JP2005094466A - Communications equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To perform advanced processing, while suppressing power consumption by enhancing sensitivity regarding the transmission and reception of user-side equipment used in wearable environment, and to make the equipment itself small. <P>SOLUTION: A resonance circuit is composed of an air-core coil 121 and a chip capacitor 122. The resonance circuit is provided to receive a signal generated from a signal source and extract a signal of a prescribed frequency. The air-core coil 121 is not arranged on a substrate 123 and is configured large, in comparison with other components. Also, the air-core coil 121 is designed to efficiently receive a signal from an electromagnetic field generated by outputting the signal from the signal source. The signal, received by the resonance circuit composed of the air-core coil 121 and the chip capacitor 122, is supplied to an amplifier 74, further subjected to processing such as waveform shaping by processing of a subsequent stage and is supplied to a microcomputer 53. The present invention is used in communication equipment for transmitting and receiving data with the equipment without contacting each other. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a communication apparatus, and more particularly to a communication apparatus suitable for application to ubiquitous computing, in which the communication apparatus itself performs non-contact communication.

  In recent years, the ubiquitous environment has attracted attention. The ubiquitous environment is an environment in which, for example, devices existing around the home such as home appliances have a built-in computer, and each computer has a function of communicating. A wearable environment is also attracting attention. This wearable environment means wearing a computer, but it is an environment in which a user can put a computer on a part of the body and send and receive information anywhere and anytime with the computer.

By developing both ubiquitous and wearable environments, it becomes possible for the computer installed in the user and the computer built in the household electrical appliance to exchange information, for example, to facilitate authentication processing, etc. The situation that can be done will be established. (See Patent Document 1)
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2002-9710

  In order to develop a wearable environment, it is preferable to make a device on the user side used in the wearable environment as small as possible. In addition, since information is exchanged with other devices, it is necessary to increase transmission / reception sensitivity.

  In addition, power is required to exchange information. However, when a battery is provided in a miniaturized device, if the battery itself is small, the drive time of the device is shortened. There is a problem, and if the battery itself is made large in order to solve the problem, there arises a problem that the device itself cannot be reduced in size. For this reason, it is important to reduce the power consumption of the miniaturized device and lengthen the drive time of the device, but it is difficult to realize such a thing with a device that performs more advanced processing. There was a problem.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a situation, and enhances sensitivity related to transmission / reception of a user-side device used in a wearable environment so that advanced processing can be performed while suppressing power consumption, and the device itself. It aims at miniaturization.

  The communication device of the present invention firstly has a predetermined frequency from an input means for inputting a signal, a receiving means for receiving a signal, a signal input by the input means, and a signal received by the receiving means. An extraction unit that extracts a signal; and a control unit that executes control based on the signal extracted by the extraction unit. The input unit includes two electrodes on the side in contact with the living body. The extraction unit includes a coil and a capacitor. The resonance circuit is configured, and the receiving means includes a coil, and one end of the coil is connected to the electrode.

  Secondly, in addition to the first aspect, the coil is an air-core coil.

  Thirdly, in addition to the first aspect, the coil is provided on a substrate on which a capacitor is mounted.

  Fourth, in addition to the first aspect, the apparatus further includes power supply means for supplying power, and the power supply means supplies power generated from a signal having a frequency different from the signal received by the coil. And

  Fifth, in addition to the fourth aspect, the power supply means includes a secondary battery, and the secondary battery is charged with the generated power.

  In the communication device according to the present invention, information necessary for control is input through two electrodes provided in contact with the user side, and a signal received by an antenna configured by a coil. And is taken from. Moreover, the electric power required for performing these processes is produced | generated from the signal acquired by communication.

  According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a device suitable for a wearable environment and a ubiquitous environment.

  According to the present invention, advanced processing can be executed while suppressing power consumption of a device used in a wearable environment, and the size of the device itself can be reduced.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the sensitivity regarding the transmission / reception of the apparatus used for a wearable environment can be improved. Moreover, even if the sensitivity regarding transmission and reception is increased, the size of the device itself can be reduced.

  BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION The best mode of the present invention will be described below. The correspondence relationship between the disclosed invention and the embodiments is exemplified as follows. Although there is an embodiment which is described in the specification but is not described here as corresponding to the invention, it means that the embodiment corresponds to the invention. It doesn't mean not. Conversely, even if an embodiment is described herein as corresponding to an invention, that means that the embodiment does not correspond to an invention other than the invention. Absent.

  Further, this description does not mean all the inventions described in the specification. In other words, this description is for the invention described in the specification and not claimed in this application, i.e., for the invention that will be applied for in the future or that will appear as a result of amendment and added. It does not deny existence.

  The communication device of the present invention, for example, the wearable communication device 5 shown in FIG. 5 in the present embodiment, includes input means for inputting signals (for example, electrodes 31 and 32 in FIG. 5) and receiving means for receiving signals (for example, 5), extracting means for extracting a signal of a predetermined frequency from the signal input by the input means and the signal received by the receiving means (for example, the resonance circuit 73 of FIG. 5), At least control means (for example, the microcomputer 53 in FIG. 5) for executing control based on the signal extracted by the extraction means.

  The coil is an air-core coil (for example, the air-core coil 121 shown in FIG. 7).

  The coil is provided on a substrate on which a capacitor is mounted (for example, the loop coil 131 in FIG. 10).

  The communication apparatus further includes power supply means for supplying power (for example, the power supply unit 54 in FIG. 4), and the power supply means supplies power generated from a signal having a frequency different from the signal received by the coil. The gist is to do.

