Communication system using near field and method thereof

• US 20060045118A1
• Filed: 12/21/2004
• Published: 03/02/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Original Assignee: Electronics and Telecommunications Research Institute
• Inventors: Choi, Chang Auck, Hyoung, Chang Hee, Kang, Sung Weon
• Application Number:
  US11/028,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20060045118A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/445
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 12/413 with random access, e.g. carrier-sense multiple-access with collision detection [CSMA-CD]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 74/0875 with assigned priorities based access

Abstract

Provided is a communication system using a near field and a method thereof, which uses a conductive medium, i.e., a human body, and comprises a plurality of peripheral devices having a communication device for transmitting and receiving a predetermined data signal through the near field formed around the human body, using a carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) method, thereby solving a directional problem of an antenna when the wireless system is used and achieving miniaturization, as well as enhancing communication efficiency by using the most appropriate frequency to the human communication without collision of transmitting and receiving signals between the plurality of peripheral devices.

Claims

1. A communication system using a near field, comprising:

at least one medium having conductivity; and

a plurality of peripheral devices arranged around the medium and having a communication device used to transmit and receive a predetermined data signal using a carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) method through the near field formed around the medium.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the medium is composed of a human body.

3. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the predetermined data signal includes at least one selected from a group consisting of a character signal, a video signal, an audio signal and a physiological signal detected from a human body.

4. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein each of the peripheral device is at least one selected from a group consisting of a communication device, an acoustic device, an image display device, an arithmetic processing device, and a medical sensor.

5. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the communication devices includes:

an interface unit for coupling with the medium;

a transmission unit for modulating the predetermined data signal using a predetermined frequency;

a receiving unit for receiving the modulated data signal from the transmission unit through the interface unit to demodulate to an original signal;

a signal collision detection unit for comparing respective data signals transmitted and received from the transmission unit and the receiving unit to output a predetermined collision detection signal for preventing collision of the transmitted and received data signals between the plurality of peripheral devices; and

a communication control unit for controlling the transmission unit and the receiving unit, respectively, based on the outputted collision detection signal, to periodically check a communication state of the medium.

6. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the interface unit includes an electrode having good conductivity.

7. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the data signals outputted from the transmission unit are modulated using the carrier frequency which is an appropriate frequency to a human body communication, such as amplitude shift keying (ASK) and frequency shift keying (FSK) and son on.

8. The communication system according to claim 5, wherein the signal collision detection unit compares, bit by bit, currently transmitted data signals and the data signals received from the receiving unit at the time of transmitting the data signals transmitted from the transmission unit, and when the bit of the data signals different from that of the currently transmitted data signals is received, a predetermined collision detection signal is outputted to the communication control unit.

9. A communication method using a near field, comprising:

transmitting a plurality of data signals through a near field formed around at least one medium having conductivity, respectively;

receiving the respective data singles transmitted through the medium; and

controlling the transmitted and received data signals using a carrier sense multiple access with collision detection (CSMA/CD) method to prevent collision between the transmitted and received data signals.

10. A communication method using a near field in a communication system arranged around at least one medium having conductivity and comprising a plurality of peripheral devices having a communication device for transmitting and receiving a predetermined data signal through the near field formed around the medium, the communication method comprising:

(a) designating a priority for each of the peripheral devices, and setting a time to check a communication state of the medium to be different from each other based on the designated priority;

(b) determining whether data signals to transmit to the plurality of peripheral devices exist for each of the communication devices, and in the case that the data signals to transmit do not exist, maintaining a wait state for a predetermined time, and then determining again whether the data signals to transmit to the plurality of peripheral devices exit;

(c) as a result of the determination in the step (a), in the case that the data signals to transmit to the plurality of peripheral devices exist, preparing to transmit the data signals to the corresponding peripheral device;

(d) determining a communication state of the medium for each of the communication devices, and in the case that the communication state between the peripheral devices through the medium is busy, waiting for a predetermined time and then returning to the step (c);

(e) as a result of the determination in the step (d), in the case that the communication state between the peripheral devices through the medium is idle, checking a communication state of the medium for a time to check the established communication state of the medium;

(f) determining the communication state of the medium for each of the communication devices, and in the case that the communication state between the peripheral devices through the medium is busy, waiting for a predetermined time to return to the step (c); and

(g) as a result of the determination in the step (g), in the case that the communication state between the peripheral devices through the medium is idle, completing the transmission of the data signal.

11. The communication method according to claim 10, wherein the priority is designated for each of the peripheral devices using a certain signal generator in the step (a).

12. The communication method according to claim 10, wherein, in the step (c), preparing of the data transmission is performed by generating packet data signals in a packet unit composed of a plurality of byte data signals through the corresponding communication device, and converting the packet data signals into high-frequency signals appropriate to the communication with the medium.

13. The communication method according to claim 10, wherein the medium is composed of a human body.