CN111200454A

CN111200454A - Wireless communication apparatus and method

Info

Publication number: CN111200454A
Application number: CN201910962598.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 尹石柱; 金尚骏; 姜埈晟
Original assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Samsung Electronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2018-10-31
Filing date: 2019-10-11
Publication date: 2020-05-26
Anticipated expiration: 2039-10-11
Also published as: KR102608472B1; KR20200049482A; CN111200454B

Abstract

Wireless communication devices and methods are disclosed. A wireless communication device may comprise: an oscillator, comprising: a coil assembly, a variable capacitor, and a negative resistor, the coil assembly being exposed to an exterior of the wireless communication device; and a phase-locked circuit connected to the coil assembly and the negative resistor. The phase-lock circuit may be configured to generate a control signal for locking an oscillation frequency of the oscillator based on the oscillation signal generated by the oscillator, and supply the generated control signal to the variable capacitor.

Description

Wireless communication apparatus and method

This application claims the rights of korean patent application No. 10-2018-.

Technical Field

The following description relates to wireless communication technology.

Background

With the development of wireless power transmission technologies and communication technologies, such as bluetooth and near field communication, electronic devices (e.g., mobile communication terminals) need antenna devices configured to operate at different frequency bands.

When a plurality of antenna modules are installed in an electronic device, wireless power and wireless signals of various frequency bands can be transmitted and received, and the transmission rate of the transmitted and received wireless power and the transmission rate of data can be increased. However, the size of the antenna module is limited due to the limited space for mounting the antenna module.

Disclosure of Invention

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

In one general aspect, a wireless communication device includes: an oscillator including a coil assembly, a variable capacitor, and a negative resistor, the coil assembly being exposed to an outside of the wireless communication device; and a phase-locked circuit connected to the coil assembly and the negative resistor. The phase-lock circuit is configured to generate a control signal for locking an oscillation frequency of the oscillator based on an oscillation signal generated by the oscillator, and supply the generated control signal to the variable capacitor.

The coil assembly may comprise at least one coil.

The at least one coil may be a loop coil.

The at least one coil may comprise at least one loop. The at least one loop may have a diameter of less than or equal to 2 centimeters (cm).

The oscillator may be configured to: oscillating at an oscillation frequency. The oscillation frequency may be determined based on the variable capacitor and the coil included in the coil assembly.

The phase-locking circuit may be further configured to: compensating for a change in oscillation frequency by controlling a capacitance of a variable capacitor in response to a change in impedance of the wireless communication device.

The phase-locking circuit may be further configured to: the varied oscillation frequency is restored to the target frequency by controlling the variable capacitor in response to the oscillation frequency being varied by a variation in capacitance of the coil assembly.

The wireless communication device may further include: a controller configured to detect a capacitance of the variable capacitor and determine that at least a portion of the coil assembly is in contact with an external object in response to the capacitance of the variable capacitor being less than a threshold capacitance.

The controller may be further configured to: generating biometric data indicative of the bio-signal based on a change in capacitance of the variable capacitor after the at least a portion of the coil assembly contacts the external object.

The controller may be further configured to: a voltage applied to the coil assembly is detected and biometric data is generated based on the detected voltage.

The coil assembly may include a plurality of coils. The wireless communication apparatus may further include a phase controller configured to supply the plurality of coils with respective powers specified based on a target frequency band defined based on the number of the plurality of coils among a plurality of frequency bands to perform communication through the target frequency band.

The phase controller may be further configured to: controlling a phase and a magnitude of a current flowing into the plurality of coils for a target frequency band among the plurality of frequency bands to communicate through the target frequency band.

The plurality of coils may include a first coil and a second coil. The phase controller may be further configured to: the first coil and the second coil are supplied with power of a current having the same phase in response to the wireless communication device performing communication in a first frequency band, and the first coil and the second coil are supplied with power of a current having an opposite phase in response to the wireless communication device performing communication in a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band.

The phase controller may be further configured to: in response to selecting a body channel frequency band from the plurality of frequency bands, respective currents are provided to the plurality of coils having a magnitude and phase specified based on the body channel frequency band.

The phase controller may be further configured to: in response to selecting a wireless channel frequency band from the plurality of frequency bands, respective currents having a magnitude and a phase specified based on the wireless channel frequency band are provided to coils among the plurality of coils.

The wireless communication device may further include: a controller configured to select a target frequency band from the plurality of frequency bands based on whether contact between the coil assembly and an external object is detected.

The phase controller may be further configured to: in response to detecting contact between the coil assembly and an external object, respective power specified based on a body channel frequency band is provided to coils among the plurality of coils.

The phase controller may be configured to: in response to contact between the coil assembly and an external object not being detected, respective power specified based on a wireless channel frequency band is provided to a coil among the plurality of coils.

The wireless communication device may further include: a stimulator configured to: in response to at least two coils included in the coil assembly contacting an external object, power is provided to the at least two coils.

The wireless communication device may further include: a receiver configured to: processing an external signal received through the coil assembly; and a transmitter configured to: generating a data signal to be transmitted to an exterior of the wireless communication device through a coil assembly.

The wireless communication device may further include: a transmitter configured to: generating a data signal to be transmitted to the outside of the wireless communication device through a coil component by controlling a variable capacitor of an oscillator to have a capacitance corresponding to a frequency indicated by a modulation signal, based on which data is frequency-modulated.

The wireless communication device may further include: a housing configured to: a coil assembly housing the phase lock circuit and supporting the coil assembly protruding to the outside of the wireless communication device.

The wireless communication device may be configured to: the phase of power respectively supplied to a plurality of coils included in a coil assembly is controlled by switching connections between negative resistors and the plurality of coils.

The wireless communication device may further include: a receiver configured to: in response to receiving a signal from outside the wireless communication device through the coil assembly, an envelope of the signal is detected and a data signal is recovered from the detected envelope.

In another general aspect, a method of wireless communication includes: generating, by a phase-locked circuit connected to a coil assembly of an oscillator and a negative resistor, a control signal based on an oscillation signal generated by the oscillator; and locking an oscillation frequency of the oscillator by the phase locking circuit by supplying the generated control signal to the variable capacitor of the oscillator.

The wireless communication method may further include: the capacitance of the variable capacitor is controlled by the phase lock circuit to compensate for the variation of the oscillation frequency.

The wireless communication method may further include: determining, by the controller, whether the coil assembly is in contact with the external object based on a comparison of the capacitance of the variable capacitor to a threshold capacitance.

The wireless communication method may further include: generating, by the controller, biometric data indicative of the bio-signal based on a change in capacitance of the variable capacitor after determining that the coil assembly is in contact with the external object.

Other features and aspects will be apparent from the following detailed description, the accompanying drawings, and the claims.

Drawings

Fig. 1A and 1B show examples of the configuration of a wireless communication device.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example of a wireless communication environment.

Fig. 3 shows an example of the configuration of a wireless communication device.

