Communication device, transmission device, and reception device

Abstract

To provide a communication device, a transmission device, and a reception device in which a signal is transmitted from a transmission unit to a reception unit by the occurrence of a resonance phenomenon of a magnetic field, and the signal is a signal of a secondary or higher resonance frequency.SOLUTION: In a communication device 10, a transmission device 100 includes a transmission unit having a first coil 110, and performs communication from the transmission unit to a reception unit at a second or higher order resonance frequency by causing the reception unit to change a magnetic field by a resonance phenomenon of the magnetic field at the second or higher order resonance frequency in the first coil. The reception device 200 includes a reception unit having a second coil 210, and performs communication from the transmission unit to the reception unit at a second or higher order resonance frequency by a change in a magnetic field occurring in the reception unit due to a resonance phenomenon of the magnetic field at the second or higher order resonance frequency in the second coil.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a communication device, a transmitting device, and a receiving device. [Background technology]

[0002] Patent Document 1 states that "wireless connection between chips is achieved by utilizing horizontal inductive coupling." [Prior art document] [Patent documents] [Patent Document 1] International Publication WO2021 / 106777 Summary of the Invention

[0003] In a first aspect of the present invention, a communication device is provided, comprising a transmitting unit having a first coil and a receiving unit having a second coil, and a signal is transmitted from the transmitting unit to the receiving unit by a magnetic field resonance phenomenon occurring in at least one of the first coil and the second coil, the signal being a signal of a second or higher resonant frequency.

[0004] The transmitter may further include an oscillator that oscillates a sinusoidal signal at a second or higher resonant frequency. At least one of the first coil and the second coil may include a parasitic capacitance that forms a resonant circuit. The first coil and the second coil may each include a parasitic capacitance that forms a resonant circuit. The receiver may further include a detector that detects the amplitude of an induced voltage in the second coil in response to a change in the magnetic field, and a calculator that calculates the positional relationship between the first coil and the second coil based on the amplitude detected by the detector. The receiver may further include a memory that stores the amplitude of the induced voltage and the positional relationship, and the calculator may calculate the positional relationship by referring to the memory.

[0005] In a second aspect of the present invention, a transmitting device is provided with a transmitting unit having a coil, and communication is performed from the transmitting unit to the receiving unit at a second or higher resonant frequency by causing a change in the magnetic field in the receiving unit due to a resonance phenomenon of the magnetic field at a second or higher resonant frequency in the coil.

[0006] In a third aspect of the present invention, a receiving device is provided, which includes a receiving unit having a coil, and communication is performed from the transmitting unit to the receiving unit at a second or higher resonant frequency by causing a change in the magnetic field in the receiving unit due to a resonance phenomenon of the magnetic field at a second or higher resonant frequency in the coil.

[0007] The above summary of the invention does not list all of the features of the present invention, and subcombinations of these features may also be inventions. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic plan view of a communication device 10 according to the present embodiment. [Figure 2] 1 shows a schematic diagram of functional blocks of a circuit section 120 of a transmitting device 100. [Figure 3] 2 shows a schematic diagram of functional blocks of a circuit section 220 of a receiving device 200. [Figure 4] 1 shows a schematic diagram of an equivalent circuit of the resonant circuits 114 and 214 used in the communication device 10. [Figure 5] An example of the relationship between the oscillation frequency and impedance in the resonant circuits 114 and 214 is shown. [Figure 6] An example of the relationship between distance and voltage amplitude when the communication device 10 is used as a distance measuring device is shown. [Figure 7] Another example of the relationship between distance and voltage amplitude when the communication device 10 is used as a distance measuring device is shown. [Figure 8] 10 shows another example of the positional relationship between the first coil and the circuit section in the transmitter. [Figure 9] 10 shows yet another example illustrating the positional relationship between the first coil and the circuit section in the transmitter. [Figure 10] 10 shows yet another example illustrating the positional relationship between the first coil and the circuit section in the transmitter. [Figure 11] 10 shows yet another example illustrating the positional relationship between the first coil and the circuit section in the transmitter. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] The present invention will be described below through embodiments of the invention, but the following embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention according to the claims. Furthermore, not all of the combinations of features described in the embodiments are necessarily essential to the solution of the invention.

