JP3898155B2 - Transceiver, service activation system, and service activation method - Google Patents

Description

[0001]
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to, for example, a transceiver used for data communication of a wearable computer, a service activation system and a service activation method including the transceiver, and more particularly, an electric field based on information to be transmitted is induced in an electric field transmission medium and the electric field The present invention relates to a transceiver for transmitting and receiving information by detecting an electric field induced in a transmission medium, a service activation system having the transceiver, and a service activation method.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Although wearable computers are attracting attention due to the miniaturization and high performance of portable terminals, FIG. 6 shows an example in which such wearable computers are worn and used by humans. As shown in the figure, the wearable computer 7 is mounted on a person's arm, shoulder, torso, etc. via a transceiver 9 to transmit / receive data to / from each other, and is provided on the wall or floor so that it can be touched by the tip of a limb. Communication is performed with a personal computer (PC) 8 provided outside through the transceivers 9a and 9b and the cables.
[0003]
Here, the transceiver 9 used for data communication between the wearable computer 7 and between the wearable computer 7 and the PC 8 has, for example, a configuration as shown in FIG. It uses signal detection technology based on electro-optic techniques that use a signal, induces an electric field based on information to be transmitted in a living body that is an electric field transmission medium, and transmits and receives information using the induced electric field. .
[0004]
More specifically, when the transmission data from the computer is received via the input / output (I / O) circuit 901, the transceiver 9 supplies the transmission data to the transmission / reception electrode 903 via the transmission unit 902, and the transmission / reception electrode 903 is provided. An electric field is induced in the electric field transmission medium via the insulating film 904, and this electric field is transmitted to other parts of the electric field transmission medium. In addition, the electric field induced and transmitted by the electric field transmission medium is detected by the transmission / reception electrode 903 via the insulating film 904, and this electric field is coupled to the electric field detection optical unit 905 and converted into an electric signal. . This electric signal is subjected to signal processing such as amplification and noise removal by the signal processing circuit 906, and further subjected to waveform shaping by the waveform shaping circuit 907, and then to the computer via the input / output (I / O) circuit 901. It is output.
[0005]
The prior art document information related to this application includes the following.
[0006]
[Patent Document 1]
Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2001-352298
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, regarding the data communication between the wearable computer 7 and the PC 8 via the living body as described above, the communication path is not always established, and the communication path is provided only while the person is touching the transceiver 9a or 9b. Established. Therefore, when the PC 8 provides a certain communication service, it may occur that the communication service cannot be provided due to the influence of human behavior. For example, when the time when the transceiver 9a or 9b is touched is instantaneous, even if the PC 8 tries to start the communication service after releasing the limb from the transceiver 9a or 9b, the communication path has already disappeared. There is a problem that it cannot be provided.
[0008]
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and utilizes a transceiver that induces an electric field based on information to be transmitted in an electric field transmission medium and detects the electric field induced in the electric field transmission medium to transmit and receive information. It is an object of the present invention to provide a transceiver capable of quickly starting a communication service when performing communication between computers, a service activation system having the transceiver, and a service activation method.
[0009]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to achieve the above object, the present invention according to claim 1 is a transceiver that induces an electric field based on information to be transmitted in an electric field transmission medium and detects the induced electric field to transmit and receive information. A link signal for determining a connection between the transceivers is generated, and a predetermined signal is transmitted via a link channel that is a channel dedicated to the link signal different from a data channel that is a data signal channel from a computer connected to the transceiver . Link signal generating means for periodically sending out at timing, the link signal input via the link channel, and the information to be transmitted by multiplexing the data signal input via the data channel ; And multiplexing means for transmitting information received from the electric field transmission medium to the data signal of the data channel. And a separation means for separating the link signal of the link channel, and when the link signal separated by the separation means is detected, a drive signal for starting a predetermined program stored in the computer is transmitted to the computer And a drive signal output means.