Fig. 4 shows an example of an operation of the wireless communication device in a case where the wireless communication device contacts a human body.

Fig. 5 to 9 show examples of the operation of the phase controller.

Fig. 10 illustrates an example of an operation of a wireless communication device that supplies power to a subject.

Fig. 11 illustrates an example of a single apparatus implementing a wireless communication device.

Fig. 12 shows an example of a wireless communication method.

Throughout the drawings and detailed description, the same drawing reference numerals will be understood to refer to the same elements, features and structures unless otherwise described or provided. The figures may not be drawn to scale and the relative sizes, proportions and depictions of the elements in the figures may be exaggerated for clarity, illustration and convenience.

Detailed Description

The following detailed description is provided to assist the reader in obtaining a thorough understanding of the methods, devices, and/or systems described herein. However, various changes, modifications, and equivalents of the methods, apparatus, and/or systems described herein will be apparent to those skilled in the art after understanding the disclosure of the present application. For example, the order of operations described herein is merely an example, and is not limited to the order set forth herein, but may be changed as would be apparent after understanding the disclosure of the present application, except to the extent that operations must occur in a particular order. Moreover, descriptions of features known in the art may be omitted for the sake of clarity and conciseness.

The features described herein may be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the example embodiments set forth herein. Rather, the examples described herein are provided merely to illustrate some of the many possible ways to implement the methods, devices, and/or systems described herein that will be apparent after understanding the disclosure of the present application.

Here, it should be noted that the use of the term "may" with respect to an example or embodiment (e.g., with respect to what the example or embodiment may include or implement) indicates that there is at least one example or embodiment that includes or implements such a feature, although all examples and embodiments are not limited thereto.

Throughout the specification, when an element (such as a layer, region or substrate) is described as being "on," "connected to" or "coupled to" another element, it can be directly on, connected to or coupled to the other element or one or more other elements may be present therebetween. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on," "directly connected to" or "directly coupled to" another element, there may be no intervening elements present.

As used herein, the term "and/or" includes any one of the associated listed items and any combination of any two or more.

Although terms such as "first," "second," "third," or the like may be used herein to describe various elements, components, regions, layers or sections, these elements, components, regions, layers or sections should not be limited by these terms. Rather, these terms are only used to distinguish one element, component, region, layer or section from another element, component, region, layer or section. Thus, a first element, component, region, layer or section discussed in connection with the examples described herein could be termed a second element, component, region, layer or section without departing from the teachings of the examples.

Spatially relative terms, such as "above … …," "upper," "below … …," and "lower," may be used herein for ease of description to describe one element's relationship to another element as illustrated in the figures. Spatially relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use or operation in addition to the orientation depicted in the figures. For example, if the device in the figures is turned over, elements described as "above" or "upper" relative to other elements would then be oriented "below" or "lower" relative to the other elements. Thus, the term "above … …" can encompass both an orientation of above and below depending on the spatial orientation of the device. Additionally, the apparatus may be otherwise positioned (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or at other orientations) and the spatially relative descriptors used herein interpreted accordingly.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing various examples only and is not intended to be limiting of the disclosure. The singular is also intended to include the plural unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. The terms "comprises," "comprising," and "having" specify the presence of stated features, quantities, operations, elements, components, and/or combinations thereof, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, quantities, operations, components, elements, and/or combinations thereof.

The features of the examples described herein may be combined in various ways that will be apparent after understanding the disclosure of the present application. Further, while the examples described herein have various configurations, other configurations are possible as will be apparent after understanding the disclosure of the present application.

Fig. 1A and 1B show an example of the configuration of the wireless communication device 100.

Referring to fig. 1A, the wireless communication device 100 includes a coil assembly 110 and a phase locking circuit 120.

The coil assembly 110 may include at least one coil. The coil assembly 110 is arranged to be exposed to the outside (e.g., external environment) of the wireless communication device 100. The coil assembly 110 has an inductance. The coils included in the coil assembly 110 may be implemented in the shape of a loop (e.g., a ring). However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above examples. The coil assembly 110 is connected to a variable capacitor, and a resonance frequency of the coil assembly 110 is determined according to an inductance of a coil included in the coil assembly 110 and a capacitance of the variable capacitor. The coil assembly 110 operates as an antenna that communicates using a resonant frequency.

The phase lock circuit 120 is a circuit that locks the oscillation frequency of the oscillator to a target frequency. The phase-locked circuit 120 may also be referred to as a phase-locked loop (PLL). The phase locking circuit 120 may be connected to the coil assembly 110, may receive a signal from the coil assembly 110, and may lock an oscillation frequency of the oscillator based on the received signal. The phase-lock circuit 120 controls the capacitance of the variable capacitor based on the oscillation frequency of the oscillator. For example, the phase-lock circuit 120 is implemented as an analog PLL, such as an existing charge pump, or a digital PLL including a digital time-to-digital converter (TDC), a loop filter, and a delta-sigma modulator (DSM). For example, the frequency/phase detector is implemented as a TDC. The TDC measures a time difference between pulses and outputs a digital value indicating the time difference. For example, the time difference between the pulses corresponds to the inverse of the oscillation frequency. The loop filter is a filter that passes an average voltage component (e.g., a direct current component) by removing noise and high frequency components from the output of the phase detector. The DSM is a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) that calculates errors by approximately predicting the value of a signal and corrects the errors using accumulated errors. However, the configuration of the phase-lock circuit 120 is not limited to the above configuration. The phase locking circuit 120 having various structures may be used.

As shown in fig. 1B, the wireless communication device 100 further includes an amplifier 115 connected between the coil assembly 110 and the phase-lock circuit 120.

Even when the overall capacitance changes when the coil assembly 110 exposed to the outside of the wireless communication device 100 contacts another object (e.g., a biological body) having capacitance, the wireless communication device 100 maintains the communication frequency by immediately controlling the variable capacitor of the oscillator via the phase lock circuit 120 directly connected to the coil assembly 110. Therefore, the wireless communication device 100 establishes stable radio communication regardless of contact with an external object. Hereinafter, a wireless communication device 100 that enables sensing, wireless communication, and body communication through a single input/output port connected to a coil assembly will be described.

Fig. 2 illustrates an example of a wireless communication environment.

Referring to fig. 2, a Medical Implant Communication System (MICS) channel is a communication channel for medical purposes. For example, the frequency band of the MICS channel is about 400 MHz. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above examples. For example, the frequency band may be higher than 400 MHz. The coverage distance or "coverage" for communication between the biological implanted wireless communication device 210 and the external device 290 using the MICS channel may be about 1 meter (m).

A body channel is a communication channel used by devices implanted within the body (e.g., the human body). For example, the frequency band of the body channel is about 100MHz or less. However, the frequency band of the body channel is not limited to this example. The first wireless communication device 221 using the body channel establishes communication with the second wireless communication device 222 using the same body channel. The second wireless communication apparatus 222 also establishes communication with the external device 290 using the MICS channel described above. Even in a range exceeding 10 meters, communication outside the human body can be established through the MICS channel.

