Signal quality determining device, method of operating the device and computer program product

Abstract

The invention is particularly directed to a signal quality determining device (300) comprising a transceiver unit configured to provide a wireless beacon request signal as an indication request to any wireless communication device (312.1, 312.2, 340) within a single hop distance of the signal quality determining device and belonging or not belonging to a wireless communication network 350 to which the signal quality determining device belongs, to provide a corresponding beacon response signal upon reception of the beacon request signal, and to receive the beacon response signal. The signal quality determining device is configured to determine a beacon signal quality data (SQ) indicative of a received signal quality, e.g. a RSSI of the beacon response signal, or a channel state CSI of the corresponding wireless communication link. The signal quality determining device is adapted to reduce the complexity of a radio frequency based presence or motion sensing functionality.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a signal quality determination device, a sensing device, a wireless communication device, a corresponding method for operating the signal quality determination device, the sensing device, and the wireless communication device, and a computer program thereof. Background Technology

[0002] US 10,217,346 B1 discloses a method for presence detection. In the disclosed method, a computing device receives from a wireless receiver first data indicating radio frequency channel attributes of a first communication link between a wireless receiver in a first device and a wireless transmitter in a second device. The first and second devices are located in a building. The computing device also executes a neural network to process the first data to distinguish between people and stationary objects within the building. The computing device sends result data indicating presence to at least one of the first or second devices.

[0003] US 2012 / 025849A1 discloses a method for detecting objects in an area, the method comprising forming a wireless network among a plurality of nodes, each of the nodes being configured to generate an electromagnetic field (EMF) in the area, and determining the EMF variation between two nodes based on: a first difference between a previously determined received signal strength value and a currently determined received signal strength value, a second difference between a currently determined received signal strength value and an average received signal strength value, and a third difference between a previously determined link quality value and a currently determined link quality value. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Providing alternatives to existing methods for determining the properties of communication links would be beneficial.

[0005] A first aspect of the invention comprises a signal quality determination device, the device including a transceiver unit adapted to communicate with external wireless communication devices in a wireless communication network according to a wireless communication protocol. The transceiver unit includes a transmitter unit configured to provide a wireless beacon request signal as a single-hop broadcast signal according to the wireless communication protocol. The beacon request signal is a signal indicating a request for any external wireless communication device within a single-hop distance of the signal quality determination device to provide a corresponding beacon response signal upon receipt of the beacon request signal. This corresponding beacon response signal is also according to the wireless communication protocol and includes device identification information associated with the corresponding wireless communication device. The transceiver unit further includes a receiver unit configured to receive a beacon response signal provided by any wireless communication device and transmitted in response to the beacon request signal.

[0006] The signal quality determination device also includes a signal quality determination unit connected to the receiver unit and configured to determine and provide beacon signal quality data indicating the quality of the received signal. Therefore, the beacon signal quality data can indicate the received signal strength of the beacon response signal, or the channel state of the wireless communication link between the wireless communication device providing the beacon response signal and the signal quality determination device, or any other suitable metric for the quality of the received signal.

[0007] The signal quality determination device of the first aspect advantageously utilizes a beacon request / response mechanism to achieve simple signal quality determination. This mechanism is implemented in a wireless communication protocol. It advantageously allows the derivation of beacon signal quality data, regardless of whether the beacon response is provided by a wireless communication device inside or outside the wireless communication network. In contrast, known wireless communication devices only use communication channels already established in the wireless communication network. However, the inventors have recognized that the capability of the beacon request / response mechanism can be further used for signal quality determination in exchanges between wireless communication devices, regardless of their current association with the wireless communication network. Therefore, beacon signal quality advantageously provides information about signal quality even without a dedicated association with an established communication link.

[0008] An external wireless communication device is a communication device that may or may not be part of a wireless communication network, but is independently configured to operate according to a wireless communication protocol and thus responds to the reception of a wireless beacon request signal by providing a beacon response signal.

[0009] Therefore, the signal quality determination device of the first aspect is appropriately configured to determine and provide signal quality data. The signal quality data is determined using the response provided by the wireless communication device to a wireless beacon request signal provided by the signal quality determination device. The beacon request signal provided by the transmitter unit instructs any external wireless communication device within a single hop distance of the signal quality determination device to provide a corresponding beacon response signal. Therefore, according to the wireless communication protocol, any communication device receiving the beacon request signal is configured to provide a corresponding beacon response signal in response to receiving the beacon request signal. According to the wireless communication protocol, the beacon response signal includes device identification information capable of identifying the wireless communication device.

[0010] Hereinafter, embodiments of the signal quality determination device of the first aspect of the present invention will be described.

[0011] In one embodiment, the signal quality determination device is configured to determine and provide signal quality data of the beacon response signal without analyzing the content of the beacon, except to identify the wireless device that has already provided a corresponding beacon response signal. Therefore, the received beacon response is not used for the typical intended function of joining or attempting to join a wireless communication network.

[0012] In a particular embodiment, the signal quality determination device is configured to provide a beacon request signal when connected to a wireless communication network. In another embodiment, the signal quality determination device is additionally or alternatively configured to provide a beacon request signal when it is not connected to a wireless communication network, for example, to determine signal quality data relative to the wireless communication network in covert or covered operating modes.

[0013] In a particular embodiment, the signal quality determination device includes a network detection unit configured to confirm that the signal quality determination device is part of a wireless communication network and to provide a connection signal indicating its connection. In this preferred embodiment, a transmitter unit is configured to receive the connection signal and, in response to the connection signal indicating that the signal quality determination device is connected to the wireless communication network, to provide a radio beacon request signal. Preferably, the radio beacon request signal is provided repeatedly to determine the evolution of beacon signal quality over time. Using a beacon request signal for this purpose when the signal quality determination device is connected to the wireless communication network contrasts with conventional practice, which uses beacon request signals in an unconnected state.

[0014] Any of the embodiments described below may additionally include the network detection unit and transmitter unit described above.

[0015] In one embodiment, such as in a device with a dual radio system, the transceiver unit is configured to provide a wireless beacon request signal, either as a beacon request according to the IEEE 802.15.4 communication protocol, or as a beacon frame according to the IEEE 802.11 communication protocol, or both. According to IEEE 802.15.4, certain embodiments use Zigbee as a suitable wireless communication protocol. Alternative embodiments use other communication protocols according to IEEE 802.15.4, such as, but not limited to, Thread and 6LoWPAN. Other embodiments are configured to communicate using more than one communication protocol, including protocols such as Bluetooth, Bluetooth mesh, Wi-Fi, etc., in addition to the IEEE 802.15.4-based protocol.

[0016] One particular embodiment utilizes the IEEE 802.15.4 beacon request / response mechanism to trigger responses from all other surrounding IEEE 802.15.4-compliant communication devices originating from a signal quality determination device. Zigbee is a suitable communication protocol based on IEEE 802.15.4, which defines the beacon request / response mechanism. The purpose of this mechanism is to allow a “new” communication device to find other devices and thus join the wireless communication network. Typically, the “new” communication device sends a beacon request signal, essentially indicating “Is anyone in the radio range?”. This beacon request signal is a broadcast single-hop message. According to the specification, “the destination addressing mode field will be set to indicate short addressing, and the source addressing mode field will be set to indicate that the source addressing information is not present.” All devices within the single-hop distance of the “requesting” device will hear the message and respond with a beacon response signal.

