Wireless network device operable in 6 GHz band

Abstract

This document describes a wireless local area network (WLAN) device operable in addition to 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) and 5 GHz bands in addition to a 6 GHz band. The device includes a small form factor, the device having a housing enclosing a triaxial antenna system with three pairs of antennas oriented along an orthogonal principal axis [x, y, z]. The apparatus also has a plurality of heat sinks that function as shielding means for opposite sides of the circuit board assembly. The antenna plate covers an opening of the cavity defined by the heat sink. The antenna pattern is decorrelated based on the oppositely directed radiation pattern. Further, a 2.4 GHz antenna is attached to the circuit board assembly, extends outwardly from the heat sink, and is offset from the base of the device by a distance of at least one quarter wavelength to minimize effects from the surface on which the device rests.

Description

Background Art

[0001] Due to hardware constraints, Wi-Fi devices can be large and visually unappealing. Some of these devices include external antennas that, based on the location of the device within the user's residence, are within the reach of children or animals that could move or damage the antennas. Wi-Fi devices may include complex controls and status lights that may be difficult for some users to understand. These aspects of conventional range-extender devices can frustrate users and degrade their user experience. Summary of the invention

[0002] This document describes a wireless network device that can operate in the 6 GHz band in addition to the 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) and 5 GHz bands. The device includes a small form factor having a housing that encloses a three-axis antenna system having three pairs of antennas oriented along orthogonal principal axes [x, y, z]. The device also has multiple heat sinks that serve as shielding devices for opposite sides of a circuit board assembly (e.g., a surface on which integrated circuit components are mounted). The antenna board covers the opening of a cavity defined by the heat sink. The antenna pattern is decorrelated based on oppositely directed radiation patterns. In addition, a 2.4 GHz antenna is attached to the circuit board assembly, extends outwardly from the heat sink, and is offset from the base of the device by a distance of at least one quarter wavelength to minimize effects from the surface on which the device rests.

[0003] In various aspects, the wireless network device includes a housing having a height along the y-axis, a width along the x-axis, and a depth along the z-axis. In some implementations, the height is greater than the width, and the width is greater than the depth. In some implementations, the housing forms a vertical rectangular cuboid with rounded corners and edges. In some implementations, the housing includes a front housing component and a rear housing component, which are connected to each other along the periphery of each of the front housing component and the rear housing component along the xy plane defined by the x-axis and the y-axis. In some implementations, the wireless network device also includes an antenna system that is enclosed in the housing and can be operated in at least three bands including 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz. In some implementations, the wireless network device also includes a circuit board assembly that is located in the housing and is operable to provide at least one of a gateway or a node to the wireless network.

[0004] In some implementations, the circuit board assembly is supported in an orientation parallel to the xy plane. Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, the circuit board assembly is enclosed within an antenna and shielding subassembly that includes a first heat sink and a second heat sink that are assembled with the circuit board assembly located therebetween to shield the antenna system from electromagnetic interference generated by electrical components on the circuit board assembly. In some of these implementations, the circuit board assembly includes a first side and an opposite second side, and the first heat sink includes: a first inner surface that physically contacts the first side of the circuit board assembly to conduct heat away from the first side of the circuit board assembly; and a first outer surface that corresponds to and contacts the first inner surface of the front housing component in a conforming manner to transfer heat to the front housing component. In some of these implementations, the second heat sink includes: a second inner surface that physically contacts the second side of the circuit board assembly to conduct heat away from the second side of the circuit board assembly; and a second outer surface that corresponds to and contacts the second inner surface of the rear housing component in a conforming manner to transfer heat to the rear housing component. In some of these implementations, each of the first heat sink and the second heat sink defines a cavity having an opening, and the antenna and shielding subassembly includes an antenna board covering the opening of each cavity. In some of these implementations, the antenna system includes a plurality of antennas attached to the antenna board and forming a 5 GHz wireless network system including both a main antenna switch and a diversity antenna switch. In some of these implementations, the antenna board is a single piece of metal sheet forming a ground plane, and the plurality of antennas on the antenna board are stamped and bent to be above the ground plane. Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, the antenna system includes at least two antennas attached to the circuit board assembly, the at least two antennas extending outwardly from an edge of the circuit board assembly, the at least two antennas being coplanar with the circuit board assembly, the at least two antennas extending outwardly from a first heat sink and a second heat sink surrounding the circuit board assembly, and the at least two antennas being offset from a base of the wireless network device by approximately a quarter wavelength. In some of these implementations, the at least two antennas are attached to the circuit board assembly via surface mount technology. Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, each of the at least two antennas can operate in both the 2.4 GHz band and the 6 GHz band. Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, the at least two antennas are decorrelated based on minimization of the product of the electric field generated by each of the at least two antennas and based on radiation patterns of the at least two antennas pointing in opposite directions relative to each other.Additionally or alternatively, in some implementations, the first heat sink and the second heat sink have a y-axis dimension in the range of 50% to 90% of the height of the housing.