  The power supply means includes a secondary battery (for example, the secondary battery 252 of FIG. 19), and the secondary battery is charged with the generated power.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration of an embodiment of a system to which the present invention is applied. PCs (Personal Computers) 1a to 1c are connected to a LAN (Local Area Network) 2 so that data can be exchanged between them. The LAN 2 may be configured in a wired manner or wirelessly. Adapters 3a to 3c are connected to the PCs 1a to 1c, respectively. Electrodes 4a to 4c are connected to the adapters 3a to 3c, respectively.

  In the following description, when it is not necessary to individually distinguish the PCs 1a to 1c, they are simply described as PC1. The same applies to other devices.

  The electrode 4 is provided as a part where the user contacts. And when a user contacts the electrode 4, a communication path is established between the wearable communication apparatus 5 with which the user was mounted | worn. By establishing the communication path, data can be exchanged between the adapter 3 and the wearable communication device 5.

  The adapter 3 is provided for communicating with the wearable communication device 5 in a state where the communication path is established. The adapter 3 performs processing such as supplying data supplied from the PC 1 to the wearable communication device 5 and supplying data supplied from the wearable communication device 5 to the PC 1. That is, the adapter 3 is provided as an interface for controlling data exchange between the PC 1 and the wearable communication device 5.

  The adapter 3 is connected to the PC 1 via an RS232C (Recommended Standard 232C) cable or USB (Universal Serial Bus). Alternatively, the adapter 3 may be configured to be integrated with the PC 1 (may be configured to be realized as one function of the PC 1).

  FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a state in which the user wearing the wearable communication device 5 is in contact with the electrode 4. In the state shown in FIG. 2, the wearable communication device 5 is attached to the user's hand 11 like a wristwatch. A part of the hand 11 is in contact with the electrode 4. Further, in FIG. 2, the electrode 4 shows a state provided in the mouse 12. The mouse 12 is usually connected to the PC 1 in many cases, and a part of the button (usually a part touching the user's finger) or a part other than the button (usually a part of the palm of the user). ) Is provided with an electrode 4.

  Further, when the electrode 4 is provided on the mouse 12 as shown in FIG. 2, the adapter 3 may be provided in the mouse 12 or may be provided between the mouse 12 and the PC 1. Good. The adapter 3 may be provided anywhere and in any form, but as shown in FIG. 3, at least a signal source 21 (a device for transmitting a signal (data) supplied to the wearable communication device 5) is provided. The signal source 21 may be configured to be connected to the electrode 4.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 3, the wearable communication device 5 is provided with two electrodes 31 and 32 on the side in contact with the user's hand 11 (the side in contact with the human body (living body)). One of the electrode 31 and the electrode 32 is a signal side, and the other is a GND (ground) side. Here, the electrode 31 is described as the signal side, and the electrode 32 is described as the GND side.

  Here, the outline of the description to be given below is described. Since the present invention mainly relates to the receiving side of the wearable communication device 5, the configuration and processing related to the receiving side will be described, and the description of the transmitting side will be omitted as appropriate. The reception side means a side that receives a signal from the signal source 21.

  First, on the receiving side, when the user's hand 11 contacts the electrode 4, a communication path is established between the electrode 4 (adapter 3) and the wearable communication device 5. The problem is how to receive data efficiently. First, a configuration for efficiently receiving data, in other words, how to increase the sensitivity related to transmission / reception of the wearable communication device 5 will be described.

  Next, in order to perform transmission / reception, electric power for driving each part in the wearable communication device 5 is required. The configuration and processing related to securing the electric power will be described.

  First, a configuration for increasing sensitivity regarding transmission / reception of the wearable communication device 5 will be described. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration example of the wearable communication device 5. The wearable communication device 5 includes a reception unit 51 that receives a signal from the signal source 21, a transmission unit 52 that transmits a signal to the adapter 3, a microcomputer 53 that processes a received signal and a transmitted signal, and The power supply unit 54 supplies power to each unit of the wearable communication device 5.

  When the user's hand 11 (FIG. 3) contacts the electrode 4, a communication path is established between the electrode 4 and the electrode 31. The receiving unit 51 receives a signal (data) from the signal source 21 and a signal transmitted from the signal source 21 (electrode 4) into the air via the communication path. The receiving unit 51 is configured as shown in FIG. 5 as will be described later. The signal received by the receiving unit 51 is subjected to processing such as amplification, and then supplied to the microcomputer 53.

  The microcomputer 53 analyzes the supplied signal (data). For example, the microcomputer 53 stores a user ID, a program, and the like in a storage unit (not shown). Then, as a result of analyzing the signal supplied from the receiving unit 51, when it is determined that the instruction is to supply the user ID stored in the storage unit, the user ID is read from the storage unit and transmitted to the transmission unit 52. Supply. The transmission unit 52 temporarily buffers the supplied data such as a user ID, and transmits the data to the electrode 4 (adapter 3) via the electrode 31 at an appropriate timing.

  The power supply unit 54 supplies power to each unit of the wearable communication device 5. As will be described later, the supplied power is acquired by receiving the power supplied from the signal source 21 side. Or the electric power supply part 54 has a rechargeable secondary battery, supplies from the secondary battery, and not only supplies electric power to each part as needed, but also charges a secondary battery.

