Motion sensors using cross-coupling

Abstract

Disclosed is a technique for performing one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring with an electronic device, wherein the electronic device has wireless communication capabilities using beamforming technology and includes multiple millimeter wave antenna modules. Each module includes at least one transmit antenna and at least one receive antenna operable in one or more frequency ranges of not less than 20 GHz, the receive antenna coupled to a first branch configured to receive an H-polarized signal and a second branch configured to receive a V-polarized signal. Performing one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring includes detecting the presence and movement of a reflective object or anatomical feature by determining a time-varying relationship between received H-polarized signals and received V-polarized signals of two or more receive antennas.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This patent application claims priority to U.S. Non-Provisional Application No. 15 / 981,558, filed on May 16, 2018, entitled “MOTION SENSOR USING CROSSCOUPLING,” which is assigned to its assignee and is hereby expressly incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure relates to motion sensing technology, and more particularly to motion sensing using transmit and receive communication antennas of electronic devices. Background Art

[0004] Electronic devices such as smart phones, tablet computers, or "internet of things" (loT) devices and appliances can be made more functional by equipping them with motion sensors configured to support gesture recognition and / or biometric monitoring. For example, gesture recognition enables a user to perform certain functions by sliding a hand, finger, or stylus that is close to but not necessarily in contact with the electronic device. Potential uses include, for example: turning the device on / off, adjusting the volume up / down, flipping pages, scrolling pages up / down. Gesture recognition may be particularly applicable when the device does not have a touch screen or when it is inconvenient to touch the screen (e.g., wet hands). The motion sensors contemplated by the present disclosure may also be configured to detect very small movements and can be used for biometric monitoring and measurement, such as (heart rate and breathing rate).

[0005] Without the technology disclosed in this disclosure, the touch or gesture recognition sensors used in electronic devices are generally capacitive sensing, infrared (IR) motion detectors, or cameras with video processing. Capacitive sensing and IR detection require relatively large dedicated hardware; video processing of camera imaging is a very inefficient method in terms of power consumption and computing requirements because it requires continuous monitoring and processing.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for improved motion sensing techniques. Summary of the invention

[0007] The systems, methods and apparatus of the present disclosure each have several innovative aspects, no single one of which is responsible for the desirable attributes disclosed herein.

[0008] One innovative aspect of the subject matter described in the present disclosure relates to using an RF component disposed on a device to sense motion close to an electronic device or appliance. The RF component includes a plurality of millimeter wave antenna modules, each module including at least one transmit antenna and one receive antenna operable at a frequency of 20 GHz or higher. The RF component can be compatible with the fifth generation new radio (5G NR) communication standard. When the RF component is not typically used for 5G NR communications, the RF component is used for motion sensing at a low duty cycle of about 10 microseconds per 100 milliseconds.

[0009] According to some embodiments, a method includes performing one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring with an electronic device having wireless communication capabilities using beamforming technology and including a plurality of millimeter wave antenna modules, each module including at least one transmit antenna operable in one or more frequency ranges of not less than 20 GHz and at least one receive antenna coupled to a first branch configured to receive an H-polarized signal and a second branch configured to receive a V-polarized signal. Performing one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring includes detecting the presence and movement of a reflective object or anatomical feature by determining a relationship over time between received H-polarized signals and received V-polarized signals of two or more receive antennas.

[0010] In some examples, the antenna module can be compatible with 5G wireless communication standards.

[0011] In some examples, the antenna module may include one or both of a patch and a dipole antenna.

[0012] In some examples, the reflective object may be one or more of a user's hands or other appendages or handheld objects.

[0013] In some examples, movement of the anatomical feature may be correlated to one or both of respiration and heartbeat, and biometric monitoring may include monitoring one or both of respiration and heartbeat.

[0014] In some examples, performing one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring may include transmitting a low power signal from at least one transmitting antenna, and the received H-polarized signal and the received V-polarized signal are generated by cross coupling between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna. In some examples, the power of the low power signal may be no greater than 5 milliwatts. In some examples, the low power signal may be synchronized to appear only within a random access channel time slot. In some examples, the low power signal may be transmitted with a duty cycle of less than 0.01%. In some examples, the low power signal may be periodically transmitted during intervals of approximately 100 milliseconds, each interval having a duration of less than 10 microseconds.