[0005] In some implementations, the rear housing component includes one or more openings aligned with one or more ports on the circuit board assembly, and the one or more openings are located in a portion of the rear housing component parallel to the xy plane. In some of these implementations, the one or more ports on the circuit board assembly include an Ethernet port and a power connector.

[0006] In some implementations, the antenna system is a three-axis orthogonal antenna system having three pairs of antennas oriented along orthogonal principal axes.

[0007] This summary is provided to introduce simplified concepts of a wireless network device that can operate in the 6 GHz band, which concepts are further described in the detailed description below. This summary is not intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0008] This document describes details of one or more aspects of a wireless network device that can operate in the 6 GHz band with reference to the following figures. The same reference numerals are used throughout the figures to reference the same features and components:

[0009] Figure 1A is an example network environment in which various aspects of a wireless network device operable in the 6 GHz band may be implemented;

[0010] Figure 1B The example environment of FIG. 1 is shown in more detail.

[0011] Figure 2A An example home area network system is shown in which various aspects of a wireless network device operable in the 6 GHz band may be implemented;

[0012] Figure 2B An example operating environment is shown in which a server system interacts with a client device and a smart device according to some implementations;

[0013] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating a server system according to some implementations;

[0014] Figure 4 is a block diagram illustrating an example smart device according to some implementations;

[0015] Figure 5 is a block diagram illustrating a representative client device associated with a user account according to some implementations;

[0016] Figure 6 An example wireless network device operable in the 6 GHz band according to some implementations is shown;

[0017] Figure 7 Shows Figure 6 An exploded view of the example device in ;

[0018] Figure 8 Shown from Figure 7 Some components of the device, including a circuit board assembly and a plurality of heat sinks;

[0019] Fig. 9 Shown from Figure 7 A front left perspective view of a partially assembled version of the antenna and shield subassembly of the device;

[0020] Fig.10 Shown from Fig. 9 An example implementation of a fully assembled version of an antenna and shield subassembly of; and

[0021] Fig.11A , Fig. 11B , Fig. 11C and Fig.11D According to one or more implementations, Figure 7 Example radiation patterns of antennas (e.g., 2.4 GHz and 6 GHz antennas). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] This document describes a wireless network device that can operate in the 6 GHz band. The device described herein has a small form factor and supports Wi-Fi 6E (an extended Wi-Fi Alliance standard for Wi-Fi 6 (IEEE 802.11ax)), which implements the operation of the features of the unlicensed 6 GHz band in addition to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. The device includes a heat sink that completely surrounds the circuit board assembly for both thermal and electrical purposes. From a thermal point of view, the heat sink conducts heat from both sides of the circuit board assembly, and from an electrical point of view, the heat sink forms a complete shielding box for the circuit board assembly. Therefore, the heat sink provides shielding from external interference (e.g., interference to external components caused by the circuit board assembly).

[0023] Thus, computing systems and devices are provided with a more efficient method for Wi-Fi 6E in a small form factor. These disclosed systems and devices thereby improve the effectiveness, efficiency, and user satisfaction of such systems and devices.

