Measurement of the received power in a realistic intrabody communication scenario

Abstract

In intrabody communication (IBC) the human body is an integral part of the signal transmission channel. Previously, we have measured transmission characteristics of the IBC channel in the frequency range from 100 kHz to 100 MHz using the same network analyzer as the transmitter and the receiver, galvanically decoupled from the IBC channel by two balun transformers. In this paper, a proprietary battery- powered transmitter and battery-powered spectrum analyzer mimicking the receiver are connected directly to the test subject. The received signal power is measured for four electrode configurations (transmitter A - receiver A (AA), transmitter A - receiver B (AB), transmitter B - receiver A (BA), and transmitter B - receiver B (BB)) and eight transmitter- receiver distances along both arms. The results agree qualitatively with the transmission characteristics of the IBC channel. It was also noticed that, especially for some electrode configurations, a standing wave occurs between a transmitter and a receiver along the human body.