[0015] According to some embodiments, an apparatus includes a processor and an electronic device having wireless communication capabilities using beamforming technology and including a plurality of millimeter wave antenna modules, each module including at least one transmit antenna and at least one receive antenna operable in one or more frequency ranges of not less than 20 GHz, the receive antenna coupled to a first branch configured to receive an H-polarized signal and a second branch configured to receive a V-polarized signal. The processor is configured to perform one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring with the electronic device by detecting the presence and movement of a reflective object or anatomical feature by determining a time-varying relationship of a received H-polarized signal to a received V-polarized signal.

[0016] In some examples, the antenna module can be compatible with 5G wireless communication standards.

[0017] In some examples, the antenna module may include one or both of a patch and a dipole antenna.

[0018] In some examples, the reflective object may be one or more of a user's hands or other appendages or handheld objects.

[0019] In some examples, movement of the anatomical feature may be correlated to one or both of respiration and heartbeat, and biometric monitoring may include monitoring one or both of respiration and heartbeat.

[0020] In some examples, the low power signal transmitted from at least one transmitting antenna, the received H-polarized signal, and the received V-polarized signal can be generated by cross coupling between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna. In some examples, the power of the low power signal can be no greater than 5 milliwatts. In some examples, the low power signal can be synchronized to appear only in the random access channel time slot. In some examples, the low power signal can be transmitted with a duty cycle of less than 0.01%. In some examples, the low power signal can be periodically transmitted during intervals of approximately 100 milliseconds, each interval having a duration of less than 10 microseconds.

[0021] According to some embodiments, a non-transitory computer-readable medium stores program code to be executed by a processor, the program code including instructions configured to cause the processor to perform the following operations: perform one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring with an electronic device, the electronic device having wireless communication capabilities using beamforming technology and including multiple millimeter wave antenna modules, each module including at least one transmit antenna operable in one or more frequency ranges of not less than 20 GHz and at least one receive antenna, the receive antenna coupled to a first branch configured to receive an H-polarized signal and a second branch configured to receive a V-polarized signal. The processor detects the presence and movement of a reflective object or anatomical feature by determining a relationship over time between the received H-polarized signal and the received V-polarized signal of the two or more receive antennas.

[0022] In some examples, the reflective object may be one or more of a user's hands or other appendages or handheld objects.

[0023] In some examples, movement of the anatomical feature may be correlated to one or both of respiration and heartbeat, and biometric monitoring includes monitoring one or both of respiration and heartbeat.

[0024] In some examples, the low power signal transmitted from at least one transmit antenna, the received H-polarized signal, and the received V-polarized signal may be generated by cross coupling between the transmit antenna and the receive antenna. In some examples, the power of the low power signal may be no greater than 5 milliwatts. In some examples, the low power signal may be transmitted with a duty cycle of less than 0.01%. In some examples, the low power signal may be synchronized to appear only within a random access channel time slot.

[0025] According to some embodiments, an apparatus includes: an electronic device having wireless communication capabilities using beamforming technology and including multiple millimeter wave antenna modules, each module including at least one transmitting antenna and at least one receiving antenna operable within one or more frequency ranges of not less than 20 GHz, the receiving antenna coupled to a first branch configured to receive an H-polarized signal and a second branch configured to receive a V-polarized signal; and a component for performing one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring using the electronic device by detecting the presence and movement of a reflecting object or anatomical feature by determining a time-varying relationship between a received H-polarized signal and a received V-polarized signal.

[0026] In some examples, the received H-polarized signal and the received V-polarized signal of the low power signal transmitted from at least one transmit antenna may be generated by cross coupling between the transmit antenna and the receive antenna. In some examples, the power of the low power signal may be no greater than 5 milliwatts, and the low power signal may be synchronized to appear only in random access channel time slots. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Details of one or more embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification are set forth in the present disclosure and the accompanying drawings. Other features, aspects, and advantages will become apparent from a review of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the relative dimensions of the drawings and other drawings of the present disclosure may not be drawn to scale. The dimensions, thicknesses, arrangements, materials, etc. shown and described in the present disclosure are merely illustrative and should not be considered limiting. The same reference numerals and names in the various drawings indicate the same components.

[0028] Figure 1 Examples of electronic devices are shown in which some aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0029] Figure 2 A simplified block diagram of an electronic device is shown in accordance with an embodiment.

[0030] Figure 3 Cross coupling between transmit and receive antennas according to an embodiment is shown.

[0031] Figure 4 An example of the effect of an object on the relationship of received H-polarization and V-polarization signals according to an embodiment is shown.

[0032] Figure 5 Another example of the effect of an object on the relationship of the received H-polarized and V-polarized signals is shown.