[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic plan view of a communication device 10 according to this embodiment. The communication device 10 includes a transmitting device 100 and a receiving device 200, and transmits a signal wirelessly from the transmitting device 100 to the receiving device 200 using magnetic field resonance. Magnetic field resonance will be described later. For ease of explanation, the left-right direction in FIG. 1 is defined as the x-direction, and the direction perpendicular to the paper surface is defined as the y-direction, and these directions will also be used appropriately in other figures.

[0011] The transmitting device 100 has a first coil 110 and a circuit section 120 electrically connected to the first coil 110. In the example of FIG. 1, the transmitting device 100 is formed as a single chip. That is, the first coil 110 and the circuit section 120 are formed within a single chip. Furthermore, in the example of FIG. 1, the first coil 110 is wound within the main surface of the chip, that is, within the widest surface of the chip. The circuit section 120 is disposed outside the first coil 110.

[0012] The receiving device 200 has a second coil 210 and a circuit section 220 electrically connected to the second coil 210. The receiving device 200 is also formed as a single chip, and the spatial arrangement relationship between the second coil 210 and the circuit section 220 is bilaterally symmetrical to the arrangement relationship between the first coil 110 and the circuit section 120 of the transmitting device 100.

[0013] 2 is a schematic diagram showing functional blocks of the circuit unit 120 of the transmitting device 100. The circuit unit 120 includes a power supply unit 122, a processor 124, an oscillator 126, and an operational amplifier 128.

[0014] The power supply unit 122 supplies power to the processor 124, the oscillator 126, and the operational amplifier 128. For simplicity, wiring for supplying power is not shown.

[0015] Processor 124 transmits a control signal to turn oscillator 126 on and off based on an external instruction from a user or at a predetermined timing. Oscillator 126 oscillates a sine wave electrical signal of a predetermined frequency based on the on signal from processor 124 and sends it to operational amplifier 128. Operational amplifier 128 adjusts the intensity of the received electrical signal and sends it to first coil 110. As a result, an AC magnetic field of a predetermined frequency is generated in first coil 110.

[0016] 3 is a schematic diagram showing functional blocks of the circuit unit 220 of the receiving device 200. The circuit unit 220 includes a power supply unit 222, a detection unit 224, a calculation unit 226, a storage unit 228, a processor 230, a display unit 232, a communication unit 234, and an external interface 236.

[0017] The power supply unit 222 supplies power to the detection unit 224, calculation unit 226, storage unit 228, processor 230, display unit 232, communication unit 234, and external interface 236. For simplicity, wiring for supplying power is not shown.

[0018] The detection unit 224 detects the amplitude of the induced voltage induced in the second coil 210. The calculation unit 226 refers to the storage unit 228 based on the amplitude detected by the detection unit 224, and calculates the positional relationship between the first coil 110 and the second coil 210.

[0019] The storage unit 228 stores the amplitude and positional relationship of the induced voltage in advance. The storage unit 228 also stores the calculation results by the calculation unit 226.

[0020] The processor 230 sends the calculation results stored in the storage unit 228 to the display unit 232 and / or the communication unit 234 based on an external instruction from a user or the like, or at a predetermined timing. The display unit 232 is, for example, a liquid crystal display or a seven-segment display, and displays the calculation results so that the user can visually confirm them. The communication unit 234 outputs the detection results to the outside via an external interface 236 in a wired or wireless manner. The external interface 236 may be a wired serial communication connector, an Ethernet (registered trademark) connector, or the like, or a wireless antenna, or the like.

[0021] Fig. 4 shows a schematic diagram of an equivalent circuit of the resonant circuits 114 and 214 used in the communication device 10. Fig. 5 shows an example of the relationship between the oscillation frequency and impedance in the resonant circuits 114 and 214.

[0022] As described above, the communication device 10 uses magnetic resonance. Magnetic resonance is also called magnetic resonance, magnetic resonance, or magnetic resonance, but will be consistently referred to as magnetic resonance in the following description. Magnetic resonance differs from magnetic coupling, in which signals and energy are transmitted simply through magnetic coupling between a transmitting coil and a receiving coil, in the following ways.