  FIG. 5 is a circuit diagram of the wearable communication device 5. In the wearable communication device 5 shown in FIG. 5, the power supply unit 54 will be described later, and is omitted. First, the receiving unit 51 includes a coil 71 and a capacitor 72 connected in parallel. The coil 71 and the capacitor 72 constitute a resonance circuit 73. The coil 71 is also used as a loop antenna in the wearable communication device 5. In the following description, although referred to as a coil, the coil includes the meaning of having a function as an antenna.

  The resonance circuit 73 is connected to one terminal of the amplifier 74. The other terminal of the amplifier 74 is grounded via a resistor 75 and a capacitor 76. The output side terminal of the amplifier 74 is connected to the waveform shaping section 78 and the resistor 75. The resistor 75 is grounded via the other end of the resistor 76 and the capacitor 77. The output side terminal of the waveform shaping section 78 is connected to the microcomputer 53.

  The transmission unit 52 is configured to include an amplifier 81, and buffers, amplifies, and transmits a signal output from the microcomputer 53 as necessary.

  The resonance circuit 73 provided in the receiving unit 51 is provided for receiving and extracting a signal transmitted from the signal source 21. The resonance circuit 73 is configured as described below in order to efficiently receive a signal from the signal source 21. First, an electromagnetic field that supplies a signal received by the resonance circuit 73 will be described with reference to FIG. The electromagnetic field is generated when the signal source 21 transmits a signal.

  The upper part of FIG. 6 shows a state where the user's hand 11 is not in contact with the electrode 4, and the lower part of FIG. 6 shows a state where the user's hand 11 is in contact with the electrode 4. Referring to the diagram shown in the upper part of FIG. 6, when the user's hand 11 is not in contact with the electrode 4, the electromagnetic field 101 generated around the electrode 4 when the signal source 21 transmits a signal is It exists only around the electrode 4.

  In contrast to such a state, when the user's hand 11 is in contact with the electrode 4 (the state shown in the lower part of FIG. 6), the electromagnetic field 101 is not only around the electrode 4 but also around the user's hand 11. Is also present. That is, when the user's hand 11 contacts the electrode 4, the range in which the electromagnetic field 101 exists is expanded.

  This is recognized as a fact, and the mechanism by which the electromagnetic field expands is not a problem here, so the explanation is omitted, but it is recognized as a fact. As an example of the above, one document is listed.

  Katsuyuki Fujii, Koichi Ito, Shigeru Tajima, “Study on modeling of communication system using human body as transmission path”, Video Information Media Society of Japan, Vol.56, NO11, pp. 1845-1849 (2002) )

  By utilizing the fact that the electromagnetic field 101 expands when the user contacts the electrode 4, the resonance circuit 73 can receive the signal from the signal source 21 efficiently. Further, by utilizing such a thing, it is possible to control so that data is exchanged only when the user intentionally touches the electrode 4.

  That is, first, referring again to the upper part of FIG. 6, when the user's hand 11 is not in contact with the electrode 4, the region where the electromagnetic field 101 exists is only around the electrode 4. Therefore, even when the user wears the wearable communication device 5 and is positioned near the electrode 4, a communication path is not established between the electrode 4 and the wearable communication device 5, and data is exchanged. Is not in a state where it is performed. Therefore, it is possible to prevent data from being exchanged by mistake simply because the wearable communication device 5 exists near the electrode 4.

  Conversely, when the user wants to exchange data, the user touches the electrode 4 with such intention. When such a user touches the electrode 4, the electromagnetic field 101 expands, a communication path is established between the electrode 4 and the wearable communication device 5, and a signal can be received from the electromagnetic field 101. Become. Therefore, only when the user intends, the wearable communication device 5 is in a state where data is exchanged. Since the user can control the fact that data is exchanged only when the user intends, the user can control his / her own information etc. Can be obtained.

  Furthermore, if the user actively uses the fact that the electromagnetic field 101 expands by touching the electrode 4 and sets that data is exchanged only when the user is in contact with the electrode 4, Are not in contact with each other, that is, in the standby state, the signal source 21 does not need to generate the electromagnetic field 101 (even if it is generated, the area is very limited around the electrode 4). Just the area). Therefore, the power for generating the electromagnetic field 101 may be small, and the power consumption of the signal source 21 can be suppressed.

  As described above, the electromagnetic field 101 is expanded only when the user touches the electrode 4, and the expanded electromagnetic field 101 can be used efficiently, thereby providing the advantages described above. Then, next, the structure of the resonance circuit 73 for efficiently receiving the expanded electromagnetic field 101 will be specifically described.

  FIG. 7 is a diagram illustrating a specific configuration of the wearable communication device 5. As will be described in comparison with FIG. 5, the coil 71 is composed of an air-core coil 121. The capacitor 72 is composed of a chip capacitor 122. On the substrate 123, a chip capacitor 122, an amplifier 74, a microcomputer 53, and an amplifier 81 are incorporated (mounted). Of course, although not shown, a resistor 75 and the like are also incorporated on the substrate 123.

  Thus, as an embodiment of the resonance circuit 73, a combination of the air-core coil 121 and the chip capacitor 122 can be considered. The chip capacitor 122 is provided on the substrate 123 due to its size, but the air-core coil 121 is provided outside the substrate 123 due to its size. It is preferable that the air-core coil 121 is provided outside the substrate 123 in view of incorporating a circuit for realizing the function of the wearable communication device 5 in one housing. In this case, for example, the size of the air-core coil 121 is configured to be a flat type of 5 × 10 mm.

  In this embodiment, the capacitor 72 mounted on the substrate 123 is used, and the coil 71 is appropriately set to improve the sensitivity of the wearable communication device 5 regarding transmission and reception. However, the capacitor 72 does not necessarily have to be mounted on the substrate 123, and may be configured to be provided outside the substrate 123 as appropriate, like the coil 71.

