Communication system and communication apparatus

• US 9,325,430 B2
• Filed: 07/07/2011
• Issued: 04/26/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/14/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Ino, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Benlagsir, Amine
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bousono, Orlando
• Application Number:
  US13/177,750
• Publication Number:
  US 20120013446A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,755 Days
• Field of Search: 340 101- 1052, 3405721-5729
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0209 adapted for power saving
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 2560/0214 of power generation or supply
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0024 for multiple sensor units attached to the patient, e.g. using a body or personal area network
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0028 Body tissue as transmission medium, i.e. transmission systems where the medium is the human body
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/02438 with portable devices, e.g. worn by the patient
• CPC Class Codes: A61B 5/0245 by using sensing means generating electric signals, i.e. ECG signals
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0672 with resonating marks
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0724 the arrangement being a circuit for communicating at a plurality of frequencies, e.g. for managing time multiplexed communication over at least two antennas of different types
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/0726 the arrangement including a circuit for tuning the resonance frequency of an antenna on the record carrier
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 13/005 Transmission systems in which the medium consists of the human body

Abstract

A communication system includes: an interrogator transmitting an interrogation signal while switching a carrier-wave frequency and receiving a response signal; and a plurality of responders each having a unique resonant frequency and returning the response signal in response to the interrogation signal with the own resonant frequency.

Claims

1. A communication system comprising:

an interrogator that;

switches a carrier wave frequency of a non-modulated interrogation signal among a plurality of carrier wave frequencies for transmission of the non-modulated interrogation signal; and

transmits the non-modulated interrogation signal in each of the plurality of carrier wave frequencies and receives a response signal in response to the transmitted non-modulated interrogation signal; and

a plurality of responders each having a unique resonant frequency corresponding to one of the plurality of carrier wave frequencies, wherein each of the plurality of responders that is tuned to a corresponding switched carrier-wave frequency communicates the response signal to the interrogator in response to the transmitted non-modulated interrogation signal,

wherein the interrogator performs switching of the carrier wave frequency based on a decision that information of the response signal is completely acquired from one of the plurality of responders, and

wherein the plurality of responders comprise a clock generation circuit generating, from the non-modulated interrogation signal, a clock for a digital operation of the plurality of responders or another circuit, wherein the clock is generated by setting the average value of the non-modulated interrogation signal as a threshold and digitizing the non-modulated interrogation signal.

2. The communication system according to claim 1, wherein the interrogator transmits the non-modulated interrogation signal from a power feeding electrode in contact with a human body serving as a communication medium, and receives the response signal via the human body using the power feeding electrode, and wherein the plurality of responders each includes a sensor acquiring biological information from the human body, receives the non-modulated interrogation signal transmitted via the human body using a power reception electrode, and transmits the response signal in which the biological information acquired by the sensor is superimposed from the power reception electrode to the human body.

3. A communication apparatus comprising:

an oscillation unit switching an oscillation frequency among a plurality of oscillation frequencies in a predetermined sequence;

a transceiver transmitting a non-modulated interrogation signal with each of the plurality of oscillation frequencies to a communication medium and receiving a response signal in response to the transmitted non-modulated interrogation signal from the communication medium; and

a demodulation unit demodulating the received response signal, wherein the response signal is received from each of a plurality of responders tuned to one of the plurality of oscillation frequencies, wherein power is fed through the communication medium to one of the plurality of responders that is tuned to a currently switched oscillation frequency of the non-modulated interrogation signal to communicate the response signal to the communication medium,

wherein the oscillation unit performs switching of the oscillation frequency based on a decision that information of the response signal is completely acquired from one of the plurality of responders, and

wherein the plurality of responders comprise a clock generation circuit generating, from the non-modulated interrogation signal, a clock for a digital operation of the plurality of responders or another circuit, wherein the clock is generated by setting the average value of the non-modulated interrogation signal as a threshold and digitizing the non-modulated interrogation signal.

4. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the transceiver is configured by a power feeding electrode being in contact with a human body serving as the communication medium.

5. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the demodulation unit extracts information superimposed in the response signal.

6. The communication apparatus according to claim 3, further comprising a control unit operable to:

instruct the oscillation unit to perform switching of the oscillation frequency among the plurality of oscillation frequencies to acquire information from other of the plurality of responders.

7. A communication apparatus comprising:

a transceiver comprising a power reception electrode, the transceiver receiving a non-modulated interrogation signal via a communication medium, wherein the non-modulated interrogation signal comprises non-modulated carrier waves of a unique frequency;

a power reception unit resonating by the non-modulated interrogation signal with the unique frequency; and

a modulation unit configured to switch a state of a terminal of the power reception electrode to one of an open state or a ground state in response to the received non-modulated interrogation signal, wherein power is fed to the power reception electrode when the power reception unit is tuned to a currently switched frequency of the non-modulated interrogation signal to communicate a response signal to the communication medium,

wherein an interrogator, that transmits the non-modulated interrogation signal, switches from the currently switched frequency of the non-modulated interrogation signal to another frequency based on a decision that information of the response signal is completely acquired by the interrogator from the modulation unit, and

wherein the power reception unit comprises a clock generation circuit generating, from the non-modulated interrogation signal, a clock for a digital operation of the transceiver or another circuit, wherein the clock is generated by setting the average value of the non-modulated interrogation signal as a threshold and digitizing the non-modulated interrogation signal.

8. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the power reception electrode is in contact with a human body serving as the communication medium.

9. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the power reception unit resonates by the non-modulated interrogation signal with the unique frequency, generates constant-voltage power, and operates a transmission unit autonomously to transmit the response signal when the constant-voltage power has a reception voltage greater than a threshold voltage.

10. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the communication apparatus comprises a sensor function unit that acquires biological information from a human body.

11. The communication apparatus according to claim 7, wherein the transceiver transmits the response signal subjected to load modulation based on transmission information in response to the non-modulated interrogation signal.