[0017] Using the received beacon response signal, the signal quality determination device obtains signal strength information (RSSI) from the communication link between the signal quality determination device and, in principle, all surrounding single-hop reachable IEEE 802.15.4 compliant communication devices.

[0018] In one embodiment, the network determination unit advantageously uses device identification information to identify whether those communication devices that have provided beacon response signals are part of the same wireless communication network as the signal quality determination device.

[0019] In this embodiment, the signal quality determination device further includes a network determination unit connected to the receiver unit and configured to use device identification information to determine whether the corresponding received beacon response signal is an inter-network response signal provided by a neighboring communication device that does not belong to the wireless communication network, or an intra-network response signal provided by a transmitting wireless communication device that belongs to the wireless communication network. In this sense, both inter-network response signals and intra-network response signals are beacon response signals, differing only in that the former is provided by a communication device that does not belong to the wireless communication network but responds to a received beacon request signal (hereinafter referred to as a neighboring communication device), while the latter is provided by a communication device that belongs to the wireless communication network (hereinafter referred to as a transmitting communication device).

[0020] The network determination unit is also configured to provide the signal quality determination unit with a network identification signal that indicates it, either in the form of an inter-network identification signal or an intra-network identification signal.

[0021] In this embodiment, the signal quality determination unit is also connected to the network determination unit and is configured to use the received intra-network identification signal or inter-network identification signal to determine the beacon signal quality data as inter-network beacon signal quality data or intra-network beacon signal quality data, respectively, and to provide an inter-network signal quality signal or intra-network signal quality signal indicating the beacon signal quality signal.

[0022] Therefore, this particular embodiment is advantageously configured to determine and provide beacon signal quality data based on beacon response signals provided by communication devices that are part of a wireless communication network, i.e., as intra-network signal quality signals, and by communication devices that are not part of a wireless communication network, i.e., as inter-network signal quality signals. Providing both types of beacon signal quality data enables differentiation, for example, in terms of correlation, since communication devices typically belonging to the same wireless communication network are located closer together and provide wireless signals received at relatively higher power than those provided by wireless communication devices belonging to different wireless communication networks. This is particularly relevant to so-called "real-world detection," where not only the relative change with respect to a previously calibrated measurement is evaluated, but also the offset with respect to a previously calibrated measurement.

[0023] In one embodiment, the signal quality determination unit is configured to determine the number of beacon response signals received in response to a given beacon request signal that has been transmitted. In this embodiment, the transmitter unit includes a transmit power control unit connected to the signal quality determination unit and is configured to adapt the transmit power of the beacon request signal according to the determined number of beacon response signals. In another embodiment, the transmit power is controlled based on determined inter-network beacon signal quality data, intra-network beacon signal quality data, or both.

[0024] The amount of transmit power adapted (i.e., reduced or increased) to the beacon request signal directly affects the spatial volume within which the external wireless communication device can receive the wireless beacon request signal. The transmit power control unit is connected to the signal quality determination unit and is therefore configured to increase or decrease the transmit power based on the number of beacon response signals received in response to a given beacon request signal. In embodiments where the beacon response signals are not explicitly linked to a particular beacon request signal, the number of beacon response signals provided in response to a given beacon request signal is assumed to be the number of beacon response signals received within a predetermined time span after the beacon request signal is provided. For example, embodiments including the transmit power control unit are suitably configured to reduce the transmit power of the beacon request signal if the number of received beacon response signals provided by the external wireless communication device is greater than a predetermined value. Conversely, if the number of received beacon response signals provided by the external wireless communication device is less than a predetermined value, or if the signal strength or channel state indicator is below a corresponding threshold, the transmit power control unit is configured to increase the transmit power. Furthermore, in another embodiment, if the number of received beacon response signals remains below a predetermined value at maximum transmit power, this can be used as an indication that the signal quality determination device is placed in a location that is not particularly suitable for determining beacon signal quality data.

[0025] In a particular embodiment, the body of the beacon response signal includes an indication of the received signal strength of the beacon request signal, which is determined by the communication device according to the wireless communication protocol used and depends on the communication device providing the beacon response signal. The transmit power control unit of this embodiment is also configured to further use the indication provided by the wireless communication device to control the amount of transmit power.

[0026] In another embodiment, the signal quality determination device further includes a communication device data confirmation unit configured to confirm communication device data associated with one or more of those wireless communication devices that are communicatively reachable within a single hop distance of the signal quality determination device, i.e., within one hop. In this embodiment, the signal quality determination device also includes a beacon response selection unit connected to the receiver unit and the communication device data confirmation unit, and configured to select according to at least one predetermined selection algorithm related to the communication device data, and to provide only those received beacon response signals that meet the selection criteria to the signal quality determination unit. For example, the predetermined selection algorithm is configured to select suitable wireless communication devices that are communicatively reachable within one hop as suitable communication devices. Suitable communication devices are those particularly suitable for determining received signal strength or channel state and providing corresponding suitability signals indicating their suitability according to the predetermined determination algorithm. Furthermore, the signal quality determination unit is also configured to determine only the beacon signal quality data of those beacon response signals provided by suitable communication devices.

[0027] The signal quality determination device receives beacon response signals from a set of communication devices during operation. Therefore, this particular embodiment implements a filtering mechanism to reduce the number of communication devices whose beacon response signals must be evaluated. A particularly suitable embodiment is configured to determine only inter-network beacon signal quality data provided by suitable communication devices that are not part of the wireless communication network. For communication devices belonging to the same wireless communication network as the signal quality determination device, the signal quality determination device or a network control node such as a gateway accesses a list with identifiers indicating the corresponding communication device or network node within the communication network. The signal quality determination device is configured to utilize available metadata on these communication devices for a predetermined determination algorithm, and this metadata includes location information, such as room, floor, prototype of the beacon response signal, or default transmit power, indicating the location of the communication device. Therefore, useful information can be derived for communication devices within the same communication network, which is helpful in determining how relevant the beacon signal quality data is to an intended application (e.g., sensing presence or motion). For neighboring communication devices not belonging to the wireless communication network, this information may be lacking, or some probing methods may be applicable. These include knowledge about the manufacturer, which can be derived from the Organization Unique Identifier (OUI) in the MAC address. Other probing methods use Personal Area Network (PAN) identifiers. For example, when two different sets of beacon response signals with their respective PAN identifiers and a common OUI are received in a building, this indicates that each PAN is likely associated with a different room, area, or floor in the building, and grouping by PAN is possible. Another probing method used additionally or alternatively in one embodiment is the RSSI level. Beacon signal quality data provided by neighboring communication devices, referred to as inter-network beacon signal quality data, and indicating a significantly lower RSSI value determined from the beacon response signals of other communication devices, is ignored in some embodiments because it is interpreted as an indication that the communication device is outside the expected detection area. In another example, buildings with parallel networks, such as heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) networks, share identification or location information with the wireless communication network via beacon response signals, for example, during the network access initialization phase, so that this information can be used to select appropriate network nodes for the HVAC network.

