Electronic device with co-located independent radar transceiver

Abstract

An electronic device is described herein that performs radar measurements. The electronic device includes independent co-located radar transceivers, and the independent radar transceivers are not synchronized with each other. In addition, the radar transceivers may have different fields of view that partially overlap. During operation, the radar transceivers transmit radar signals and perform radar measurements. Then, based at least in part on the radar measurements, the electronic device determines the position of an object in the environment surrounding the electronic device. For example, the position may include an angular position determined based on the amplitude of the radar measurements performed using at least a subset of the radar transceivers. In addition, the object may be an individual, and the electronic device may identify the individual based at least in part on the radar measurements. It should be noted that the radar measurements performed by a given radar transceiver do not provide angle information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments described herein generally relate to radar measurements performed by electronic devices and techniques for performing radar measurements using electronic devices having co-located and independent radar transceivers. Background Art

[0002] Ideally, a user interface for an electronic device requires little or no advanced knowledge or training from the user in order to operate properly. In addition, the user interface should be customized based on the user's preferences and their mental model of the task. These attributes help ensure that the user interface is intuitive and easy to use, which improves user efficiency and customer satisfaction.

[0003] However, many existing user interfaces in electronic devices do not implement these concepts. Therefore, these existing user interfaces may be cumbersome and difficult to use for users.

[0004] Furthermore, based on advances in voice recognition, many electronic devices now include voice user interfaces that allow users to control electronic devices, and more generally, interact with electronic devices, simply by speaking to the electronic devices.

[0005] Accurately identifying users of a voice user interface can be challenging, which can make it more difficult to accurately tailor the voice user interface to a specific user's preferences and needs. Summary of the invention

[0006] An electronic device is described herein that performs radar measurements. The electronic device includes a plurality of independent radar transceivers co-located in the electronic device, wherein a given radar transceiver includes at least one transmitter and at least one receiver. The independent radar transceivers do not need to be synchronized with each other. In addition, the radar transceivers may have different fields of view that may partially overlap, for example. During operation, the radar transceiver transmits a radar signal and performs radar measurements. Then, based at least in part on the radar measurements, the electronic device determines the position of an object in the environment surrounding the electronic device, wherein the position includes an angular position corresponding to the amplitude of the radar measurements. It should be noted that the radar measurements performed by a given radar transceiver do not provide angle information.

[0007] Furthermore, a given radar transceiver may have a directional antenna pattern that is not, or different from, an omnidirectional antenna pattern.

[0008] Furthermore, the radar transceiver may provide a total of 360° coverage around the electronic device in the horizontal plane.

[0009] In addition, there may be, for example, four or eight fields of view. For example, a given field of view may include an angular range greater than 90° and less than 180°. However, the radar transceiver may have a static field of view. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the directional antenna pattern may be static or may not rotate around an axis.

[0010] In some embodiments, the electronic device includes at least one of a top radar transceiver or a bottom radar transceiver having a field of view above or below the electronic device, respectively. During operation, the top radar transceiver and / or the bottom radar transceiver may transmit additional radar signals and may perform additional radar measurements. Then, based at least in part on the additional radar measurements, the electronic device may determine a vertical dimension of the environment.

[0011] It is noted that the object may be (or include) an individual. Furthermore, the electronic device may identify the individual based at least in part on the radar measurements. Identifying the individual may include determining a specific identity of the individual or an identifying attribute or feature of the individual. Furthermore, based at least in part on the radar measurements, the electronic device may determine vital signs and / or medical conditions of the individual.

[0012] Additionally, the electronic device may determine one or more horizontal dimensions of the environment or the orientation of the electronic device in the environment based at least in part on the radar measurements.Alternatively or in addition, based at least in part on the radar measurements, the electronic device may determine one of the following: acoustic properties of an object in the environment or acoustic properties of the environment.

[0013] In some embodiments, the transmitted radar signal may include at least one of a pulse radar signal and a continuous wave radar signal.The transmitted radar signal may allow the electronic device to determine the location of the object when the object is stationary or moving in the environment.

[0014] Note that determining the position may involve one or more of: performing a search for previous positions of neighboring objects, limiting changes in position based at least in part on a predefined speed of the object and a time interval corresponding to radar measurements, reducing obscuration, reducing multipath signals, filtering noise, and / or correcting for target blockage.

[0015] Additionally, the location of the object may be determined based at least in part on the radar measurements and weights associated with the radar transceivers.

[0016] Other embodiments provide a computer-readable storage medium for use with the electronic device. When the program instructions stored in the computer-readable storage medium are executed by the electronic device, the program instructions may cause the electronic device to perform at least some of the aforementioned operations of the electronic device.

[0017] Other embodiments provide a method for determining the location of an object. The method includes at least some of the aforementioned operations performed by the electronic device.

[0018] The purpose of providing this summary is to illustrate some exemplary embodiments in order to provide a basic understanding of some aspects of the subject matter described herein. It should be understood, then, that the features described above are merely examples and should not be interpreted as narrowing the scope or essence of the subject matter described herein in any way. Other features, aspects, and advantages of the subject matter described herein will become apparent through the following detailed description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0019] The included drawings are for illustrative purposes and are only used to provide examples of possible structures and arrangements of the disclosed systems and techniques for intelligently and efficiently managing communications between multiple associated user devices. These drawings in no way limit any changes in form and detail that may be made to the embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments. The embodiments will be readily understood by the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference numerals refer to like structural elements.

[0020] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example of electronic equipment that performs radar measurements.

[0021] Figure 2 is shown for use Figure 1 A flowchart of an exemplary method for an electronic device to determine the location of an object.

[0022] Figure 3 It is shown Figure 1 A flow chart of an example of communication between components in an electronic device.

[0023] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of determining the position of an object based on a measured amplitude.

[0024] Figure 5 is a diagram showing an example of spatial filtering.

[0025] Figure 6 is a diagram showing an example of a causal constraint.

[0026] Figure 7 It is shown that the Figure 1 Flowchart of an example of a method for an electronic device in which radar measurements are performed.

[0027] Figures 8 to 9 is a diagram illustrating an exemplary top view of an exemplary electronic device.

[0028] Fig.10It is shown Figure 1 A block diagram of an example of an electronic device.

[0029] Note that similar reference numerals refer to corresponding components throughout the drawings. In addition, multiple instances of the same component are referred to by a common prefix that is separated from the instance number by a dash. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] An electronic device is described herein that performs radar measurements. The electronic device includes a plurality of independent radar transceivers co-located in the electronic device. The independent radar transceivers do not need to be synchronized with each other. In addition, two or more of the radar transceivers may have different fields of view. In addition, the fields of view of two or more radar transceivers may partially overlap. During operation, the radar transceiver transmits a radar signal and performs a radar measurement. Then, based at least in part on the radar measurement, the electronic device determines the position of an object in the environment surrounding the electronic device. For example, the position may include an angular position determined based on the amplitude of the radar measurement performed using the radar transceiver. The electronic device may detect a plurality of different objects and may distinguish between different objects. In addition, the object may be an individual. The electronic device may identify the individual based at least in part on the radar measurement. Identifying the individual may include determining a specific identity of the individual or determining an identification attribute or feature of the individual. It should be noted that the radar measurement performed by a given radar transceiver does not provide angle information.