  In the configuration shown in FIG. 7, the air-core coil 121 and the chip capacitor 122 are connected in series. In other words, if attention is paid again only to the configuration of the receiving unit 51 in the configuration shown in FIG. 7, the circuit diagram as shown in FIG. 8 is obtained. As shown in FIG. 8, the resonance circuit 73 is configured by connecting the coil 71 and the capacitor 72 in series. Thus, although the resonance circuit 73 is comprised by the combination of the coil 71 and the capacitor | condenser 72, the connection system may be in series or parallel.

  Even when the air-core coil 121 is used as the coil 71, as shown in FIG. 9, the air-core coil 121 is enclosed so as to surround a part (or the whole) of the substrate 123. It may be arranged. In other words, the air core coil 121 has an air core inside, but the substrate 123 may be arranged inside the air core coil 121.

  Thus, by arranging the coil 71 so as to be wound around the periphery of the substrate 123, the mounting area of the coil 71 can be saved, and the area of the coil 71 itself can be increased. In addition, it is considered that the effect of such a configuration can be obtained in reducing the size of the wearable communication device 5 itself.

  Various components are mounted on the substrate 123, and there is a metal portion for each of these components, and there is also a metal portion in the pattern portion of the printed circuit board. When it is provided so as to be wound around the metal part, it is considered that there is an influence from the resonance circuit 73 including the coil 71 on those metal parts, but the influence is considered to be negligible. Of course, even if it is considered that there is no influence, taking measures so as not to have such an influence is performed appropriately in design, and there is no way to do so.

  So far, the case where the coil 71 is configured as the air-core coil 121 has been described, but a ferrite core or the like may be placed inside the air-core coil 121. By inserting a ferrite core inside the air-core coil 121, the magnetic flux can be concentrated on the ferrite core, and the coil can be miniaturized. However, in the present embodiment, the coil 71 is installed for the purpose of capturing a signal from the electromagnetic field 101. Therefore, in order to achieve the purpose, the arrangement and the size that are most effective are achieved. It needs to be selected appropriately.

  Therefore, if the ferrite core is provided in the air-core coil 121 for the purpose of downsizing the wearable communication device 5, if the original purpose is disturbed, the ferrite coil is not provided. Better. However, inserting a ferrite coil is also considered as an embodiment, and by considering such a configuration, the design freedom of the wearable communication device 5 is increased, and as a result, a better configuration is found. Can do.

  In addition to using the air-core coil 121 as the coil 71, a loop coil 131 (loop antenna) may be used as shown in FIG. When the loop coil 131 is used, the loop coil 131 may be disposed on the substrate 123 so as to surround parts other than the loop coil 131. If arranged in this way (as shown in FIG. 10), the area of the loop coil 131 itself can be increased without hindering the downsizing of the wearable communication device 5 itself.

  FIG. 11 is a diagram showing another embodiment of the coil 71. A coil 71 shown in FIG. 11 includes a plurality of coils 141. By configuring the coil 71 from the plurality of coils 141, it is possible to have a (high frequency) transformer effect, and if the impedance of the amplifier 74 is equal to or higher than a predetermined value (if it is a relatively high value), it is input. Can be used as a step up signal. Further, if the amplifier 74 has a predetermined finite value (for example, 10 kilohms (KΩ) in the carrier frequency band), the coil 141 is adjusted to be set to the number of turns that matches (matches) the impedance of the amplifier 74. It is also possible.

  FIG. 12 or FIG. 13 is a diagram illustrating another arrangement example of the resonance circuit 73. In the circuit configuration of the wearable communication device 5 described with reference to FIG. 5, FIG. 8, or FIG. 11, an example in which the resonance circuit 73 is directly connected to the electrode 31 is shown. As described above, it may be provided on the amplifier 74 side (amplification stage). The configuration example illustrated in FIG. 12 illustrates a case where the resonance circuits 73 are configured in parallel, and the configuration example illustrated in FIG. 13 illustrates the case where the resonance circuits 73 are configured in series.

  As described above, the coil 71 may be any shape coil. Further, the resonance circuit 73 including the coil 71 and the capacitor 72 may be provided in any part in the receiving unit 51. However, it is necessary to determine the size, shape, arrangement, etc. in consideration of the following.

  First, regarding the size and shape of the coil 71, it is better that the area in contact with the electromagnetic field 101 is larger in consideration of receiving a signal from the electromagnetic field 101. However, the size of the coil 71 is limited to a size that does not hinder downsizing of the wearable communication device 5. Therefore, it is preferable that the coil 71 has a shape having the largest area within the size of the housing of the wearable communication device 5.

  Moreover, the inductance of the coil 71 is determined by determining the size and shape of the coil 71. The inductance is related to the resonance frequency of the resonance circuit 73. That is, in the present embodiment, the resonance circuit 73 receives a signal from the electromagnetic field 101. In order to receive the signal, the resonance frequency of the resonance circuit 73 and the frequency of the signal of the electromagnetic field 101 are equal. Then, the most efficient reception is possible. The resonance frequency of the resonance circuit 73 is obtained by the following equation (1).

共振周波数fは、コイル７１のインダクタンスＬとコンデンサ７２のキャパシタンスＣのルート（平方根）をとったものに、２πを乗算し、その２πが乗算された値の逆数をとったものとされる。

The resonance frequency f is obtained by multiplying the root (square root) of the inductance L of the coil 71 and the capacitance C of the capacitor 72 by 2π and taking the reciprocal of the value multiplied by 2π.

