software shutdown is typically used to save data in non-volatile storage devices, shut down or terminate various application programs to prevent data loss, and may be accompanied by a short notification to the user that the battery is running out of power and nearing the end of battery operation.

A software shutdown can be considered as the phase necessary to prepare the device for a hardware shutdown to prevent deep discharge and battery damage.

Below the second threshold, the connection to the battery is usually completely interrupted by the last active component of the MEMD device, the battery manager, or the battery management circuit to prevent deep discharge.

The present invention provides implementations that allow the NFC component of the device to be used even in modes with a battery voltage lower than the software shutdown voltage (or off mode) of the MEMD device (FIGS. 2-4). In particular, the implementations of FIGS. 2-4 can be regarded as a device using individual shutdown thresholds (software shutdown for first functionality and hardware shutdown or battery shutdown for NFC functionality).

The present invention provides implementations that make it possible to use the NFC component of the device for all battery voltage modes (below the software shutdown or shutdown mode) of the MEMD device (FIGS. 6 and 7).

6 shows another example of a mobile multifunctional electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention in normal operation as an NFC reader / writer. Like the device shown in FIGS. 2-4, the device in this implementation is equipped with power management, a baseband signal processor / microprogram, a user interface, and a network interface (converting the MEMD device into an NFC capable cell phone). As in FIGS. 2-4, the device is equipped with an NFC integrated circuit or an NFC component providing at least the capabilities of the NFC transponder for the MEMD device.

In addition to the implementation shown in FIGS. 2-4, this device is equipped with a dedicated storage device for storing various configurations of the NFC component for various modes of operation of the MEMD device, made in the form of a NFC capable cell phone.

When the NFC component is used as an NFC transponder that only responds to an external field, the MEMD must be provided with radio frequency energy from an external reader to activate the NFC components. Therefore, all NFC-related components are shown as receiving power only if an external RF field is detected.

As with FIGS. 2 and 3, the power management (battery management circuit), the baseband / microprogram signal processor, and the network interface are powered by a (not shown) battery. For reasons of key lock and power saving, the user interface may or may not be powered.

In Fig.7 depicts a mobile multifunctional electronic device of Fig.6 in the off mode of the phone, hardware shutdown or battery shutdown. In contrast to FIG. 6, the device is in the phone off mode, hardware shutdown or battery shutdown, indicated by the fact that all components, such as power management, baseband / microprogram signal processor, network interface and user interface are not receiving power. The situation depicted may appear after the battery has been removed from the device.

However, NFC components can be powered by an RF field from an external NFC reader (or from any other RF source). The fact that the NFC components of the device can be powered by an external RF field entails severe structural limitations: since the NFC components of the device can be completely powered by radio frequency energy, the power consumption must be strictly limited, since the maximum energy that can be generated from the received radio frequency The field of an external RFID reader is limited. To avoid unnecessary energy consumption, some components of the MEMD are designed as partially powered components (such as a safety integrated circuit).

The depicted form of the invention allows selective power supply of the system parts only by the energy of the external field to provide the functionality of the "battery-free" operation for the end user. In order to support the possibility for the user to control in which parts of the emulation is visible and whether it is accessible at all, some part of the general logic or memory is available for both situations - with battery power (the phone is turned on) and without battery (the phone is turned off).

Selective power supply of system parts by an external RF field is a prerequisite in order to provide “off power” functionality for the end user when the energy content in the signal of the RF reader is sufficient to power the entire device. This depicted implementation of the MEMD device provides the same amount of NFC visibility user management capabilities for both cases using the Visibility Mode Integrated Circuit (Phone On and Phone Off).

The user can control the visibility of the card emulation by entering the corresponding data into the visibility mode integrated circuit. Thus, it can control the prohibition and permission of emulation of all cards or individual components of the functionality of the transponder / card NFC. It can also have control divided into smaller grades for emulating cards, such as the following: disable the emulation function of the Mifare Classic (for example, payment card) NFC component and enable the emulation function of ISO 14443-4 level (for example, bus ticket) of the NFC component for each operating mode separately. This invention makes it possible to have the same (or different) settings in place, also when the phone is turned off (without battery), by providing a shared storage device or firmware for setting operation parameters in both cases. The system extracts all the power to emulate cards from the field of an external reader. The user can choose the configuration of the phone, prescribing how the card emulation should behave in each of the operating modes. For an illustrative example of configurable options, see Figs. 8 and 9.

In the implementation depicted in Fig.7, the entire phone may be in a state without power. Even the battery can be removed from the phone, but the NFC card emulation functions will still work. In this case, an additional important part is a small and economical shared storage device for storing information about the card emulation mode. This common part can only be a storage device, and the NFC integrated circuit will be responsible for interpreting the mode information in the storage device. A common part may also be a small processor that is able to control the emulation of the card in addition to non-volatile storage of mode information.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, an energy budget can be extremely stressful. Available power from an external field can be about 12 mW. This energy level may indicate that only parts of the safety integrated circuit or the visibility mode integrated circuit can receive power. Hardware / software cards emulation must be designed so that they also have a minimum power consumption mode. This mode can be implemented, for example, in the presence of an auxiliary power supply line with a low voltage and power only to those parts that are designed to service card emulation. For example, none of the capabilities of a high-speed interface or network authentication in this mode is required, and all these parts must remain in a state without power until the end of the decrease to the level of silicon in order to meet the energy budget.