[0033] Figure 6 Some examples are shown of how the disclosed technology may be used to provide user control input to an electronic device including a display.

[0034] Figure 7 Examples showing how the disclosed technology can be used to provide biometric monitoring.

[0035] Figure 8 An example of a process flow for sensing motion of a reflective object with an electronic device according to an embodiment is shown.

[0036] Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B Examples of methods that a processor may be configured to execute in order to perform one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring are shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0037] The following description is directed to certain embodiments for the purpose of describing the innovative aspects of the present disclosure. However, those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in many different ways. The described embodiments can be implemented in any device, apparatus, or system that includes millimeter-band communication capabilities. In addition, it is contemplated that the described embodiments can be included in or associated with various electronic devices, such as but not limited to: mobile phones, cellular phones with multimedia Internet capabilities, mobile TV receivers, wireless devices, smart phones, smart cards, wearable devices (such as bracelets, armbands, wristbands, rings, headbands and patches, etc.), Bluetooth devices, personal data assistants (PDAs), wireless email receivers, handheld or portable computers, netbook computers, laptops, smart laptops, tablet computers, printers, copiers, scanners, fax devices, global positioning system (GPS) receivers / navigators, cameras, digital media players (such as MP3 players), camcorders, game consoles, watches, clocks, calculators, television monitors, flat-panel displays, electronic Reading devices (e.g., e-readers), mobile health devices, computer monitors, automotive displays (including odometer and speedometer displays, etc.), cockpit controls and / or displays, steering wheels, camera view displays (such as the display of a rear-view camera in a vehicle), electronic photographs, electronic billboards or signs, projectors, architectural structures, microwave ovens, refrigerators, stereo systems, tape recorders or players, DVD players, CD players, VCRs, radios, portable memory chips, washing machines, dryers, washer / dryers, automated teller machines (ATMs), parking meters, packaging (such as in electromechanical systems (EMS) applications including microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) applications and non-EMS applications), aesthetic structures (such as the display of an image on a piece of jewelry or clothing), and various EMS devices. The teachings herein may also be used in various applications, such as, but not limited to: electronic switching devices, radio frequency filters, sensors, accelerometers, gyroscopes, motion sensing devices, magnetometers, inertial components for consumer electronic devices, parts for consumer electronic products, variable reactors, liquid crystal devices, electrophoretic devices, drive schemes, manufacturing processes, and electronic test equipment. Therefore, the teachings are not intended to be limited to only the embodiments depicted in the drawings, but rather have broad applicability as will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art.

[0038] The inventors of the present disclosure have learned that transmit / receive antenna modules operating in the millimeter frequency band (20-300 GHz), which may typically be found on 5G NR wireless devices, may be configured to provide motion detection capabilities that may be suitable for gesture recognition and / or biometric monitoring.

[0039] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of an electronic device in which some aspects of the present disclosure may be implemented.

[0040] The electronic device 100 shown can be a smart phone, a tablet computer, or any piece of user equipment configured to wirelessly connect to a network with the aid of multiple antenna modules. Advantageously, the wireless connectivity can be compatible with 5G NR or later wireless communication standards, which can operate at frequencies of 20 GHz and higher and utilize beamforming techniques, such as multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO) techniques. The example electronic device includes four antenna modules 110 (110(1), 110(2), 110(3), and 110(4)) for providing wireless connectivity, each antenna module 110 including a patch or dipole receive (Rx) antenna and a l×4 array of transmit (Tx) antennas, but other configurations are within the contemplation of the present disclosure.

[0041] Figure 2 1 is a simplified block diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment. For clarity of illustration, antenna modules 110(1) and 110(3) have been removed from the Figure 2 1 is omitted from the block diagram of the electronic display 100. The electronic device 100 may include a front surface that includes a viewing area 101. The antenna module 110 may output signal characteristics to the processor 1004. The processor 1004 may be communicatively coupled to the antenna module 110 and to other components of the electronic device 100. In some embodiments, the processor 1004 may be an integral component of the electronic display 100. In other embodiments, as suggested by FIG. 1, the processor 1004 may be configured independently of the electronic display 100. In some embodiments, the processor may be remotely located, for example in a remote server.

[0042] In some embodiments, the processor 1004 can be configured to recognize one or both of the presence and motion of a reflective object (not shown) based on characteristics of signals received from the antenna module. The viewing area 101 can be or include an electronic display, and the processor 1004 can be configured to control the electronic display in response to the recognized motion of the reflective object, as described in more detail below.