[0012]
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a pair of transceivers for inducing an electric field based on information to be transmitted in an electric field transmission medium and detecting the induced electric field to transmit and receive information, and the pair of transceivers A service activation system that activates a service provided between computers connected to each other, wherein one of the pair of transceivers generates a link signal that determines a connection between the transceivers, Link signal generating means for periodically transmitting at a predetermined timing via a link channel which is a channel dedicated to the link signal different from a data channel which is a data signal channel from a connected computer, and the link channel And the link signal input via the data channel and the link signal input via the data channel. And multiplexing means for the data signal and the information to be the transmission by multiplexing, anda transmitting means for inducing an electric field based on the transmission information to be the electric field transmission medium, the other of the pair of transceivers Receiving means for receiving information transmitted from one of the pair of transceivers by detecting an electric field induced from the electric field transmission medium; and receiving information received by the receiving means with the data signal of the data channel and the data channel Separation means for separating the link signal of the link channel, and a drive signal for starting a predetermined program stored in the computer connected to the separation signal when the link signal separated by the separation means is detected. And a drive signal output means for transmitting to the computer.
[0013]
According to a third aspect of the present invention, a pair of transceivers for inducing an electric field based on information to be transmitted in an electric field transmission medium and detecting the induced electric field to transmit / receive information are connected to the pair of transceivers. A service activation method for activating a service provided between respective computers, wherein one of the pair of transceivers generates a link signal for determining a connection between the transceivers and is connected to the transceiver A link signal generating step for periodically transmitting at a predetermined timing via a link channel which is a channel dedicated to the link signal different from a data channel which is a data signal channel from a computer, and via the link channel The link signal input through the data channel and the data input through the data channel. And a multiplexing step for the information to be the transmission by multiplexing the items, an electric field based on the transmission information to be executed a transmission step of inducing the electric field transmission medium, the other of the pair of transceivers, the A receiving step for receiving information transmitted from one of the pair of transceivers by detecting an electric field induced from the electric field transmission medium; and the information received in the receiving step for the data signal of the data channel and the link channel A separation step for separating the link signal into a link signal, and a drive signal for starting a predetermined program stored in the computer connected to the computer when the link signal separated in the separation step is detected. The gist is to execute a drive signal output step of transmitting.
[0014]
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
[0015]
FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of a transceiver 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. When the transceiver 1 shown in the figure receives transmission data from a computer via an input / output (I / O) circuit 901, the transceiver 102 uses the data channel (communication transmission path through which the transmission data flows) to receive the transmission data. To send out. The transceiver 1 also sends out the link signal generated by the link signal generator 101 to the multiplexing unit 102 periodically (approximately every 1 msec) using a link channel (communication transmission path through which the link signal flows). Here, the link signal is a signal for determining a link (connection) between the transceivers 1. The transceiver 1 combines the link signal and the transmission data into one in the multiplexing unit 102, supplies the link signal and the transmission data to the transmission / reception electrode 903 via the transmission unit 902, and applies an electric field to the living body via the transmission / reception electrode 903 and the insulating film 904. This electric field is transmitted to other parts of the living body.
[0016]
The transceiver 1 detects an electric field induced and transmitted to the living body by the transmission / reception electrode 903 via the insulating film 904, and couples the electric field to the electric field detection optical unit 905 to convert it into an electric signal. ing. Then, the electric signal is subjected to signal processing such as amplification and noise removal by the signal processing circuit 906, further shaped by the waveform shaping circuit 907, and then sent to the separation unit 103, where transmission data is transmitted by the separation unit 103. And a link signal. Next, the transceiver 1 outputs the transmission data to the computer via the input / output (I / O) circuit 901, and outputs the link signal to the drive signal output unit 104. Then, the drive signal output unit 104 inputs the drive signal. An output is output to a computer via an output (I / O) circuit 901. Here, the drive signal is generated when a link signal is detected, and is a signal for starting a service on the computer.
[0017]
From the above, the transceiver 1 is provided with a link channel dedicated to the link signal, transmits the link signal via the link channel, and another transceiver 1 that has received the link signal receives the link signal and outputs the drive signal. Since the data is transmitted to the computer, the service on the computer can be quickly activated without affecting the communication between the computers.