As shown in fig. 2, the strength 231 of the signal transmitted by the wireless communication device 210 is dramatically attenuated within the body. As the depth to which the wireless communication device 210 is implanted into the body increases, the coverage decreases relatively more. In the example of fig. 2, the coverage of the minimum acceptable level is shown to be about 1 m. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this example.

The communication between the first wireless communication device 221 and the second wireless communication device 222 is established by signals having a frequency corresponding to a body channel, and therefore, even within the body, the strength 232 of the respective signals is attenuated less. The strength 232 of the signal transmitted by the second wireless communication device 222 disposed on the surface 205 of the human body may still be greater than the minimum acceptable level in the range from the second wireless communication device 222 to about 10 m.

In order to maintain stable communication even when the wireless communication device 210, the first wireless communication device 221, and the second wireless communication device 222 are implanted into the body or installed outside the body or separated from the body, they are implemented in a structure that will be described below with reference to fig. 3 to 11.

Fig. 3 shows an example of a configuration 300 of a wireless communication device.

Referring to fig. 3, the wireless communication device 300 includes an oscillator 309, a phase locking circuit 320, a controller 340, a transmitter 370, and a receiver 380. The oscillator 309 includes a coil assembly 310, a negative resistor 330, and a variable capacitor 360. In fig. 3, the capacitance of the variable capacitor 360 is indicated as C_T。

As described above with reference to fig. 1a, the coil assembly 310 is exposed to the exterior of the housing of the wireless communication device 300. The coil assembly 310 is supported by the housing. The housing accommodates the phase locking circuit 320 and supports the coil block 310 protruding to the outside of the housing. The coil assembly 310 is connected to the phase-locked circuit 320, the negative resistor 330, and the variable capacitor 360.

As described above with reference to fig. 1a, the phase-locking circuit 320 is connected to the coil assembly 310 and the negative resistor 330. The phase locking circuit 320 is connected to both ends of the coil in the coil block 310. For example, the phase locking circuit 320 is directly connected to one end of the coil assembly 310 and is connected to the other end of the coil assembly 310 through the variable capacitor 360. An oscillation signal of the oscillator 309 is transmitted to the phase lock circuit 320, and an oscillation frequency of the oscillation signal varies based on a signal received from the outside of the housing and a signal sensed from an object in contact with the coil. The phase lock circuit 320 generates a control signal for locking the oscillation frequency of the oscillator 309 based on the oscillation signal generated by the oscillator 309.

The phase locking circuit 320 locks the oscillation frequency to the target frequency by supplying the generated control signal to the variable capacitor 360. The phase-lock circuit 320 compensates for the variation in the oscillation frequency by controlling the capacitance of the variable capacitor 360 in response to the variation in the impedance of the wireless communication device 300. For example, the phase lock circuit 320 is based on the reference frequency f provided from the controller 340_refA target frequency is determined and the oscillation frequency is locked to the target frequency. In response to the oscillation frequency being changed by the change in the capacitance of the coil assembly 310, the phase-lock circuit 320 restores the changed oscillation frequency to the target frequency by controlling the variable capacitor 360.

The oscillator 309 oscillates at an oscillation frequency determined based on the coil included in the coil assembly 310 and the variable capacitor 360. For example, the negative resistor 330 is connected to the coil assembly 310 and the variable capacitor 360. The oscillator 309 generates an oscillation frequency based on the negative resistor 330, the coil assembly 310, and the variable capacitor 360. The oscillation frequency of the oscillator 309 is determined based on the inductance of the coil assembly 310 and the capacitance of the capacitor connected to the coil assembly 310. When the coil assembly 310 includes a single coil, the oscillator 309 may be implemented in a simple oscillation structure including a coil having an inductance, a variable capacitor 360 having a capacitance, and an operational amplifier as a negative resistor having a negative resistance.

Control by controller 340A phase locking circuit 320, a phase controller 350, a transmitter 370, and a receiver 380. For example, the controller 340 includes a microcontroller unit (MCU)341 and a digital baseband (DBB) unit 342. The MCU341 will reference the frequency f_refIs provided to the phase lock circuit 320. The MCU341 determines the target frequency as the reference frequency f_refK of_FCWAnd (4) doubling. K_FCWIs a coefficient for setting a communication frequency, and is a real number. The DBB unit 342 processes a signal of a baseband. For example, the DBB unit 342 transmits a signal corresponding to a baseband to the transmitter 370 or receives a signal corresponding to a baseband from the receiver 380.

The variable capacitor 360 is a capacitor connected to the negative resistor 330 in the oscillator 309, and controls the capacitance C based on a control signal received from the phase-locked circuit 320_T. For example, the variable capacitor 360 is a capacitor group including capacitors corresponding to n bits, and the control signal is a digital code including n bits. The digital code is a digital value into which the capacitance of the variable capacitor 360 is converted. The configuration of the capacitor bank will be described with reference to fig. 4. However, the variable capacitor 360 is not limited to the above example. The variable capacitor 360 may be implemented as various capacitors, wherein the capacitances of the various capacitors are controlled based on a control signal generated by the phase-lock circuit 320.

The transmitter 370 generates a data signal to be transmitted to the outside of the housing through the coil assembly 310. For example, transmitter 370 receives data from controller 340. The transmitter 370 performs frequency modulation on the corresponding data. The transmitter 370 generates a data signal to be transmitted to the outside of the housing through the coil assembly 310 by controlling the variable capacitor 360 of the oscillator 309 to have a capacitance corresponding to the frequency indicated by the modulation signal based on the modulation signal in which the data is frequency-modulated. Transmitter 370 generates the data signals using, for example, on-off keying (OOK), Frequency Shift Keying (FSK), or amplitude shift keying (am).

The receiver 380 processes external signals received through the coil assembly 310. The external signal is a signal modulated using, for example, OOK, FSK, or ASK. The receiver 380 recovers the external signal into data through super-regenerative reception (super-regenerative reception). For example, in response to receiving an external signal through the coil assembly 310, the receiver 380 detects an envelope of the received signal and recovers a data signal from the detected envelope.

The wireless communication device 300 performs MICS channel communication and body communication using the coil assembly 310 through the above-described blocks, and performs stable communication even when the wireless communication device 300 is implanted in the human body or installed outside the human body or separated from the human body. The wireless communication apparatus 300 establishes communication with an external device installed on the human body or disposed outside the human body when implanted in the human body. The wireless communication apparatus 300 establishes communication with an external device implanted in or mounted on a human body when being mounted on or disposed outside the human body. Further, the wireless communication device 300 senses an external environment, thereby performing communication or sensing a bio-signal by itself using the coil assembly 310 exposed to the outside of the housing.