[0043] At least for mmWave signaling using patch / dipole antennas, the signal from the Tx antenna may have significant cross coupling with one or more Rx antennas. Figure 3 A cross coupling between the Tx antenna 112 and the Rx antenna 114 is shown. Each of the Tx antenna 112 and the Rx antenna 114 may be included in the antenna module 110.

[0044] In some embodiments, the signal from the Tx antenna can be a 5G NR uplink signal, such as a physical uplink control channel (PUCCH) signal, a physical uplink shared channel (PUSCH) signal, a random access channel (RACH) signal, a sounding reference signal (SRS), or a continuous wave (CW) signal. Advantageously, such a signal can be sent several times per second at a low power (e.g., less than 5 milliwatts) with a duty cycle of 0.01% or less. For example, such a signal can be sent at intervals of 0.1 seconds in a pulse having a duration of 10 microseconds or less. In some embodiments, the timing of the low power signal is synchronized to appear only within the random access channel time slot.

[0045] In the example shown, the Rx antenna 114 includes an H-polarization branch and a V-polarization branch. The inventors of the present disclosure have discovered that the relationship between the H-polarization signal and the V-polarization signal received through the corresponding branches (e.g., the ratio Rx_H / Rx_V) can be used as an indicator of the presence or absence of a reflecting object. More specifically, referring to detail A, when no reflecting object is close to the electronic device, the ratio Rx_H / Rx_V can have a first value. In the presence of a reflecting object 3000 close to the Tx antenna 112 (in the near field of the Tx antenna 112), i.e., detail B, the relationship changes significantly due to the signals coupled to the H and V paths being perturbed in different ways.

[0046] This phenomenon can be used to detect not only the proximity of a reflective object but also motion. As a result, the transmit / receive antenna module can be used as a motion detector. Where an electronic device (even without the disclosed technology) would typically include two or more antenna modules for beamforming, those antenna modules can be used to obtain gesture recognition capabilities and / or biometric measurement capabilities while adding minimal additional hardware and cost to the electronic device.

[0047] Figure 4An example of the effect of an object on the relationship of Rx_H to Rx_V is shown by plotting the measured received strength of polarized signals of H-polarization (H(s)) and V-polarization (V(s)). It can be observed that in the absence of a reflecting object, the relationship of Rx_H to Rx_V (more specifically, the ratio Rx_H / Rx_V) as measured during the time interval is relatively constant, i.e., the mapped points are relatively tightly clustered in region 401. In the presence of a reflecting object 3000, the ratio of Rx_H / Rx_V as measured during a similar time interval is also relatively constant, i.e., the measured points are relatively tightly clustered in region 402, but region 402 is concentrated at a significantly different ratio of Rx_H / Rx_V. When the reflecting object is in motion, the Rx_H / Rx_V ratio shows significant temporal variation, i.e., the measured points are widely scattered within the area 403, and are concentrated at yet a different ratio of Rx_H / Rx_V when measured during similar time intervals. As a result, the presence of a moving object can be detected by a single antenna receiver and distinguished from both the absence of a reflecting object and the presence of a stationary object.

[0048] Figure 5 Another example of the effect of an object on the ratio of Rx_H / Rx_V is shown by plotting the measured received strength of H-polarized (H(s)) and V-polarized (V(s)) polarized signals. Figure 5 As indicated, in the absence of a reflective object, the ratio of Rx_H / Rx_V is relatively constant, i.e., the measured points are relatively tightly clustered in region 501. In the presence of a reflective object, the ratio of Rx_H / Rx_V remains fairly constant, but is concentrated at a significantly different ratio of Rx_H / Rx_V in region 502. When the reflective object is in motion, the Rx_H / Rx_V ratio shows significant changes, i.e., the measured points are widely dispersed, and are concentrated at yet another different ratio of Rx_H / Rx_V. Figure 5 Also shown is the effect of the distance of the object from the electronic device on the ratio of Rx_H / Rx_V. It can be observed that each of the region 503 corresponding to the first distance, the region 504 corresponding to the fourth distance, and the region 505 corresponding to the fifth distance exhibits similar dispersion but is concentrated at different positions on the graph.

