NFC Timing Management for Protocol Compliance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing NFC communicators face challenges in maintaining compliance with timing protocols while enabling communication with external data sources without compromising their ability to respond within the required time frames, which is essential for standards like ISO/IEC 18092 and ISO/IEC 21481.
Innovation Solution
An NFC communicator system that includes a coupler for magnetic field modulation, a demodulator to extract modulated signals, and a modulator to communicate with data sources, allowing for the transfer of timing data to ensure timely responses and compliance with communication standards, along with a data source that calculates and provides the necessary response times to maintain protocol adherence.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If an NFC communicator communicates with external data sources, then data transfer capability is improved, but response time compliance with timing protocols deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The system pre-calculates and stores timing data representing the time required to retrieve data from external data sources. This preliminary action allows the NFC communicator to anticipate timing requirements and plan data retrieval operations in advance, ensuring that responses can be supplied within the strict timing protocols (e.g., 87 microseconds) without compromising compliance when communicating with external data sources.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediate timing management layer that acts as a mediator between the NFC communicator and external data sources. This intermediary calculates and provides timing data to the NFC communicator, enabling the system to coordinate data retrieval operations with the external data source while maintaining compliance with NFC timing protocols. The intermediary buffers and manages the timing constraints, allowing flexible data transfer without direct conflict between external communication and protocol requirements.
2Reliability
If timing data is transferred between NFC communicator and data source, then protocol compliance is improved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex timing calculation and management functions from the NFC communicator itself and places them in a separate timing management module or external data source controller. This separation allows the NFC communicator to focus on its core communication function while the extracted timing management component handles the complex calculations. The timing data is provided as a separate input to the NFC communicator, simplifying its internal structure while maintaining protocol compliance.
3Measurement precision
If response time is calculated and provided by data source, then timing accuracy is improved, but communication overhead increases
Solution Approach 1:
The timing data representing the time required to retrieve data from the data source is calculated and provided in advance, before the actual NFC communication transaction occurs. This preliminary provision of timing information allows the NFC communicator to plan its operations without requiring back-and-forth communication to determine timing feasibility. The timing accuracy is improved because the data source provides precise pre-calculated values, while communication overhead is minimized because the timing information is established beforehand rather than negotiated in real-time.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
Enables cost-effective and flexible NFC communication that adheres to existing timing standards, ensuring data can be retrieved and supplied within the required periods, thus enhancing the efficiency and reliability of NFC transactions.
Implementation Method 1
enable communication of data between the communicators by modulation of a magnetic field
Data Source
AI summary
An NFC communicator has a coupler operable to couple with a coupler of a near field RF communicator in near field range to enable communication of data between the communicators by modulation of a magnetic field, a demodulator to extract modulation from a modulated signal coupled to the coupler, and a modulator to modulate an RF signal in accordance with data to be communicated by the NFC communicator. The NFC communicator communicates with a data source and is arranged to at least one of provide timing data to the data source and receive timing data from the data source.