[0031] By determining the location and / or identity of an individual, these measurement techniques can be conducive to improved electronic device operation. For example, these capabilities can allow an electronic device to continuously or periodically monitor an individual, including any commands (such as verbal commands or gestures) provided by the individual. Therefore, the capabilities of the electronic device can facilitate a user interface that responds to the individual without the individual utilizing predefined keywords or commands. In addition, based at least in part on the identity of the individual, the user interface can be customized using its preferences and / or needs. Therefore, the electronic device can provide a user interface that does not require or almost does not require the advanced knowledge or training of the individual for correct operation and can be customized or customized. Therefore, the electronic device can be intuitive and easy to use, which improves user efficiency and customer satisfaction.

[0032] In the following discussion, the electronic device performs radar measurements using radar signals in one or more frequency bands. For example, the radar signal may have one or more carriers or base frequencies between 5 GHz-10 GHz. More generally, the radar signal may have one or more carriers or base frequencies between 300 MHz and 100 GHz. For example, the radar signal may have a base frequency between 2.5 GHz (which penetrates clothing and tissue) and 60 GHz (which is mostly blocked or reflected by the human body). In some embodiments, the radar signal may include ultra-wideband (sometimes referred to as UWB or "impulse radio") or may be compatible with ultra-wideband.

[0033] It is noted that the measurement techniques may be used in conjunction with one or more other wireless ranging or positioning techniques in accordance with a communication protocol, such as a communication protocol compatible with the IEEE 802.11 standard (sometimes referred to as Wi-Fi). In some embodiments, the measurement techniques are used with IEEE 802.11BA and / or IEEE 802.11ax. However, the measurement techniques may also be used with a wide variety of other communication protocols and may also be used in electronic devices (such as portable electronic devices or mobile devices) that may incorporate a variety of different radio access technologies (RATs) to provide connectivity through different wireless networks that provide different location-based services and / or capabilities.

[0034] Thus, the electronic device may include hardware and software to support a wireless personal area network (WPAN) according to a WPAN communication protocol, such as those standardized by the Bluetooth Special Interest Group (Kirkland, Washington) and / or those developed by Apple (Cupertino, California) known as Apple Wireless Direct Link (AWDL). In addition, the electronic device may communicate via: a wireless wide area network (WWAN), a wireless metropolitan area network (WMAN), a WLAN, a near field communication (NFC), a cellular telephone or data network (such as using a third generation (3G) communication protocol, a fourth generation (4G) communication protocol (e.g., long term evolution or LTE, advanced LTE (LTE-A)), a fifth generation (5G) communication protocol, or other currently or future developed advanced cellular communication protocols), and / or another communication protocol. In some embodiments, the communication protocol includes a peer-to-peer communication technology.

[0035] In some embodiments, the electronic device may also operate as part of a wireless communication system, which may include a group of client devices, which may also be referred to as stations or client electronic devices, which are interconnected to an access point, for example as part of a WLAN, and / or interconnected with each other, for example as part of a WPAN and / or an "ad hoc" wireless network such as Wi-Fi Direct. In some embodiments, the client device may be any electronic device capable of communicating via WLAN technology (e.g., according to a WLAN communication protocol). In addition, in some embodiments, the WLAN technology may include a Wi-Fi (or more generally, a WLAN) wireless communication subsystem or radio component, and the Wi-Fi radio component may implement IEEE 802.11 technology, such as one or more of the following: IEEE 802.11a; IEEE 802.11b; IEEE 802.11g; IEEE 802.11-2007; IEEE 802.11n; IEEE 802.11-2012; IEEE 802.11ac; IEEE 802.11ax, or other currently or future developed IEEE 802.11 technologies.

[0036] In some embodiments, an electronic device may act as a communication hub that provides access to a WLAN and / or to a WWAN, and thus provides access to a wide variety of services that may be supported by various applications executing on the electronic device. Thus, an electronic device may include an "access point" that communicates wirelessly with other electronic devices (such as using Wi-Fi) and provides access to another network (such as the Internet) via IEEE 802.3 (which is sometimes referred to as "Ethernet"). However, in other embodiments, the electronic device may not be an access point.

[0037] In addition, it should be understood that in some embodiments, the electronic devices described herein may be configured as multimode wireless communication devices that can also communicate via different 3G and / or second generation (2G) RATs. In these scenarios, the multimode electronic device or UE may be configured to prefer attaching to an LTE network that gives a faster data rate throughput over other 3G traditional networks that give a lower data rate throughput. For example, in some specific implementations, the multimode electronic device is configured to fall back to a 3G traditional network, such as an evolved high speed packet access (HSPA+) network or a code division multiple access (CDMA) 2000 only evolved data (EV-DO) network when LTE and LTE-A networks are otherwise unavailable.

[0038] In accordance with various embodiments described herein, the terms "wireless communication device," "electronic device," "mobile device," "mobile station," "wireless station," "wireless access point," "station," "access point," and "user equipment (UE)" may be used herein to describe one or more consumer electronic devices that may be capable of performing processes associated with various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0039] Figure 1 A block diagram is presented showing an example of an electronic device that performs radar measurements. Notably, an electronic device 110 (such as a smart phone, a laptop, a notebook computer, a tablet, a wireless speaker, an IoT device, or another such electronic device) may include a plurality of independent radar transceivers 112 co-located in the electronic device 110. It is noted that a given radar transceiver may include at least one transmitter and at least one receiver. At a given time, at least a subset of the independent radar transceivers 112 may transmit radar signals 114 and perform radar measurements on returned or reflected radar signals to determine the location of one or more objects, such as objects 116 (e.g., individuals, furniture, walls, or boundaries, etc.) in an environment 100 (such as a room) that includes the electronic device 110. For example, the transmitted radar signals 114 may include pulse radar signals and / or continuous wave radar signals.

[0040] As referenced below Figures 2 to 7 As further described, the independent radar transceivers 112 may not be synchronized with each other. Thus, the location of the object 116 may be determined based at least in part on the amplitude of the radar measurements without using phase or timing information. For example, the range or distance 118 between the electronic device 110 and the object 116 may be determined using the ratio of the measured received amplitude (or equivalently, the measured received power) to the transmitted amplitude (or transmitted power). However, the angular position 120 in such calculations is typically unknown because the distance 118 only specifies the radius of a circle around the electronic device 110 in which the object 116 may be located. As described below with reference to Figure 4 As further described, in the disclosed measurement technique, electronic device 110 determines range 118 and angular position 120 based at least in part on magnitudes of radar measurements performed by at least a subset of independent radar transceivers 112. However, a given radar transceiver may not provide angle information.

[0041] In addition, as referenced below Figure 8 and Fig. 9As further described, the independent radar transceivers 112 may have different fields of view that partially overlap. For example, there may be four or eight fields of view, and a given field of view may include an angular range greater than 90° and less than 180°. In other embodiments, more or fewer fields of view may be implemented. Therefore, the independent radar transceiver 112 may provide 360° coverage around the electronic device 110 in the horizontal plane. However, the radar transceiver 112 may have a static field of view. It is worth noting that in some embodiments, the directional antenna pattern may be static or may not rotate around an axis.