[0028] In another embodiment, the transceiver unit is also configured to provide a wireless beacon request signal, which includes selection data indicating predetermined selection conditions that will be met by any external wireless communication device in order to qualify for providing a beacon response signal.

[0029] Suitable selection criteria include, but are not limited to, receiving a wireless beacon request signal with a signal power amount within a given signal power range. For example, a Received Signal Strength Indication (RSSI) value relatively close to the maximum transmit power is used as an indication that the communication device is relatively close to a signal quality determination device, which is generally undesirable for applications such as presence or motion sensing using signal quality data. However, an RSSI value significantly lower than the maximum transmit power but still within a predetermined range can be interpreted as an indication that the beacon response signal is well received, and an indication that the communication device and the signal quality determination device are placed further apart than previously, making the beacon response signal usable for sensing purposes.

[0030] Specifically, a minimum signal power threshold is defined in the enhanced beacon filter information element according to IEEE 802.15.4.

[0031] Other suitable selection criteria include whether the communication device has not responded to another beacon request signal within a predetermined time span, and optionally, whether the communication device knows that there is sufficient spectrum capacity in its vicinity, or those communication devices whose addresses or other suitable identifiers are indicated in the selection data, which may also be group identifiers that identify a group of communication devices.

[0032] In another embodiment, the transceiver unit is configured to provide a wireless beacon request signal, including instructions, to any receiving external wireless communication device to cease transmitting wireless communication signals other than beacon response signals for a predetermined time span.

[0033] For example, a beacon request signal, specifically transmitted according to Zigbee or other suitable communication protocols, instructs the linking of the beacon request signal to a radio transmission, i.e., includes an instruction to temporarily halt radio signal transmission. Adjacent Zigbee communication devices receive the beacon request signal and temporarily suspend transmitting any radio messages to avoid collisions or interference with the beacon response signal, which is preferably transmitted at high power. Therefore, while beacon response signals in known systems do not have high priority, the priority of beacon response signals provided as a response to radio transmissions is set higher.

[0034] In one embodiment, where the wireless communication protocol conforms to IEEE 802.11, it advantageously implements a leverage collision avoidance (CSMA / CA) mechanism, such that when signal quality data, particularly channel state information, is being determined, other communication devices temporarily cease transmitting signals to ensure that the determined channel state, for example in the form of channel state information (CSI), is not interfered with.

[0035] The second aspect of the invention is formed by a sensing device. The sensing device includes a signal quality determination device according to the first aspect of the invention, and therefore shares any advantages thereof or any advantages of any embodiment thereof.

[0036] The sensing device also includes an presence determination unit connected to the signal quality determination unit of the signal quality determination device and configured to receive beacon signal quality data and use the received beacon signal quality data to determine the presence or movement of an object or subject in a corresponding sensing volume determined by the positions of the signal quality sensing determination device and the corresponding wireless communication device providing the beacon response signal.

[0037] In a particularly advantageous embodiment of the signal quality determination device, device identification information is advantageously used by a network determination unit connected to the receiver unit to determine, using the device identification information and a list of device identifiers for those wireless communication devices, whether a given received beacon response signal is an inter-network beacon response signal provided by a neighboring communication device that does not belong to the same wireless communication network as the signal quality determination device, or an intra-network beacon response signal provided by a wireless communication device that belongs to the same wireless communication network as the signal quality determination device, forming network nodes in the same wireless communication network as the signal quality determination device. The network determination unit is also configured to provide a network identification signal to the signal quality determination unit in the form of an inter-network identification signal or an intra-network identification signal, respectively. The signal quality determination unit is further configured to use the received inter-network identification signal or intra-network identification signal to determine the beacon signal quality data as inter-network beacon signal quality data or intra-network beacon signal quality data, respectively.

[0038] Therefore, this particular embodiment is advantageously configured to determine and provide beacon signal quality data based on beacon response signals provided by communication devices that are part of a wireless communication network, i.e., as intra-network signal quality signals, and by communication devices that are not part of a wireless communication network, i.e., as inter-network signal quality signals. Providing both types of beacon signal quality data enables differentiation, for example, in terms of correlation, since communication devices typically belonging to the same wireless communication network are located closer together and provide wireless signals received at relatively higher power levels than those provided by wireless communication devices belonging to different wireless communication networks.

[0039] A particularly advantageous embodiment of the sensing device also includes a network determination unit as described above, which is connected to the receiver unit of the signal quality determination device.

[0040] In one embodiment, the presence determination unit is further configured to store the received beacon signal quality signal and to use the stored beacon signal quality signal to determine the presence or movement of an object or subject.

[0041] In one embodiment, presence or motion determination is performed by using (e.g., by comparison) a baseline value indicating a predetermined occupancy of the sensed volume. In another embodiment, the temporal evolution of received inter-network signal quality signals is monitored or analyzed, such that changes indicating presence or motion are identified.

[0042] In another embodiment, the sensing device includes a primary presence sensing unit configured to perform presence sensing functionality using dedicated presence sensing messages between network nodes of a wireless communication network according to a corresponding wireless communication protocol. For example, specific firmware for presence sensing is stored in the sensing device and other network nodes, which increases the importance and reliability of the presence sensing function. Furthermore, the sensing device includes a signal quality determination device according to the first aspect of the invention, which facilitates the use of the aforementioned beacon request / response mechanism to extend the sensing volume using such an ad-hoc communication channel between the sensing device and other external wireless communication devices (e.g., legacy devices, third-party devices, or neighboring devices).

[0043] Embodiments of the sensing device are advantageously configured to detect the presence of an object or body within a sensing volume. Another embodiment may alternatively or additionally be configured to detect movement of an object or body within the sensing volume. Movement may include displacement of a position within the sensing volume and / or more subtle movements, such as breathing, such that embodiments of the sensing device are configured as breathing detection devices.

[0044] According to a third aspect of the invention, a wireless communication network for sensing the presence or motion of an object or body within a sensing volume is described. The wireless communication network includes one or more wireless communication devices configured to provide a corresponding beacon response signal upon receiving a wireless beacon request signal as a single-hop broadcast signal according to a wireless communication protocol. The beacon response signal includes device identification information relating to the wireless communication device according to the wireless communication protocol. In the wireless communication network of the third aspect, at least one of the wireless communication devices includes a signal quality determination device according to a first aspect of the invention.

[0045] The wireless communication network also includes an presence determining device configured to receive and optionally store a beacon signal quality signal, and to use the received and optionally stored beacon signal quality signal to determine the presence or movement of an object or subject in a corresponding sensing volume determined by the positions of the signal quality determining device and the corresponding wireless communication device that has provided a beacon response signal.

