Body communication antenna

• US 9,819,075 B2
• Filed: 12/18/2014
• Issued: 11/14/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Original Assignee: NXP B.V. (NXP Semiconductors NV)
• Inventors: Kerselaers, Anthony, Gomme, Liesbeth, Thoen, Steven
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahee, MD S
• Assistant Examiner(s): McKinney, Angelica M
• Application Number:
  US14/576,030
• Publication Number:
  US 20150318603A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,062 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/014 Hand-worn input/output arrangements, e.g. data gloves
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07779 the inductive antenna being a coil
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07781 the coil being fabricated in a winding process
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07784 the inductive antenna consisting of a plurality of coils stacked on top of one another
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 19/07788 the antenna being of the capacitive type
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10326 the antenna being of the very-near field type, e.g. capacitive
• CPC Class Codes: G06K 7/10336 the antenna being of the near field type, inductive coil
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/02 using a radio link
• CPC Class Codes: G08C 17/04 using magnetically coupled devices
• CPC Class Codes: H01F 2038/146 in combination with capacitive coupling
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/273 Adaptation for carrying or wearing by persons or animals
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/28 Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems multiple beam H01Q25/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 7/00 Loop antennas with a substantially uniform current distribution around the loop and having a directional radiation pattern in a plane perpendicular to the plane of the loop
• 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: H04B 5/26 using coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/263 Multiple coils at either side
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/266 One coil at each side, e.g. with primary and secondary coils
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/48 Transceivers
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 5/72 : for local intradevice communication
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 2225/51 : Aspects of antennas or their circuitry in or for hearing aids
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/554 : using a wireless connection, e.g. between microphone and amplifier or using Tcoils
• CPC Class Codes: H04R 25/558 : Remote control, e.g. of amplification, frequency

Abstract

An electromagnetic induction wireless communication system including: a magnetic antenna; an electric antenna; a tuning capacitor coupled to the magnetic antenna configured to tune the magnetic antenna; a controller configured to control the operation of the communication system; a signal source coupled to the controller configured to produce a communication signal used to drive the magnetic antenna and the electric antenna; a voltage control unit coupled to the signal source configured to produce one of an amplitude difference, phase difference, and an amplitude and a phase difference between the communication signal used to drive the magnetic antenna and electric antenna.

Claims

1. An electromagnetic induction wireless communication system comprising an electromagnetic induction antenna comprising:

a capacitor having a first plate and a second plate spaced apart from the first plate; and

an inductor including windings surrounding the first plate, wherein the capacitor and inductor are electrically connected, the capacitor is an electric field antenna, the inductor is a magnetic field antenna, and the electromagnetic induction antenna is configured to communicate by using a combination of both a reactive electric field via the electric field antenna and a reactive magnetic field via the magnetic field antenna, wherein the reactive magnetic field passes through a living body, and the reactive electric field is coupled to the living body, wherein the reactive electric field has a direction perpendicular to a surface of the living body and is available around the living body.

2. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 1, further comprising:

a tuning capacitor coupled to the capacitor and the inductor to create a resonating circuit that is configured to operate at a specific frequency.

3. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 1, further comprising a transmitter comprising:

the electromagnetic induction antenna; and

a signal source configured to produce a first communication signal used to drive the electric field antenna to produce the reactive electric field and to drive the magnetic field antenna to produce the reactive magnetic field, wherein the transmitter, when positioned at a location on the living body, is configured to communicate with a receiver positioned at another location on the living body using the combination of both the reactive electric field and the reactive magnetic field.

4. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 1, further comprising a receiver comprising:

the electromagnetic induction antenna; and

a signal detector connected to the electromagnetic induction antenna configured to detect a communication signal received from a transmitter positioned near the living body via the reactive electric field received by the electric field antenna and the reactive magnetic field received by the magnetic field antenna.

5. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein

the electromagnetic induction antenna

is implemented in a wrist mounted device that comprises one of a display device, a remote control device, and a bridging device positioned near the living body, wherein the bridging device is in communication with one or more remote devices.

6. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the first plate of the electric field antenna is coupled to the living body and the second plate of the electric field antenna is coupled to an environment.

7. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 1, wherein the inductor comprises a planar coil, and the electromagnetic induction antenna is not galvanically connected to a ground.

8. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 3, wherein the transmitter further comprises:

a voltage control unit, coupled to the signal source, configured to produce at least one of an amplitude difference and a phase difference between communication signals used to drive the magnetic field antenna and the electric field antenna.

9. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 3, further comprising a transceiver comprising:

the transmitter; and

a signal detector connected to the electromagnetic induction antenna configured to detect a second communication signal.

10. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 3, wherein a same voltage is used to generate both the reactive electric field in a near-field region of the electric field antenna and the reactive magnetic field in a near-field region of the magnetic field antenna.

11. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 3, wherein the transmitter is implemented in at least one of a hearing aid device, a bridging device, a remote control device, a display device, and a wrist mounted device.

12. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 4, wherein the receiver is implemented in at least one of a hearing aid device, a bridging device, a remote control device, a display device, and a wrist mounted device.

13. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 8, wherein the transmitter further comprises:

a controller including a data processing unit and signal processing unit, wherein the controller is configured to control operation of the voltage control unit.

14. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 9, wherein

the signal detector is configured to detect the second communication signal received from a bridging device near the living body, wherein the second communication signal includes audio data from a remote device in communication with the bridging device.

15. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 9, wherein

the signal detector is configured to detect the second communication signal received from a remote control device near the living body, wherein operation of the transceiver is configured to be controlled by the second communication signal received from the remote control device.

16. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 9, wherein

the signal source is configured to transmit the first communication signal to a wrist mounted device positioned near the living body.

17. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 16, wherein

the signal detector is configured to detect the second communication signal received from the wrist mounted device positioned near the living body.

18. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 9, wherein the transceiver is implemented in at least one of a hearing aid device, a bridging device, a remote control device, a display device, and a wrist mounted device.

19. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 14, wherein

the signal source is configured to transmit the first communication signal to the bridging device positioned near the living body.

20. The electromagnetic induction wireless communication system of claim 15, wherein

the signal source is configured to transmit the first communication signal to the remote control device positioned near the living body.