[0042] In addition, the electronic device 110 may identify the object 116 (such as the identity of the individual or one or more characteristics of the individual, such as an adult, a child, etc.) based at least in part on the radar measurements. In addition, based at least in part on the radar measurements, the electronic device 110 may determine the vital signs of the individual and / or the medical condition of the individual. In some embodiments, the electronic device 110 may determine, based at least in part on the radar measurements: one or more dimensions of the environment 100, acoustic properties of the object 116 or the environment 100 (such as absorption or reverberation time), and / or the orientation of the electronic device 110 in the environment 100.

[0043] In these ways, the measurement technology may allow the electronic device 110 to determine the location of the object 116, including when the object 116 moves and / or is stationary. In addition, by identifying individuals, the measurement technology may facilitate an improved user interface for controlling the electronic device 110. For example, based at least in part on the identity of the individual, the individual may be automatically authorized to control the electronic device 110. In addition, the stored user preferences and / or historical actions of the identified individual may be accessed so that the electronic device 110 may automatically provide a user experience customized for the individual. In addition, based at least in part on the determined location, the electronic device 110 may directionally listen for verbal commands from the individual, or may be able to determine when the individual is providing commands to the electronic device 110 (e.g., by detecting gestures or using measured radar signals). This may allow individuals to control the electronic device 110 without using keywords such as wake-up words to activate the electronic device. On the contrary, the electronic device 110 may provide sensing capabilities that are often present. In some embodiments, the determined vital signs and / or medical conditions of the individual promote additional services or applications. Alternatively or in addition, the determined dimensions, acoustic properties, and / or orientation may allow the sound (such as a sound field) output by a speaker 122 in or associated with the electronic device 110 to be customized or tailored to the conditions in the environment 100. These capabilities may improve the user experience when using the electronic device 110.

[0044] In some embodiments, the electronic device 110 (such as a smart phone, a laptop, a notebook computer, a tablet computer, a wireless speaker, an IoT device, or another such electronic device) and the access point 124 can communicate wirelessly using the IEEE 802.11 communication protocol, for example, in a WLAN. Thus, the electronic device 110 can be associated with the access point 124. For example, the electronic device 110 and the access point 124 can communicate wirelessly in the following situations: detecting each other by scanning a wireless channel, transmitting and receiving beacons or beacon frames on a wireless channel, establishing a connection (e.g., by transmitting a connection request), and / or transmitting and receiving packets or frames (packets or frames may include requests and / or additional information such as data as a payload). It should be noted that the access point 124 can provide access to a network such as the Internet via an Ethernet protocol, and can be a physical access point or a virtual or "software" access point implemented on a computer or electronic device.

[0045] As referenced below Fig.10 As further described, the electronic device 110 and / or the access point 124 may include subsystems, such as a networking subsystem, a memory subsystem, a processor subsystem, and a measurement subsystem. Generally speaking, the electronic device 110 may include any electronic device having a measurement subsystem that enables the electronic device 110 to perform radar measurements. In addition, the electronic device 110 and / or the access point 124 may include a radio component 126 in the networking subsystem. In some embodiments, the electronic device 110 and the access point 124 may include any electronic device having a networking subsystem (or may be included in any electronic device having a networking subsystem) that enables the electronic device 110 and the access point 124 to communicate wirelessly with another electronic device, respectively. This may include transmitting a beacon on a wireless channel to enable the electronic devices to make initial contact or detect each other, and then exchanging subsequent data / management frames (such as connection requests) to establish a connection, configure security options (e.g., IPSec), transmit and receive packets or frames via the connection, etc.

[0046] like Figure 1 1, wireless signals 128 (represented by jagged lines) are communicated by radio components 126-1 and 126-2 in electronic device 110 and access point 124, respectively. For example, as previously mentioned, electronic device 110 and access point 124 may utilize the Wi-Fi communication protocol to exchange packets in a WLAN. In some embodiments, radio component 126-1 may receive wireless signals 128 transmitted by radio component 126-2. Alternatively, radio component 126-1 may transmit wireless signals 128 that are received by radio component 126-2.

[0047] It should be noted that the access point 124 and the electronic device 110 may be compatible with the IEEE 802.11 standard (such as IEEE 802.11ax) including trigger-based channel access. However, the access point 124 and the electronic device 110 may also communicate with one or more traditional electronic devices that are not compatible with the IEEE 802.11 standard (i.e., do not use multi-user triggered channel access). In some embodiments, the electronic device 110 uses multi-user transmission (such as orthogonal frequency division multiple access or OFDMA). For example, the radio component 126-2 may provide a trigger frame for one or more electronic devices. In addition, after the radio component 126-1 receives the trigger frame, the radio component 126-1 may provide a group confirmation to the radio component 126-2. For example, the radio component 126-1 may provide a confirmation during the allocated time slot and / or in the allocated channel in the group confirmation. However, in some embodiments, the one or more electronic devices may provide the confirmation to the radio component 126-2 separately. Thus, after radio 126-1 receives the trigger frame, a radio in the one or more electronic devices, such as radio 126-1, may provide an acknowledgement to radio 126-2.

[0048] In the described embodiment, processing packets or frames in the electronic device 110 and the access point 124 includes: receiving a wireless signal 128 that encodes the packet or frame; decoding / extracting the packet or frame from the received wireless signal 128 to obtain the packet or frame; and processing the packet or frame to determine information contained in the packet or frame (such as data in a payload).

[0049] Generally speaking, in the measurement technology, communication via WLAN can be characterized by a variety of communication performance metrics. For example, the communication performance metrics may include any / all of the following: RSSI, data rate, data rate of successful communication (sometimes referred to as "throughput"), delay, error rate (such as retry rate or retransmission rate), mean square error of the equalized signal relative to the equalization target, inter-symbol interference, multipath interference, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), eye width, the ratio of the number of bytes successfully transmitted during a time interval (such as, for example, a time interval between 1 second and 10 seconds) to the estimated maximum number of bytes that can be transmitted during the time interval (where the latter is sometimes referred to as the "capacity" of the communication channel or link), and / or the ratio of the actual data rate to the estimated data rate (sometimes referred to as "utilization").

[0050] Although we Figure 1The network environment shown is described as an example, but in alternative embodiments, there may be different numbers and / or types of electronic devices. For example, some embodiments may include more or fewer electronic devices. For example, in other embodiments, different electronic devices may transmit and / or receive packets or frames. In some embodiments, different electronic devices may transmit and / or receive radar signals.

[0051] Figure 2 A flow chart showing an exemplary method 200 for determining the location of an object is presented. The method may be performed by an electronic device such as Figure 1 During operation, the electronic device transmits radar signals and performs radar measurements (operation 210), wherein the transmission of radar signals and the performance of radar measurements are performed by multiple independent radar transceivers co-located in the electronic device. It should be noted that a given radar transceiver may include at least one transmitter and at least one receiver, and the independent radar transceivers are not synchronized with each other.