[0046] In one embodiment, the presence determining device is a separate device wirelessly connected to the signal quality determining device. In another embodiment, the wireless communication network includes at least one sensing device according to the second aspect. Therefore, in this embodiment, the signal quality determining device further includes a presence sensing determining unit, and is thus a sensing device according to the invention.

[0047] In one embodiment, the wireless communication device is configured to provide a beacon response signal as a broadcast signal in response to receiving a beacon request signal. For example, in earlier versions of the IEEE 802.15.4 specification, up to the 2011 version, the current 2.4 GHz Zigbee PRO is based on this version, and the beacon response signal is sent as a single-hop MAC message. According to the relevant specification: "The addressing field should include only the source address field. The source PAN identifier and source address fields should respectively contain the PAN identifier and address of the device transmitting the beacon."

[0048] In an alternative embodiment, the wireless communication device is configured to provide a beacon response signal as a unicast signal in response to receiving a beacon request signal. For example, the IEEE 802.15-2015 specification added a new enhanced message format in which the enhanced beacon response signal can be sent as a unicast signal to the sender of the beacon request signal. Specifically: "If an enhanced beacon frame is sent in response to an enhanced beacon request command:

[0049] If a PAN ID is required, the destination PAN ID field is set to the value of macPanId, while the source PAN ID field is omitted.

[0050] The destination address field should include the source address contained in the received Enhanced Beacon Request command.

[0051] "The destination PAN ID field (if present) should contain the specific PAN ID or broadcast PAN ID if macImplicitBroadcast is false."

[0052] "Frames destined for all coordinators should have the destination address field set to the broadcast short address. Frames destined for a specific coordinator should have the destination field set to the coordinator's short address."

[0053] According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, a method for operating a signal quality determination device is disclosed. The method includes:

[0054] - When connected to a wireless communication network, a wireless beacon request signal is provided as a single-hop broadcast signal according to the wireless communication protocol. The beacon request signal indicates a request to any wireless communication device within the single-hop distance of the signal quality determination device to provide a corresponding beacon response signal, which is based on the wireless communication protocol and includes device identification information related to the corresponding wireless communication device.

[0055] - Receive any corresponding beacon response signal provided by any wireless communication device in response to the beacon request signal; and

[0056] - Determine and provide beacon signal quality data, which indicates the quality of the received signal, particularly the received signal strength of the beacon response signal, or provide the channel state of the wireless communication link between the wireless communication device that provides the beacon response signal and the signal quality sensing and determining device.

[0057] Therefore, the method of the fourth aspect shares the advantages of the signal quality determination device of the first aspect of the present invention.

[0058] According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, a method for operating a sensing device is described. The method includes...

[0059] - Perform any method according to the fourth aspect of the invention;

[0060] - Receives and optionally stores beacon signal quality signals;

[0061] - Using the received and optionally stored signal quality signals, determine the presence or movement of an object or subject in the corresponding sensing volume determined by the location of the signal quality sensing network node and the corresponding wireless communication device providing the beacon response signal.

[0062] In a particular embodiment, the method according to the fifth aspect further includes:

[0063] - Using the device identification information and device identifier list of those wireless communication devices that form the same wireless communication network as the signal quality determination device, determine the given received beacon response signal as follows:

[0064] - Inter-network response signals provided by neighboring communication devices that are not part of the wireless communication network; or

[0065] - A network response signal provided by a transmitting wireless communication device belonging to the same wireless communication network as the signal determining device;

[0066] - Use inter-network identification signals or intra-network identification signals to determine and provide beacon signal quality data as inter-network beacon signal quality data or intra-network beacon signal quality data, respectively.

[0067] According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, a method for operating a wireless communication network is disclosed, comprising:

[0068] - Performing the method according to the fifth aspect of the invention; and

[0069] - Upon receiving a wireless beacon request signal as a single-hop broadcast signal in accordance with the wireless communication protocol, a beacon response signal is provided, which includes device identification information related to the corresponding wireless communication device that provided the beacon response signal in accordance with the wireless communication protocol.

[0070] The seventh aspect of the invention is formed by a computer program including instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform a method according to any one of the fourth, fifth, or sixth aspects of the invention.

[0071] It should be understood that the signal quality determination device of claim 1, the sensing device of claim 8, the wireless communication network of claim 9, the method for operating the signal quality determination device of claim 11, the method for operating the sensing device of claim 12, the method for operating the wireless communication network of claim 14, and the computer program of claim 15 have similar and / or identical preferred embodiments, particularly as defined in the dependent claims.

[0072] It should be understood that the preferred embodiments of the present invention may also be any combination of the dependent claims or the above embodiments with the various independent claims.

[0073] These and other aspects of the invention will become apparent and will be explained with reference to the embodiments described below. Attached Figure Description

[0074] In the following figures:

[0075] Figure 1 A schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the signal quality determination device is shown.

[0076] Figure 2 A schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the sensing device is shown.

[0077] Figure 3 A schematic diagram is shown of a wireless communication network and neighboring communication devices outside the wireless communication network.

[0078] Figure 4 A schematic diagram is shown of another wireless communication network and neighboring communication devices outside of that wireless communication network.

[0079] Figure 5 A flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method for operating a signal quality determination device is shown.

[0080] Figure 6A flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method for operating a sensing device, and

[0081] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method for operating a wireless communication network is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0082] Figure 1 A schematic block diagram of an embodiment of the signal quality determination device 100 is shown. Figure 3 As shown, the signal quality determination device 100 includes a transceiver unit 102 for communicating with other wireless communication devices within the wireless communication network 350 according to a wireless communication protocol. The transceiver unit includes a transmitter unit 104 configured to provide a radio beacon request signal (BRQ) as a single-hop broadcast signal according to a wireless communication protocol, such as IEEE 802.15.4 or IEEE 802.11. According to a predetermined communication protocol, the beacon request signal is an indication of a request to any external wireless communication device, such as... Figure 3 Devices 312.1, 312.2, and 340 in the series determine the single-hop distance of the device in terms of signal quality. Figure 3 The transceiver unit 102 is reachable within (indicated by 352) to provide corresponding beacon response signals BRP1, BRP2, and BRP0, including device identification information, according to the wireless communication protocol. The device identification information relates to the corresponding wireless communication device providing the beacon response signal. The transceiver unit 102 also includes a receiver unit 106 configured to receive any beacon response signals sent in response to the beacon request signal from external wireless communication devices 312.1, 312.2, and 340.

[0083] Furthermore, the signal quality determination device includes a signal quality determination unit 110, which is connected to the receiver unit and configured to determine beacon signal quality data and provide a beacon signal quality signal indicating the beacon signal quality data. This beacon signal quality data indicates the received signal quality, such as the received signal strength (RSSI) of the beacon response signal, or the channel state (CSI) of the wireless communication link between the wireless communication device 340 that has provided the beacon response signal and the signal quality determination device, or any other suitable characteristic indicating signal quality.

