NFC Gateway Device for Network Communication
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Solution Overview
Problem
Many network-enabled devices lack active NFC capabilities, limiting their ability to communicate with other NFC devices, and existing solutions only provide passive NFC functionality, which is insufficient for full communication.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with both NFC and network communication units acts as a gateway, enabling active NFC communication between network devices and NFC devices by broadcasting NFC capabilities over a network, allowing network devices to register for data exchange and facilitating data transfer between NFC devices and network devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If network devices use passive NFC functionality, then they can be connected to NFC devices, but they cannot perform active NFC communication
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gateway device as an intermediary between network devices and NFC devices. The gateway possesses both NFC capabilities and network communication capabilities, enabling it to mediate data exchange between the two types of devices. This resolves the contradiction by allowing network devices to achieve active NFC communication indirectly through the gateway, without requiring direct NFC hardware in the network devices themselves.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway device is designed with multi-functionality, supporting both NFC communication and network communication protocols. This universal design allows a single device to serve multiple purposes: direct NFC communication with NFC devices and network-based communication with network devices, thereby enabling network devices to access active NFC functionality through the gateway's dual capabilities.
2Adaptability or versatility
If all devices have active NFC support, then full NFC communication is enabled, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges NFC functionality and network communication functionality into a single gateway device. Instead of requiring every network device to have separate NFC hardware, the solution combines these capabilities in one intermediary device that handles both NFC and network protocols, thereby reducing overall system complexity while maintaining full NFC communication capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The gateway creates a virtual representation of NFC capability for network devices through software-based NFC emulation and protocol translation. Rather than physically embedding NFC hardware in every network device, the gateway copies and simulates NFC functionality over the network connection, allowing network devices to access NFC services without additional hardware.
3Ease of manufacture
If network devices lack NFC capabilities, then device manufacturing is simpler, but they cannot communicate with NFC devices
Solution Approach 1:
The gateway acts as an intermediary that bridges the gap between simple network devices without NFC hardware and NFC devices. Network devices can be manufactured simply without NFC components, while the gateway provides the necessary NFC functionality and protocol translation, thus maintaining manufacturing simplicity while enabling NFC communication capability.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic device includes an NFC unit configured to enable near field communication (NFC) with at least one NFC device, a network communication unit configured to communicate with at least one network device, a controller configured to control the NFC unit and the network communication unit to exchange data between the at least one NFC device and the at least one network device.