[0052] In addition, independent radar transceivers may have different fields of view, some of which may partially overlap. For example, there may be four or eight fields of view. A given field of view may include an angular range greater than 90° and less than 180°. For example, in some implementations, the field of view may cover an angular range of 100° to 130°. In some embodiments, independent radar transceivers may provide 360° coverage around the electronic device in the horizontal plane. In addition, a given radar transceiver may have a directional antenna pattern that is not or different from an omnidirectional antenna pattern.

[0053] Then, based at least in part on the radar measurements, the electronic device determines a location of an object in the environment surrounding the electronic device (operation 212), wherein the location includes an angular position corresponding to the magnitude of the radar measurements. For example, the location can be determined based at least in part on the radar measurements and weights associated with independent radar transceivers. In addition, the electronic device can be configured to determine the location of multiple different objects.

[0054] Note that determining position may involve any / all of the following: performing a search for previous positions of neighboring objects, limiting changes in position based at least in part on a predefined speed of the object and a time interval corresponding to radar measurements, reducing obscuration, reducing multipath signals, filtering noise, and / or correcting for target blockage.

[0055] In some embodiments, the electronic device optionally performs one or more additional operations (operation 214). For example, the object may include an individual. In addition, the electronic device may identify the individual based at least in part on the radar measurement. It should be noted that in some embodiments, the individual may be identified based at least in part on voice recognition. In addition, based at least in part on the radar measurement, the electronic device may determine the individual's vital signs and / or the individual's medical condition.

[0056] In addition, the electronic device may determine one or more horizontal dimensions of the environment or the orientation of the electronic device in the environment based at least in part on the radar measurements. In some embodiments, the electronic device includes at least one of a top radar transceiver or a bottom radar transceiver having a field of view above or below the electronic device, respectively. During operation, the top radar transceiver and / or the bottom radar transceiver may transmit additional radar signals and may perform additional radar measurements. Then, based at least in part on the additional radar measurements, the electronic device may determine the vertical dimension of the environment.

[0057] Furthermore, based at least in part on the radar measurements, the electronic device may determine one of: an acoustic property of an object in the environment or an acoustic property of the environment.

[0058] In some embodiments, the transmitted radar signal may include a pulse radar signal and a (e.g., frequency modulated) continuous wave radar signal. The transmitted radar signal may allow an electronic device to determine the position of an object when it is stationary or moving in an environment. In addition, pulse radar signals may provide low power consumption (with a range resolution of, for example, 5 cm), and continuous wave radar signals may provide rich Doppler measurements (with a range resolution of, for example, a fraction of a centimeter). Therefore, the range resolution in the radar measurement may be, for example, between 1-10 cm. It should be noted that the duration of the pulse radar signal may be, for example, 1 ns, which may at least partially determine the near-field resolution of the electronic device. In addition, the maximum range of the radar signal may be, for example, 10-20 m, and the delay of the radar signal may correspond to, for example, 25 ms / radar frame. In addition, the carrier frequency of the radar signal may be configured, for example, between 6 GHz and 10 GHz, and the transmitting antenna or receiving antenna for a given radar transceiver may have a 12×14 mm 2 area.

[0059] In method 200( Figure 2 ), more or less operations may exist. In addition, one or more different operations may be included. In addition, the order of operations may be changed, and / or two or more operations may be combined into a single operation or performed at least partially in parallel.

[0060] Figure 3Further illustrating the measurement technique, the figure presents a flow chart illustrating an example of communication between components in electronic device 110. During operation, independent radar transceiver 310 co-located in electronic device 110 may transmit radar signal 312. Note that transmitted radar signal 312 may include a pulse radar signal and / or a continuous wave radar signal.

[0061] Subsequently, independent radar transceivers 310 may perform radar measurements 316 of reflected or returned radar signals 314. Note that independent radar transceivers 310 may not be synchronized with each other. After performing these radar measurements, independent radar transceivers 310 may provide electrical signals 318 corresponding to radar measurements 316 to processor 320.

[0062] Next, processor 320 may determine position 322 (including angular position) of an object in the environment including electronic device 110 based at least in part on radar measurement 316. For example, position 322 may be determined based at least in part on a magnitude of radar measurement 316 specified by electrical signal 318.

[0063] Additionally, processor 320 may access one or more radar signatures 324 stored in memory 326 in electronic device 110 and may use the one or more radar signatures 324 to identify 328 an individual based at least in part on radar measurements 316 (as specified by electrical signal 318). For example, processor 320 may compare radar measurements 316 to the one or more radar signatures 324 to determine one or more match scores and may determine the identity based on one of the one or more match scores, such as a best match score or a maximum match score.

[0064] In addition, the processor 320 may determine one or more additional parameters 330 based at least in part on the radar measurement 316 (as specified by the electrical signal 318). For example, the processor 320 may determine the individual's vital signs (such as the individual's pulse, blood pressure, or respiratory rate) and / or the individual's medical condition (such as a medical emergency, disease, physical symptoms such as tremor, physical condition, for example, dementia based at least in part on the individual's gait, etc.). Alternatively or in addition, the one or more additional parameters 330 may include one or more dimensions of the environment. In some embodiments, the one or more additional parameters 330 include acoustic properties of objects in the environment or acoustic properties of the environment. For example, the processor 320 may access a lookup table stored in the memory 326, which has acoustic properties of different materials and / or objects measured by the radar. Using the lookup table, the processor 320 may use the radar measurement 316 (as specified by the electrical signal 318) to determine the acoustic properties.

[0065] Although Figure 3Communications between components in the drawings are shown as unidirectional communications or bidirectional communications (eg, lines with single or double arrows), but a given communication operation may generally be unidirectional or bidirectional.

[0066] Measurement technology can provide centimeter-accurate low-cost, low-power user positioning using a single-node independent radar transceiver. It is worth noting that electronic devices can use measurement technology to determine the position of individuals (and more generally, objects) in a limited space or environment. In order to do this, the electronic device may need to distinguish the individual from one or more static objects and / or one or more other individuals in the environment. Because the radar transceivers may not be synchronized, the position of the individual can be determined based on the amplitude of the radar signal measured by each radar transceiver that can be co-located in the electronic device. In addition, the measurement technology may include one or more operations for removing artifacts, such as: shielding, multipath, noise, target blocking, etc. In some embodiments, the measurement technology can be used to determine the dimension of the environment and / or the relative orientation of the electronic device in the environment.

[0067] Many radar measurement techniques have difficulty providing angular resolution without synchronizing the radar transmitter and receiver. However, synchronization is typically expensive in terms of chip area and increases power consumption. In addition, image-based positioning techniques can be: power intensive, relatively expensive, and require light illumination. Image-based positioning techniques can also raise privacy issues, can be sensitive to obstacles, can provide less accurate range information, and can have a significant impact on form factor. For example, LIDAR-based systems can be expensive and power intensive, can be sensitive to obstacles, and can occupy a relatively large space. Similarly, many ultrasound-based systems can consume relatively large amounts of power, can be susceptible to interference, and can be sensitive to obstacles.

[0068] The measurement technique may allow an electronic device to determine the location of an individual based on the amplitude of independent individual radar transceivers (having at least a single transmitter and a single receiver) co-located in the electronic device. For example, the location may be determined using a vector superposition of the amplitudes of radar signals measured by the radar transceivers. Note that because the radar transceivers are not synchronized, the radar measurements may be serial data. In some embodiments, the measurement technique uses positioning concepts or operations such as: searching near the individual's previous location, not allowing a maximum jump or change in the individual's location to be exceeded, and / or using a weighted analysis to determine the location.

