Patent ID: 6134420
Filing Date: 2000-10-17
Classification: H01Q,H04B

Abstract:
A magnetic inductive communication system that maintains a communication link between a base unit and a remote unit having a relative orientation to each other that changes over time, comprising:a remote unit having at least one aerial for transmitting a first magnetic induction field and for receiving a second magnetic induction field, anda base unit including:a multi-axis aerial array for transmitting the second magnetic induction field and for receiving the first magnetic induction field, the multi-axis aerial array having a plurality of windings, each producing a first signal in response to the first magnetic induction field that represents at least one component of a direction vector defining an orientation of the first magnetic induction field in 3-dimensional space;a selector module having a plurality of inputs and outputs, the selector module inputs coupled to the windings for selecting at least one of the plurality of windings to transmit the second magnetic induction field along the direction vector; anda drive module having a plurality of inputs and outputs, the drive module inputs coupled to the selector module outputs for receiving the first signals of the selected windings, the drive module outputs coupled to the windings for generating a second signal in at least one winding, the second signal proportional to the first signal of the winding for generating the second magnetic induction field having substantially the same orientation as the first magnetic induction field.