[0023] In magnetic field resonance, a resonant circuit including a coil is provided on at least one of the transmitting and receiving sides, and signals and energy are transmitted by the magnetic field resonance phenomenon in the resonant circuit. In this case, the transmission efficiency of transmission and reception has a positive correlation with the product kQ of the coupling coefficient k and the Q value of the resonator. The Q value of the resonator takes an extreme value at the resonant frequency.

[0024] In this embodiment, the transmitter 100 is provided with a resonant circuit 114, and the receiver 200 is provided with a resonant circuit 214. Furthermore, the resonant circuits 114 and 214 are resonated at the same resonant frequency.

[0025] The resonant circuit 114 of the transmitter 100 shown in FIG. 4 has an inductance L1 of the first coil 110 itself and a parasitic capacitance C L1 and parasitic resistance R L1The resonant circuit 114 is composed of the first coil 110 and resonates at a resonant frequency determined by these components. In other words, no capacitor element or resistor element separate from the first coil 110 is provided to contribute to the resonant circuit 114. In other words, the resonant circuit 114 resonates at a self-resonant frequency.

[0026] Fig. 5 shows an example of the relationship between the oscillation frequency and impedance of a coil mounted on a PCB substrate, 1 cm square, with a width and spacing of 0.08 mm and 20 turns. In the example of Fig. 5, it can be seen that resonance occurs at the primary resonance frequency around 95 MHz, the secondary resonance frequency around 240 MHz, and the tertiary resonance frequency around 400 MHz. As shown in Fig. 5, the resonance frequency is the frequency at which the imaginary part of the impedance (reactance) becomes zero. In other words, the primary resonance frequency is the smallest frequency at which the reactance component of resonant circuit 114 becomes zero.

[0027] In this embodiment, of these resonant frequencies, a second or higher resonant frequency, for example, a second resonant frequency, is used. Here, the second resonant frequency refers to the second lowest frequency among the frequencies at which the reactance component of the resonant circuit 114 becomes zero. The oscillator 126 in FIG. 3 is designed to oscillate a sine wave of the resonant frequency to be used. For example, in this embodiment, the oscillator 126 oscillates a sine wave of a second resonant frequency of 240 MHz.

[0028] The resonant circuit 214 of the receiving device 200 shown in FIG. 4 has the inductance L2 of the second coil 210 itself and the parasitic capacitance C L2 and parasitic resistance R L2 The resonant frequency of the resonant circuit 214, for example, the secondary resonant frequency, is preferably designed to be the same as the corresponding resonant frequency in the resonant circuit 114.

[0029] Resonance of the resonant circuits 114 and 214 generates an induced voltage in response to periodic changes in the magnetic field in the second coil 210. The detector 224 in Fig. 3 detects the amplitude of the induced voltage based on the time average or peak value.

[0030] In this embodiment, the transmission efficiency can be improved by using magnetic resonance. For example, when magnetic coupling is used, communication is only possible up to a distance of about 1 / 10 of one side of the coil (or the diameter in the case of a circle), whereas when magnetic resonance is used, communication is possible up to a distance of several times the one side of the coil (or the diameter in the case of a circle).

[0031] In this embodiment, the resonant circuits 114 and 214 are operated at a resonant frequency that takes into account the parasitic capacitance of the coils. This makes it possible to avoid mismatches in resonant frequencies due to mismatches in LC characteristics between the transmitting and receiving sides, enabling highly efficient transmission without adjusting the capacitance value.

[0032] In this embodiment, the resonant circuits 114 and 214 use a second or higher resonant frequency. This increases the degree of freedom in circuit design. In this case, a higher frequency is preferable because it allows for a smaller circuit size and may also provide higher resolution when used as a measuring device. In addition, the resonant frequency at which the output voltage of the second coil 210 received by the receiving device 200 is highest can be selected and used.

[0033] Fig. 6 shows an example of the relationship between distance and voltage amplitude when communication device 10 is used as a distance measurement device. Fig. 6 shows an example in which the coils described in Fig. 5 are used as first coil 110 and second coil 210, and a secondary resonant frequency of 240 MHz is used.