[0069] For example, the electronic device may have four or eight sensors or radar transceivers. Thus, each quadrant may have one or two radar transceivers. In addition, there may be another radar transceiver between the main quadrant sensors.

[0070] There may be several challenges or problems in determining the position in the measurement technology. It is worth noting that each of the radar transceivers may include a single transmitter and a single receiver. (However, in other embodiments, there may be more transmitters and / or more receivers.) Because the radar transceivers are not synchronized, there may not be any (direct) angle information. Therefore, in order to determine the position of an individual, the measurement technology can use the measurement amplitudes of adjacent radar transceivers. Intuitively, if the individual is closer to a radar transceiver, the radar transceiver will receive a stronger signal. For example, assume that radar transceivers i and j receive the highest signal (or maximum amplitude) during the radar measurement. In addition, the positions of these radar transceivers are v, respectively. i and v j , and the received or measured signal amplitudes are a i and a j If the estimated ranges are r i and r j , then the position can be calculated as

[0071]

[0072] Thus, the weight analysis can use the measured amplitudes of adjacent radar transceivers to collaboratively determine the angular position of an individual. As an example of a weight analysis, Figure 4 A diagram illustrating an example of determining a vector 1410 (including an angular position 1412 ) to an object's location based on measured magnitudes 1414 from two radar transceivers is presented.

[0073] Furthermore, even if the object is static, there may be jitter in the estimated or determined position due to amplitude fluctuations. This can be addressed by locking the determined position of the individual if the measured Doppler velocity is less than a threshold for consecutive frames. For example, the measurement technique may time average 17-255 frames / second. If the measured Doppler velocity is static (e.g., 0.5 Hz, and more generally, less than 10 Hz), the determined position may be locked.

[0074] Furthermore, even if an individual is closest to a radar transceiver, that radar transceiver may not have the strongest signal. This may be due to amplitude fluctuations. This problem can be addressed in the measurement technique by obtaining or using the radar transceiver with the highest power (or amplitude) based on history. For example, a buffer may maintain a record of the identifier of the radar transceiver with the highest instantaneous power (or amplitude). Then, for each frame, the radar transceiver with the highest average power (or amplitude) may be calculated based on the records in the buffer.

[0075] Additionally, if raw background subtraction is used, a dynamic background can produce ghost objects. For example, when a chair moves, the previous background may change. This problem can be solved in measurement techniques by using adaptive clutter subtraction (sometimes called "moving target indicator filtering"). It is noted that when a complex signal x(t) is received, the background can be updated as b(t) = a·b(t - 1)+(1 - a)·x(t), where 0 < a < 1. Then, background subtraction can be x(t) = x(t)-b(t). Note that a defines the trade-off between memory and change or noise in background subtraction (since pure dynamic subtraction can be noisy while pure static subtraction is time-invariant). In some embodiments, a is 0.5. Alternatively, in some embodiments, a corresponds to a memory of, for example, ten frames.

[0076] It is noted that with adaptive clutter subtraction, when an individual leaves or exits the environment, wall clutter may pop up and may be (incorrectly) identified as an object. This problem can be solved in measurement techniques by constraining the search region during peak search within a certain predefined or predetermined distance from the last estimated peak (sometimes called "spatial filtering"). This constraint can be based on the intuition that an object cannot suddenly move to a distant location within a frame duration.

[0077] Figure 5 A diagram illustrating an example of spatial filtering is presented. It is noted that the spatial filter 500 can attenuate the signal amplitude 510 based on the position 512 relative to the position of the last or previous estimated peak. For example, the spatial filter 500 can reduce the signal amplitude 510 for positions that are farther from the position of the last or previous estimated peak than a predefined range 514. The linear filter in the spatial filter 510 can remove the temporary shadows associated with background subtraction that can occur following the movement in the environment.

[0078] Furthermore, artifacts can be removed by constraining the movement or change of the determined positions between adjacent frames based on a predefined maximum speed of the individual (sometimes called "causal constraint"). For example, the predefined maximum speed can be 5 m / s to 6 m / s.

[0079] Figure 6 A diagram illustrating an example of causal constraint is presented. It is noted that the determined position 612 of the current time frame can be detected in the target position search region 614 of the current time frame relative to the determined position 610 of the previous time frame. Based on the maximum displacement 616 (the product of the predefined maximum speed and the time interval between adjacent frames), the adjusted determined position 618 of the current time frame can be determined.

[0080] Additionally, artifacts can also be removed by requiring continuity of movement. It is noted that the determined position 618 should be near the determined position 610. Thus, as Figure 6 As shown, the target location search area 614 is near the determined location 610. For example, the target location search area 614 may have a radius of 5-10 m / s multiplied by a time interval corresponding to 17-255 frames / s. It should be noted that the use of the target location search area 614 can reduce the power consumption (and therefore reduce the temperature) of the electronic device.

[0081] In some embodiments, the electronic device may use the identity of the individual and their location history when determining the location. In addition, the location of the individual may be determined in real time by the electronic device. It should be noted that the determined location of the individual may have a delay of up to 500ms, which may be imperceptible to the user of the electronic device.

[0082] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the radar signal may be constrained to the environment (e.g., based on the carrier frequency of the radar signal). Thus, the radar signal may not penetrate, for example, walls or boundaries between different rooms. In addition to eliminating or reducing multipath signals, this constraint may help protect the privacy of other individuals not located in the environment.

[0083] Figure 7 Presents a diagram showing the use of Figure 1 7. Flowchart of an exemplary method for performing radar measurements by an electronic device in FIG. During operation, the electronic device may receive complex samples of a radar signal (operation 710) and may perform adaptive clutter removal (operation 712). The electronic device may then filter the signal amplitude across frames (operation 714) and may attenuate the signal after the last estimated peak in the radar signal (operation 716). In addition, the electronic device may perform a peak search in an area near the last peak (operation 718) and may determine the instantaneous highest power quadrant (operation 720).

[0084] Next, the electronic device may select the highest power quadrant (operation 722) as the quadrant with the highest vote in the buffer. In addition, the electronic device may refine the peak search (operation 724) for all radar transceivers (e.g., by constraining the search area of ​​radar transceivers adjacent to the highest power quadrant to be close to the peak), and may calculate (x, y) coordinates based on the estimated range from the highest power quadrant and its neighboring quadrants (operation 726). In addition, the electronic device may lock onto the identified individual based on the Doppler measurement (operation 728), optionally remove the detected individual if it has not been detected for a sufficient period of time (operation 730), and may store the quadrant number in the buffer.

