volume | PIER Journals

Abstract

Human body communication (HBC) is a promising wireless technology that uses the human body as part of the communication channel. HBC operates in the near-field of the high frequency (HF) band and in the lower frequencies of the very high frequency (VHF) band, where the electromagnetic field has the tendency to be confined inside the human body. Electromagnetic interference poses a serious reliability issue in HBC; consequently, it has been given increasing attention in regard to adapting techniques to curtail its degrading effect. Nevertheless, there is a gap in knowledge on the mechanism of HBC interference that is prompted when the human body is exposed to electromagnetic fields as well as the effect of the human body as an antenna on HBC. This paper narrows the gap by introducing the mechanisms of HBC interference caused by electromagnetic field exposure of human body. We derived analytic expressions for induced total axial current in the body and associated fields in the vicinity of the body when an imperfectly conducting cylindrical antenna model of the human body is illuminated by a vertically polarized plane wave within the 1-200 MHz frequency range. Also, fields in the vicinity of the human body model from an on-body HBC transmitter are calculated. Furthermore, conducted electromagnetic interference on externally embedded HBC receivers is also addressed. The results show that the maximum HBC gain near 50 MHz is due to whole-body resonance, and the maximum at 80 MHz is due to the resonance of the arm. Similarly, the results also suggest that the magnitude of induced axial current in the body due to electromagnetic field exposure of human body is higher near 50 MHz.

1. Wang, J and Q. Wang, Body Area Communications: Channel Modeling, Communication Systems, and EMC, John Wiley & Sons, Somerset, NJ, USA, 2013.

2. Seyedi, M., B. Kibret, T. H. D. Lai, and M. Faulkner, "A survey on intrabody communications for body area network applications," IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng., Vol. 60, No. 8, 2067-2079, 2013.
doi:10.1109/TBME.2013.2254714

3. Xu, R., H. Zhu, and J. Yuan, "Electric-field intrabody communication channel modeling with finite-element method," IEEE Trans. Biomed. Eng., Vol. 58, No. 3, 705-712, 2011.
doi:10.1109/TBME.2010.2093933

4. Cho, N., J. Yoo, S. Song, J. Lee, S. Jeon, and H. Yoo, "The human body characteristics as a signal transmission medium for intrabody communication," IEEE Trans. Microw. Theory Tech., Vol. 55, No. 5, 1080-1086, 2007.
doi:10.1109/TMTT.2007.895640

5. Cho, N., J. Lee, L. Yan, J. Bea, S. Kim, and H. Yoo, "A 60 kb/s-to-10 Mb/s 0.37 nJ/b adaptive-frequency-hopping transceiver for body-area network," IEEE J. Solid-State Circuits, Vol. 44, No. 3, 708-717, 2009.
doi:10.1109/JSSC.2008.2012328

6. Wang, Q., T. Sanpei, Q. Wang, and D. Plettemeir, "EMI modeling for cardiac pacemaker in human body communication," Proc. Int. Symp. on EMC, 629-632, 2009.

7. Park, H., I. Lim, , S. Kang, and W. Kim, "Human body communication system with FSBT," Proc. IEEE ISCE, 1-5, 2010.

8. Anguera, P. J., D. Aguilar, J. Verges, M. Ribo, and C. Puente Baliarda, "Handset antenna design for FM reception," Proceedings of the IEEE Antennas and Propagation Society International Symposium, 1-4, 2008.