[0049] The inventors of the present disclosure have understood that, in view of the phenomena described above, an electronic device can be configured to identify the movement of a reflective object. At least when the electronic device includes two or more independently arranged pairs of Tx / Rx antennas, the characteristics of the movement (including direction and rate) can be obtained. By appropriate adjustment, various proportions of sensitivity to movement can be obtained. For example, in some embodiments, the position and direction of a "gesture" can be identified, and a gesture is, for example, the movement of a user's hand or other appendage or a handheld object within a distance within a range of 0.1-10 inches. In this embodiment, gesture recognition can be used to provide control input to the electronic device. In other embodiments, smaller-scale movements can be detected. For example, an electronic device can be adjusted to be sensitive to movements within a range of 0.01-0.5 inches. In this embodiment, the disclosed technology can be used for biometric monitoring to detect or measure the breathing or heart rate of a user or patient.

[0050] Figure 6 Some examples of how the disclosed technology can be used to provide user control input to an electronic device (including a display) are shown. In some embodiments, the electronic device can be a portable device such as a tablet, a smart phone, or a smart watch. In other embodiments, the electronic device can be wall-mounted (e.g., a thermostat controller, or an advertising / shopping display), installed to an appliance (e.g., a refrigerator, an electric stove, or a dishwasher), or incorporated into a kiosk, a user terminal, or a workstation. The electronic device includes a plurality of Rx and Tx antennas as described above, and may include a processor coupled to at least the Rx antenna or coupled to the processor. The processor may be configured to receive corresponding Rx_H and Rx_V signals cross-coupled with the Tx antenna from the Rx antenna. By analyzing the signal strength of the Rx_H signal of the received signal relative to the time variation of the Rx_V signal from two or more independently arranged pairs of Tx and Rx antennas, the processor can determine the presence and direction of the motion of a reflecting object (such as a user's appendage or a handheld object, such as a stylus).

[0051] In some embodiments, for example, referring to detail C, a sliding gesture close to antenna module 110 (1) can be recognized by the processor as a user command for turning on or off a portion or all of the display in viewing area 101. The processor can analyze the user's input through receiving antenna R xl and R x2The processor may recognize a gesture based on the cross-coupling signals received by the receiving antenna as part of the antenna modules 110(1) and 110(3). As another example, referring to detail D, a sliding gesture between the antenna modules 110(1) and 110(3) may be recognized by the processor as a user command for flipping the page displayed in the viewing area 101. The processor may recognize a gesture based on analyzing the cross-coupling signals received by the receiving antenna as part of the antenna modules 110(1) and 110(3). Similarly, referring to detail E, a sliding gesture approaching the antenna module 110(3) may be recognized by the processor as a user command for scrolling up or down the content displayed in the viewing area 101. As yet another example, referring to detail F, a sliding gesture approaching the antenna module 110(1) may be recognized by the processor as a user command for increasing or decreasing the volume of the speaker of the electronic device.

[0052] Figure 7 An example of how the disclosed technology can be used to provide biometric monitoring is shown. The electronic device 700 can be configured as a wearable device, such as a smart watch or an activity tracker. The electronic device can include two or more independently arranged pairs of Tx / Rx antennas (not shown). The electronic device 700 can be adjusted to be sensitive to movements as small as 0.01 inches and used for biometric monitoring of anatomical features of the individual wearing the device. For example, the electronic device 700 can be adjusted to detect or measure smaller movements of the wearer's skin caused by the heartbeat, and thereby determine the wearer's pulse rate. As another example, it should be understood that the wearable electronic device can be configured as a chest strap or patch and adjusted to be sensitive to movements in the range of 0.1-0.5 inches, for example, for the purpose of measuring respiratory rate. For example, such an electronic device can be adapted for use in clinical and / or sports environments.

[0053] Figure 8 An example of a process flow for sensing the motion of a reflective object with an electronic device is shown. As described above, the electronic device can provide wireless communication capabilities using beamforming technology. The electronic device can include multiple millimeter wave antenna modules, each module including at least one transmit antenna and at least one receive antenna operable in one or more frequency ranges of not less than 20 GHz, the receive antenna coupled to a first branch configured to receive an H-polarized signal and a second branch configured to receive a V-polarized signal. Method 800 includes a box 810 for detecting the presence and motion of a reflective object or anatomical feature by determining a time-varying relationship between a received H-polarized signal and a received V-polarized signal of two or more receive antennas.

[0054] In some embodiments, step 810 is preceded by step 820 and step 830, wherein, at step 820, a low-power signal is transmitted from at least one transmitting antenna, and at step 830, an H-polarized signal and a V-polarized signal are received at two or more receiving antennas, the H-polarized signal and the V-polarized signal being generated by cross-coupling between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna.