For reference, as described above, the coil assembly 310 includes a single coil. However, the disclosure is not limited to these examples. For example, the coil assembly 310 may include at least two coils. When the coil assembly 310 includes at least two coils, the wireless communication device 300 may further include a phase controller 350. The operation of the phase controller 350 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 5 to 9.

Fig. 4 illustrates an example of an operation of the wireless communication device 400 in a case where the wireless communication device 400 contacts a human body.

Referring to fig. 4, the wireless communication apparatus 400 converts a variation of an external capacitor (e.g., a parasitic capacitor) contacting a coil into a frequency and converts the variation of the frequency into a digital code. Thus, sensing and communication is achieved using a single wireless transceiver block. The wireless communication device 400 detects an external environment by sensing a change in impedance such as capacitance or inductance due to a change in environment such as temperature, humidity, and contact, which are external environment change factors. In the following description, the wireless communication device 400 detects whether there is contact with the external object 401 by detecting a change in capacitance of the variable capacitor 460, and further senses the bio-signal 902. The external object 401 may be a biological body. However, the external object 401 is not limited to the above example.

First, the wireless communication device 400 even if in contactThe external living body 401 also maintains the oscillation frequency of the oscillator at the target frequency. Similar to the example of fig. 3, the oscillator includes a coil assembly 410, a variable capacitor 460, and a negative resistor 430. The phase lock circuit 420 controls the capacitance of the variable capacitor 460 (hereinafter, total capacitance C) in response to a change in the oscillation frequency of the oscillator_T) To lock the oscillation frequency.

The controller 440 of the wireless communication device 400 detects the capacitance of the variable capacitor 460 and determines that at least a portion of the coil assembly 410 is in contact with the external object 401 in response to the capacitance of the variable capacitor 460 being less than the threshold capacitance. When a contact between the external object 401 and the coil assembly 410 is formed, the capacitance of the circuit including the oscillator greatly changes, and the wireless communication device 400 compensates for the change in capacitance due to the contact by greatly changing the capacitance of the variable capacitor 460. Accordingly, the wireless communication device 400 determines whether there is contact with the external object 401 through the change in the capacitance of the variable capacitor 460.

For example, when contact between an external object 401 (e.g., a biological body) and the coil assembly 410 in the wireless communication device 400 occurs, the coil assembly 410 is electrically connected to a capacitor (e.g., a body capacitor) of the external object 401. The capacitance of the body capacitor is called the body capacitance C_B. In fig. 4, a body capacitor is added to the circuit of the wireless communication device 400, and the phase lock circuit 420 maintains the oscillation frequency at the target frequency by compensating for a change in capacitance due to the addition of the body capacitor. Thus, the capacitance of the oscillator changes. Phase-locked circuit 420 controls the total capacitance C of the capacitor bank_TTo compensate for the change in capacitance due to the body capacitor. Thus, when the capacitance of the oscillator increases the body capacitance C_BThe phase-locked circuit 420 is controlled by the total capacitance C of the capacitor bank_TReducing body capacitance C_B(e.g., | Δ C)_B|＝|ΔC_T| to maintain the capacitance of the oscillator. Since the oscillation frequency is locked to the target frequency, the wireless communication device 400 changes the capacitance of the internal capacitor bank in response to the change in the external capacitance. In this example, the target frequency is in the wireless channel band. However, the present disclosure is not limited toThis example. The target frequency is in the body channel band. The coil assembly 410 may include a single coil designed for one of a plurality of channel bands (e.g., a wireless channel band and a body channel band). However, the disclosure is not limited to the examples provided. The coil assembly 410 may include a plurality of coils configured to support a plurality of channel frequency bands.

Here, the wireless channel band is a MICS channel, 900MHz, or Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). When the wireless communication apparatus 400 operates in a wireless channel band, the wireless communication apparatus 400 establishes communication with a device implanted in a living body or with an external communication terminal (e.g., a mobile phone). For example, the body channel band is about 100 MHz. However, the present disclosure is not limited to this example. The wireless communication apparatus 400 establishes communication with respect to the implantable device and the attachable device through the body channel band, and establishes communication with respect to the terminal outside the human body through the wireless channel band.

After the coil assembly 410 is contacted by the external object/biological body 401, the wireless communication device 400 senses the bio-signal 402 by detecting a change in capacitance.

For example, as shown in fig. 4, the wireless communication device 400 also includes a varactor capacitor. The capacitance of the varactor capacitor is referred to as the varactor capacitance C_V. When the coil assembly 410 includes a single coil, the varactor capacitor is connected to both ends of the coil assembly 410, and changes the varactor capacitance C in response to a change in voltage of the corresponding coil_V. The voltage applied to the coil corresponds to the voltage applied across the varactor capacitor and is referred to as the sense voltage V_S. However, the disclosure is not limited to the case where the coil assembly 410 includes a single coil. The coil assembly 410 may include a plurality of coils. For example, when the coil assembly 410 includes two coils, a varactor capacitor is connected across (e.g., four nodes) each of the two coils.

As a reference, the varactor capacitance C_VCorresponds to a change in the voltage of the bio-signal 402. The communication frequency of the coil assembly 410 is based on the inductance of the coil assembly 410 and the connection to the coilThe capacitance of the capacitor of the component 410. The communication frequency of the coil assembly 410, as given in equation 1, may be represented using circuit components.

[ equation 1]

In equation 1, f_RFIs the communication frequency, L is the inductance of the coil assembly 410, C_TIs the total capacitance of the capacitor bank, C_VIs a varactor capacitance, C_BIs the body capacitance. The wireless communication device 400 controls the total capacitance C of the capacitor bank_TTo compensate the varactor capacitance C_VAnd body capacitance C_BTo maintain the communication frequency f_RF. Due to the body capacitance C after the coil assembly 410 contacts the living being 401_BConstant, and therefore only varactor capacitance C_VChanges in response to changes in the voltage of the bio-signal 402. Thus, after contact with the living organism, the phase lock circuit 420 controls the total capacitance C of the capacitor bank_TTo compensate only the varactor capacitance C_VBy detecting the total capacitance C of the capacitor bank, the controller 440_TTo generate biometric data.

After at least a portion of the coil assembly 410 contacts the external object 401, the controller 440 generates biometric data indicative of the bio-signal 402 based on a change in capacitance of the variable capacitor 460. The MCU 441 of the controller 440 detects a change in capacitance of the variable capacitor 460. The MCU 441 detects a change in capacitance from the control signal 404 output from the self-phase-locking circuit 420. Hereinafter, the relationship between the control signal 404 and the change in the capacitance of the variable capacitor 460 will be described.