[0034] Assume that the transmitting device 100 and the receiving device 200 of the communication device 10 are arranged so as to be relatively movable in the x direction. In this case, as shown in Fig. 6, the voltage amplitude V (mV) detected by the detecting unit 224 of the receiving device 200 has a negative correlation with the distance x (mm) between the transmitting device 100 and the receiving device 200.

[0035] Therefore, by calculating the relationship between the distance x and the voltage amplitude V in advance experimentally or by calculation and storing it in the memory unit 228, the calculation unit 226 can calculate the distance x by referring to the memory unit 228 based on the voltage amplitude V detected by the detection unit 224.

[0036] In this case, receiving device 200 has its own power supply unit 222, so it does not need to be supplied with power for driving from transmitting device 100. Therefore, the absolute value of the voltage amplitude does not need to be large to be used as a distance measuring device that calculates distance x. In the example shown in Figure 6, it can be seen that a voltage amplitude up to about six times the side of the coil can be used sufficiently as a distance measuring device.

[0037] 7 shows another example of the relationship between distance and detected voltage when the communication device 10 is used as a distance measuring device. In Fig. 7, the transmitting device 100 and the receiving device 200 of the communication device 10 are arranged side by side in the y direction, unlike Fig. 1, and are arranged so as to be movable in the y direction.

[0038] 7, the voltage amplitude V (mV) detected by the detection unit 224 of the receiving device 200 has a negative correlation with the distance y (mm) between the transmitting device 100 and the receiving device 200. Therefore, by calculating the relationship between the distance y and the voltage amplitude V in advance experimentally or by calculation and storing it in the storage unit 228, the calculation unit 226 can calculate the distance y by referring to the storage unit 228 based on the voltage amplitude V detected by the detection unit 224.

[0039] 6 and 7 illustrate an example in which the communication device 10 is used as a distance measurement device. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the communication device 10 can also be used as an angle measurement device. In this case, the transmitting device 100 and the receiving device 200 are arranged so as to be relatively rotatable within the xy plane of FIG. 1, and the relationship between the angle and the voltage amplitude V is calculated in advance experimentally or by calculation and stored in the storage unit 228. This allows the calculation unit 226 to calculate the angle by referring to the storage unit 228 based on the voltage amplitude V detected by the detection unit 224.

[0040] As described above, when the transmitting device 100 and the receiving device 200 are arranged so that their positional relationship can be changed with one degree of freedom, if the relationship between the positional relationship and the voltage amplitude in that degree of freedom is known, the communication device 10 can be used as a measuring device for measuring that positional relationship.

[0041] Fig. 8 shows another example of the positional relationship between the first coil and the circuit section in a transmitting device. In transmitting device 150 in Fig. 8, first coil 154 and circuit section 156 are provided on the same chip 152. However, unlike Fig. 1, the first coil surrounds circuit section 156 and is wound around the outer periphery of the main surface of chip 152.

[0042] Fig. 9 shows another example of the positional relationship between a first coil and a circuit section in a transmitting device. In transmitting device 160 of Fig. 9, first coil 164 and chip 162 are arranged on substrate 166 such as a PCB board. Chip 162 is provided with the circuit section of transmitting device 160. In transmitting device 160, first coil 164 is arranged on substrate 166 so as to surround chip 162.

[0043] 10 shows yet another example of the positional relationship between a first coil and a circuit section in a transmitting device. In transmitting device 170 of FIG. 10, first coil 174 and chip 172 are arranged on substrate 176 such as a PCB board. Chip 172 is provided with the circuit section of transmitting device 170. In transmitting device 170, first coil 174 does not surround chip 172; that is, chip 172 is arranged outside first coil 174.

[0044] 11 shows yet another example of the positional relationship between the first coil and the circuit section in a transmitter. In transmitter 180 of FIG. 11, first coil 184 is arranged on side surface 188 of chip 182, not on main surface 186. In addition, first coil 184 is wound within side surface 188.

