Fundamental Study for Optical BAN

For a new optical body area network (BAN) technique, a fundamental study was conducted of optical data transmission through a human body using diffusely scattered light. The frequency bandwidth for data transmission was restricted by the effect of strong scattering inside body tissues. In experiments using human bodies, the possibility of the transmission up to 100 MHz was confirmed. Using the linear equalization process, we can transmit an 800 MHz square wave signal. Data transmission of around 200 mm distance in a human hand was possible. To overcome problems of noise, multipath transmission, and the instantaneous interruption of data transmission, the space diversity (SD) technique was applied to stabilize data communications. The SD technique effectiveness was confirmed through analysis using real optical impulse responses. The feasibility of BAN using diffusely scattered light in the body was verified through these analyses.