[0018]
When communication is performed using such a transceiver, communication may be performed using a pair of transceivers 1 as described above, but the transceiver 1 functions as a link signal generation side and a link signal separation side. Communication may be performed using the distributed transceivers 2 and 3. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a circuit configuration of the transceiver 2 that is the transceiver on the link signal generation side and the transceiver 3 that is the transceiver on the link signal separation side.
[0019]
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a service providing system 100 in which the transceivers 2 and 3 are applied to the electronic wallet 5 and the vending machine 4, respectively. The service providing system 100 includes a wearable electronic wallet 5 including a computer 7 and a transceiver 2, and a vending machine 4 including a transceiver 3 and a server 8. Touching 3 establishes a communication path through the living body between the transceivers 2 and 3 so that a service can be provided (for example, a vending machine having a plurality of transceivers 3 as purchase buttons) In this case, a desired product can be purchased by pressing any one of the transceivers 3).
[0020]
Next, the operation of the service providing system 100 will be described with reference to FIG. Here, FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram illustrating communication exchange between the electronic wallet 5 and the vending machine 4.
[0021]
Since the transceiver 2 periodically transmits a link signal, when a person 10 carrying the electronic wallet 5 touches the transceiver 3 which is a purchase button of the vending machine 4, the living body between the transceiver 2 and the transceiver 3 is changed. Communication is established through (step S10). Thereby, since the transceiver 3 receives the link signal, the transceiver 3 transmits a drive signal to the server 8 (step S20). Then, the server 8 that has received the drive signal starts a product purchase service, charges the computer 7 for the purchase of the product, and the computer 7 pays the server 8 accordingly (steps S30 and S40).
[0022]
Therefore, according to the service providing system 100, when the transceiver 3 receives the link signal transmitted by the transceiver 2, the drive signal is transmitted to the server 8, so that the server 8 can quickly start a service for purchasing a product. it can. In addition, a service that does not require the electronic wallet 5 to be taken out or operated can be realized.
[0023]
A service providing system 200 including the transceiver 2 in the vending machine 4 and the transceiver 3 in the electronic wallet 5 is constructed so that the vending machine 4 periodically transmits a link signal and the electronic wallet 5 transmits a drive signal. It may be. FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram illustrating communication exchange between the electronic wallet 5 and the vending machine 4 in the service providing system 200.
[0024]
According to the figure, since the transceiver 2 of the vending machine 4 periodically transmits a link signal, a person 10 carrying the electronic wallet 5 touches the transceiver 2 which is a purchase button of the vending machine 4. Then, communication via the living body between the transceiver 2 and the transceiver 3 is established (step S110). Thereby, since the transceiver 3 of the electronic wallet 5 receives the link signal, it transmits the drive signal to the computer 7 (step S120). Then, the computer 7 that has received the drive signal starts a product purchase service and makes a service request to the server 8 (step S130). As a result, the server 8 charges the computer 7 for the purchase of the merchandise, and the computer 7 pays the server 8 for the purchase (steps S140 and S150).
[0025]
Therefore, according to the service providing system 200, the same effect as the service providing system 100 can be obtained. In addition to this, since the vending machine 4 transmits a link signal and the electronic wallet 5 waits for the link signal, the communication amount of the electronic wallet 5 can be reduced. The power consumption of the wallet 5 can be suppressed.
[0026]
While the embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various modifications and changes can be made to the embodiments of the present invention without departing from the spirit of the present invention. For example, the service providing systems 100 and 200 are service providing systems in which a person wearing the electronic wallet 5 as a wearable computer purchases a product with the vending machine 4, but the present invention is not limited to this. Alternatively, it may be a service providing system that provides other products and services (for example, passage of an automatic ticket gate, unlocking of a door, etc.).
[0027]
In the above embodiment, the drive signal is used as a signal for starting a service on the computer. However, the drive signal may be used as a signal for stopping the service on the computer. In the above embodiment, the service provided by the computer is started when a service providing program stored in the computer is started.
[0028]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, according to the present invention, a computer using a transceiver that induces an electric field based on information to be transmitted in the electric field transmission medium and detects the electric field induced in the electric field transmission medium to transmit and receive information. It is possible to provide a transceiver capable of quickly starting a communication service when performing communication between them, a service activation system having the transceiver, and a service activation method.
