System and method for human body communication

• US 7,725,089 B2
• Filed: 09/08/2006
• Issued: 05/25/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Hyoung-ki, Bang, Seok-won, Lee, Mi-hee, Kim, Sang-ryong
• Primary Examiner(s): Dao; Minh D
• Application Number:
  US11/517,393
• Publication Number:
  US 20070190940A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,355 Days
• Field of Search: 455/188.1, 455/176.1, 455/168.1, 455/522, 455/127.1, 455/410, 455/15, 455/17, 340/573.1
• US Class Current: 455/188.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/22 Capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A human body communication system. The human body communication system includes a controlled device measuring a capacitance that corresponds to the distance to a human body, and transmitting information on the measured capacitance through a wireless medium; and a control device receiving the information, and then, based on the information, determining a transmission power and, with the determined transmission power, transmitting a control command of a user to the controlled device using the human body as a medium.

Claims

1. A human body communication system comprising:

a controlled device to measure a capacitance that corresponds to a distance from the controlled device to a human body, and to transmit information on the measured capacitance through a wireless medium;

a control device to receive the information, to determine a transmission power based on the received information, and to transmit a control command to the controlled device at the determined transmission power through the human body as a transmission medium.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the controlled device periodically measures the capacitance that corresponds to the distance from the controlled device to the human body.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the controlled device measures the capacitance that corresponds to the distance from the controlled device to the human body when an event occurs.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the information includes amperage information corresponding to the measured capacitance.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the controlled device comprises:

a capacitance to measure module measuring the capacitance;

a wireless communication module to transmit the information on the measured capacitance; and

a human body communication module to receive the control command from the control device.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the control device comprises:

a wireless communication module to receive the information from the controlled device;

a control module to determine the transmission power based on the information; and

a human body communication module to transmit the control command.

7. A human body communication method comprising:

measuring a capacitance that corresponds to a distance from a controlled device to a human body;

transmitting information on the measured capacitance through a wireless medium to a control device;

receiving the information and determining a transmission power based on the received information; and

transmitting a control command to the controlled device at the determined transmission power using a human body as a transmission medium.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the measuring of the capacitance comprises periodically measuring the capacitance that corresponds to the distance to the human body.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the measuring of the capacitance comprises, when an event occurs, measuring the capacitance that corresponds to the distance.

10. The method of claim 7, wherein the information includes amperage information corresponding to the measured capacitance.

11. A computer-readable recording memory storing processing instructions for causing a processor to execute the method of claim 7.

12. A method of communicating between a control device in contact with a human body and a controlled device, using the human body as a transmission medium, the method comprising:

measuring a capacitance corresponding to a distance between the controlled device and the human body and converting the measured capacitance into amperage information corresponding to the capacitance;

wirelessly transmitting the converted amperage information from the controlled device to the control device;

determining a transmission power based on the transferred amperage information;

transferring a control command to the controlled device through the human body at the determined transmission power;

re-measuring the capacitance after the transferring and determining whether the re-measured capacitance has changed from a previously measured capacitance by more than a specified tolerance; and

wirelessly transmitting amperage information corresponding to the re-measured capacitance to the control device when the re-measured capacitance has changed by more than the specified tolerance.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the re-measuring is performed at either predetermined intervals or after a specified event occurs.

14. A computer-readable memory storing processing instructions for causing a processor to execute the method of claim 12.

15. A method of dynamically setting a control signal magnitude communicated from a control device and a controlled device, using a human body as a transmission medium, the method comprising:

measuring a capacitance corresponding to a distance between the controlled device and the human body;

determining whether the measured capacitance has changed by more than a tolerance when compared to an earlier measured capacitance;

wirelessly transmitting amperage information corresponding to the measured capacitance to the control device when the measured capacitance has changed by more than the tolerance; and

determining a transmission power based on the wirelessly transmitted amperage information and setting a control signal magnitude based on the wireless transmitted amperage information so as to vary a magnitude of the of the control signal transmitted through the human body based on the distance from the controlled device to the human body.

16. A computer-readable recording memory storing processing instructions for causing a processor to execute the method of claim 15.

17. A method of dynamically controlling a signal strength of a control signal transmitted from a control device in contact with a human body to a controlled device, the method comprising:

determining whether the controlled device is in a first domain in contact with the human body or a second domain not in contact with the human body based on amperage information related to capacitance by measuring a capacitance corresponding to a distance between the controlled device and the human body, converting the measured capacitance into amperage information which is information on amperage flowing through the human body when the control signal is transmitted from the control device to the controlled device through the human body, and wirelessly transmitting the converted amperage information from the controlled device to the control device; and

transmitting the control signal at a first signal strength range when the controlled device is in the first domain and transmitting the control signal at a second signal strength range stronger than the first signal strength range when the controlled device is in the second domain.

18. A computer-readable recording memory storing processing instructions for causing a processor to execute the method of claim 17.