ULTRASONIC SIGNAL COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION DEVICE, COMMUNICATION DEVICE FOR DIVERS, COMMUNICATION SYSTEM, AND COMMUNICATION METHOD

• US 20090279389A1
• Filed: 04/30/2009
• Published: 11/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: IRIE, Michio
• Application Number:
  US12/433,426
• Publication Number:
  US 20090279389A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 367/118
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 15/931 of land vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 11/00 Transmission systems employing sonic, ultrasonic or infrasonic waves

Abstract

An ultrasonic signal communication device that has an ultrasonic oscillation unit that has at least two resonance frequencies according to the oscillation mode, a transmission unit that generates a first ultrasonic signal at one of the two resonance frequencies and transmits the generated first ultrasonic signal from the ultrasonic oscillation unit, and a reception unit that receives from the ultrasonic oscillation unit a second ultrasonic signal that is transmitted at the other of the two resonance frequencies.

Claims

1. An ultrasonic signal communication device comprising:

an ultrasonic oscillation unit that has at least two resonance frequencies according to the oscillation mode;

a transmission unit that generates a first ultrasonic signal at one of the two resonance frequencies and transmits the generated first ultrasonic signal from the ultrasonic oscillation unit; and

a reception unit that receives a second ultrasonic signal that is transmitted at the other of the two resonance frequencies from the ultrasonic oscillation unit.

2. A communication device wherein the ultrasonic signal communication device described in claim 1 is a communication device, the first ultrasonic signal and the second ultrasonic signal are communication signals, and the communication device comprises a control unit that asynchronously controls transmission by the first transmission unit and reception by the reception unit.

3. The communication device described in claim 2, comprising a filter unit that selectively passes a signal of a specific frequency band at least between the ultrasonic oscillation unit and the transmission unit, or between the ultrasonic oscillation unit and the reception unit.

4. The communication device described in claim 2, comprising:

a matching unit that matches impedance at least between the ultrasonic oscillation unit and the transmission unit, or between the ultrasonic oscillation unit and the reception unit.

5. The ultrasonic signal communication device described in claim 1, further comprising:

a second reception unit that receives the first ultrasonic signal from the ultrasonic oscillation unit; and

a second transmission unit that transmits the second ultrasonic signal by means of the ultrasonic oscillation unit.

6. A communication device wherein the ultrasonic signal communication device described in claim 5 is a communication device, the first ultrasonic signal and the second ultrasonic signal are communication signals, and the communication device comprises a communication unit that communicates with a different type of communication device than said communication device using one of the resonance frequencies, and communicates with a communication device of the same type as said communication device using the other resonance frequency.

7. The communication device described in claim 6, wherein the communication unit communicates using a resonance frequency of an oscillation mode in the thickness direction of the ultrasonic oscillation unit and a resonance frequency of an oscillation mode in a direction of intersection intersecting the thickness direction.

8. The communication device described in claim 7, wherein the resonance frequency of the oscillation mode in the thickness direction is higher than the resonance frequency of the oscillation mode in the direction of intersection.

9. The communication device described in claim 6, wherein the communication unit uses the resonance frequency with the lower gain characteristic of the two resonance frequencies for communication at a shorter distance.

10. A divers communication device wherein the communication device described in claim 6 is a divers communication device, and the communication unit communicates with a tank using one resonance frequency and communicates with another divers communication device using the other resonance frequency.

11. The divers communication device described in claim 10, wherein the communication unit communicates with the tank using the resonance frequency with the lower gain characteristic of the two resonance frequencies.

12. The divers communication device described in claim 10, further comprising a display unit that displays residual amount information sent from the tank and residual amount information sent through the other divers communication device.

19. The ultrasonic signal communication device described in claim 1, comprising:

a distance-gauging unit that measures the distance to a transmission signal source based on a time difference between when the second ultrasonic signal is transmitted and when the second ultrasonic signal is received by the reception unit.

20. The ultrasonic signal communication device described in claim 19, comprising:

a second transmission unit that transmits the second ultrasonic signal by means of the ultrasonic oscillation unit; and

a transmission/reception switching unit that switches between a transmission process of transmitting the second ultrasonic signal by means of the second transmission unit, and a reception process of receiving the second ultrasonic signal by means of the reception unit.

13. A communication system for communicating between a plurality of communication devices, wherein:

one communication device comprises

an ultrasonic oscillation unit that has at least two resonance frequencies according to the oscillation mode,

a transmission unit that generates a first communication signal at one of the two resonance frequencies and transmits the generated first communication signal from the ultrasonic oscillation unit, and

a reception unit that receives a second communication signal that is transmitted at the other of the two resonance frequencies from the ultrasonic oscillation unit; and

another communication device comprises

an ultrasonic oscillation unit that has at least the two resonance frequencies according to the oscillation mode,

a transmission unit that generates the second communication signal at the other of the two resonance frequencies and transmits the generated second communication signal from the ultrasonic oscillation unit, and

a reception unit that receives the first communication signal that is transmitted at the one of the two resonance frequencies from the ultrasonic oscillation unit.

14. The communication system described in claim 13, wherein, of the two resonance frequencies, the gain characteristic of one frequency is lower than the gain characteristic of the other frequency, and the one communication device has a higher signal output level than the other communication device.

15. The communication system described in claim 13, wherein, of the two resonance frequencies, the propagation loss of one frequency is greater than the propagation loss of the other frequency, and the one communication device has a higher signal output level than the other communication device.

16. A communication method comprising:

a transmission step of generating a first communication signal and transmitting the generated first communication signal from one ultrasonic oscillation unit at one frequency of two resonance frequencies corresponding to the oscillation modes of the ultrasonic oscillation unit; and

a reception step of receiving a second communication signal transmitted at the other frequency of the two resonance frequencies from the ultrasonic oscillation unit.

17. A communication system comprising a tank communication device attached to a tank, and a divers communication device worn by a diver, wherein

the divers communication device has

an ultrasonic oscillation unit that has at least two resonance frequencies corresponding to the oscillation modes;

and

a communication unit that communicates with the tank communication device using one resonance frequency of the two resonance frequencies, and communicates with another divers communication device using the other resonance frequency of the two resonance frequencies.

18. A communication method for communicating between a divers communication device worn by one diver, a tank used by the one diver, and another divers communication device worn by another diver, wherein:

communication with the tank uses one resonance frequency of the at least two resonance frequencies produced by an ultrasonic oscillation unit; and

communication with the other divers communication device uses the other resonance frequency of the two resonance frequencies.