Variable capacitor 460 includes a capacitor bank that controls a total capacitance C of the capacitor bank based on control signal 404_T. For example, when the capacitor bank includes n capacitors, the capacitance of the capacitor corresponding to the i-th bit position from the Least Significant Bit (LSB) is 2^i-1C₀。

In this example, the control signal 404 is an n-bit digital generationCode C_T[0，n-1]. The bit value assigned to each bit position of the digital code determines whether to activate the capacitor corresponding to that bit. For example, when the bit value of the ith bit position in the digital code is "0", the capacitor bank deactivates the ith capacitor. When the bit value of the ith bit position in the digital code is "1", the capacitor bank activates the ith capacitor. Total capacitance C of capacitor bank_TIs determined as the sum of the capacitances of the activated capacitors. For example, when n is 3 and the number code is "101", the capacitance of the capacitor bank passes through C₀(1×2²+0+1×2⁰)＝5C₀To indicate. C₀Representing a unit capacitance. Thus, the digital code of the control signal 404 indicates the total capacitance C of the capacitor bank_TThe size of (2).

Phase lock circuit 420 is based on a reference frequency f provided from controller 440_REFAnd a Frequency Control Word (FCW) constant K_FCWA target frequency is determined. For example, the target frequency is represented by equation 2.

[ equation 2]

f_RF＝f_REF·K_FCW

In equation 2, f_RFIs a target frequency as a communication frequency after locking. f. of_REFIs a reference frequency, K_FCWIs an FCW as a variable for setting a communication channel (e.g., a body channel or a wireless channel). E.g., f for RF of 400.5MHz_REFIs 1MHz, K in the radio channel band_FCWAbout 400.5. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the above examples. K_FCWIs an input value that varies for wireless signal transmission. The MCU 441 of the controller 440 recognizes the bio-signal 402 based on the control signal 404 output from the phase locking circuit 420. The MCU 441 calculates a digital code based on a change in external impedance and transmits the calculated digital code to the DBB unit 442. The DBB unit 442 sends the modified FCW to the FSK modulator 470 to compensate for the change in capacitance due to the bio-signal 402. The FSK modulator 470 is, for example, a single-point FSK modulator.

The wireless communication device 400 is used to compensate for the body capacitance C_BTotal capacitance C of_TTo determine whether a coil assembly 410 andcontact of human body and compensation of capacitance C of varactor_VTotal capacitance C of_TTo sense a bio-signal 402. The change in voltage of the bio-signal 402 corresponds to the control signal 404 used to control the capacitance, and thus the wireless communication device 400 generates the biometric data from the digital code of the control signal 404. The biometric data is data indicative of the bio-signal 402. Accordingly, the wireless communication device 400 senses the presence or absence of both the contact between the coil assembly 410 and the biological body and the bio-signal 402 by detecting the change in the capacitance of the variable capacitor 460.

Further, the controller 440 detects the voltage applied to the coil assembly 410 and generates biometric data based on the detected voltage. Thus, the wireless communication device 400 may sense the bio-signal directly through a change in capacitance or directly from a voltage applied to the coil assembly 410.

For reference, sensing only bio-signals by a varactor capacitor is described primarily with reference to fig. 4. However, the disclosure is not limited to the above examples. The varactor can be replaced by a different type of variable capacitor. Further, the wireless communication device 400 may detect changes in the external environment by changes in capacitance in response to other environmental factors, such as temperature and humidity. Further, the wireless communication device 400 also includes a stimulator 490, an example of which stimulator 490 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 10. For reference, both ends of the stimulator 490 are connected to different coils, respectively.

When the coil assembly 410 includes at least two coils, the wireless communication device 400 may further include a phase controller 450. The operation of the phase controller 450 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 5 to 9.

Hereinafter, operations of the coil assembly for supporting a plurality of communication frequency bands by the additional coil and the phase controller for operating the coil assembly will be described with reference to fig. 5 to 9.

Fig. 5 to 9 show examples of the operation of the phase controller.

Phase controllers 650, 850 (shown in fig. 6 and 8, respectively) control the phases of

negative resistors

530, 630, 730, 830. The

phase controllers

650, 850 supply power, which is specified based on a target frequency band defined based on the number of coils in the plurality of frequency bands, to the plurality of coils included in the

coil assemblies

510, 610, 710, 810 to perform communication in the target frequency band. The

phase controllers

650, 850 supply the respective powers, the phases of the currents of which are determined based on the frequency bands, to the

coil assemblies

510, 610, 710, 810. The

phase controllers

650, 850 supply electric power of a current having a phase specified based on the corresponding frequency band to each coil. For example, in order to perform communication through a target frequency band among a plurality of frequency bands, the

phase controllers

650, 850 control the phases and magnitudes of currents flowing into the plurality of coils for the target frequency band. In response to selecting a body channel frequency band from the plurality of frequency bands,

phase controllers

650, 850 provide currents to each coil having a phase and magnitude specified based on the body channel frequency band. In response to selecting a wireless channel frequency band from the plurality of frequency bands, the

phase controllers

650, 850 supply currents having phases and magnitudes specified based on the wireless channel frequency band to each coil.

For example, when the plurality of coils includes two coils, the

phase controllers

650, 850 supply currents of the same phase to the

negative resistors

530, 630, 730, 830 connected to the plurality of coils, or supply currents of the opposite phase to the

negative resistors

530, 630, 730, 830. The oscillation frequency of the oscillator is changed by controlling the phase current by the

phase controllers

650, 850. For reference, fig. 3 shows the negative resistor 330 using two symbols for each of the in-phase and anti-phase descriptions. However, as described below with reference to fig. 6 and 8, the

negative resistors

530, 630, 730, 830 may comprise a single operational amplifier. However, the configuration of the

negative resistors

530, 630, 730, 830 is not limited to the above example. The configuration of the

negative resistors

530, 630, 730, 830 may vary according to the number of coils included in the

coil assemblies

510, 610, 710, 810 and the number of frequency bands to be used.

Fig. 5 and 6 show examples of operations in the inverted state.

Fig. 5 illustrates a coil assembly 510 and a negative resistor 530 in a wireless communication device. The phase controller is connected to the first coil L in the coil block 510₁First negative resistor OSC₁Providing a voltage having a first voltage v₁And a first current i₁The electric power of (1). Phase control direction of the second coil L connected to the coil block 510₂Second negative resistor OSC₂Providing a voltage having a second voltage v₂And a second current i₂The electric power of (1). In fig. 5, the first voltage v₁And a second voltage v₂Having an inverse relation, e.g. satisfying v₁＝-v₂The relationship (2) of (c).

Fig. 6 illustrates the phase controller 650 and the negative resistor 630 for the operation of the inverted state of fig. 5, and fig. 6 illustrates simplified structures of the coil assembly 610 and the negative resistor 630 for convenience of description. More specifically, the coil assembly 510 and the negative resistor 530 connected as shown in fig. 5 are modeled as the transformer (coil assembly 610) and the operational amplifier (negative resistor 630) of fig. 6. The coil assembly 610 is modeled as a transformer, and a first negative resistor OSC₁And a second negative resistor OSC₂Modeled as an operational amplifier 530.