It is also contemplated to use the battery energy of the MEMD device when the MEMD device is in a mode above the hardware shutdown voltage and turned off. In this case, only the user interface and some network-side components and radio-frequency components are essentially disabled. The processor is able to activate and execute the telephone software when it is activated by interrupting the "presence of an external field" from the NFC interface unit (as shown in the implementation of the MEMD device in Fig. 4). At this time, the processor may also execute some other program related to the card emulation and decide whether the card emulation is visible to the reader (not the user). He is also able to execute some other program related to card emulation, similar to card emulation implemented by software. However, it should not activate the user interface or parts of the phone to access the cellular network.

This approach provides in many cases the means necessary to fulfill, for example, the requirements of public transport regarding users who must be able to pass through a closed subway turnstile, even when the phone has run out of battery power.

It should be noted that it is planned to implement the combined MEMD devices with the combined capabilities of the devices of Figures 2-4 and 6 and 7, in order to provide the possibility of emulating NFC (and reader / writer) in the modes below the programmed shutdown and to provide the capabilities of the NFC transponder in all modes (including battery shutdown).

FIGS. 8 and 9 show various implementations of user interfaces / control menus that allow a user to select various configurations of an NFC communication component for different operating modes of a mobile multifunction electronic device according to embodiments of the present invention. Using this specialized control / user interface menu for terminals, the user can control the “visibility” of applications residing in the secure smart card module (as an example of an NFC communication component) for situations with power on (normal operation mode) and power off (such as software, hardware shutdown, or battery shutdown modes).

In FIG. 8, the user can select whether the NFC components of the mobile electronic device should be available in power-on and / or power-off states (or on / off modes). It is planned to implement this menu as an addition to the regular menu, in which the user can select the “visibility” of applications located in the secure smart card module for normal operation (that is, “device is turned on”).

Fig. 9 shows a more complex implementation of the menu of Fig. 8, in which the user can select various settings for NFC configurations for each of the different modes of operation (or shutdown).

This menu (Figs. 8 and 9) is associated with the control logic, which is responsible for ensuring the necessary control of applications located in the secure smart card module, which can be a plug-in or, alternatively, an integrated module to ensure the functioning of the card emulation also in situations, when the mobile terminal is not receiving power due to a low battery level or simply because the terminal is turned off.

It should be noted that according to the embodiments of the present invention, there may be certain automatic / initial settings provided by the terminal that can be set for power-off situations, and users have the option of adjusting settings based on their personal preferences, for example, through one of the user interfaces, depicted in Fig.8 or 9.

Further, a device should be provided in the mobile electronic multifunction device in order to allow the RFID interface unit and the secure smart card module to use the (residual) energy remaining in the battery in shutdown modes (or power off situations) when the RFID interface unit detects an external NFC field or event. Therefore, there must be some kind of control logic that is responsible for powering the corresponding parts of the device when receiving a trigger signal from the RFID interface unit, indicating that a suitable radio frequency field (13.56 MHz) has been detected. This control unit may be implemented in a battery control circuit. This control circuitry then connects the corresponding parts of the RFID block and the secure smart card module to provide sufficient energy to complete the card emulation process using the control information provided by the dedicated control menu / user interface when the device was turned on.

10 is a flowchart of a method according to one aspect of the present invention. The process begins by detecting an NFC communication event, for example, when a radio frequency field is detected by an antenna of an NFC communication device. Then, the current operating mode of the mobile multifunctional electronic device is determined, for example, by determining whether the device is in normal operation (that is, “on”) or in software, hardware, or battery disconnection mode (moreover, the mode when device is turned off). Then, the configuration of the NFC communication component related to or assigned to the specific operation mode is determined, and the NFC communication component of the mobile multifunction electronic device is operated in accordance with its specific configuration.

In particular, part of the functioning of the NFC-communication component in accordance with its specific configuration may additionally include selectively supplying parts of the system only with the energy of an external field to provide the end-user with the functionality of the "battery shutdown" mode. In order to support the user also being able to control in which parts of the emulation is visible (or is emulation available at all), some part of the general logic or memory is available for both modes of a mobile multifunction electronic device with battery power (for example, the phone is turned on) and without battery ( for example, the phone is turned off). That is, the method of the present invention can also be used to completely disable the possibility of NFC communication or to allow the use of NFC only when the phone is turned off. Using the present invention, it is possible to selectively power parts of the system to provide NFC functionality for the end user when the mobile power multifunction electronic device is “turned off”.

Using the present invention, it is possible to provide an interface for a user of mobile electronic multifunction devices to avoid the illogical or unexpected behavior of the device and to provide the user with the ability to control the NFC component for both cases: “the phone is on” and “without battery” (even though the interface NFC configuration selection can only be accessed in the “device on” or “phone on” mode).