  Therefore, when the frequency of the signal used for communication is determined, if the inductance L is determined, the capacitance C can also be determined from Equation (1). A capacitor 72 having that determined capacitance C needs to be used.

  Next, the arrangement position of the resonance circuit 73 will be described. FIG. 14 is a diagram for explaining the arrangement position of the resonance circuit 73. The state shown in FIG. 14 is a state in which the wearable communication device 5 is attached to the user's hand 11 and is in contact with the electrode 4. In the state shown in FIG. 14, the wearable communication device 5 configured so that the electrodes 31 and 32 are arranged in the longitudinal direction of the user's hand 11 (arm) is mounted.

  In such a state, as shown in FIG. 14, the electric field 151 is generated in the longitudinal direction of the arm, and the magnetic field 152 is generated in a direction orthogonal to the electric field 151. Therefore, for example, it is considered that the loop coil 131 shown in FIG. 10 should be installed in a direction perpendicular to them. In consideration of such a case, as shown in FIG. 10, as an example, a loop coil 131 is formed on a substrate 123 to form a capacitor 122 and a resonance circuit.

  Note that the coil 71 is not necessarily arranged so as to be orthogonal to the direction of the magnetic field. As an example, in an experiment using about 10 MHz as the carrier frequency band, whether the direction of the coil 71 with respect to the direction of the magnetic field is a right angle, parallel, or other directions, The inventor has recognized that there was not much difference in sensitivity. From this recognition result, the factor that determines the sensitivity of the wearable communication device 5 is also related to the carrier frequency band, and the arrangement position of the most sensitive coil 71 may be different in the used carrier frequency band.

  Taking these into consideration, the arrangement of the coil 71 in the wearable communication device 5 may be determined.

  Note that any wire may be used as the wire constituting the coil 71 in the above-described embodiment. For example, you may make it use the litz wire (thin wire | conductor made into the strand wire) for the purpose of suppressing the skin effect by a high frequency.

  Here, the advantage of the wearable communication device 5 having the configuration as described above will be described. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, the wearable communication device 5 in the present embodiment includes a signal-side electrode 31 and a GND-side electrode 32. The arrangement is as shown in FIG. That is, the electrode 31 and the electrode 32 are provided at a position separated by a distance W on the side in contact with the user's hand 11. As described above, providing the electrode 31 and the electrode 32 and simultaneously bringing the electrode 31 and the electrode 32 into contact with the user (human body) side to improve impedance matching increases the sensitivity of the wearable communication device 5. Effective above.

  When the electrode 31 and the electrode 32 are provided as described above, the inter-electrode distance W depends on the frequency band of signals to be transmitted and received. For example, when the signal frequency band is 10 MHz, and when the coil 71 is not provided in the above-described form (for example, when provided on the substrate 123 in the same manner as the chip capacitor 122), the electrode The distance W is about 60 mm. 60 mm is not a suitable size when worn by a user, for example, as shown in FIG. 2 when worn by a user, and is rather too large.

  However, as described above, by providing the coil 71 (that is, by applying the present invention), the inter-electrode distance W can be shortened to about 15 mm. In other words, even if the inter-electrode distance W is 15 mm, good sensitivity can be obtained with respect to transmission and reception, and a signal from the signal source 21 can be received from the electromagnetic field 101. If the inter-electrode distance W is 15 mm, even if the user wears the wearable communication device 5 on the wrist like a wristwatch, it can be said that the size is not too large but appropriate. Therefore, by applying the present invention, the wearable communication device 5 can be provided to the user as a device having sufficient sensitivity even if it is downsized.

  In the above-described embodiment, the case where a signal is received and extracted from the electromagnetic field 101 by the resonance circuit 73 is described as an example, but the signal is also input from the electrode 31. That is, as already described, when a user contacts the electrode 4, a communication path is established between the electrode 4 and the wearable communication device 5, but a signal passing through the communication path is also sent to the receiving unit 51. Is entered. Therefore, the signal input via the communication path and the signal received by the resonance circuit 73 are input to the receiving unit 51.

  The receiver 51 can increase the reception sensitivity by processing the signals input through these two paths. However, the receiver 51 can synchronize the signals input through the two paths or cause a phase difference. It is necessary to appropriately execute processing for preventing the reception sensitivity from being lowered, such as processing at the time of reception. In addition, it is necessary to provide a function for executing such processing. The receiving unit 51 is designed in consideration of such a situation.

  Here, with reference to FIG. 5 and FIG. 16, the signal specifically processed by the wearable communication apparatus 5 is demonstrated. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration example of the wearable communication device 5 as described above. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating signals processed by the receiving unit 51 of the wearable communication device 5. First, the resonance circuit 73 receives a signal such as waveform A. The waveform A is a burst pulse signal of 10 Hz, for example, and is a signal supplied from the signal source 21. As described above, the resonance circuit 73 includes a first path having the user's hand 11 as a transmission path and a second path having the electromagnetic field 101 as a transmission path. A signal is supplied (input).

  A signal such as a waveform A input to the resonance circuit 73 is supplied to the amplifier 74. Since the amplifier 74 amplifies the input signal at a predetermined magnification and performs half-wave rectification, a signal such as the signal B is supplied to the waveform shaping unit 78. The waveform shaping unit 78 performs filtering processing and waveform shaping. The waveform C is generated by executing the filtering process. A waveform shaping process is performed on the waveform C, whereby a waveform D is generated. A signal indicated by this waveform D is supplied to the microcomputer 53.