Phase controller 650 switches negative resistors 630 (including first negative resistor OSC)₁And a second negative resistor OSC₂) And the coil assembly 610. As shown in fig. 6, for the operation of the reverse phase state, the phase controller 650 forms an electrical path between the negative resistor 630 and the coil assembly 610 so as to be applied to the first coil L₁And a second coil L₂Is in anti-phase with the current. For example, the first negative resistor OSC₁And a second negative resistor OSC₂Modeled as an inverting amplifier, the phase controller 650 connects the negative output of the inverting amplifier to the first coil L₁And the positive output of the inverting amplifier is connected to the first coil L₁The end of the winding. In fig. 6, the start end is an end marked with a point phase, and the end is an end opposite to the start end. For example, a coil L₁And L₂Are connected to the input node and the output node of the circuit such that the entire circuit forms a positive feedback loop. The overall circuit is configured such that the overall phase shift in the positive feedback loop is 360 degrees. In this example, when the phase difference between the two ends of the coil is inverted by 180 degrees, the overall phase shift of the positive feedback loop is reversedIs 360 degrees.

The wireless communication device operates the negative resistors 630 connected to the respective coils in an inverted state, thereby generating an oscillation frequency of a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band. Accordingly, in response to the wireless communication apparatus performing communication in a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band, the phase controller 650 supplies the power of the current having the first phase to the first coil and supplies the power of the current having the second phase opposite to the first phase to the second coil. In fig. 6, the first frequency band indicates a body channel frequency band, and the second frequency band indicates a MICS channel frequency band.

Fig. 7 and 8 show examples of operations in the in-phase state.

Fig. 7 schematically shows a coil assembly 710 and a negative resistor 730 in a wireless communication device, wherein, unlike the example of fig. 5, a first voltage v₁And a second voltage v₂Having an in-phase relationship, e.g. satisfying v₁＝v₂The relationship (2) of (c).

Fig. 8 illustrates the phase controller 850 and the negative resistor 830 for the operation of the in-phase state of fig. 7, and fig. 8 illustrates simplified structures of the coil assembly 810 and the negative resistor 830 for convenience of description. More specifically, the coil assembly 710 and the negative resistor 730 connected as shown in fig. 7 are modeled as the transformer (coil assembly 810) and the operational amplifier (negative resistor 830) of fig. 8.

As shown in fig. 8, for the operation of the in-phase state, the phase controller 850 forms an electrical path between the negative resistor 830 and the coil assembly 810 so as to be applied to the first coil L₁And a second coil L₂Is in phase with the current. For example, the first negative resistor OSC₁And a second negative resistor OSC₂Modeled as an inverting amplifier, phase controller 850 connects the negative output of the inverting amplifier to the first coil L₁And the positive output of the inverting amplifier is connected to the first coil L₁The start of the winding. For example, the nodes at both ends of the coil are connected to the input node and the output node of the circuit, so that the entire circuit forms a positive feedback loop. The overall circuit is configured such that the overall phase shift in the positive feedback loop is 360 degrees. In thatIn this example, when there is no phase difference between the two ends of the coil (e.g., when the phase difference is 0 degrees), the overall phase shift of the positive feedback loop is 360 degrees. Oscillation occurs through such a positive feedback loop.

The wireless communication device operates the negative resistors 830 connected to the respective coils in an in-phase state, thereby generating an oscillation frequency of a first frequency band (e.g., a body channel frequency band) lower than a second frequency band. Accordingly, in response to the wireless communication apparatus performing communication in the first frequency band, the phase controller 850 supplies the power of the current having the first phase to the first coil and the second coil. In fig. 8, the first frequency band indicates a body channel frequency band, and the second frequency band indicates a MICS channel frequency band.

The

phase controllers

650, 850 described with reference to fig. 5 to 8 are switching devices that switch electrical paths between the

negative resistors

530, 630, 730, 830 and the

coil assemblies

510, 610, 710, 810. However, the disclosure is not limited to these examples. The

phase controllers

650, 850 may be implemented to control the voltage to be supplied to the first negative resistor OSC₁And a second negative resistor OSC₂Various circuits of the phase of the power.

The wireless communication device controls phases of power respectively supplied to the coils included in the

coil assemblies

510, 610, 710, 810 by switching connections between the coils and the

negative resistors

530, 630, 730, 830. As described in fig. 5 to 8, when the plurality of coils includes two coils, the wireless communication device switches the oscillation frequency of the oscillator to a low frequency band or a high frequency band by controlling the phase of the current supplied to the negative resistor connected to each coil.

Fig. 9 shows an example of an operation in an example in which the coil assembly includes two coils.

Referring to fig. 9, as given by equation 3, the total inductance of the coil assembly in the structure 900 in which the coil assembly includes two coils is expressed based on the direction of current flow.

[ equation 3]

L_C＝(1+k)L₁，L_D＝(1-k)L₂

In equation 3, assume L₁Is equal to L₂(e.g., L ═ L)₁＝L₂) Then L is_C(1+ k) L and L_DIs represented by (1-k) L. In equation 3, L_CIs the inductance in the in-phase state, L_DIs the inductance in the anti-phase state and k is the mutual coupling coefficient. When the phase controller allows the current to flow in the same direction in the coil, the total inductance of the coil assembly is L_C. In contrast, when the phase controller allows the current to flow in the coil in the opposite direction, the total inductance of the coil assembly is L_D。

For reference, the phase control of the signals applied to the two coils extends to the control of the signal phases of the N coils. Here, N is an integer greater than or equal to "2". As the number of coils increases, the number of combinations regarding the direction of current flowing in the coils also increases. Therefore, the number of frequency bands in which the oscillator can oscillate increases based on the number of coils.

For reference, the operation of maintaining the oscillation frequency before the wireless communication device comes into contact with the biological body is described above with reference to fig. 4. Further, the wireless communication apparatus may also switch the frequency band of the communication frequency by the operations described with reference to fig. 5 to 9 based on whether there is contact with the living body.

A controller of the wireless communication device selects a target frequency band from the plurality of frequency bands based on whether contact with an external object is detected. The controller controls the phase controller to adjust power to be supplied to the coil assembly based on the selected target frequency band. For example, in response to at least a portion of the coil assembly contacting an external object, the phase controller of the wireless communication device provides each coil with power assigned to the respective coil based on the body channel frequency band. Similar to the description provided above, the wireless communication device determines whether there is contact with the biological body through a change in capacitance of the variable capacitor. Further, in response to the contact between the coil assembly and the external object not being detected, the phase controller supplies each coil with power assigned to the corresponding coil based on the wireless channel frequency band. That is, the phase controller supplies the respective powers to the coils in the coil assembly, and the phase of the current of each of the respective powers is specified based on the wireless channel frequency band. Therefore, the wireless communication apparatus selectively switches the frequency band of the communication frequency based on whether or not there is contact with the living body.

Further, the wireless communication device may sense the bio-signal after selectively switching the frequency band of the communication frequency based on whether there is contact with the living body. Therefore, the wireless communication device can also sense a biological signal based on whether there is contact with a living body detected from a change in capacitance of the variable capacitor when communicating in a communication frequency band in which signal attenuation is minimized.