[0045] As described above, various arrangements of the transmitting circuit and chip and the first coil in the transmitting device are possible. Similarly, various arrangements of the receiving circuit and chip and the second coil in the receiving device are possible, such as those shown in Figures 8 to 11. Furthermore, the arrangements in the transmitting device and the receiving device may be different.

[0046] According to the above embodiment, the resonant circuits 114 and 214 are provided in the transmitting device 100 and the receiving device 200, respectively, and are resonated. Alternatively, a resonant circuit may be provided in either the transmitting device 100 or the receiving device 200, and the resonant circuit may be resonated.

[0047] 2 oscillates with a sine wave having a frequency corresponding to the second or higher resonant frequency, but may alternatively oscillate with other periodic oscillations, such as a triangular wave or a square wave.

[0048] If the communication device 10 itself is not used as a measurement device, the calculation unit 226 in Fig. 3 may not be provided. In this case, the amplitude value detected by the detection unit 224 may be output to the outside, and the positional relationship between the transmission device 100 and the reception device 200 may be calculated externally. In this case, the storage unit 228 may not be provided either.

[0049] 4 does not include a capacitor element and a resistor element separate from the first coil 110 and the second coil 210. Instead, a capacitor element and a resistor element separate from the first coil 110 and the second coil 210 may be provided.

[0050] Although the present invention has been described above using embodiments, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope described in the above embodiments. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various modifications and improvements can be made to the above embodiments. It is clear from the claims that such modifications and improvements can also be included within the technical scope of the present invention.

[0051] It should be noted that the execution order of each process, such as operations, procedures, steps, and stages, in the devices, systems, programs, and methods shown in the claims, specifications, and drawings is not specifically stated as "before," "prior to," etc., and that the processes can be performed in any order unless the output of a previous process is used in a subsequent process. Even if the operational flow in the claims, specifications, and drawings is described using "first," "next," etc. for convenience, this does not mean that the processes must be performed in this order. [Explanation of symbols]

[0052] 10 Communication device, 166, 176 Substrate, 100, 150, 160, 170, 180 Transmitter, 110, 154, 164, 174, 184 First coil, 114 Resonant circuit, 120, 156 Circuit section, 122 Power supply section, 124 Processor, 126 Oscillator, 128 Operational amplifier, 152, 162, 172, 182 Chip, 186 Main surface, 188 Side, 200 Receiver, 210 Second coil, 214 Resonant circuit, 220 Circuit section, 222 Power supply section, 224 Detection section, 226 Calculation section, 228 Memory section, 230 Processor, 232 Display section, 234 Communication section, 236 External interface

Claims

1. a transmitter having a first coil; a receiving section having a second coil; Equipped with a signal is transmitted from the transmitter to the receiver by a magnetic field resonance phenomenon occurring in at least one of the first coil and the second coil; A communication device, wherein the signal is a signal with a second or higher resonant frequency.

2. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein the transmitting section further comprises an oscillator that oscillates a sinusoidal signal at the second or higher resonant frequency.

3. The communication device according to claim 1 , wherein at least one of the first coil and the second coil includes a parasitic capacitance that forms a resonant circuit.

4. The communication device according to claim 3 , wherein each of the first coil and the second coil includes a parasitic capacitance that forms a resonant circuit.

5. The receiving unit a detection unit that detects the amplitude of an induced voltage in the second coil in response to a change in a magnetic field; a calculation unit that calculates a positional relationship between the first coil and the second coil based on the amplitude detected by the detection unit; The communication device of claim 1 further comprising:

6. the receiving unit further includes a storage unit that stores the amplitude and positional relationship of the induced voltage; The communication device according to claim 5 , wherein the calculation unit calculates the positional relationship by referring to the storage unit.

7. a transmitter having a coil; A transmitting device that communicates from the transmitting unit to the receiving unit at a second or higher resonant frequency by causing a change in the magnetic field in the receiving unit due to a resonance phenomenon of the magnetic field at the second or higher resonant frequency in the coil.

8. a receiving unit having a coil, A receiving device in which a magnetic field resonance phenomenon at a second or higher resonant frequency in the coil causes a change in the magnetic field in the receiving unit, thereby communicating from the transmitting unit to the receiving unit at the second or higher resonant frequency.

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