Circuit for wireless data transfer comprising temperature regulation

Abstract

A circuit for an NFC chip is described herein. According to one exemplary configuration, the circuit comprises an antenna for near field communication, an antenna resonant circuit which has an adjustable resonant frequency, a temperature sensor and a controller circuit coupled to the temperature sensor. The controller circuit is designed to change the resonant frequency of the antenna resonant circuit according to a temperature sensor signal provided by the temperature sensor.

1 . An apparatus comprising:
 antenna hardware operative to receive near field communications from a communication device;   a resonant circuit component to control a resonant frequency of operating the antenna hardware; and   a controller operative to: i) receive a temperature sensor signal from a temperature sensor, the temperature sense signal indicative of a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor, and ii) adjust the resonant frequency of operating the antenna hardware to regulate the temperature with respect to a reference temperature.   
     
     
         2 . The apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein the controller is further operative to adjust the resonant frequency and regulate the temperature via adjustments to the resonant circuit component. 
     
     
         3 . The apparatus as in  claim 2 , wherein the resonant circuit component is a capacitor component whose capacitance is adjustable. 
     
     
         4 . The apparatus as in  claim 3 , wherein the controller is operative to regulate the temperature with respect to the reference temperature via application of the adjustments to the resonant circuit component. 
     
     
         5 . The apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein the temperature represents a temperature of a chip component including the resonant circuit component. 
     
     
         6 . The apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein the controller is operative to transmit a command to the communication device depending on the temperature sensor signal, the command causing the communication device to change the power of the near field communications generated by the communication device to the antenna hardware. 
     
     
         7 . The apparatus as  claim 1 , wherein the controller is operative to send, depending on the temperature, a request from the antenna hardware to the communication device to adjust a magnitude of the near field communications transmitted from the communication device. 
     
     
         8 . The apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein the resonant frequency is defined by a combination of a capacitance of the resonant frequency component and inductance of the antenna hardware. 
     
     
         9 . The apparatus as in  claim 1 , wherein the controller circuit is operative to adjust a magnitude of the resonant frequency with respect to a carrier frequency of the near field communications received from the communication device depending on the temperature as indicated by the temperature sensor signal. 
     
     
         10 . The apparatus as in  claim 1  further comprising:
 a RF (Radio Frequency) signal processing circuit coupled to the antenna hardware, the RF signal processing circuit operative to convert energy received from the near field communications received from the communication device into a power supply voltage to power a circuit; and 
 wherein a magnitude of the energy received from the near field communications through the antenna hardware is controlled via adjustments to the resonant frequency, the controller operative to generate the adjustments to the resonant frequency based on a difference between the temperature as indicated by the temperature sensor signal and the reference temperature. 
 
     
     
         11 . A method comprising:
 receiving near field communications at antenna hardware, the near field communications transmitted from a communication device;   controlling a resonant frequency of operating the antenna hardware via a resonant circuit component; and   via a controller: i) receiving a temperature sensor signal from a temperature sensor, the temperature sense signal indicative of a temperature sensed by the temperature sensor, and ii) adjusting the resonant frequency of operating the antenna hardware to regulate the temperature with respect to a reference temperature.   
     
     
         12 . The method as in  claim 11  further comprising:
 regulating the temperature via adjustments to the resonant circuit component, the adjustments the resonant frequency. 
 
     
     
         13 . The method as in  claim 12 , wherein the resonant circuit component is a capacitor component; and
 wherein adjusting the resonant frequency includes adjusting a capacitance of the capacitor component.   
     
     
         14 . The method as in  claim 11  further comprising:
 regulating the temperature with respect to the reference temperature via adjustments to the resonant circuit component. 
 
     
     
         15 . The method as in  claim 11 , wherein the temperature represents a temperature of a chip component in which the resonant circuit component resides. 
     
     
         16 . The apparatus as in  claim 11  further comprising:
 transmitting a command from the antenna hardware to the communication device depending on the temperature sensor signal, the command causing the communication device to change the power of the near field communications generated by the communication device to the antenna hardware. 
 
     
     
         17 . The method as  claim 11  further comprising:
 via a command transmitted from the antenna hardware, sending a request to the communication device to adjust a magnitude of the near field communications transmitted from the communication device depending on the temperature. 
 
     
     
         18 . The method as in  claim 11 , wherein the resonant frequency is defined by a combination of a capacitance of the resonant frequency component and inductance of the antenna hardware. 
     
     
         19 . The method as in  claim 11  further comprising:
 adjusting a magnitude of the resonant frequency with respect to a carrier frequency of the near field communications received from the communication device depending on the temperature as indicated by the temperature sensor signal. 
 
     
     
         20 . The apparatus as in  claim 1  further comprising:
 via an RF (Radio Frequency) signal processing circuit coupled to the antenna hardware, converting energy received from the near field communications into a power supply voltage to power a circuit; and 
 controlling a magnitude of the energy received from the near field communications through the antenna hardware via adjustments to the resonant frequency, a magnitude of the adjustments to the resonant frequency being based on a difference between the temperature as indicated by the temperature sensor signal and the reference temperature.