[0055] As indicated above, the electronic device may include or be coupled to a processor that is configured to perform one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring with the electronic device by detecting the presence and movement of a reflective object or anatomical feature by determining a time-varying relationship of a received H-polarized signal to a received V-polarized signal. Fig. 9A and Fig. 9B Examples of methods that a processor may be configured to execute in order to perform one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring are shown.

[0056] First reference Fig. 9A , the processor may receive ("capture") N signal samples of H-polarized signals and V-polarized signals from one or more Rx antennas at discrete time intervals, which are characterized as H t (n) and V t (n). In the example shown, N samples are captured during three sampling periods (during time t0, during time t1, and during time t2). Although three sampling periods are shown in the illustrated embodiment, the present disclosure contemplates two, four, or more sampling periods. Each sampling period may have a duration of, for example, 2-10 microseconds, and may be separated by intervals of, for example, 0.05-0.2 seconds. In the case where the sampling period is 5 microseconds and the interval between samples is, for example, 0.1 seconds, the method may begin by capturing a first set of N samples at box 901, then capturing a second set of N samples at box 902 approximately 0.1 seconds later, then capturing a third set of N samples at box 903 approximately 0.1 seconds later.

[0057] At block 904, each sample H in the first sample set may be t (n) and V t (n) and performing a Fast Fourier Transform on each subsequent sample set (the FFT process blocks for the subsequent sample sets are omitted for clarity of illustration). The H of the captured samples of the H-polarized signal and the V-polarized signal generated by the FFT transform t (K) and V tA frequency domain value of (K) may be obtained for each sample set, where K is a continuous wave (CW) tone index in the example shown. Next, the processor may determine H t (K) and V t In the example shown, the relationship is a ratio determined for the first sample set at block 921. Other mathematical relationships (e.g., differences) are contemplated, but in the example shown, ratios A, B, and C are determined for the first sample set, the second sample set, and the third sample set, respectively.

[0058] Reference Fig. 9B , the ratios A, B, and C are used to calculate the three corresponding values ​​of the squared Euclidean distance d 2 AB (Frame 931), d 2 BC (Block 932) and d 2 AC (Block 933) and the three corresponding values ​​of ρ(Rho) AB (Block 941), BC (Block 942) and p AC (Block 943). Each calculated value of Rho will be between zero and one. Values ​​closer to one indicate little change in the sampled values ​​of Rx_H / Rx_V, and therefore indicate a reduced likelihood of a moving reflective object. Values ​​closer to zero indicate a larger change in the sampled values ​​of Rx_H / Rx_V, and therefore indicate an increased likelihood of a moving reflective object. Thus, the method may be performed at block 950 by selecting Rho. AB , BC and ρ AC At block 960, a signal to noise ratio (SNR) metric may be calculated, and at block 970, the processor may make a determination that motion is sensed if and only if the calculated SNR is less than a criterion (“sensing threshold”) that may be determined empirically. After a determination has been made that motion has been sensed, characteristics of the motion (including direction and speed) may be obtained by comparing signals from two or more receive antennas.

[0059] Thus, techniques for motion sensing using cross-coupling have been disclosed. It will be appreciated that a number of alternative configurations and operating techniques are contemplated.

[0060] As used herein, a phrase referring to "at least one of" a list of items refers to any combination of those items, including single members. As an example, "at least one of a, b, or C" is intended to cover: a, b, c, ab, ac, bc, and abc.

[0061] The various illustrative logics, logical blocks, modules, circuits, and algorithmic processes described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein may be implemented as electronic hardware, computer software, or a combination of both. The interchangeability of hardware and software has been generally described in terms of functionality and illustrated in the various illustrative components, blocks, modules, circuits, and processes described above. Whether such functionality is implemented in hardware or software depends on the specific application and design constraints imposed on the overall system.

[0062] The hardware and data processing apparatus for implementing the various illustrative logics, logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the aspects disclosed herein may be implemented or performed by a general purpose single-chip processor or multi-chip processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic, discrete hardware components, or any combination thereof designed to perform the functions described herein. A general purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, controller, microcontroller, or state machine. The processor may also be implemented as a combination of computing devices, such as a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, multiple microprocessors, one or more microprocessors in conjunction with a DSP core, or any other such configuration. In some embodiments, specific processes and methods may be performed by circuits specific to a given function.

[0063] In one or more aspects, the functions described may be implemented in hardware, digital electronic circuitry, computer software, solid (including the structures disclosed in this specification and their structural equivalents), or any combination thereof. The embodiments of the subject matter described in this specification may also be implemented as one or more computer programs, i.e., one or more modules of computer program instructions, encoded on computer storage media for execution by data processing apparatus or to control the operation of the data processing apparatus.