  Such processing is executed in the receiving unit 51, but the wearable communication device 5 to which the present invention is applied can receive the processed signal, that is, the signal input to the receiving unit 51 with high sensitivity. Is possible. Therefore, when processing the signal input to the receiving unit 51, it is possible to prevent the occurrence of inconvenience such as an error due to the influence of noise received before reception, and to accurately demodulate the received signal. It becomes possible.

  In the above-described embodiment, the wearable communication device 5 side has been described. However, the same configuration and processing can be applied to the side (adapter 3) that transmits a signal to the wearable communication device 5. . That is, for example, the receiving unit 51 of the wearable communication device 5 receives and processes the signal from the adapter 3, but the signal transmitted from the wearable communication device 5 is received and processed on the adapter 3 side. In such a case, the configuration and processing of the receiving unit 51 of the wearable communication device 5 can be applied to the receiving unit (not shown) of the adapter 3. Other parts can also be applied to the adapter 3.

  In order to perform the above-described processing in the wearable communication device 5, for example, the amplification unit 74 or the like requires power. Next, the power supply unit 54 (FIG. 4) will be described.

  The wearable communication device 5 in the present embodiment secures power from a signal supplied from the signal source 21 side. The principle will be described with reference to FIG. The power transmission side that supplies (transmits) power includes an oscillator 201, an amplifier 202, and a coil 203. The power receiving side (power receiving side) includes a coil 221, a rectifier 222, a filter coil 223, and a load 224.

  The power transmission-side oscillator 201 oscillates a signal of 50 KHz, for example. Here, a 50 kHz signal is used as an example, but a signal of another frequency may be used. However, the frequency is different from the frequency of the carrier signal used for exchanging data between the adapter 3 and the wearable communication device 5 (in the above-described embodiment, the frequency is 10 kHz as an example) It is necessary to set the frequency so that it can be easily separated into two signals.

  The signal oscillated by the oscillator 201 is amplified by the amplifier 202 at a predetermined magnification. The coil 203 is driven by the signal amplified by the amplifier 202. When the coil 203 is being driven and there is a power receiving side coil 221 in the vicinity of the coil 203, power is transmitted to the power receiving side coil 221. This means that a pseudo transformer having a common core is configured by combining the coil 203 on the power transmission side and the coil 221 on the power reception side.

  The electric power transmitted to the passive coil 221 is rectified by the rectifier 222. That is, since the power transmitted from the power transmission side is the power of the AC signal, the power received by the reception side is also the power of the AC signal. The rectifier 222 converts AC signal power into DC signal power. The DC power converted in this way is supplied to the filter capacitor 223 and the load 224. The load 224 is, for example, the microcomputer 53.

  The wearable communication apparatus 5 supplies power by this principle, that is, by the principle of transferring power by configuring a pseudo transformer with the coil 203 on the power transmission side and the coil 221 on the power reception side. Electric power can be secured without a battery or the like.

  In the diagram shown in FIG. 17, the power transmission side is incorporated in the adapter 3, for example. The coil 203 can be configured as a part of the electrode 4 (or the electrode 4 itself). In any case, when power is supplied according to the principle described above, the wearable communication device 5 is supplied with a signal for exchanging data and a signal for securing power.

  FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an internal configuration example of the power supply unit 54 in the case of securing power using the principle as described above. The power supply unit 54 includes a power receiving coil 241, a rectification / filter unit 242, and a DC / DC (Direct Current / Direct Current) converter 243.

  The power receiving coil 241 is the coil 221 in FIG. 17 and is provided to receive power (signal) from the power transmission side. The signal received by the power receiving coil 141 is supplied to the rectification / filter unit 242. The signal supplied to the rectification / filter unit 242 is an AC signal. Therefore, the rectification / filter unit 242 performs a rectification process and a filtering process on the supplied AC signal, thereby generating a DC signal and supplying the DC signal to the DC / DC converter 243.

  The DC / DC converter 243 converts the supplied DC signal into a stabilized signal having a predetermined voltage. In this way, necessary power is generated in the wearable communication device 5 by the power supply unit 54, and the generated power is supplied to each unit in the wearable communication device 5.

  In this way, power can be generated from the transmitted signal. Therefore, the wearable communication device 5 may be designed to be driven only when power is generated. However, it is considered preferable that the wearable communication device 5 is always in a state where it can perform data communication (standby state). In addition, since it may be possible that more power than the amount of power generated by the power supply unit 54 is required, the power supply unit 54 is configured so that power can be supplied even when such a situation occurs. Is preferred.

  Therefore, the power supply unit 54 is configured as shown in FIG. In the configuration of the power supply unit 54 illustrated in FIG. 19, a charge control unit 251 and a secondary battery 252 are added to the power supply unit 54 illustrated in FIG. 18. The secondary battery 252 is a rechargeable battery whose charge is controlled by the charge control unit 251.

  In the power supply unit 54 illustrated in FIG. 19, the power output from the DC / DC converter 243 is supplied to the charge control unit 251. The charging control unit 251 supplies power required by each unit in the wearable communication device 5 to each unit and also supplies power to the secondary battery 252. However, the power is supplied to the secondary battery 252 when the power consumed in the wearable communication device 5 is surplus, and the power supply to each part in the wearable communication device 5 is preferentially performed. Is called.

  Further, the secondary battery 252 is used when necessary, for example, when the power supplied from the charge control unit 251 to each unit in the wearable communication device 5 is insufficient, and the secondary battery 252 also receives power. , Supplied to each part. Further, the secondary battery 252 supplies power to each unit in the wearable communication device 5 when in the standby state.