[0085] In some embodiments of the measurement technique, data may be initially prepared for positioning. Notably, a presence estimation function (ampBgSub) may be defined for each of the radar transceivers. The presence estimation function may define the location (such as range) of a non-static object. Furthermore, the presence estimation function at each time frame k may utilize the function calculate:

[0086] ampBgSub[k]=frame[k]-ace_ckutter[k],

[0087] Where ace_clutter[k] = (1-w) · ace_clutter[k-1] + w · frame[k], frame[k] is the current raw data (such as in-phase / quadrature phase or Doppler amplitude), and w is a parameter between 0 and 1. Note that w provides "memory" in the existence estimation function. In addition, the function The weight included is The previous frame of the function Where k is the memory depth. If w is small (close to zero), the memory is strong. Alternatively, if w is equal to 1, there is no memory, and there is an estimation function that is the difference between two adjacent frames or neighboring frames.

[0088] To smooth the presence estimation function, time and range averaging can be performed. For example, for each time frame k, frame[k] can be the average of N previous frames and M samples. Note that increasing N and / or M can make the determination of position smoother but slower.

[0089] The position of a tracked object can be determined using:

[0090]

[0091] where weight[quad] = ampBgSub[quad] m , V[quad] is the fourth unit vector of the radar transceiver, and range[quad] is the range detected by the fourth radar transceiver, and V is a vector defining the position of the tracked object.

[0092] In some embodiments, one or more adjustments are performed when determining the position.Notably, the search for the current position may be constrained to be in the neighborhood or vicinity of a previously determined position, and the change in the determined position between adjacent frames may be constrained to be less than a predefined maximum distance.

[0093] In some embodiments, the electronic device includes four radar transceivers having four antennas in four quadrants. Figure 8 It is shown in Figure 8A diagram illustrating a top view of an example of an electronic device 800 is presented. Figure 8 8, a radar transceiver (RT) 810 has an associated antenna 812. These antennas have an overlapping field of view (FOV) 814. In addition, each of the antennas 812 may include a transmit antenna and a receive antenna. Alternatively, in some embodiments, a given radar transceiver may use the same antenna for both transmission and reception.

[0094] In some embodiments, the electronic device includes eight radar transceivers having eight antennas in four quadrants. Fig. 9 It is shown in Fig. 9 A diagram illustrating a top view of an example of an electronic device 900 is presented. Fig. 9 , radar transceiver 910 has an associated antenna 912. Note that antenna 912 is located in two different horizontal planes. In addition, antenna 912 has overlapping fields of view 914. In addition, each of antennas 912 may include a transmit antenna and a receive antenna. Alternatively, in some embodiments, a given radar transceiver may use the same antenna for both transmission and reception.

[0095] In summary, measurement techniques may allow accurate, low-cost determination of the location of objects, such as individuals, in an environment. In addition, measurement techniques may be used to identify individuals, vital signs or medical conditions of individuals, and / or one or more parameters or attributes of an object or environment. Non-invasive radar measurements may simplify the use of electronic devices and may facilitate additional services and applications. Thus, measurement techniques may improve the user experience when using electronic devices.

[0096] As described above, various aspects of the present technology may include collecting and using data available from various sources, thereby (for example) improving or enhancing functionality. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some instances, these collected data may include personal information data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data may include physical characteristics, demographic data, location-based data, phone numbers, email addresses, twitter IDs, home addresses, data or records related to the user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital sign measurements, medication information, exercise information, etc.), date of birth, or any other identifying information or personal information. The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data in the present technology can be used to benefit users.

[0097] This disclosure envisions that entities responsible for collecting, analyzing, disclosing, transmitting, storing or otherwise using such personal information data will comply with established privacy policies and / or privacy practices. It is noteworthy that such entities should implement and adhere to privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining the privacy and security of personal information data. Such policies should be easily accessible to users and should be updated as the collection and / or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonable purposes of the entity and not shared or sold outside of these legitimate uses. In addition, such collection / sharing should only be done after receiving informed consent from the user. In addition, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to defend and secure access to such personal information data and ensure that others who have access to personal information data comply with their privacy policies and processes. In addition, such entities may subject themselves to third-party assessments to demonstrate their compliance with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adjusted to specific types of personal information data collected and / or accessed, and to applicable laws and standards that include specific considerations of jurisdiction. For example, in the United States, the collection or access of certain health data may be governed by federal and / or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), while health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Therefore, different privacy practices should be maintained in each country for different types of personal data.

[0098] Regardless of the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates implementation schemes in which users selectively limit or block the use or access to personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates providing hardware elements and / or software elements to limit, prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, the present technology may be configured to allow users to selectively participate in "opt-in" or "opt-out" of collecting personal information data at any time during (for example) registration for a service or thereafter. In addition to providing "opt-in" and "opt-out" options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications related to access or use of personal information. For example, a user may be notified that their personal information data will be accessed when downloading an application, and then reminded again just before the personal information data is accessed by the application.

[0099] Furthermore, it is an object of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risks can be minimized by limiting data collection and deleting data once it is no longer needed. Additionally, and when applicable, including in certain health-related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect the privacy of users. De-identification can be facilitated by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of stored data (e.g., collecting location data at a city level rather than at an address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across users), and / or other methods, where appropriate.

[0100] Thus, while the present disclosure may broadly cover the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that various embodiments may also be implemented without access to such personal information data. That is, various embodiments of the present technology will not fail to function properly due to the lack of all or part of such personal information data.

[0101] Embodiments of electronic devices are now described. Fig.10 A block diagram of an electronic device 1000 according to some embodiments is presented (the electronic device 1000 may be a cellular phone, a smart watch, an access point, a wireless speaker, an IoT device, another electronic device, etc.). The electronic device includes a processing subsystem 1010, a memory subsystem 1012, a networking subsystem 1014, and a measurement subsystem 1032. The processing subsystem 1010 includes one or more devices configured to perform computing operations. For example, the processing subsystem 1010 may include one or more microprocessors, application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), microcontrollers, graphics processing units (GPUs), programmable logic devices, and / or one or more digital signal processors (DSPs).

[0102] The memory subsystem 1012 includes one or more devices for storing data and / or instructions for the processing subsystem 1010, the networking subsystem 1014, and / or the measurement subsystem 1032. For example, the memory subsystem 1012 may include dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), read-only memory (ROM), flash memory, and / or other types of memory. In some embodiments, the instructions for the processing subsystem 1010 in the memory subsystem 1012 include: program instructions or instruction sets (such as program instructions 1022 or operating system 1024) that can be executed by the processing subsystem 1010. For example, ROM can store programs, utilities, or processes to be executed in a non-volatile manner, and DRAM can provide volatile data storage and can store instructions related to the operation of the electronic device 1000. It should be noted that one or more computer programs can constitute a computer program mechanism, a computer-readable storage medium, or software. Furthermore, the instructions in the various modules in the memory subsystem 1012 can be implemented in the following languages: a high-level procedural language, an object-oriented programming language, and / or an assembly language or a machine language. Furthermore, the programming language may be compiled or interpreted, e.g., configurable or configured (the two may be used interchangeably in this discussion) to be executed by the processing subsystem 1010. In some embodiments, one or more computer programs are distributed over a network-coupled computer system so that the one or more computer programs are stored and executed in a distributed fashion.

[0103] In addition, the memory subsystem 1012 may include a mechanism for controlling access to the memory. In some embodiments, the memory subsystem 1012 includes a memory hierarchy including one or more caches coupled to memory in the electronic device 1000. In some of these embodiments, one or more of the caches are located in the processing subsystem 1010.