[0064] If implemented in software, the function can be stored as one or more instructions or program codes on a computer-readable medium (such as a non-transitory medium) or sent via a computer-readable medium (such as a non-transitory medium). The process of the method or algorithm disclosed herein can be implemented in a processor executable software module that can reside on a computer-readable medium. Computer-readable media include both computer storage media and communication media, including any medium that can be implemented to transfer a computer program from one place to another. The storage medium can be any available medium that can be accessed by a computer. As an example and not limitation, non-transitory media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, disk storage or other magnetic storage device or any other medium that can be used to store the required program code in the form of an instruction or data structure and can be accessed by a computer. And, any connection can be properly referred to as a computer-readable medium. Disks and optical disks as used herein include compact discs (CDs), laser optical disks, optical optical disks, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks and blue-ray discs, wherein disks usually reproduce data magnetically, and optical disks reproduce data optically with lasers. The combination of the above items should also be included in the scope of computer-readable media. Additionally, the operations of a method or algorithm may reside as one or any combination or set of codes and instructions on machine-readable and computer-readable media, which may be incorporated into a computer program product.

[0065] Various modifications of the embodiments described in the present disclosure may be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be applied to other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown herein, but should conform to the broadest scope consistent with the claims, principles, and novel features disclosed herein. The word "exemplary" is used exclusively herein (if present) to mean "serving as an example, instance, or illustration." Any embodiment described herein as "exemplary" is not necessarily to be construed as being better or more advantageous than other implementations.

[0066] Certain features described in this specification in the context of separate embodiments may also be implemented in combination in a single embodiment. Conversely, various features described in the context of a single embodiment may also be implemented separately in multiple embodiments or in any suitable subcombination. Furthermore, although features may be described above as functioning in certain combinations and even initially claimed as such, one or more features from a claimed combination may in some cases be deleted from that combination, and a claimed combination may be directed to a subcombination or variations of a subcombination.

[0067] Similarly, although the operations are depicted in a specific order in the accompanying drawings, this should not be understood as requiring such operations to be performed in the specific order shown or in a sequential order, or requiring all the operations shown to be performed to achieve the desired result. In addition, the accompanying drawings can schematically depict more than one example program in the form of a flow chart. However, other operations not depicted can be incorporated into the example process of the schematic illustration. For example, one or more additional operations can be performed before, after, at the same time or between any one of the operations shown. In some cases, multitasking and parallel processing can be advantageous. In addition, the separation of various system components in the above-mentioned embodiments should not be understood as requiring this separation in all embodiments, and it should be understood that the described program components and systems can be generally integrated together in a single software product or packaged into multiple software products. In addition, other embodiments are within the scope of the appended claims. In some cases, the actions described in the claims can be performed in different orders and still achieve the desired result.

[0068] It will be understood that unless it is explicitly indicated that the features of any of the embodiments described in particular are incompatible with each other, or the surrounding context implies that they are mutually exclusive and not easily combined in a complementary and / or supporting sense, the entire content of this disclosure contemplates and envisions that the specific features of those complementary embodiments can be selectively combined to provide one or more comprehensive, but slightly different technical solutions. It is therefore further understood that the above description has been given only by way of example, and detailed modifications may be made within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A method for motion sensing, comprising: performing one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring with an electronic device having wireless communication capabilities using beamforming technology and comprising a plurality of millimeter wave antenna modules, wherein the antenna modules are compatible with 5G wireless communication standards, each module comprising at least one transmit antenna and at least one receive antenna operable in one or more frequency ranges of not less than 20 GHz, the receive antenna being coupled to a first branch configured to receive an H-polarized signal and a second branch configured to receive a V-polarized signal; Wherein, performing one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring includes: detecting the presence or absence of a reflective object or anatomical feature and detecting the movement of the reflective object or anatomical feature by determining the time-varying relationship between the received H-polarization signal and the received V-polarization signal of two or more receiving antennas.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein: The antenna module includes one or both of a patch and a dipole antenna.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein: The reflective object is one or more of the user's hands or other appendages or handheld objects.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein: The movement of the anatomical feature is associated with one or both of respiration and heartbeat, and the biometric monitoring includes monitoring one or both of respiration and heartbeat.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein: The performing of one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring includes transmitting a low-power signal from the at least one transmitting antenna, and receiving the H-polarized signal and the V-polarized signal at the two or more receiving antennas, the received H-polarized signal and the received V-polarized signal being generated by cross-coupling between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein: The power of the low-power signal is no more than 5 milliwatts.