[0029]
As a result, it is possible to provide a stable service without being influenced by the behavior of a person wearing a wearable computer.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a transceiver according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a transceiver used in the service activation system.
FIG. 3 is a schematic configuration diagram of a service activation system.
FIG. 4 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the service activation system.
FIG. 5 is a sequence diagram for explaining the operation of the service activation system.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram illustrating an example in which a wearable computer is worn on a person via a transceiver and used.
FIG. 7 is a block diagram showing a circuit configuration of a conventional transceiver.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 2, 3, 9 Transceiver 4 Vending machine 5 Electronic wallet 7 Computer 8 PC, server 10 Human 100 Service activation system 101 Link signal generator 102 Multiplexing unit 103 Separating unit 104 Drive signal output unit 901 I / O circuit 902 Transmission 903 Transmission / reception electrode 904 Insulating film 905 Electric field detection optical unit 906 Signal processing circuit 907 Waveform shaping circuit 910 Reception unit

Claims (3)

In a transceiver that induces an electric field based on information to be transmitted in an electric field transmission medium and transmits and receives information by detecting the induced electric field.
It generates a determining link signal connections between a plurality of said transceiver, through a link channel is another of the link signal dedicated channel and the data channel is a channel of the data signals from the computer connected to the transceiver Link signal generation means for periodically sending out at a predetermined timing ;
A multiplexing unit that multiplexes the link signal input via the link channel and the data signal input via the data channel into the information to be transmitted;
Separating means for separating the information received from the electric field transmission medium into the data signal of the data channel and the link signal of the link channel;
Drive signal output means for transmitting to the computer a drive signal for starting a predetermined program stored in the computer when the link signal separated by the separation means is detected;
A transceiver characterized by comprising: An electric field based on information to be transmitted is induced in the electric field transmission medium, and a pair of transceivers for detecting the induced electric field and transmitting / receiving information are provided, and between each computer connected to the pair of transceivers A service activation system for activating the service provided by
One of the pair of transceivers is
A link signal for determining a connection between the transceivers is generated, and predetermined via a link channel that is a channel dedicated to the link signal different from a data channel that is a data signal channel from a computer connected to the transceiver Link signal generation means for periodically sending out at the timing of
A multiplexing unit that multiplexes the link signal input via the link channel and the data signal input via the data channel into the information to be transmitted;
Transmitting means for inducing an electric field based on the information to be transmitted in an electric field transmission medium;
Have
The other of the pair of transceivers is
Receiving means for detecting information received from one of the pair of transceivers by detecting an electric field induced from the electric field transmission medium;
Separating means for separating the information received by the receiving means into the data signal of the data channel and the link signal of the link channel;
Drive signal output means for transmitting to the computer a drive signal for starting a predetermined program stored in the computer connected to the computer when detecting the link signal separated by the separation means;
A service activation system comprising: A pair of transceivers for inducing an electric field based on information to be transmitted in the electric field transmission medium and detecting the induced electric field to transmit / receive information are provided between the computers connected to the pair of transceivers. A service activation method for activating a service to be executed,
One of the pair of transceivers is
A link signal for determining a connection between the transceivers is generated, and predetermined via a link channel that is a channel dedicated to the link signal different from a data channel that is a data signal channel from a computer connected to the transceiver A link signal generation step periodically transmitted at the timing of
A multiplexing step of multiplexing the link signal input via the link channel and the data signal input via the data channel to obtain the information to be transmitted;
A transmission step for inducing an electric field based on the information to be transmitted in an electric field transmission medium;
Run
The other of the pair of transceivers is
Receiving information received from one of the pair of transceivers by detecting an electric field induced from the electric field transmission medium; and
A separation step of separating the information received in the reception step into the data signal of the data channel and the link signal of the link channel;
A drive signal output step for transmitting to the computer a drive signal for starting a predetermined program stored in the computer connected to the computer when the link signal separated in the separation step is detected;
The service starting method characterized by performing.

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