US Patent 9608327 Magnetically boosted NFC antenna

The range of a Near Field Communications (NFC) in an electronic device is boosted by positioning a magnet near the center of a spiral loop NFC antenna. The magnet interacts with a modulated magnetic field generated by the antenna, concentrating the power of the modulated field. The magnet may be part of another component of the device, such as a magnet in the zoom mechanism of a camera. If the electronic device has a metal case, performance of the NFC antenna is further enhanced by including an opening through the metal over an axis of the magnet and a segment of the antenna's spiral loop, and by extending the opening to eliminate a parasitic current pathway around the antenna. The extended opening in the metal case significantly reduces the effect of eddy currents generated in the housing that counter the NFC magnetic field.