JP2001268018A - Communication method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a communication method for wireless communication between plural devices mounted on a live body that eliminates the need for use of a radio wave and an infrared ray, has immunity to an external electromagnetic noise, causes no adverse effect on the live body, and is not interfered by an obstacle with less power consumption. SOLUTION: A transmitter side unit 101 is mounted on a wrist of a person. On the other hand, a receiver side unit 102 is mounted on an ear. The transmitter side unit 101 has a vibration actuator and the receiver side unit 102 has a vibration sensor, A signal is transmitted between the transmitter side unit 101 and the receiver side unit 102 by using vibration of the live body as a medium.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

The present invention relates to a communication method between a plurality of devices attached to a living body.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art When a plurality of devices are mounted on a living body and communication is performed between the devices, a method of performing communication using electric signals via lead wires has been used. However,
The lead wire gives a stranger to a person wearing the device and restricts the behavior. When the device is a medical device, etc.,
The lead wire has an adverse effect on the patient's psyche, causing a problem called spaghetti syndrome. For these reasons, it has been required to eliminate the lead wire and perform wireless communication.

Conventionally, several methods have been used for attaching a plurality of devices to a living body and performing wireless communication between the devices. The main methods are a method using radio waves and a method using infrared rays.

[0004] However, the method using radio waves has several problems. Radio waves have the disadvantage of being vulnerable to external noise. 2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, problems have arisen that radio waves emitted from mobile phones and the like affect aircraft instruments and malfunction medical devices. In addition, it has been pointed out that radio waves affect living organisms depending on the frequency and electric power.

[0005] Further, infrared rays having a narrow frequency width have a feature that they are easily blocked by obstacles. On the other hand, when infrared rays having a wide frequency width are used, there is a problem that large power is required.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to realize wireless communication without using radio waves or infrared rays in communication between a plurality of devices mounted on a living body, and is resistant to electromagnetic noise from the outside world. It is an object of the present invention to provide a communication method which does not cause any adverse effect, is not interrupted by obstacles, and has low power consumption.

[0007]

The present invention comprises a transmitting device having an actuator for converting a signal into vibration of an object and a receiving device having a sensor for converting the vibration of the object into a signal. A communication method of transmitting a signal by giving vibration to a living body via an actuator and detecting the vibration via a sensor on a receiving side, and performing communication using weak vibration of living tissue as a medium. I do.

That is, the present invention relates to a communication method between a plurality of devices mounted on a living body, wherein the transmitting and receiving are performed through the vibration of a living tissue.

Further, the present invention is the communication method as described above, wherein said vibration is generated by applying an unmodulated audio signal to a vibration actuator.

[0010] Further, according to the present invention, in the above-mentioned communication method, some of the plurality of devices are inserted or detained inside the living body, and the rest are mounted on the surface of the living body. Communication method.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a communication method according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 shows a state in which a device used in a communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention is mounted on a living body. As shown in FIG. 1, the transmitting apparatus 101 is mounted on a human wrist. On the other hand, the receiving device 102 is worn on the ear. The transmitting device 101 has a vibration actuator, and the receiving device 102 has a vibration sensor. Transmission side device 10
A signal is transmitted between the device 1 and the receiving device 102 via vibration of a living body.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a transmitting apparatus used in the communication method according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, the transmission side device includes a data generation unit 201, a modulation unit 202, an actuator driver 203, and a vibration actuator 204, and modulates data output from the data generation unit 201 in the modulation unit 202. The output is applied to the actuator driver 203, and the vibration actuator 204 is vibrated by the output.

In this transmitting apparatus, if the output signal of the data generation means 201 is suitable for transmission without performing modulation, the modulation means 202 can be omitted. Further, in this transmitting apparatus, if the output of the modulating means 202 is suitable for directly driving the vibration actuator 204, the actuator driver 203 can be omitted. Further, if the output signal of the data generation means 201 is suitable for transmission without applying modulation and suitable for directly driving the vibration actuator 204, both the modulation means 202 and the actuator driver 203 are omitted. be able to.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a receiving apparatus used in the communication method according to one embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3, the receiving-side device includes a vibration sensor 301, a sensing circuit 302, a demodulation unit 303, and a data processing unit 304. The vibration received by the vibration sensor 301 is detected by the sensing circuit 302, and the output thereof is output. The data is applied to the demodulation means 303, transmission data is obtained as an output thereof, and the data processing means 304 performs various processes.

In the receiving apparatus, when the transmission data is transmitted without modulation, the demodulation means 303 can be omitted.

When the vibration of the vibration actuator 204 of the transmitting device 101 attached to the living body is applied to the living tissue, the vibration is transmitted through the living tissue while attenuating according to the vibration characteristics of the living tissue. The vibration is detected by the vibration sensor 301.

[0018]

Examples of the present invention will be described below.

There is a great demand for a hands-free function for a mobile phone or the like, for example, accidents due to the use of the mobile phone while driving occur frequently. Along with this, wristwatch-type mobile phones and the like have been announced, but since voice is directly emitted from the wristwatch-type mobile phone, there is a problem in confidentiality of communication.

Therefore, in the configuration shown in FIG. 1, the transmitting device 101 mounted on the wrist is provided with functions such as a portable telephone, a transceiver, a wireless communication device, etc., and modulates the audio signal or keeps it unmodulated. Vibration is transmitted to the living body, and the vibration is attached to the ear of the living body.
2, the hands-free function can be realized while the confidentiality of the communication is maintained.

The present invention is characterized in that a signal is transmitted using vibration transmission of a living tissue as a medium, and is also used for communication between a device inserted or detained inside a living body and a device mounted on the surface of the living body. be able to. Communication between the heart pacemaker, capsule-type enteroscopy, etc. and the outside world often uses radio waves.However, in a medical institution, the problem of radio interference with other devices using radio waves can be solved by using the communication method of the present invention. Can be solved.

It is also conceivable that a plurality of communication devices include both an actuator and a sensor and perform double communication.

[0023]

As described above, since the communication method of the present invention does not use radio waves as mediation, it is resistant to external noise.
In addition, there is no risk of messing up instruments such as aircraft, and there is no risk of malfunctioning medical equipment. Further, it does not affect the living body. In addition, there is no need to be interrupted by obstacles as in the case of infrared communication in a narrow frequency band, and it is not necessary to use large power as in infrared communication using a wide frequency band.

As described above, the present invention has a great effect of providing a new selection as a medium of wireless communication.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a state in which an apparatus used for a communication method according to an embodiment of the present invention is attached to a living body.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram of a transmitting device used in the communication method according to the embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a receiving device used in the communication method according to the embodiment of the present invention;

[Explanation of symbols]

 DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 101 Transmitting apparatus 102 Receiving apparatus 201 Data generation means 202 Modulation means 203 Actuator driver 204 Vibration actuator 301 Vibration sensor 302 Sensing circuit 303 Demodulation means 304 Data processing means

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A communication method between a plurality of devices mounted on a living body, wherein the transmitting and receiving are performed through the vibration of a living tissue. 2. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein the vibration is generated by applying an unmodulated audio signal to a vibration actuator. 3. The communication method according to claim 1, wherein some of the plurality of devices are inserted or detained inside the living body, and others are mounted on the surface of the living body. Communication method.