  By providing the secondary battery 252 as described above, the wearable communication device 5 can realize a standby state. Further, by providing the charge control unit 251, the secondary battery 252 can be charged.

  For example, consider a case where the function on the power transmission side is incorporated in the adapter 3 and the coil 203 for power transmission is incorporated in the mouse 12 (FIG. 2), for example. When the user holds the mouse 12, and therefore the adapter 3 and the wearable communication device 5 are in a state where communication is possible, the adapter 3 and the wearable communication device 5 do not always exchange data. For example, assuming that the wearable communication device 5 is used for exchanging data for user authentication, the adapter 3 and the wearable communication device 5 communicate with each other by a user ID necessary for the user authentication, etc. Only when sending.

  However, the time for which the user holds the mouse 12 is longer than the time required to send and receive the user ID, etc. Therefore, even when communication is possible, there are many times when communication is not performed. The time during which communication is not performed can be used as the time for charging the secondary battery 252. The charge control unit 251 makes such a situation determination and appropriately charges the secondary battery 252.

  In consideration of this, it is necessary to incorporate the device on the power transmission side (the portion shown on the left side in FIG. 17) into the device (for example, adapter 3) that transmits a signal for transmitting and receiving data. There is no. The device on the power transmission side is incorporated into a device that is considered to have a relatively long time held by the user, such as the mouse 12 described above. However, in the case where the power supply unit 54 does not include the secondary battery 252 as shown in FIG. 18, it is necessary to supply power. In such a case, all the adapters 3 There is a need to incorporate power transmission equipment.

  The power receiving coil 241 may be shared with the coil 71 (for example, the coil 71 shown in FIG. 5). As described above, the coil 71 is configured to efficiently receive a signal from the electromagnetic field 101. Using this fact, the coil 71 may be used as the power receiving coil 241 in order to efficiently receive a signal for supplying power. When designed to be shared in this manner, among the signals received by the coil 71, for example, a 10 MHz carrier signal signal is supplied to the amplifier 74 (FIG. 5), and a 50 MHz carrier signal signal is What is necessary is just to be comprised so that it may be supplied to the rectification | straightening / filter part 242 (FIG. 18).

  In the embodiment described above, for example, the embodiment described with reference to FIG. 19, the case where the secondary battery 252 is incorporated in the power supply unit 54 has been described as an example. An electric double layer capacitor or a solar cell may be used instead of the secondary battery 252 or as a configuration used in combination with the secondary battery 252. An electric double layer capacitor uses an electric double layer as a dielectric instead of a dielectric in a capacitor. When two different layers, such as a solid and a liquid, come into contact with each other, positive and negative charges are generated at the interface. This is based on the fact that a level exists at a distance.

  Thus, even if the power can be secured and the wearable communication device 5 can always be kept in the standby state, since the communication is not always performed, the microcomputer 53 is always driven. There is no need to keep it. Therefore, the microcomputer 53 is driven as necessary. FIG. 20 is a diagram showing an internal configuration example (only a part of which is shown) of the receiving unit 51 when the microcomputer 53 is configured to be driven as necessary.

  In the receiving unit 51 illustrated in FIG. 20, two lines are provided between the waveform shaping unit 78 and the microcomputer 53. Of the two lines, one line is a signal line 271 and the other line is a trigger line 272. The signal line 271 is a line for supplying a data signal, and the trigger line 272 is a line for supplying a signal for changing the microcomputer 53 from the sleep state to the wake-up state.

  Next, referring to FIG. 21, a description will be given of the transmission and reception of signals for changing the microcomputer 53 of the wearable communication device 5 from the sleep state to the wake-up state. Of the signals shown in FIG. 21, the signal of the waveform A is a signal transmitted from the adapter 3 side, for example, a burst pulse train signal of 10 MHz. The signal of the waveform A has the same frequency as the signal used when the adapter 3 and the wearable communication device 5 exchange data.

  The signal of the waveform A is a signal for waking up the microcomputer 53 of the wearable communication device 5.

  The signal of the waveform B is also a signal transmitted from the adapter 3 and a signal for supplying power.

  The signal of the waveform C is a signal output from the wearable communication device 5, and is a signal transmitted to the adapter 3 side to indicate that in the state where the microcomputer 53 is waked up. That is, the signal of the waveform C is used as a signal for causing the adapter 3 to recognize that the wearable communication device 5 is ready to exchange data.

  In FIG. 21, time t1 indicates the timing at which wearable communication device 5 starts to receive the waveform B signal. That is, after time t1, wearable communication device 5 is in a state where secondary battery 252 can be charged. Thereafter, at time t2, wearable communication device 5 is in a state of starting to receive the waveform A signal. That is, it means that the user wearing the wearable communication device 5 is in contact with the electrode 4, the communication path is established, and the electromagnetic field 101 is expanded.

  Thus, when the wearable communication apparatus 5 approaches the adapter 3 (electrode 4) and considers contact, it will be in the state which can receive the signal of the waveform B for supplying electric power first, and contacted after that. At this point, the waveform A signal can be received.

  When wearable communication device 5 receives a signal of waveform A and then receives a predetermined number of burst pulses, microcomputer 53 is changed from the sleep state to the wake-up state. In the example shown in FIG. 21, the state is set to change after three burst pulses are received, and the time when the third burst pulse is received is time t3. Immediately after time t3, the microcomputer 53 is driven and ready for processing.

