Short-range communication system

• US 8,290,435 B1
• Filed: 09/30/2008
• Issued: 10/16/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/30/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Administrator Of The National Aeronautics And Space Administration
• Original Assignee: The United States of America As Represented By The Secretary of Agriculture
• Inventors: Alhorn, Dean C., Howard, David E., Smith, Dennis A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Yun, Eugene
• Application Number:
  US12/241,322
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 455/41.1, 455/41.2, 455/41.3, 455/269, 455/274, 455/286, 455/355, 343/866, 343/867, 343/868
• US Class Current: 455/41.2
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/24 Inductive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 for local intradevice communication

Abstract

A short-range communication system includes an antenna, a transmitter, and a receiver. The antenna is an electrical conductor formed as a planar coil with rings thereof being uniformly spaced. The transmitter is spaced apart from the plane of the coil by a gap. An amplitude-modulated and asynchronous signal indicative of a data stream of known peak amplitude is transmitted into the gap. The receiver detects the coil'"'"'s resonance and decodes same to recover the data stream.

Claims

1. A short-range communication system, comprising:

an antenna defined by an electrical conductor arranged in a plane, said conductor forming a coil with rings thereof being uniformly spaced;

a transmitter spaced apart from said plane of said coil by a gap, said transmitter transmitting an electromagnetic wave towards said coil, said wave being an amplitude-modulated and asynchronous signal indicative of a data stream of known peak amplitude wherein said coil is excited to resonance in correspondence with said amplitude-modulated and asynchronous signal; and

a receiver coupled to said coil for detecting said resonance and an actual peak amplitude associated therewith wherein said actual peak amplitude is indicative of the magnitude of said gap, said receiver further decoding said resonance to recover said data stream.

2. A short-range communication system as in claim 1, further comprising a non-conductive planar substrate, said conductor being mounted on said substrate.

3. A short-range communication system as in claim 2, wherein said conductor is printed on said substrate.

4. A short-range communication system as in claim 1, wherein said transmitter comprises:

a signal source for generating an alternating current (AC) signal; and

means, coupled to said signal source and adapted to be coupled to a digital source generating said data stream, for using said AC signal and said data stream to transmit said wave into said gap.

5. A short-range communication system as in claim 4, wherein said means includes a switch for permitting said AC signal to be transmitted into said gap only when said data stream defines a digital “

1”

.

6. A short-range communication system as in claim 1, wherein said receiver comprises:

a demodulator electrically coupled across said coil for generating a digital signal from said resonance, said digital signal defined by said actual peak amplitude; and

a signal conditioner coupled to said demodulator for increasing said actual peak amplitude of said digital signal.

7. A short-range communication system as in claim 1, further comprising means coupled to at least one of said antenna and said transmitter for causing relative movement therebetween.

8. A short-range communication system, comprising:

an antenna defined by an electrical conductor having a first end and a second end, said conductor formed in a plane as a coil with portions of said coil being uniformly spaced and parallel along an axis of said plane;

a transmitter spaced apart from said plane of said coil by a gap, said transmitter transmitting an electromagnetic wave towards said coil, said wave being an amplitude-modulated and asynchronous signal indicative of a data stream of known peak amplitude wherein said coil is excited to resonance in correspondence with said amplitude-modulated and asynchronous signal, said transmitter further being adapted for movement in a direction aligned with said axis; and

a receiver coupled to said first end and said second end of said coil for detecting said resonance and an actual peak amplitude associated therewith wherein said actual peak amplitude is indicative of the magnitude of said gap, said receiver further decoding said resonance to recover said data stream.

9. A short-range communication system as in claim 8, further comprising a non-conductive planar substrate, said conductor being mounted on said substrate.

10. A short-range communication system as in claim 9, wherein said conductor is printed on said substrate.

11. A short-range communication system as in claim 8, wherein said transmitter comprises:

a signal source for generating an alternating current (AC) signal; and

an on/off switch coupled to said signal source and adapted to have its on/off operation controlled by a digital source generating said data stream wherein said AC signal is converted to said wave for transmission into said gap.

12. A short-range communication system as in claim 8, wherein said receiver comprises:

a demodulator electrically coupled across said coil for generating a digital signal from said resonance, said digital signal defined by said actual peak amplitude; and

a signal conditioner coupled to said demodulator for increasing said actual peak amplitude to said known peak amplitude of said data stream.

13. A short-range communication system, comprising:

an antenna defined by an electrical conductor having a first end and a second end, said conductor formed in a plane as a coil with portions of said coil being uniformly spaced and parallel along an axis of said plane;

a transmitter spaced apart from said plane of said coil by a gap, said transmitter transmitting an electromagnetic wave towards said coil, said wave being an amplitude-modulated and asynchronous signal indicative of a data stream of known peak amplitude wherein said coil is excited to resonance in correspondence with said amplitude-modulated and asynchronous signal;

means coupled to said transmitter for moving said transmitter in a direction aligned with said axis; and

a receiver coupled to said first end and said second end of said coil for detecting said resonance and an actual peak amplitude associated therewith wherein said actual peak amplitude is indicative of the magnitude of said gap, said receiver further decoding said resonance to recover said data stream.

14. A short-range communication system as in claim 13, further comprising a non-conductive planar substrate, said conductor being mounted on said substrate.

15. A short-range communication system as in claim 14, wherein said conductor is printed on said substrate.

16. A short-range communication system as in claim 13, wherein said transmitter comprises:

a signal source for generating an alternating current (AC) signal; and

an on/off switch coupled to said signal source and adapted to have its on/off operation controlled by a digital source generating said data stream wherein said AC signal is converted to said wave for transmission into said gap.

17. A short-range communication system as in claim 13, wherein said receiver comprises:

a demodulator electrically coupled across said coil for generating a digital signal from said resonance, said digital signal peak amplitude; and

a signal conditioner coupled to said demodulator for increasing said actual peak amplitude to said known peak amplitude of said data stream.