[0084] The signal quality determination device 100 may optionally further include a network determination unit 108. The network determination unit 108 is connected to the receiver unit and is configured to use device identification information to determine whether the received beacon response signal is an inter-network response signal BRP0 provided by a neighboring communication device 340 not belonging to the wireless communication network 350, or an intra-network response signal BRP1 or BRP2 provided by transmitting wireless communication devices 312.1 and 312.2 belonging to the wireless communication network 350. It also provides the signal quality determination unit with a network identification signal indicating either an inter-network identification signal or an intra-network identification signal. In this specific signal quality determination device with a network determination unit, the signal quality determination unit is also connected to the network determination unit and is configured to use the received inter-network identification signal or intra-network identification signal to determine the beacon signal quality data as inter-network beacon signal quality data or intra-network beacon signal quality data, respectively, and provide the inter-network signal quality signal or intra-network signal quality signal indicating the beacon signal quality signal.

[0085] Furthermore, in a particular signal quality determination device, the transmitter unit may optionally include a transmit power control unit 116 connected to the signal quality determination unit. The signal quality determination unit is configured to determine the number of beacon response signals received in response to a given beacon request signal that has been transmitted, and the transmit power control unit is configured to adapt the transmit power of the beacon request signal to the determined number of beacon response signals.

[0086] Figure 2 A block diagram of an embodiment of a sensing device 200 is shown, which is used to sense the presence or motion of an object within a given sensing volume. The following discussion will focus on distinguishing... Figure 2 Sensing device 200 and Figure 1 The signal quality is determined by those characteristics of device 100. Besides the first number, it is also related to... Figure 1 The signal quality determination device 100 is "1" and for Figure 2 The sensing device is “2”, and those features shared by the signal quality determination device 100 and the sensing device 200 will be referred to using the same number.

[0087] Sensing device 200 includes Figure 1The signal quality determination device 100 includes all its units. It also includes an presence determination unit 214, connected to the signal quality determination unit 210 of the signal quality determination device, and configured to receive beacon signal quality signals, or inter-network and / or intra-network signal quality signals. It is further configured to use the received beacon signal quality signals or inter-network and / or intra-network signal quality signals to determine the presence or movement of an object or subject within a corresponding sensing volume determined by the positions of the signal quality sensing network nodes and corresponding wireless communication devices, wherein the corresponding wireless communication devices are either neighboring communication devices not part of the wireless communication network or wireless communication devices that are part of the wireless communication network.

[0088] Figure 3 A schematic representation of a wireless communication network 350 is illustrated, exemplarily in the form of a wireless lighting device. The lighting device includes lighting equipment that can be wirelessly controlled by sensors and / or switches and / or gateway devices (such as bridges or access points). The devices of the lighting device are communication devices 300, 312.1, 312.2 of the wireless communication network, and are located, for example, in a room of a building.

[0089] Wireless communication devices 312.1 and 312.2 are configured to provide corresponding beacon response signals BRP1 and BRP2 upon receiving a wireless beacon request signal (BRQ) as a single-hop broadcast signal according to a wireless communication protocol. The beacon response signals include device identification information related to the wireless communication device according to the wireless communication protocol. Wireless communication device 300 includes signal quality determination equipment, such as… Figure 1 Signal quality determination device 100.

[0090] The wireless communication network also includes an presence determination device 320, which is configured to receive an inter-network signal quality signal SQ and use the received signal quality signal to determine the presence or movement of an object or subject in a sensing volume 354 determined by the location of the signal quality sensing network and the corresponding neighboring wireless communication devices.

[0091] In addition to performing wirelessly controllable lighting functions, the wireless communication network is also configured to perform presence or motion sensing functions to sense the presence or movement of an object or subject within a sensing volume that appropriately covers at least a majority of the room. This is preferably performed using beacon signal quality data determined from corresponding beacon response signals provided by wireless communication devices belonging to the wireless communication network 350, referred to as network-internal response signals. This is based on the fact that the determined received signal quality, such as the Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) or the channel state of the communication link, varies depending on the environment, such as whether an object or subject is obstructing the view, thereby absorbing a portion of the beacon response signal that would otherwise reach the signal quality determining device.

[0092] However, the beacon request signal provided by the signal quality determination device 300 is also received by neighboring communication devices 340 that do not belong to the same wireless communication network 350. According to the wireless communication protocol, the neighboring communication device 340 must respond to the reception of the beacon request signal by providing a beacon response signal that includes identification information relative to the neighboring communication device 340 itself.

[0093] Therefore, each of the communication devices within a single hop range 352 will respond using a beacon response message, which may be a unicast or broadcast signal from the respective communication device to a signal quality determination device advantageously configured to determine the signal quality (e.g., RSSI, CSI) of the received beacon response signal, depending on the type of communication device and the communication protocol used. When this process is repeated regularly, the variations in these measurements can be used to derive the motion or presence of a person within a given sensing volume as determined by those communication devices that respond to the beacon response signal.

[0094] Therefore, by allowing signal quality data to be determined based on beacon response signals provided by communication devices that are not part of the wireless communication process, additional data is used to enhance the sensing function.

[0095] In an alternative wireless communication arrangement, a signal quality determination device 300 and an existence determination device 320 in the form of an existence determination unit are integrated into a single device, and inter-network signal quality signals or inter-network and intra-network signal quality signals are internally provided to the existence determination unit.

[0096] In a specific wireless communication network, a so-called single transmitter and single listener implementation is achieved. This specific implementation is... Figure 3 As shown, only communication device 300 includes a signal quality determination device. This implementation provides partial room coverage because only signal quality data from signals provided to the signal quality determination device by devices 312.1 and 312.2 is available, not signals directly exchanged between devices 312.1 and 312.2. This is compensated for by signal quality data obtained from a communication link established between the signal quality determination device 300 and a neighboring wireless communication device 340. Using this signal quality data, for example, over a predetermined time span, enables the determination of presence / motion in the sensing volume, either by itself or by transmitting raw or partially processed information to another network node (e.g., presence determination device 320), for (further) processing and decision-making.

[0097] In this particular implementation, each cycle requires 1+N messages, namely 1 beacon request signal and N beacon response signals, where N is the number of communication devices within one hop distance.

[0098] In this network device, only communication device 300 needs to have signal quality determination capability, while the rest of communication devices 312.1, 312.2, and 340 can be, for example, existing equipment or even third-party equipment.

[0099] Compared to existing RF-based sensing methods, where RF-based sensing relies on sending dedicated messages between communication devices within a wireless communication network and analyzing changes in received signal strength, and can only be used with cooperating devices that implement this feature and are configured to use it, the signal quality determination device does not need to be configured to perform reverse signal quality measurement, i.e., to determine the quality of the messages heard by communication devices 312.1 and 312.2 from the signal quality determination device 300. This can be partially compensated for by using available information, such as link status messages periodically (e.g., at 15-second intervals) sent by communication devices 312.1 and 312.2.