The user has controls for an NFC communication component (for example, controlling the visibility of a card emulation). It must have control to prohibit and allow emulation of cards, all together or separately, for each operating mode of a mobile multifunctional electronic device. It can also have controls divided into smaller grades for emulating cards, such as the following: disable emulation of Mifare Classic and enable emulation at ISO 14443-4. Or even (which is more significant for the end user): allow NFC communication for the electronic bus ticket, but disable NFC communication for Visa credit cards. This invention can also allow the user to have the same settings in place when the phone is turned off (without battery), by providing a shared storage device or firmware to set operation parameters in both cases.

This application contains a description of examples of implementations and forms of implementation of the present invention. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the present invention is not limited to the details of the foregoing embodiments, and that the invention may also be implemented in another form without departing from the spirit of the invention. The above forms of carrying out the invention should be considered as illustrative, but not limiting. Thus, the possibilities of carrying out and using the invention are limited only by the attached claims. Therefore, various embodiments of the invention as defined by the claims, including equivalent implementations, also fall within the scope of the invention.

Claims (16)

1. A multifunctional device that controls near field communication in various operating modes, comprising: an interface to a near field communication component configured to provide near field communication functionality; battery interface; and a battery control circuit connected to the battery interface, wherein the battery control circuit is designed to control the operation of said device in accordance with the state of charge of the battery connected to the battery interface, wherein the battery control circuit is configured to provide a number of modes of operation of said device in accordance with the state of charge a battery connected to the battery interface, and the state of charge includes two or more operating modes selected from:
- normal operation modes,
- software shutdown mode,
- hardware shutdown mode,
- battery shutdown mode,
moreover, the said device also comprises a storage device configured to store configurations for controlling the operation of the near field communication component in accordance with said operating modes. 2. The device according to claim 1, additionally containing an interface to a component providing first functionality, wherein said first functionality comprises at least one of the functionality of a cell phone and the functionality of data playback. 3. The device according to claim 2, further comprising: a component providing said at least one functionality and connected to said interface of at least one functionality; a battery connected to the battery interface and / or a near field communication component connected to the near field communication component interface. 4. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that the communication component in the near field is equipped with a dedicated storage device that stores information on how to use the said communication component in the near field or the said device in normal operation, software shutdown, hardware disconnecting and / or disconnecting the battery after detecting a communication activation event in the near field. 5. The device according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that it comprises a storage device for storing configurations of said battery control circuit for at least two of said operating modes. 6. A multifunctional device that controls its operation in various modes of operation, while said device comprises: a battery interface; and a battery control circuit connected to the battery interface, wherein the battery control circuit is designed to control the operation of said device in accordance with a state of charge of the battery connected to said battery interface, wherein the battery control circuit is configured to provide a number of modes of operation of said device in accordance with the state the charge of the battery connected to the battery interface, and said state of charge includes two or more modes of operation, selected from:
- normal operation modes,
- software shutdown mode,
- hardware shutdown mode,
- battery shutdown mode,
wherein said device also comprises a user-configurable memory device configured to store configurations for controlling operation of said device in accordance with said operating modes. 7. The device according to claim 6, additionally containing a component that provides an interface to at least one functionality, said functionality comprising at least one of the functionality of a cell phone, near-field communication functionality, and data playback functionality. 8. The device according to claim 7, further comprising: a component that provides said at least one functionality and is connected to said interface of at least one functionality; and a battery that is connected to the battery interface. 9. The device according to claim 6 or 7, characterized in that it contains a user interface, while the battery control circuit is capable of being configured by data entered by the user through said interface. 10. A near field communication control method, comprising the following steps: detecting a near field communication event; determination of the current operating mode of the device; determining the configuration of the near field communication component associated with the detected mode of operation; and the operation of the near field communication component of said device in accordance with the configuration of the near field communication component that has been determined. 11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that said mode of operation may include a normal mode of operation and at least one of the following modes of operation:
- software shutdown mode,
- hardware shutdown mode and
- battery shutdown mode. 12. The method of claim 10 or 11, further comprising using the received radio frequency energy of said near field communication event to power the near field communication component in the device. 13. The method according to claim 10 or 11, characterized in that when determining the current operating mode it is determined that the operating mode of the device is a software shutdown or hardware shutdown mode, said method further includes supplying power to the communication component in the near field of said device after detection mentioned near field communication event. 14. The method according to claim 10 or 11, further comprising receiving user input data that sets the configuration of the near field communication component for at least two modes of normal operation, software shutdown, hardware shutdown and / or battery shutdown, and storing said near field communication component configurations in a storage device of said device. 15. Machine-readable medium containing a program for performing steps according to any one of claims 10-14, when said program is executed in a device based on a processor for controlling near field communication. 16. A computer-readable medium containing a program for performing steps according to any one of claims 10-14, when said program is executed in a mobile multifunctional electronic device for controlling near field communication.

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