  At time t4, wearable communication device 5 is in a state of receiving the fourth burst pulse. When the fourth burst pulse is received, the microcomputer 53 outputs a signal (waveform C signal) for notifying the adapter 3 that the process is ready to be executed. Thereafter, when the microcomputer 53 of the wearable communication device 5 receives the waveform A signal, the microcomputer 53 transmits the waveform C signal. In this way, the adapter 3 and the wearable communication device 5 mutually confirm by exchanging signals that they are ready to exchange data.

  While it is confirmed that transmission / reception is possible, data (for example, user ID, program, etc.) is transferred from the adapter 3 to the wearable communication device 5 or from the wearable communication device 5 to the adapter 3 as necessary. Sent and received. In the example shown in FIG. 21, the communication between the adapter 3 and the wearable communication device 5 is half-duplex communication. Therefore, while one side is transmitting data, the other side only receives data and cannot transmit data.

  In such a half-duplex communication, data is transmitted / received when the waveform A signal and the waveform C signal are not transmitted / received. Of course, other communication methods may be applied instead of half-duplex communication.

  In this way, the adapter 3 always transmits a detection signal for detecting the wearable communication device 5, and when the wearable communication device 5 receives the transmitted signal, the adapter 3 transmits the detection signal to the other party. Send presence signal. In this way, the wearable communication device 5 is put into a sleep state that consumes less power when communication is not possible, and is put into a wake-up state when communication is possible. It becomes possible to suppress.

  As described with reference to FIG. 21, the wearable communication device 5 may be switched from the sleep state to the wake-up state by exchanging a predetermined signal, but the state is switched by another method. You may be allowed to. For example, the conversion of the supplied voltage may be detected, and the state may be switched according to the detection result.

  For example, when the power supply unit 54 includes the secondary battery 252, necessary power is supplied from the secondary battery 252 to each unit in the wearable communication device 5 in the sleep state.

  Even in the sleep state, when the wearable communication device 5 approaches the adapter 3 (electrode 4), a power supply signal is received by the power receiving coil 241. When a signal is received by the power receiving coil 241, as a result, power from the power supply unit 54 other than the secondary battery 252 is also supplied to each unit. Therefore, compared with the state where electric power is supplied only from the secondary battery 252, large electric power is supplied. If such a change in power is detected, it is possible to determine whether or not the wearable communication device 5 is approaching the electrode 4 and further whether or not communication is possible. it can. Then, only when it is determined that communication is possible, if the wake-up state is set, power consumption can be suppressed as in the case described above.

  Data exchange after the adapter 3 and the wearable communication device 5 can communicate with each other (wake-up state) as described above may be performed based on any protocol.

  Thus, by applying the present invention to a device such as the wearable communication device 5 that is worn on the user's body and communicates with other devices, the device can be miniaturized and good communication can be performed. become.

It is a figure which shows the structure of one Embodiment of the system to which this invention is applied. It is a figure for demonstrating the relationship between an adapter and a communication apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating a transmission line. It is a figure which shows the internal structural example of a wearable communication apparatus. It is a circuit diagram of a wearable communication apparatus. It is a figure for demonstrating an electromagnetic field. It is a figure for demonstrating the form of a coil. It is a figure which shows the structural example of a receiving part. It is a figure for demonstrating the other form of a coil. It is a figure for demonstrating the further another form of a coil. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of a receiving part. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of a receiving part. It is a figure which shows the other structural example of a receiving part. It is a figure for demonstrating arrangement | positioning of a coil. It is a figure for demonstrating the distance of an electrode. It is a figure for demonstrating the signal processed with a receiving part. It is a figure for demonstrating the principle of transmission of electric power. It is a figure which shows the internal structural example of an electric power supply part. It is a figure which shows the other internal structural example of an electric power supply part. It is a figure which shows the other internal structural example of a receiving part. It is a figure for demonstrating the signal used for switching of the state of a wearable communication apparatus.

Explanation of symbols

  1 PC, 2 LAN, 3 adapter, 4 electrodes, 5 wearable communication device, 12 mouse, 21 oscillation source, 31 and 32 electrodes, 51 receiving unit, 52 transmitting unit, 53 microcomputer, 54 power supply unit, 71 coil, 72 Capacitor, 73 resonance circuit, 74 amplifier, 75 resistor, 76 capacitor, 77 resistor, 78 waveform shaping unit, 101 electromagnetic field, 121 air core coil, 122 chip capacitor, 123 substrate, 201 oscillator, 202 amplifier, 203 coil, 221 coil , 222 rectifier, 223 filter capacitor, 224 load, 241 power receiving coil, 242 rectifier / filter unit, 243 DC / DC converter, 251 charge control unit, 252 secondary battery

Claims (5)

An input means for inputting a signal;
Receiving means for receiving the signal;
Extraction means for extracting a signal of a predetermined frequency from the signal input by the input means and the signal received by the reception means;
Control means for executing control based on the signal extracted by the extraction means,
The input means includes two electrodes on the side in contact with the living body,
The extraction means includes a resonance circuit composed of a coil and a capacitor,
The said receiving means is the structure containing the said coil, The one end of the coil is connected to the said electrode. The communication apparatus characterized by the above-mentioned. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the coil is an air-core coil. The communication device according to claim 1, wherein the coil is provided on a substrate on which the capacitor is mounted. A power supply means for supplying power;
The communication apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the power supply unit supplies power generated from a signal having a frequency different from that of the signal received by the coil. The power supply means includes a secondary battery,
The communication device according to claim 4, wherein the secondary battery is charged by the generated electric power.

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