Signal Path Loss Simulation of Human Arm for Galvanic Coupling Intra-body Communication

抄録

Galvanic coupling intra-body communication involves the formation of a network between small terminals applied to the surface of the human body and bio-signal sensors embedded within the body. To enable the design of a communication device, it is important to fully understand the signal transmission loss characteristics of the human body, while developing a method that optimizes the transmission efficiency. This study analyzed the signal path loss during galvanic-coupling intra-body communication of a human arm through the application of a four-terminal circuit and a finite-element method (FEM) model, with special attention given to the return path. The effect of the interface circuit of an LC series–parallel circuit that injected the signal into the human body was also examined. Without the LC series–parallel circuit, the attenuation of the transmitted signal was minimized within a range of 2–5 MHz in the circuit model and 3–7 MHz in the FEM model. The addition of the LC series–parallel circuit improved the attenuation by 1.9–5.8 dB at the resonant frequency (2 MHz).