Fig. 10 shows an example of the operation of the wireless communication apparatus 1000 that supplies power to a subject.

Referring to fig. 10, wireless communication device 1000 also includes stimulator 1090, as described above.

In response to at least two

coils

1011, 1012 in the coil assembly contacting an external object, stimulator 1090 supplies power to the at least two

coils

1011, 1012. In the coil assembly, one coil 1011 operates as a reference electrode and the other coil 1012 operates as a working electrode. Thus, wireless communication device 1000 applies electrical stimulation to an external object (e.g., a biological body) through stimulator 1090. When two coils are provided, stimulator 1090 is connected to a different coil. For example, one end of stimulator 1090 is connected to one coil 1011 and the other end of stimulator 1090 is connected to another coil 1012.

Fig. 11 shows an example of a single apparatus implementing a wireless communication device 1100.

Referring to fig. 11, the wireless communication apparatus 1100 is implemented as a single device including at least one coil and a chip, and thus the wireless communication apparatus 1100 is miniaturized. At least one of the coils is a toroidal coil. The at least one coil is realized in the form of at least one loop, and the diameter of the loop is less than or equal to 2 cm. For example, as shown in fig. 11, the diameter of the largest coil among the plurality of coils is implemented as a. For example, a is 7 mm. Thus, with the microstructure, the wireless communication apparatus 1100 selects communication frequencies in a plurality of frequency bands, senses contact with a living body, senses a biological signal, or applies electrical stimulation without using other devices (such as electrodes) other than coils. Since sensing, wireless communication, and body communication are all performed using a single port, the area of the wireless communication device 1100 is minimized. Further, since wireless communication and body communication are realized using a single structure, the wireless communication apparatus 1100 can operate as a device inside the body and also as a station device to which an external terminal is connected.

Fig. 12 shows an example of a wireless communication method.

Referring to fig. 12, first, in operation 1210, a phase locking circuit of a wireless communication device generates a control signal based on an oscillation signal generated by an oscillator. The phase lock circuit is connected to the coil assembly of the oscillator and the negative resistor.

In operation 1220, the phase locking circuit locks the oscillation frequency of the oscillator by providing the generated control signal to the variable capacitor of the oscillator. As described with reference to fig. 1A to 11, the phase lock circuit locks the oscillation frequency to the target frequency by controlling the variable capacitor.

The wireless communication device is implemented as a multi-mode wireless sensor having an interface with a coil assembly disposed outside of the device such that the coil assembly is exposed to an external environment. For example, the wireless communication device is suitable for RF integrated circuits, wireless sensor systems, internet of things (IoT), biomedical communication, stretchable devices, MICS, and impedance sensing.

The

controllers

340 and 440,

MCUs

341 and 441,

DBBs

342 and 442,

phase controllers

350, 450, 650 and 850, transmitter 370, receiver 380, FSK modulator 470,

stimulators

490 and 1090 in fig. 3, 4, 6, 8 and 10 that perform the operations described herein are implemented by hardware components configured to perform the operations described herein as being performed by the hardware components. Examples of hardware components that may be used to perform the operations described in this application include, in place: a controller, a sensor, a generator, a driver, a memory, a comparator, an arithmetic logic unit, an adder, a subtractor, a multiplier, a divider, an integrator, and any other electronic component configured to perform the operations described herein. In other examples, one or more of the hardware components that perform the operations described herein are implemented by computing hardware (e.g., by one or more processors or computers). A processor or computer may be implemented by one or more processing elements, such as an array of logic gates, controllers, and arithmetic-logic units, a digital signal processor, a microcomputer, a programmable logic controller, a field programmable gate array, a programmable logic array, a microprocessor, or any other device or combination of devices configured to respond to and execute instructions in a defined manner to achieve a desired result. In one example, a processor or computer includes or is connected to one or more memories that store instructions or software for execution by the processor or computer. Hardware components implemented by a processor or computer may execute instructions or software, such as an Operating System (OS) and one or more software applications running on the OS, to perform the operations described herein. The hardware components may also access, manipulate, process, create, and store data in response to execution of instructions or software. For simplicity, the singular terms "processor" or "computer" may be used in the description of the examples described in this application, but in other examples, multiple processors or computers may be used, or a processor or computer may include multiple processing elements or multiple types of processing elements, or both. For example, a single hardware component or two or more hardware components may be implemented by a single processor, or two or more processors, or a processor and a controller. One or more hardware components may be implemented by one or more processors, or processors or controllers, and one or more other hardware components may be implemented by one or more other processors, or additional processors and additional controllers. One or more processors, or processors and controllers, may implement a single hardware component, or two or more hardware components. The hardware components may have any one or more of different processing configurations, examples of which include: single processors, independent processors, parallel processors, Single Instruction Single Data (SISD) multiprocessing, Single Instruction Multiple Data (SIMD) multiprocessing, Multiple Instruction Single Data (MISD) multiprocessing, Multiple Instruction Multiple Data (MIMD) multiprocessing.

The methods illustrated in fig. 4-10 and 12 to perform the operations described in the present application are performed by computing hardware (e.g., by one or more processors or computers) implemented to execute instructions or software as described above to perform the operations described in the present application performed by the methods. For example, a single operation or two or more operations may be performed by a single processor, or two or more processors, or a processor and a controller. One or more operations may be performed by one or more processors, or processors and controllers, and one or more other operations may be performed by one or more other processors, or other processors and other controllers. One or more processors, or a processor and a controller, may perform a single operation or two or more operations.

Instructions or software for controlling a processor or computer to implement the hardware components and perform the methods described above are written as computer programs, code segments, instructions, or combinations thereof, that individually or collectively instruct or configure the processor or computer to operate as a machine or special purpose computer to perform the operations performed by the hardware components and methods described above. In one example, the instructions or software include machine code that is directly executed by a processor or computer (such as machine code produced by a compiler). In another example, the instructions or software comprise high-level code that is executed by a processor or computer using an interpreter. Programmers of ordinary skill in the art can readily write instructions or software based on the block diagrams and flowcharts shown in the drawings and the corresponding description in the specification, which disclose algorithms for performing the operations of the hardware components and methods described above.