[0100] In this implementation, communication device 300 receives beacon response signals from a set of communication devices, such as those located in the same room, other rooms in the same household, a neighbor's house, or from nodes located on the street. Within a specific wireless communication network, a signal quality determination device is instructed to monitor which communication links and ignore which (if any). The beacon response signal includes identification information of the responding node. For nodes on the same wireless communication network as communication device 300, the communication device itself, or a gateway or cloud function, knows the IDs of other nodes 312.1, 312.2 in the same wireless communication network 350, and therefore can utilize available metadata on these nodes, such as information identifying whether the nodes are in the same room, on the same floor, their prototype, and their default RF transmit power, to facilitate the detection algorithm. Therefore, useful location information can already be derived for all communication devices in "its own" network 350, regardless of whether they are legacy devices or belong to the same manufacturer or a third party. The determination algorithm uses this location information to determine how to judge information from these links for presence / motion detection. For other communication devices, especially neighboring communication devices such as device 340 which is not part of the wireless communication network 350, such information may be lacking, and some probing methods are applicable. For example, these could include information about the manufacturer derived from the OUI (Organization Unique Identifier) ​​in the MAC address. Other probing methods are using PAN or RSSI levels. Furthermore, where a parallel network (e.g., an HVAC network) also exists and is reachable, the ID / location information in this system can be shared with the wireless communication network, for example, during network initialization, so that this information is also used for presence / motion detection determination. For example, information about the location of a particular HVAC device, i.e., whether it is located inside the room or outside the room where presence sensing will be performed.

[0101] Figure 4 An embodiment of an alternative wireless communication network is illustrated, wherein communication devices A, B, C, and D are exemplary network nodes of a wirelessly controllable lighting device located in a room 402 and configured to perform presence sensing functions in addition to lighting functions. According to the invention, network nodes represented as stars are signal quality determination devices or sensing devices. Network nodes represented as squares are legacy devices that do not perform signal quality determination functions but are configured to respond to beacon request signals by providing appropriate beacon response signals. Network nodes represented as circles are third-party nodes. Figure 4 Two adjacent houses, 404 and 406, are shown, where room 402 is part of house 404. Network nodes outside the adjacent houses are, for example, streetlights, which are capable of communicating with... Figure 4The remaining network nodes shown communicate using the same communication protocol. The area indicated by circle 408 is the range within which the device receives beacon request signals from node A. The arrows in the diagram indicate the communication links between the devices used to transmit beacon response signals in response to the beacon request signals provided by nodes A, B, C, and D.

[0102] Because all nodes A, B, C, and D are signal quality determining devices or presence devices, they all provide beacon request signals and receive corresponding beacon response signals from the remaining nodes in room 402. This means that within room 402, the set of nodes A, B, C, and D collectively possesses data similar to that used in existing RF-based sensing methods that employ dedicated messages for sensing presence or motion. The signal quality data within the network is used by presence sensing devices or presence sensing units associated with the signal quality determining devices to perform presence sensing functions within the room as in existing RF-based sensing methods, but without requiring dedicated messages and using the beacon request / response mechanism already implemented in the wireless communication protocol.

[0103] Alternatively, in another wireless communication network, only network node A is configured to provide a beacon request signal. In this network, nodes B, C, and D are configured to receive beacon response signals transmitted as broadcast signals or, if the beacon response signals are transmitted in unicast mode, through promiscuous listening. This does not provide the exact same set of connections as existing RF-based sensing methods using dedicated messages, but it allows for similar performance.

[0104] In addition, in another wireless communication network, all nodes A, B, C, and D are configured to provide beacon request signals and determine the signal quality data of all beacon response signals transmitted between nodes by directly receiving them or by using promiscuous listening.

[0105] Of all the replaceable wireless communication devices, nodes A, B, C, and D receive beacon response signals not only from network nodes within room 402, but also from all other nodes within reach that are not within room 402. Nodes A, B, C, and D are also configured to determine beacon signal quality data indicating the received signal strength of beacon response signals provided by nodes not belonging to the wireless communication network, or indicating the channel state of the wireless communication link between the wireless communication device represented by the circle and the corresponding network nodes A, B, C, and D, and to provide a corresponding beacon signal quality signal indicating this.

[0106] Additional information in the form of the corresponding beacon signal quality signal obtained from beacon response signals provided by communication devices that are not part of the wireless communication network is useful because it provides coverage over a larger area, i.e., it extends the effective sensing volume of the wireless communication network.

[0107] In certain wireless communication networks, the increased number of network messages (i.e., beacon request and beacon response signals per “cycle”) is compensated for by reducing the number of cycles per second. The increase in delayed detection in the affected area is at least partially compensated for by earlier detection of presence or motion in peripheral areas, i.e., outside the original sensing volume (e.g., room 402), but within the RF range of nodes A, B, C, or D, suggesting a potential presence or motion in the original sensing volume.

[0108] In alternative wireless communication networks, other technologies are additionally or alternatively used to reduce the number of network messages without significantly impacting the performance of sensing functions.

[0109] For example, in a particular wireless communication network, at least one of one or more signal quality determination devices and / or sensing devices includes a transmitter unit comprising a transmit power control unit connected to the signal quality determination unit and configured to control the amount of transmit power of a beacon request signal based on determined beacon signal quality data provided by the signal quality determination unit. Advantageously, the transmit power is controlled to provide a beacon request signal with lower power and a smaller range during a predetermined first time span, and the transmit power is increased to provide a beacon request signal with a larger range during a predetermined second time span. This process is then repeated such that the smaller range is scanned more frequently than the larger range.

[0110] Alternatively or additionally, at least one of one or more signal quality determination devices and / or sensing devices has a transceiver unit further configured to provide a radio beacon request signal including selection data indicating predetermined selection conditions that an external wireless communication device must meet in order to qualify for providing a beacon response signal. The amount of received beacon response signal is advantageously controlled by selecting a suitable set of selection conditions applied during different consecutive time spans.

[0111] In some wireless communication devices, the wireless communication protocols used allow beacon response signals to carry additional information. Network nodes capable of determining beacon signal quality data (e.g., inter-network and intra-network beacon signal quality data) are additionally configured to add the information they have sensed to the payload of the beacon response signals they send in response to beacon request signals. This means that network nodes A, B, C, and D will know the sensed information from other nodes in the room.

[0112] This makes data exchange similar to existing RF-based sensing methods using dedicated messages. In principle, it is not necessary to send all data to a central node for decision-making, and each sensing device in the wireless communication network is suited to act as a "master" node, determining the presence or movement of an object or entity based on signals received by all nodes A, B, C, and D, plus all data determined according to beacon response signals received by communication devices belonging to neighboring wireless communication networks. These neighboring communication devices do not need to be aware of this sensing function performed by the nodes of the wireless communication network, nor do they need to add sensing information to the beacon response signal payload.

[0113] Alternative wireless communication networks may additionally or alternatively use the IEEE 802.11 communication protocol. For example, Wi-Fi routers are configured to periodically broadcast "ping" signals. Although these Wi-Fi routers' communication networks are typically password protected, their periodic ping signals can still be received by any Wi-Fi-compatible communication device not on the same wireless communication network as the Wi-Fi router. The equivalent of 802.15.4 Zigbee beacons in Wi-Fi communication networks is called a beacon frame. A beacon frame is a packet-broadcast form of beacon response signal sent by a Wi-Fi router, used to synchronize the Wi-Fi wireless network. Beacon frames are used to receive information about the router, including but not limited to the SSID and other parameters, and are provided at predetermined beacon intervals, which are simply the frequency of the beacon frames—the frequency at which the Wi-Fi router broadcasts beacon frames.