9. Aguilar, D., P. J. Anguera, C. Puente Baliarda, and M. Ribo, "Small handset antenna for FM reception," Microwave and Optical Technology Letters, Vol. 50, No. 10, 2677-2683, 2008.
doi:10.1002/mop.23774

10. Verges, J., P. J. Anguera, C. Puente Baliarda, and D. Aguilar, "Analysis of the human body on the radiation of FM handset antenna," Microwave and Optical Technology Letters, Vol. 51, No. 11, 2588-2590, 2009.
doi:10.1002/mop.24686

11. Pladevall, A., C. Picher, A. Andujar, and P. J. Anguera, "Some thoughts on human body effects on handset antenna at the FM band," Progress In Electromagnetics Research, Vol. 19, 121-132, 2011.
doi:10.2528/PIERM11040408

12. Poljak, D., Human Exposure to Electromagnetic Fields, WIT Press, Ashurst, Southampton, UK, 2004.

13. Foster, K. R. and H. P. Schwan, "Dielectric properties of tissues and biological materials: A critical review," Crit. Rev. Biomed. Eng., Vol. 17, No. 1, 25-104, 1989.

14. Gabriel, S., R. Lau, and C. Gabriel, "The dielectric properties of biological tissues: III. Parametric models for the dielectric spectrum of tissues," Phys. Med. Biol., Vol. 41, No. 11, 2271-2293, 1996.
doi:10.1088/0031-9155/41/11/003

15. King, R. W. P. and S. Prasad, Fundamental Electromagnetic Theory and Applications, Prentice-Hall, Englewood Cliffs, USA, 1986.

16. King, R. W. P. and T. T. Wu, "Currents, charges, and near fields of cylindrical antennas," Radio Science Journal of Research NBS/UNSC-URSI, Vol. 69D, No. 3, 429-446, 1965.

17. King, R. W. P. and T. T. Wu, "The imperfectly conducting cylindrical transmitting antenna," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 14, No. 5, 524-534, 1966.
doi:10.1109/TAP.1966.1138733

18. Taylor, C. D., W. H. Charles, and A. A. Eugene, "Resistive receiving and scattering antenna," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 15, No. 3, 371-376, 1967.
doi:10.1109/TAP.1967.1138944

19. King, R. W. P. and T. T. Wu, "Electromagnetic field near a parasitic cylindrical antenna," Proc. Inst. Electr. Eng., Vol. 113, No. 1, 35-40, 1966.
doi:10.1049/piee.1966.0005

20. King, R. W. P. and T. T. Wu, "Currents, charges, and near fields of cylindrical receiving and scattering antennas," IEEE Trans. Antennas Propag., Vol. 13, No. 6, 978-979, 1965.
doi:10.1109/TAP.1965.1138563

21. Wait, J. R. and K. P. Spies, "On the image representation of the quasi-static fields of a line current source above the ground," Can. J. Phy., Vol. 47, No. 23, 2731-2733, 1969.
doi:10.1139/p69-334

22. Wait, J. R., "Image theory of a quasistatic magnetic dipole over a dissipative half-space," Electron. Lett., Vol. 5, No. 13, 281-282, 1969.
doi:10.1049/el:19690214

23. Bannister, P. R., "Summary of image theory expressions for the quasi-static fields of antennas at or above the earth's surface," Proc. IEEE, Vol. 67, No. 7, 1001-1008, 1979.
doi:10.1109/PROC.1979.11381

24. Balanis, C. A., Antenna Theory: Analysis and Design, John Wiley & Sons, New Jersey, USA, 2005.

25. Dimbylow, P. J., "Fine resolution calculations of SAR in the human body for frequencies up to 3 GHz," Phys. Med. Biol., Vol. 47, No. 16, 2835-2846, 2002.
doi:10.1088/0031-9155/47/16/301

26. Hand, J. W., "Modelling the interaction of electromagnetic fields (10 MHz--10 GHz) with the human body: Methods and applications," Phys. Med. Biol., Vol. 53, No. 16, R243-R286, 2008.
doi:10.1088/0031-9155/53/16/R01

27. ICNIRP (International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection) "Guidelines for limiting exposure to time-varying electric, magnetic, and electromagnetic fields (up to 300 GHz)," Health Phys., Vol. 74, No. 4, 494-522, 1998.

Dr. Behailu Kibret

Dr. Assefa K. Teshome

Dr. Daniel Lai