[0104] In some embodiments, the memory subsystem 1012 is coupled to one or more high-capacity mass storage devices (not shown). For example, the memory subsystem 1012 may be coupled to a magnetic disk drive or optical disk drive, a solid-state drive, or another type of mass storage device. In these embodiments, the memory subsystem 1012 may be used by the electronic device 1000 as a fast access storage device for frequently used data, while the mass storage device is used to store less frequently used data.

[0105] The networking subsystem 1014 includes one or more devices configured to couple to and communicate on a wired and / or wireless network (i.e., perform network operations), such as: a control logic component, an interface circuit, and a set of antennas (or antenna elements) in an adaptive array that can be selectively turned on and / or off by the control logic component to produce a variety of optional antenna patterns or "beam patterns." Alternatively, instead of the set of antennas, in some embodiments, the electronic device 1000 includes one or more nodes, such as pads, which can be coupled to the set of antennas. Thus, the electronic device 1000 may or may not include the set of antennas. For example, the networking subsystem 1014 may include a Bluetooth® antenna. TM networking systems, cellular networking systems (e.g., 3G / 4G / 5G networks such as UMTS, LTE, etc.), universal serial bus (USB) networking systems, networking systems based on the standards described in IEEE 802.12 (e.g., networking system), an Ethernet networking system, and / or another networking system.

[0106] The networking subsystem 1014 includes a processor, a controller, a radio component / antenna, a socket / plug, and / or other devices for coupling to each supported networking system, communicating on each supported networking system, and processing data and events of each supported networking system. It should be noted that the mechanism for coupling to the network of each network system, communicating on the network of each network system, and processing data and events on the network of each network system is sometimes collectively referred to as a "network interface" for the network system. In addition, in some embodiments, a "network" or "connection" between electronic devices does not yet exist. Thus, the electronic device 1000 can use the mechanism in the networking subsystem 1014 to perform simple wireless communications between electronic devices, such as transmitting one or more notification frames and / or scanning for notification frames transmitted by other electronic devices.

[0107] The measurement subsystem 1032 includes one or more devices configured to transmit radar signals and perform radar measurements, such as: control logic 1016, multiple independent radar transceivers 1018 co-located in the electronic device 1000, and a set of antennas 1020 (or antenna elements) electrically coupled to the radar transceivers 1018 at nodes 1008 (such as, for example, one or more pads). These independent radar transceivers may not be synchronized with each other. In some embodiments, the set of antennas 1020 has a directional antenna pattern that is not or different from an omnidirectional antenna pattern.

[0108] Within the electronic device 1000, the processing subsystem 1010, the memory subsystem 1012, the networking subsystem 1014, and the measurement subsystem 1032 are coupled together using a bus 1028 that facilitates data transfer between these components. The bus 1028 may include electrical, optical, and / or optoelectronic connections that the subsystems can use to transmit commands and data between each other. Although only one bus 1028 is shown for clarity, different embodiments may include different numbers or configurations of electrical, optical, and / or optoelectronic connections between the subsystems.

[0109] In some embodiments, the electronic device 1000 includes a display subsystem 1026 for displaying information on a display, which may include a display driver and a display, such as a liquid crystal display, a multi-touch screen, etc. The display subsystem 1026 may be controlled by the processing subsystem 1010 to display information to a user (e.g., information related to an incoming, outgoing, or active communication session).

[0110] The electronic device 1000 may also include a user input subsystem 1030 that allows a user of the electronic device 1000 to interact with the electronic device 1000. For example, the user input subsystem 1030 may take a variety of forms, such as: buttons, keypads, dials, touch screens, audio input interfaces, visual / image capture input interfaces, input in the form of sensor data, etc.

[0111] The electronic device 1000 may be any electronic device having at least one network interface or measurement subsystem (or may be included in any such electronic device). For example, the electronic device 1000 may include: a cellular phone or smart phone, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a notebook computer, a personal or desktop computer, a netbook computer, a media player device, a wireless speaker, an IoT device, an e-book device, devices, smart watches, wearable computing devices, portable computing devices, consumer electronic devices, access points, routers, switches, communication instruments, test instruments, and any other type of electronic computing device with wireless communication capabilities that may include communicating via one or more wireless communication protocols.

[0112] Although specific components are used to describe the electronic device 1000, in alternative embodiments, different components and / or subsystems may be present in the electronic device 1000. For example, the electronic device 1000 may include one or more additional processing subsystems, memory subsystems, networking subsystems, and / or display subsystems. Additionally, one or more of the subsystems may not be present in the electronic device 1000. Furthermore, in some embodiments, the electronic device 1000 may include Fig.10 One or more additional subsystems not shown. Furthermore, although Fig.101024, and / or the control logic component 1016 is included in the radar transceiver 1018.

[0113] In addition, the circuits and components in the electronic device 1000 can be implemented using any combination of analog circuits and / or digital circuits, including: bipolar, PMOS and / or NMOS gates or transistors. In addition, the signals in these embodiments can include digital signals with approximately discrete values ​​and / or analog signals with continuous values. In addition, the components and circuits can be single-ended or differential, and the power supply can be unipolar or bipolar.

[0114] An integrated circuit (sometimes referred to as a "communication circuit") may implement some or all of the functions of the networking subsystem 1014. The integrated circuit may include hardware mechanisms and / or software mechanisms for transmitting wireless signals from the electronic device 1000 and receiving signals from other electronic devices at the electronic device 1000. Except for the mechanisms described herein, radio components are well known in the art and are not described in detail. In general, the networking subsystem 1014 and / or the integrated circuit may include any number of radio components. It is noted that the radio components in the multiple radio component embodiments function in a manner similar to the single radio component embodiments described.

[0115] In some embodiments, the networking subsystem 1014 and / or the integrated circuit includes a configuration mechanism (such as one or more hardware mechanisms and / or software mechanisms) that configures the radio component to transmit and / or receive on a given communication channel (e.g., a given carrier frequency). For example, in some embodiments, the configuration mechanism can be used to switch the radio component from monitoring and / or transmitting on a given communication channel to monitoring and / or transmitting on a different communication channel. (Note that "monitoring" as used herein includes receiving signals from other electronic devices and possibly performing one or more processing operations on the received signals)

[0116] Alternatively or in addition, an integrated circuit (sometimes referred to as a “measurement circuit”) may implement some or all of the functionality of measurement subsystem 1032. The integrated circuit may include hardware mechanisms and / or software mechanisms for transmitting radar signals from electronic device 1000 and receiving radar signals at electronic device 1000.

[0117] In some embodiments, the output of the process for designing an integrated circuit or a part of an integrated circuit including one or more of the circuits described herein may be a computer-readable medium, such as, for example, a tape or an optical or magnetic disk. The computer-readable medium may be encoded with a data structure or other information describing a circuit that can be physically instantiated as an integrated circuit or a part of an integrated circuit. Although various formats may be used for such encodings, these data structures are often written in the following formats: Caltech Intermediate Format (CIF), Calma GDS II Stream Format (GDSII), or Electronic Design Interchange Format (EDIF). A person skilled in the art of integrated circuit design may develop such data structures from the schematic diagrams and corresponding descriptions of the types described in detail above, and encode the data structures on a computer-readable medium. A person skilled in the art of integrated circuit manufacturing may use such encoded data to manufacture an integrated circuit including one or more of the circuits described herein.