Instructions or software for controlling a processor or computer-implemented hardware component and performing the methods described above, as well as any associated data, data files, and data structures, are recorded, stored, or fixed in or on one or more non-transitory computer-readable storage media. Examples of non-transitory computer-readable storage media include: read-only memory (ROM), random-access programmable read-only memory (PROM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), random-access memory (RAM), dynamic random-access memory (DRAM), static random-access memory (SRAM), flash memory, non-volatile memory, CD-ROM, CD-R, CD + R, CD-RW, CD + RW, DVD-ROM, DVD-R, DVD + R, DVD-RW, DVD + RW, DVD-RAM, BD-ROM, BD-R, BD-R LTH, BD-RE, Blu-ray or optical disk storage, Hard Disk Drive (HDD), Solid State Drive (SSD), card-type memory (such as a multimedia card or a mini-card (e.g., Secure Digital (SD) or extreme digital (XD)), a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, a magneto-optical data storage device, an optical data storage device, a magnetic tape, a magneto-optical data storage device, a magneto-optical data, Hard disk, solid state disk, and any other device configured to store instructions or software and any associated data, data files, and data structures in a non-transitory manner and to provide the instructions or software and any associated data, data files, and data structures to one or more processors or computers such that the one or more processors or computers can execute the instructions. In one example, the instructions or software and any associated data, data files, and data structures are on network-connected computer systems, respectively, such that one or more processors or computers store, access, and execute the instructions, software, and any associated data, data files, and data structures in a distributed manner.

While the present disclosure includes particular examples, it will be apparent, upon an understanding of the present disclosure, that various changes in form and detail may be made in these examples without departing from the spirit and scope of the claims and their equivalents. The examples described herein are to be considered merely as illustrative and not for purposes of limitation. The description of features or aspects in each example will be considered applicable to similar features or aspects in other examples. Suitable results may be achieved if the described techniques are performed in a different order and/or if components in the described systems, architectures, devices, or circuits are combined in a different manner and/or replaced or supplemented by other components or their equivalents. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure is defined not by the detailed description but by the claims and their equivalents, and all changes within the scope of the claims and their equivalents are to be construed as being included in the present disclosure.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device, comprising:

an oscillator including a coil assembly, a variable capacitor, and a negative resistor, wherein the coil assembly is exposed to an exterior of the wireless communication device; and

and a phase-locked circuit connected to the coil assembly and the negative resistor, and configured to generate a control signal for locking an oscillation frequency of the oscillator based on the oscillation signal generated by the oscillator, and to supply the generated control signal to the variable capacitor.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the coil assembly comprises at least one coil.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the at least one coil is a loop coil.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein the at least one coil comprises at least one loop, and the at least one loop has a diameter less than or equal to 2 centimeters.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the oscillator is configured to: the oscillation is performed at an oscillation frequency, and the oscillation frequency is determined based on the variable capacitor and a coil included in the coil assembly.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the phase-lock circuit is further configured to: compensating for a change in oscillation frequency by controlling a capacitance of a variable capacitor in response to a change in impedance of the wireless communication device.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the phase-lock circuit is further configured to: the varied oscillation frequency is restored to the target frequency by controlling the variable capacitor in response to the oscillation frequency being varied by a variation in capacitance of the coil assembly.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 1, further comprising:

a controller configured to detect a capacitance of the variable capacitor and determine that at least a portion of the coil assembly is in contact with an external object in response to the capacitance of the variable capacitor being less than a threshold capacitance.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 8, wherein the controller is further configured to: generating biometric data indicative of the bio-signal based on a change in capacitance of the variable capacitor after the at least a portion of the coil assembly contacts the external object.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 9, wherein the controller is further configured to: a voltage applied to the coil assembly is detected and biometric data is generated based on the detected voltage.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the coil assembly comprises a plurality of coils, and

wherein the wireless communication apparatus further includes a phase controller configured to supply the plurality of coils with respective powers specified based on a target frequency band defined based on the number of the plurality of coils among a plurality of frequency bands to perform communication through the target frequency band.

12. The wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the phase controller is further configured to: controlling a phase and a magnitude of a current flowing into the plurality of coils for a target frequency band among the plurality of frequency bands to communicate through the target frequency band.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the plurality of coils comprises a first coil and a second coil, and

wherein the phase controller is further configured to:

supplying power of a current having the same phase to the first coil and the second coil in response to the wireless communication device performing communication in the first frequency band, an

The first coil and the second coil are supplied with power of a current having an inverted phase in response to the wireless communication device performing communication in a second frequency band higher than the first frequency band.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the phase controller is further configured to: in response to selecting a body channel frequency band from the plurality of frequency bands, respective currents are provided to the plurality of coils having a magnitude and phase specified based on the body channel frequency band.

15. The wireless communication device of claim 11, wherein the phase controller is further configured to: in response to selecting a wireless channel frequency band from the plurality of frequency bands, respective currents having a magnitude and a phase specified based on the wireless channel frequency band are provided to coils among the plurality of coils.

16. The wireless communication device of claim 11, further comprising:

a controller configured to select a target frequency band from the plurality of frequency bands based on whether contact between the coil assembly and an external object is detected.

17. The wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the phase controller is further configured to: in response to detecting contact between the coil assembly and an external object, respective power specified based on a body channel frequency band is provided to coils among the plurality of coils.

18. The wireless communication device of claim 16, wherein the phase controller is configured to: in response to contact between the coil assembly and an external object not being detected, respective power specified based on a wireless channel frequency band is provided to a coil among the plurality of coils.

19. The wireless communication device of claim 1, further comprising:

a stimulator configured to: in response to at least two coils included in the coil assembly contacting an external object, power is provided to the at least two coils.

20. The wireless communication device of claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver configured to: processing an external signal received through the coil assembly; and

a transmitter configured to: generating a data signal to be transmitted to an exterior of the wireless communication device through a coil assembly.

21. The wireless communication device of claim 1, further comprising:

a transmitter configured to: generating a data signal to be transmitted to the outside of the wireless communication device through a coil component by controlling a variable capacitor of an oscillator to have a capacitance corresponding to a frequency indicated by a modulation signal, based on which data is frequency-modulated.

22. The wireless communication device of claim 1, further comprising:

a housing configured to: a coil assembly housing the phase lock circuit and supporting the coil assembly protruding to the outside of the wireless communication device.

23. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein the wireless communication device is configured to: the phase of power respectively supplied to a plurality of coils included in a coil assembly is controlled by switching connections between negative resistors and the plurality of coils.

24. The wireless communication device of claim 1, further comprising:

a receiver configured to: in response to receiving a signal from outside the wireless communication device through the coil assembly, an envelope of the signal is detected and a data signal is recovered from the detected envelope.

25. A method of wireless communication, comprising:

generating, by a phase-locked circuit connected to a coil assembly of an oscillator and a negative resistor, a control signal based on an oscillation signal generated by the oscillator; and

the oscillation frequency of the oscillator is locked by the phase lock circuit by supplying the generated control signal to the variable capacitor of the oscillator.

26. The wireless communication method of claim 25, further comprising: the capacitance of the variable capacitor is controlled by the phase lock circuit to compensate for the variation of the oscillation frequency.

27. The wireless communication method of claim 25, further comprising: determining, by the controller, whether the coil assembly is in contact with the external object based on a comparison of the capacitance of the variable capacitor to a threshold capacitance.

28. The wireless communication method of claim 27, further comprising: generating, by the controller, biometric data indicative of the bio-signal based on a change in capacitance of the variable capacitor after determining that the coil assembly is in contact with the external object.