7. The method of claim 5, wherein: The low power signal is synchronized to appear only during random access channel time slots.

8. The method of claim 5, wherein: The low power signal is transmitted with a duty cycle of less than 0.01%.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein: The low power signal is transmitted periodically during intervals approximately 100 milliseconds apart, each interval having a duration of less than 10 microseconds.

10. A device for motion sensing, comprising: A processor and an electronic device having wireless communication capabilities using beamforming technology and including a plurality of millimeter wave antenna modules, wherein the antenna modules are compatible with 5G wireless communication standards, each module including at least one transmit antenna and at least one receive antenna operable in one or more frequency ranges of not less than 20 GHz, the receive antenna coupled to a first branch configured to receive an H-polarized signal and a second branch configured to receive a V-polarized signal; and The processor is configured to perform one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring with the electronic device by detecting the presence and movement of a reflective object or anatomical feature by determining a time-varying relationship of a received H-polarized signal to a received V-polarized signal.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein: The antenna module includes one or both of a patch and a dipole antenna.

12. The device of claim 10, wherein: The reflective object is one or more of the user's hands or other appendages or handheld objects.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein: The movement of the anatomical feature is associated with one or both of respiration and heartbeat, and the biometric monitoring includes monitoring one or both of respiration and heartbeat.

14. The device of claim 10, wherein: The received H-polarized signal and the received V-polarized signal of the low power signal transmitted from the at least one transmitting antenna are generated by cross coupling between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna.

15. The device of claim 14, wherein: The power of the power signal is no greater than 5 milliwatts.

16. The device of claim 14, wherein: The low power signal is synchronized to appear only during random access channel time slots.

17. The device of claim 14, wherein: The low power signal is transmitted with a duty cycle of less than 0.01%.

18. The device of claim 17, wherein: The low power signal is transmitted periodically during intervals approximately 100 milliseconds apart, each interval having a duration of less than 10 microseconds.

19. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing program code to be executed by a processor, the program code comprising instructions configured to cause the processor to: One or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring is performed with an electronic device having wireless communication capabilities using beamforming technology and including a plurality of millimeter wave antenna modules, wherein: The antenna modules are compatible with the 5G wireless communication standard, each module comprising at least one transmit antenna and at least one receive antenna operable in one or more frequency ranges not less than 20 GHz, the receive antenna being coupled to a first branch configured to receive an H-polarized signal and a second branch configured to receive a V-polarized signal; wherein: The processor detects the presence and motion of a reflecting object or anatomical feature by determining a time-varying relationship of received H-polarized signals and received V-polarized signals of two or more receive antennas.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein: The reflective object is one or more of the user's hands or other appendages or handheld objects.

21. The computer-readable medium of claim 19, wherein: The movement of the anatomical feature is associated with one or both of respiration and heartbeat, and the biometric monitoring includes monitoring one or both of respiration and heartbeat.

22. The computer readable medium of claim 19, wherein: The received H-polarized signal and the received V-polarized signal of the low power signal transmitted from the at least one transmitting antenna are generated by cross coupling between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna.

23. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein: The power of the low-power signal is no more than 5 milliwatts.

24. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein: The low power signal is transmitted with a duty cycle of less than 0.01%.

25. The computer readable medium of claim 22, wherein: The low power signal is synchronized to appear only during random access channel time slots.

26. A device for motion sensing, comprising: An electronic device having wireless communication capabilities using beamforming technology and comprising a plurality of millimeter wave antenna modules, wherein the antenna modules are compatible with 5G wireless communication standards, each module comprising at least one transmit antenna and at least one receive antenna operable in one or more frequency ranges of not less than 20 GHz, the receive antenna being coupled to a first branch configured to receive an H-polarized signal and a second branch configured to receive a V-polarized signal; and Components for performing one or both of gesture recognition and biometric monitoring with the electronic device by detecting the presence and movement of a reflective object or anatomical feature by determining a time-varying relationship of a received H-polarized signal to a received V-polarized signal.

27. The device of claim 26, wherein: The received H-polarized signal and the received V-polarized signal of the low power signal transmitted from the at least one transmitting antenna are generated by cross coupling between the transmitting antenna and the receiving antenna.

28. The apparatus of claim 27, wherein: The power of the low power signal is no greater than 5 milliwatts, and the low power signal is synchronized to appear only in a random access channel time slot.

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