Communicating through physical vibration

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9608848-B2
Application number	US-201514920079-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 22, 2015
Priority date	Oct 22, 2014
Publication date	Mar 28, 2017
Grant date	Mar 28, 2017

Abstract

A data transmitter includes a vibration motor and a switch to regulate voltage from a direct-current (DC) power supply to the vibration motor. A microcontroller generates a pulse width modulation signal with which to drive the switch and regulate the voltage to the vibration motor in a sinusoidal manner, to generate data as symbols from vibrations that form a series of bits from the vibration motor. The microcontroller may also cancel and jam a sound of vibration (SoV) created by the vibration motor. A data receiver includes a vibration sensor to sample data from vibrations in an incoming signal at a predetermined sampling rate, and a microcontroller, coupled to the vibration sensor, to control the sampling rate through an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) protocol or the like. A memory card, coupled to the microcontroller, stores the data with a serial peripheral interface (SPI) protocol or the like.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A data transmitter comprising:
a set of vibration motors comprising a first vibration motor to generate first symbols along a first axis at a first frequency and a second vibration motor to generate second symbols along a second axis at a second frequency, the first axis being substantially orthogonal to the second axis;
a switch coupled to the set of vibration motors, the switch to regulate voltage from a direct-current (DC) power supply to the set of vibration motors; and
a microcontroller coupled to the switch, the microcontroller to generate a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal with which to drive the switch and regulate the voltage to the set of vibration motors in a sinusoidal manner, to generate data as the first symbols and the second symbols from vibrations that form a series of bits from the set of vibration motors.

2. The data transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the switch is a NPN Darlington transistor, the data transmitter further comprising:
a resistor-capacitor (RC) filter to remove distortions from the first symbols and the second symbols; and
a fly-back diode to smooth out spikes in the first symbols and the second symbols, wherein the RC filter and the fly-back diode are coupled between the switch and the set of vibration motors.

3. The data transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the set of vibration motors causes associated ringing vibrations when driven, and wherein the microcontroller is further to control the vibration motor to apply a small braking voltage a predetermined period of time after being driven to generate a symbol, wherein the predetermined period of time is sufficient for a demodulator of a data receiver to sample the symbol.

4. The data transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are non-resonant frequencies between 300 Hz and 800 Hz and are separated by at least 40 Hz to ensure non-overlapping sidebands.

5. The data transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller further comprises:
a first raised cosine filter to filter a first carrier signal;
a second raised cosine filter to filter a second carrier signal;
an amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulator to modulate the first carrier signal separately from the second carrier signal, to generate a modulated first carrier signal and a modulated second carrier signal; and
wherein the microcontroller generates the PWM signal for the modulated first carrier signal and the modulated second carrier to generate the first symbols and the second symbols, respectively.

6. The data transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the microcontroller is further to transmit a pilot frequency in a pilot carrier signal from at least one of the first vibrator motor or the second vibrator motor, the pilot carrier signal being transmitted in parallel to the series of bits and to synchronize transmission and reception of the series of bits.

7. The data transmitter of claim 1 , wherein the first symbols and the second symbols cause the set of vibration motors to emanate a sound of vibration (SoV) that includes data leakage, and wherein the microcontroller is further to generate an anti-noise signal to at least partially cancel the SoV responsive to emanation of the SoV, the data transmitter further comprising:
a microphone coupled to the microcontroller, the microphone to detect the SoV; and
a speaker coupled to the microcontroller, the speaker to output the anti-noise signal.

8. The data transmitter of claim 7 , wherein the microcontroller is further to model the anti-noise signal by:
before generating the PWM signal, transmitting a brief symbol;
detecting a fast Fourier transform (FFT) of an SoV of the brief symbol;
selecting a top predetermined number of strongest overtones within the FFT;
combining the top predetermined number of strongest overtones into a revised signal model in a frequency domain;
converting the revised signal model to a time domain to generate a converted signal model; and
generating an inverse of the converted signal model.

9. The data transmitter of claim 7 , further comprising a receiver coupled to the microphone to sample the SoV at a determined frequency, wherein the microcontroller is further to:
output, through the speaker, the anti-noise signal close to timing of the SoV;
increase a sampling frequency such as to increase a fundamental frequency of the anti-noise signal by δf;
detect a phase-lock between the anti-noise signal and the SoV; and
reduce the sampling frequency by δf, back to an original sampling frequency, but matching phase with the SoV.

10. The data transmitter of claim 7 , wherein a residue of the SoV remains after the speaker outputs the anti-noise signal, wherein the microcontroller further to:
model the anti-noise signal before output by the speaker; and
add a jamming signal to the anti-noise signal, as modeled, the jamming signal being pre-padded with zeros to delay release of the jamming signal.

11. The data transmitter of claim 10 , wherein the microcontroller is further to:
during the delay of release of the jamming signal, phase lock the anti-noise signal with the SoV; and
release the jamming signal with the anti-noise signal when output by the speaker.

12. A mobile device comprising the data transmitter of claim 7 .

13. A method comprising:
regulating, with a switch, voltage from a direct-current (DC) power supply as supplied to a set of vibration motors comprising a first vibration motor and a second vibration motor; and
generating, with a microcontroller, a pulse width modulation (PWM) signal with which to drive the switch and regulate the voltage to the set of vibration motors in a sinusoidal manner, to generate data as symbols from vibrations that form a series of bits from the set of vibration motors, the symbols including first symbols from the first vibration motor that emanate along a first axis at a first frequency, and second symbols from the second vibration motor that emanate along a second axis at a second frequency, wherein the first axis is substantially orthogonal to the second axis.

14. The method of claim 13 , wherein the switch is a NPN Darlington transistor, the method further comprising:
filtering, with a resistor-capacitor (RC) filter, the first symbols and the second symbols, to remove distortions from the symbols; and
smoothing out spikes in the symbols using a fly-back diode, wherein the RC filter and the fly-back diode are coupled between the switch and the set of vibration motors.

15. The method of claim 13 , wherein the set of vibration motors causes associated ringing vibrations when driven, the method further comprising controlling, by the microcontroller, the set of vibration motors to apply a small braking voltage a predetermined period of time after being driven to generate a symbol, wherein the predetermined period of time is sufficient for a demodulator of a data receiver to sample the symbol.

16. The method of claim 13 , wherein the first frequency and the second frequency are non-resonant frequencies between 300 Hz and 800 Hz and are separated by at least 40 Hz to ensure non-overlapping sidebands.

17. The method of claim 13 , further comprising:
filtering, using a first raised cosine filter of the microcontroller, a first carrier signal to carry the first symbols;
filtering, using a second raised cosine filter of the microcontroller, a second carrier signal to carry the second symbols;
modulating, using an amplitude shift keying (ASK) modulator of the microcontroller, the first carrier signal separately from the second carrier signal, to generate

Assignees

• Univ Illinois

Inventors

• Roy Nirupam
• Choudhury Romit Roy
• Gowda Mahanth K

Classifications

• H04B1/04

  Circuits · CPC title

• H04L25/4902 Primary

  Pulse width modulation; Pulse position modulation · CPC title

• H04B11/00

  Transmission systems employing ultrasonic, sonic or infrasonic waves · CPC title

• H04B1/16 Primary

  Circuits · CPC title