[0114] In a Wi-Fi mesh network, such as one consisting of three Google Wi-Fi mesh routers, multiple Wi-Fi routers on the same network emit beacon frames, which interested devices can listen for. Wi-Fi nodes receive beacons from multiple routers at fixed intervals. By analyzing the signal quality and variations of the received beacons, the presence or motion within a given sensing volume can be determined. For example, in an office building, Wi-Fi infrastructure typically includes several access points to provide good coverage throughout the building. Communication devices, acting as sensing devices or signal quality determination devices connected to the presence sensing unit, are configured to receive and analyze the signal quality of the received beacons to deduce the presence or motion of an object or feature within the sensing volume.

[0115] For example, a signal quality determination device, acting as a Wi-Fi light, can be advantageously configured to one or more Wi-Fi routers to actively solicit beacon frame responses by sending pings to the Wi-Fi routers. The Wi-Fi light can also be configured to masquerade as a sleep device to induce the Wi-Fi routers to contact it at predetermined periodic intervals when it "wakes up."

[0116] If the signal quality determination device is not currently on the same wireless communication network as the Wi-Fi router and does not have the credentials to access it, it is advantageously configured to participate in the process of attempting to gain access to the network. This involves sending several messages back and forth between the signal quality determination device and the Wi-Fi router. The device will be unable to access the network because it does not have the necessary credentials, but the additional messages exchanged can be used for signal quality determination.

[0117] If signal quality determines that the device is part of a Wi-Fi network, it can send numerous (IP) messages to the access point or Wi-Fi router, such as periodically requesting the device's login page (e.g., http: / / 192.168.1.1), sending pings to the router's IP address, etc. Using the signal parameters in the replies (the body of the replies is discarded), it can improve presence or motion sensing capabilities because it can send more and longer messages back and forth than a beacon.

[0118] In the context of a Wi-Fi mesh network, both the first and second Wi-Fi mesh nodes can transmit beacon frames, enabling unconnected Wi-Fi-compatible signal quality determination devices within the wireless range of the second mesh node to locate the Wi-Fi network. In the traffic indication graph of the Wi-Fi beacon frames, access points can notify sites that they have frames waiting to be transmitted. The signal quality determination device is advantageously configured to utilize this mechanism to solicit contact with the second Wi-Fi mesh device, i.e., to provide a beacon request signal and, in response to the reception of the provided beacon request signal, to anticipate a beacon response signal.

[0119] Figure 5A flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method for operating a signal quality determination device is shown. The method includes, in step 502, providing a Radio Beacon Request Signal (BRQ) as a single-hop broadcast signal according to a wireless communication protocol when connected to a wireless communication network. The BRQ indicates a request to any wireless communication device within a single-hop distance of the signal quality determination device to provide a corresponding beacon response signal, which is compliant with the wireless communication protocol and includes device identification information related to the corresponding wireless communication device providing the beacon response signal. The method further includes, in step 504, receiving any corresponding beacon response signal provided by any wireless communication device in response to the BRQ. The method further includes, in step 506, determining and providing beacon signal quality data indicating received signal quality, such as, for example, the Received Signal Strength (RSSI) of an inter-network response signal or the Channel State (CSI) of the wireless communication link between the wireless communication device that has provided the beacon response signal and the signal quality sensing and determination device.

[0120] Figure 6 A flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method 600 for operating a sensing device is shown. Method 600 includes performing a reference... Figure 5 The steps of method 500 are described. Method 600 further includes, in step 602, receiving a beacon signal quality signal, and in step 604, using the received beacon signal quality signal, determining the presence or movement of an object or object in a corresponding sensing volume determined by the location of the signal quality sensing network node and the corresponding wireless communication device that has provided a beacon response signal using the received beacon signal quality signal.

[0121] Optionally, the method further includes, in step 606, using device identification information and a list of device identifiers for those wireless communication devices that form network nodes of the same wireless communication network as the signal quality determining device, to determine a given received beacon response signal:

[0122] - Inter-network response signals provided by neighboring communication devices that are not part of the wireless communication network; or

[0123] - A network response signal provided by a transmitting wireless communication device belonging to the same wireless communication network as the signal determining device;

[0124] In step 608, the beacon signal quality data is determined and provided as inter-network beacon signal quality data or intra-network beacon signal quality data using inter-network identification signals or intra-network identification signals, respectively.

[0125] Figure 7 A flowchart illustrating an embodiment of a method 700 for operating a wireless communication network is shown. Method 700 includes performing a reference... Figure 5Method 600 is described. Method 700 further includes, in step 702, providing a beacon response signal BRP upon receiving a radio beacon request signal BRQ as a single-hop broadcast signal according to a wireless communication protocol, the beacon response signal BRP including device identification information related to the corresponding wireless communication device that has provided the beacon response signal.

[0126] In summary, the present invention specifically relates to a signal quality determination device comprising a transceiver unit configured to provide a radio beacon request signal as a single-hop broadcast signal indicating a request to any wireless communication device within a single-hop range of the signal quality determination device and belonging to or not belonging to the wireless communication network to which the signal quality determination device belongs, to provide a corresponding beacon response signal upon receiving the beacon request signal, and to receive the beacon response signal. The signal quality determination device is further configured to determine beacon signal quality data (SQ) indicating the quality of the received signal, such as the received signal strength (RSSI) of the beacon response signal, or the channel state (CSI) of the corresponding wireless communication link. This signal quality determination device is suitable for reducing the complexity of radio frequency-based presence or motion sensing functions.

[0127] By studying the accompanying drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims, those skilled in the art can understand and implement other variations of the disclosed embodiments in practicing the claimed invention.

[0128] In the claims, the word "comprising" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality.

[0129] A single unit or device can perform the functions of several items listed in the claims. The fact that certain measures are referenced in different dependent claims does not mean that a combination of these measures cannot be used advantageously.

[0130] Computer programs can be stored / distributed on suitable media, such as optical storage media or solid-state media, supplied together with or as part of other hardware, but can also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet or other wired or wireless telecommunications systems.