[0118] Although the aforementioned discussion uses the Wi-Fi communication protocol as an illustrative example, in other embodiments, a variety of communication protocols can be used, and more generally, wireless communication technology can be used. Therefore, measurement technology can be used in a variety of network interfaces. In addition, although some of the operations in the aforementioned embodiments are implemented in hardware or software, generally speaking, the operations in the aforementioned embodiments can be implemented in a variety of configurations and architectures. Thus, some or all of the operations in the aforementioned embodiments can be performed in hardware, software, or in both hardware and software. For example, at least some of the operations in the measurement technology can be implemented using program instructions 1022, operating system 1024 (such as a driver for an interface circuit in the networking subsystem 1014 or a radar transceiver 1018 in the measurement subsystem 1032) or in firmware in the interface circuit networking subsystem 1014 or the measurement subsystem 1032. Alternatively or in addition to this, at least some of the operations in the measurement technology can be implemented in a physical layer (such as an interface circuit in the networking subsystem 1014 or hardware in the measurement subsystem 1032). In some embodiments, the measurement techniques are implemented at least in part in the MAC layer and / or the physical layer in interface circuitry in the networking subsystem 1014 .

[0119] Although examples of numerical values ​​are provided in the foregoing discussion, different numerical values ​​are used in other embodiments. Therefore, the numerical values ​​provided are not intended to be limiting.

[0120] While the foregoing embodiments illustrate the use of radar signals, in other embodiments of the measurement technique, electromagnetic signals in one or more different frequency bands are used to determine the location of an object. For example, these signals may be transmitted in one or more frequency bands including: 900 MHz, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, 60 GHz, and / or frequency bands used by Citizens Broadband Radio Service or LTE.

[0121] Reference has been made in the foregoing description to “some embodiments.” Note that “some embodiments” describes a subset of all possible embodiments, but does not always specify the same subset of embodiments.

[0122] The foregoing description is intended to enable any person skilled in the art to implement and use the present disclosure, and is provided in the context of a specific application and its requirements. In addition, for the purpose of illustration and description only, the foregoing description of the embodiments of the present disclosure has been presented. They are not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the present disclosure to the disclosed form. Thus, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein can be applied to other embodiments and applications without departing from the essence and scope of the present disclosure. In addition, the discussion of the foregoing embodiments is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Therefore, the present disclosure is not intended to be limited to the embodiments shown, but will be given the widest scope consistent with the principles and features disclosed herein.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising a plurality of independent radar transceivers co-located in the electronic device, wherein a given radar transceiver comprises at least one transmitter and at least one receiver, wherein the independent radar transceivers are not synchronized with each other, wherein the radar transceivers have different fields of view, and for at least two of the radar transceivers, the respective fields of view at least partially overlap; and The electronic device is configured as follows: transmitting a radar signal using the radar transceiver; performing radar measurements with the radar transceiver based at least in part on the transmitted radar signals; and determining a location of an object in an environment surrounding the electronic device based at least in part on the radar measurements, wherein the location includes an angular position corresponding to a magnitude of the radar measurements, and wherein said radar measurements performed by a given radar transceiver do not provide angle information, And the angular position is determined based at least in part on distance information indicated by at least a portion of the radar measurements. 2 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the given radar transceiver has a directional antenna pattern that is not or different from an omnidirectional antenna pattern. 3 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the radar transceiver provides 360° coverage around the electronic device in a horizontal plane. 4 . The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the radar transceiver provides at least four different fields of view. 5 . The electronic device of claim 4 , wherein the fields of view of the at least four different fields of view include an angular range greater than 90° and less than 180°.

6. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein the electronic device comprises at least one of a top radar transceiver or a bottom radar transceiver having a field of view above or below the electronic device, respectively; and The electronic device is configured as follows: transmitting an additional radar signal using the top radar transceiver, the bottom radar transceiver, or both; performing additional radar measurements using the top radar transceiver, the bottom radar transceiver, or both; and A vertical dimension of the environment is determined based at least in part on the additional radar measurements.

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the object comprises an individual; and Wherein the electronic device is configured to identify the individual based at least in part on the radar measurements.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein based at least in part on the radar measurements, the electronic device is configured to determine a vital sign associated with an individual or a medical condition associated with the individual.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein based at least in part on the radar measurements, the electronic device is configured to determine one or more horizontal dimensions of the environment or an orientation of the electronic device in the environment.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein based at least in part on the radar measurements, the electronic device is configured to determine an acoustic property of the object in the environment or an acoustic property of the environment.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the transmitted radar signal comprises a pulse radar signal and a continuous wave radar signal.

12. The electronic device of claim 1 , wherein determining the location involves at least one of: performing a search adjacent to a previous location of the object, limiting a change in the location based at least in part on a predefined speed of the object and a time interval corresponding to the radar measurements, reducing obscuration, reducing multipath signals, filtering noise, or correcting for target blockage.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electronic device is configured to determine the location based at least in part on the radar measurements and weights associated with the radar transceivers.

14. A system for performing radar measurements, the system comprising a plurality of independent radar transceivers co-located in the system, wherein a given radar transceiver comprises at least one transmitter and at least one receiver, wherein the independent radar transceivers are not synchronized with each other, wherein the radar transceivers have different fields of view, and for at least two of the radar transceivers, the respective fields of view at least partially overlap; and The system is configured as follows: transmitting a radar signal using the radar transceiver; performing radar measurements with the radar transceiver based at least in part on the transmitted radar signals; and determining a position of an object in an environment surrounding the system based at least in part on the radar measurements, wherein the position includes an angular position corresponding to a magnitude of the radar measurements, and Wherein the radar measurements performed by a given radar transceiver do not provide angle information, and the angular position is determined based at least in part on range information indicated by at least a portion of the radar measurements.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the subject comprises an individual; and Wherein the system is configured to identify the individual based at least in part on the radar measurements.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the system is configured to determine acoustic properties of the objects in the environment or acoustic properties of the environment based at least in part on the radar measurements.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the transmitted radar signal comprises a pulse radar signal and a continuous wave radar signal.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the radar transceivers collectively provide 360° coverage around the system in a horizontal plane.

19. A method for performing radar measurements, the method comprising: By electronic equipment: transmitting radar signals using independent radar transceivers co-located in the electronic device, wherein a given radar transceiver includes at least one transmitter and at least one receiver, wherein the independent radar transceivers are not synchronized with each other, and wherein at least two of the radar transceivers have different fields of view that partially overlap; performing the radar measurements based at least in part on the transmitted radar signals using the radar transceiver; as well as determining a location of an object in an environment surrounding the electronic device based at least in part on the radar measurements, wherein the location includes an angular position corresponding to a magnitude of the radar measurements, and Wherein the radar measurements performed by a given radar transceiver do not provide angle information, and the angular position is determined based at least in part on range information indicated by at least a portion of the radar measurements.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the subject comprises an individual; and Wherein the method includes identifying an individual based at least in part on the radar measurements.

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