Handling of Signals Transmitted Through a Human Body

• US 20140348270A1
• Filed: 01/23/2012
• Published: 11/27/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Original Assignee: Telefonaktiebolaget LM Ericsson
• Inventors: Babu, Bibin, Kariyannavar, Kiran, Vajravelu, Dilip Kumar
• Granted Patent: US 9,385,818 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 375/317
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/00 Transmission systems characterised by the medium used for transmission, not provided for in groups H04B3/00 - H04B11/00
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 7/041 using special codes as synchronising signal

Abstract

A signal handling device (14) for handling a signal (S2, S3, S4) transmitted through a body, where the signal is coded with a coding scheme and associated clock rate, comprises a receiving unit (22) configured to receive the signal (S2), a signal sampler (30) configured to sample at least a section of the signal with a sample rate that is higher than the clock rate of the coding scheme and form at least one series of samples of the signal (S4), where the samples of a series have been sampled at a sampling position periodically recurring according to the clock rate, and a data analyser (32) configured to investigate if said at least one series fulfils a data sequence detection criterion, and set a sampling position for which a series of samples fulfils the data sequence detection criterion to be an operative sampling position.

Claims

1. A method of handling a signal transmitted through a body, the signal being coded with a coding scheme and associated clock rate, the method being performed in a signal handling device and comprising:

receiving said signal,

sampling at least a section (PDS) of the signal with a sample rate that is higher than the clock rate of the coding scheme,

forming at least one series of samples of the signal, where the samples of a series have been sampled at a sampling position periodically recurring according to the clock rate,

investigating if said at least one series fulfils a data sequence detection criterion, and

setting a sampling position for which a series of samples fulfils the data sequence detection criterion to be an operative sampling position.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the investigating comprises determining the quality of reception of a known data sequence (DS).

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein the forming comprises forming more than one series of samples and the sampling positions of each series differ from each other.

4. The method according to claim 3, where only one series fulfils the data sequence detection criterion.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the investigating comprises investigating one series of samples at a time, and the setting comprises setting a sampling position to be an operative sampling position if the corresponding series fulfils the data sequence detection criterion and otherwise repeating investigating series of samples until the data sequence detection criterion is fulfilled.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising obtaining symbols in the signal from signal samples obtained at the operative sampling position.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising extracting user data from the obtained symbols.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the extracting comprises performing a logical operation on the symbols for obtaining user data.

9. The method according to any claim 1, further comprising investigating if a received signal comprises pulses and adjusting the amplitude of the signal until pulses are detected.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the signal is a Manchester encoded signal.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein the frequency band of the signal lies between 1-100 MHz.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the signal is provided in one of two bands provided in the range.

13. A signal handling device for handling a signal transmitted through a body, the signal being coded with a coding scheme and associated clock rate, the signal handling device comprising:

a receiving unit configured to receive said signal,

a signal sampler configured to

sample at least a section (PDS) of the signal with a sample rate that is higher than the clock rate of the coding scheme, and

form at least one series of samples of the signal, where the samples of a series have been sampled at a sampling position periodically recurring according to the clock rate, and

a data analyser configured to

investigate if said at least one series fulfils a data sequence detection criterion, and

set a sampling position for which a series of samples fulfils the data sequence detection criterion to be an operative sampling position.

14. The signal handling device according to claim 13, wherein the data analyser, when investigating a series, is configured to determine the quality of reception of a known data sequence (DS).

15. The signal handling device according to claim 13, wherein the signal sampler is configured to form more than one series of samples where the sampling positions of each series differ from each other.

16. The signal handling device according to claim 15, where only one series fulfils the data sequence detection criterion.

17. The signal handling device according to claim 13, wherein said data analyser is configured to investigate one series of samples at a time and set a sampling position to be an operative sampling position if the corresponding series fulfils the data sequence detection criterion and

otherwise to repeat investigating series of samples until the data sequence detection criterion is fulfilled.

18. The signal handling device according to claim 13, wherein the signal sampler is further configured to obtain symbols in the signal from signal samples obtained at the operative sampling position.

19. The signal handling device according to claim 18, further comprising a decoding unit configured to extract user data (UD) from the obtained symbols.

20. The signal handling device according to claim 19, wherein the decoding unit is configured to perform a logical operation on the symbols for obtaining user data.

21. The signal handling device according to claim 13, further comprising an amplifier and a pulse investigator, said pulse investigator being configured to investigate if a received signal comprises a pulse and adjust the gain of the amplifier until pulses are detected.