NFC Tag Control Information for Health Data Synchronization

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Solution Overview

Problem

In near field communication (NFC) systems, connection setup latency and communication overhead occur due to the limited capabilities of NFC tags, where an NFC manager may mistakenly read its own request as a response from an NFC agent if the agent delays reading the request.

Innovation Solution

A method and system that sets control information in NFC data exchange format (NDEF) records with direction flags, request/response flags, and sequence identifiers to synchronize communication between NFC devices, ensuring accurate identification of requests and responses and reducing latency by encoding this information in NDEF records written into NFC tags.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If NFC manager writes request into NFC tag and reads response from NFC tag, then communication between NFC manager and NFC agent is enabled, but connection setup latency increases and communication overhead occurs when NFC agent delays reading the request

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvecommunication reliabilityVSAvoidconnection setup latency
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The NFC manager performs preliminary actions by writing control information with direction flags, request/response type flags, and sequence identifiers into the NFC tag before the NFC agent reads it. This preliminary structuring of data with identification markers enables the NFC manager to later distinguish between its own pending requests and responses from the NFC agent, preventing misinterpretation and reducing connection setup latency caused by communication delays.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #10Preliminary action

2Productivity

If NFC tag is used for data storage in NFC environment, then data exchange between NFC devices is enabled, but communication overhead increases due to limited capabilities of NFC tag

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvedata exchange efficiencyVSAvoidcommunication overhead
Core Design Contradiction:
ProductivityVSLoss of energy

Solution Approach 1:

The communication protocol is segmented into distinct control information fields including direction flags, request/response type flags, and sequence identifiers. Each field serves a specific function in identifying and tracking communication messages. This segmentation allows the NFC manager to efficiently process and distinguish between requests and responses without requiring complex communication protocols, thereby reducing communication overhead while maintaining data exchange efficiency.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Data Source

PatentEP2633632B1Method and system of communicating personal health data in a near field communication environment
Publication Date: 2021.06.23 SAMSUNG ELECTRONICS CO LTD
  • EP2633632B1 patent drawingFigure 1~2
  • EP2633632B1 patent drawingFigure 3A
  • EP2633632B1 patent drawingFigure 3B

AI summary

The present invention provides a method and system for communicating personal health data in a near field communication (NFC) environment. In one embodiment, a NFC manager sets control information in a NFC data exchange (NDEF) format for providing synchronized communication of personal health data between the NFC manager and a NFC agent. The control information may include a direction flag, a state flag, sequence identifier, and request/response flag. The NFC manager writes the NDEF format including the control information and payload data into a NFC tag associated with the NFC agent. Subsequently, the NFC manager reads a NDEF record stored in the NFC tag and determines whether the NDEF record is written into the NFC tag by the NFC agent based on the control information in the read NDEF format. Accordingly, the NFC manager repeats the above mentioned steps if the NDEF record includes payload data of the NFC agent.