Data-Sharing Method for Multi-Smart Devices at Close Range.

We proposed a useful data-sharing method among multi-smart devices at close range using inaudible frequencies and Wi-Fi. The existing near data-sharing methods mostly use Bluetooth technology, but these methods have the problem of being unable to be operated using different operating systems. To correct this flaw, the proposed method that uses inaudible frequencies through the inner speaker and microphone of smart device can solve the problems of the existing methods. Using the proposed method, the sending device generates trigger signals composed of inaudible sound. Moreover, smart devices that receive the signals obtain the shared data from the sending device through Wi-Fi. To evaluate the efficacy of the proposed method, we developed a near data-sharing application based on the trigger signals and conducted a performance evaluation experiment. The success rate of the proposed method was 98.8%. Furthermore, we tested the user usability of the Bump application and the proposed method and found that the proposed method is more useful than Bump. Therefore, the proposed method is an effective approach for sharing data practically among multi-smart devices at close range.