[0131] Any reference numerals in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

Claims

1. A signal quality determination device (100), comprising: - A transceiver unit (102) for communicating in a wireless communication network (350) according to a wireless communication protocol, the transceiver unit comprising: - Transmitter unit (104) is configured, upon connection to the wireless communication network, to provide a wireless beacon request signal (BRQ) as a single-hop broadcast signal according to the wireless communication protocol. The BRQ indicates a request to any wireless communication device (312.1, 312.2, 340) within a single-hop distance of the signal quality determination device to provide a corresponding beacon response signal (BRP1, BRP2, BRP0). The beacon response signal is based on the wireless communication protocol and includes device identification information about the corresponding wireless communication device. - Receiver unit (106) is configured to receive any corresponding beacon response signal provided by any wireless communication device (312.1, 312.2, 340) in response to the beacon request signal; wherein the beacon request response mechanism is implemented using the wireless communication protocol; and - A signal quality determination unit (110), connected to the receiver unit, is configured to determine and provide beacon signal quality data indicating the quality of the received signal; wherein the received signal quality includes the received signal strength (RSSI) of the beacon response signal, or the channel state (CSI) of the wireless communication link between the wireless communication device that has provided the beacon response signal and the signal quality determination unit, wherein the signal quality determination unit (110) is further configured to derive the beacon signal quality data regardless of whether the beacon response is provided by a wireless communication device inside or outside the wireless communication network; The signal quality determination device (100) is configured to provide beacon signal quality data to the presence determination unit or presence determination device for detecting the presence or movement of an object or subject in a corresponding sensing volume determined by the positions of the signal quality determination device and the corresponding wireless communication device providing the beacon response signal.

2. The signal quality determination device (100) according to claim 1, wherein - The signal quality determination unit is configured to determine the number of beacon response signals received in response to a given beacon request signal that has been sent; The transmitter unit includes a transmit power control unit (116) connected to the signal quality determination unit and is configured to adapt the transmit power of the beacon request signal to the number of determined beacon response signals.

3. The signal quality determination device according to claim 1, further comprising: - A communication device data confirmation unit is configured to confirm communication device data associated with those wireless communication devices within a single hop distance of the signal quality determination device; - A beacon response selection unit, connected to the receiver unit and the communication device data confirmation unit, is configured to select based on at least one predetermined selection criterion related to the communication device data, and to provide only those received beacon response signals that meet the selection criteria to the signal quality determination unit.

4. The signal quality determination device according to claim 1, wherein, The transceiver unit is also configured to provide the wireless beacon request signal, which includes selection data indicating predetermined selection conditions to be met by any external wireless communication device in order to qualify for providing the beacon response signal.

5. The signal quality determination device according to claim 1, wherein, The transceiver unit is configured to provide the wireless beacon request signal, including instructions, to one or more receiving wireless communication devices to cease transmitting wireless communication signals other than the beacon response signal for a predetermined time span.

6. The signal quality determination device according to claim 1, wherein, The transceiver unit is configured to provide the wireless beacon request signal as a beacon request in accordance with the IEEE 802.15.4 communication protocol.

7. A sensing device (200), comprising: - Signal quality determination device (100) according to any one of the preceding claims; and - The presence determination unit (214) of the signal quality determination unit connected to the signal quality determination device is configured to: -Receive beacon signal quality data; and - Use the received beacon signal quality data to determine the presence or movement of an object or subject in the corresponding sensing volume, determined by the location of the signal quality sensing network node and the corresponding wireless communication device providing the beacon response signal.

8. The sensing device according to claim 7, further comprising: - A network determination unit (108) is connected to the receiver unit and configured to... - Using the device identification information and a list of device identifiers for those wireless communication devices that form the same wireless communication network as the signal quality determining device (100), a given received beacon response signal is determined. - Inter-network beacon response signal (BRP0) provided by a neighboring communication device (340) that does not belong to the same wireless communication network (350) as the signal quality determination device (100), or - Network beacon response signals provided by wireless communication devices (312.1, 312.2) belonging to the same wireless communication network (350) as the signal quality determination device, and - Provide network identification signals to the signal quality determination unit in the form of inter-network identification signals or intra-network identification signals, respectively; and wherein... The signal quality determination unit is further configured to determine and provide the beacon signal quality data as inter-network beacon signal quality data or intra-network beacon signal quality data respectively using the received inter-network identification signal or intra-network identification signal.

9. A wireless communication network (350) for sensing the presence or motion of an object or body within a sensing volume (354); said wireless communication network comprising: One or more wireless communication devices (300, 312.1, 312.2) are configured to, upon receiving a radio beacon request signal (BRQ) as a single-hop broadcast signal according to a wireless communication protocol, provide a corresponding beacon response signal (BRP1, BRP2) including device identification information related to the wireless communication device, according to the wireless communication protocol, wherein at least one of the wireless communication devices (300) includes a signal quality determination device according to any one of claims 1 to 6; and - Existence determination device (320) is configured to receive beacon signal quality data (SQ) and use the received beacon signal quality data to determine the presence or movement of an object or subject in a corresponding sensing volume determined by the positions of the signal quality determination device and the corresponding wireless communication device providing the beacon response signal.

10. The wireless communication network of claim 9, wherein at least one of the wireless communication devices includes the sensing device of claim 8.

11. A method (500) for operating a signal quality determination device, the method comprising: - A (502) wireless beacon request signal is provided as a single-hop broadcast signal according to the wireless communication protocol, the beacon request signal indicating a request to any wireless communication device within the single-hop distance of the signal quality determination device to provide a corresponding beacon response signal, the beacon response signal being in accordance with the wireless communication protocol and including device identification information about the corresponding wireless communication device; wherein the beacon request response mechanism is implemented using the wireless communication protocol; - Receive (504) any corresponding beacon response signal provided by any wireless communication device in response to the beacon request signal; and - Determine and provide (506) beacon signal quality data indicating the quality of received signals; wherein the quality of received signals includes the received signal strength (RSSI) of the beacon response signal, or the channel state (CSI) of the wireless communication link between the wireless communication device that has provided the beacon response signal and the signal quality determination device, wherein the beacon signal quality data has been derived regardless of whether the beacon response is provided by a wireless communication device inside or outside the wireless communication network. The beacon signal quality data is provided to the presence determination unit or presence determination device to detect the presence or movement of an object or subject in a corresponding sensing volume determined by the position of the signal quality determination device and the corresponding wireless communication device that provides the beacon response signal.

12. A method (600) for operating a sensing device, comprising: - Perform the method (500) according to claim 11; - Receive (602) beacon signal quality data; - Use the received beacon signal quality data to determine (604) the presence or movement of an object or subject in the corresponding sensing volume determined by the location of the signal quality sensing network node and the corresponding wireless communication device providing the beacon response signal.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: - Using the device identification information and the list of device identifiers of those wireless communication devices that form the same wireless communication network as the signal quality determining device, the given received beacon response signal is determined (606) as follows: - Inter-network response signals provided by neighboring communication devices that do not belong to the wireless communication network; or - A network response signal provided by a transmitting wireless communication device belonging to the same wireless communication network as the signal determining device; - Using inter-network identification signals or intra-network identification signals, the beacon signal quality data is determined and provided (608) as inter-network beacon signal quality data or intra-network beacon signal quality data, respectively.

14. A method (700) for operating a wireless communication network, comprising: - Perform the method (600) according to claim 12; - Upon receiving the wireless beacon request signal as a single-hop broadcast signal according to the wireless communication protocol, a (702) beacon response signal is provided, the beacon response signal including device identification information related to the corresponding wireless communication device that provided the beacon response signal according to the wireless communication protocol.

15. A computer program comprising instructions that, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to perform the method according to any one of claims 11 to 14.

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