[0024] While the features and concepts of the described techniques for a wireless network device operable in the 6 GHz band can be implemented in any number of different environments, various aspects are described in the context of the following examples.

[0025] Example Device

[0026] Figure 1A An example network environment 100 (e.g., a network environment) in which wireless network devices operable in the 6 GHz band may be implemented is shown. The network environment 100 includes a home area network (HAN). The HAN includes wireless network devices 102 (e.g., electronic devices) disposed about a structure 104, such as a house, and connected via one or more wireless and / or wired network technologies, as described below. The HAN includes a border router 106 that connects the HAN to an external network 108, such as the Internet, via a residence router or access point 110.

[0027] To provide users with access to functionality implemented using wireless network devices 102 in the HAN, a cloud service 112 connects to the HAN via a border router 106, via a secure tunnel 114 through an external network 108 and access point 110. The cloud service 112 facilitates communication between the HAN and an Internet client 116, such as an app on a mobile device, using a web-based application programming interface (API) 118. The cloud service 112 also manages a home graph that describes the connections and relationships between wireless network devices 102, elements of the fabric 104, and users. The cloud service 112 hosts a controller that orchestrates and arbitrates the home automation experience, as described in more detail below.

[0028] The HAN may include one or more wireless network devices 102 that act as a hub 120. The hub 120 may be a general home automation hub, or a specialized hub such as a security hub, an energy management hub, a Heating, Ventilation, and Air Conditioning (HVAC) hub, etc. The functionality of the hub 120 may also be integrated into any wireless network device 102, such as a smart thermostat device or a border router 106. In addition to hosting controllers on the cloud service 112, controllers may also be hosted on any hub 120 (such as a border router 106) in the structure 104. Controllers hosted on the cloud service 112 may be dynamically moved to a hub 120 in the structure 104, such as moving an HVAC zone controller to a newly installed smart thermostat.

[0029] Hosting functionality on the hub 120 in the fabric 104 may improve reliability when a user's Internet connection is unreliable, may reduce latency for operations that would typically have to connect to the cloud service 112 , and may satisfy system and regulatory constraints surrounding local access between wireless network devices 102 .

[0030] The wireless network devices 102 in the HAN may be from a single manufacturer that also provides cloud services 112, or the HAN may include wireless network devices 102 from partners. These partners may also provide partner cloud services 122 that provide services related to their wireless network devices 102 through partner web APIs 124. The partner cloud services 122 may alternatively or additionally provide services to Internet clients 116 via web-based APIs 118, cloud services 112, and secure tunnels 114.

[0031] The network environment 100 can be implemented on various hosts such as battery powered microcontroller based devices, line powered devices, and servers hosting cloud services. The protocols operating in the wireless network devices 102 and the cloud services 112 provide a number of services that support the operation of the home automation experience in the distributed computing environment 100. These services include, but are not limited to, real-time distributed data management and subscription, command and response control, real-time event notification, historical data logging and preservation, cryptographically controlled security groups, time synchronization, network and service pairing, and software updates.

[0032] Figure 1B An example environment 130 is shown in which the Figure 1A Aspects of the described home area network and wireless network devices that can operate in the 6 GHz band. In general, environment 130 includes a home area network (HAN) implemented as part of a residence or other type of structure, which has any number of wireless network devices (e.g., wireless network devices 102) configured to communicate in a wireless network. For example, the wireless network devices may include thermostats 132, hazard detectors 134 (e.g., hazard detectors for smoke and / or carbon monoxide), cameras 136 (e.g., indoor and outdoor cameras), lighting units 138 (e.g., indoor and outdoor lighting units), and any other type of wireless network devices 140 implemented inside and / or outside of structure 104 (e.g., in a residential environment). In this example, the wireless network devices may also include any of the previously described devices, such as border routers 106, as well as wireless network devices 102.

[0033] In environment 130, any number of wireless network devices may be implemented to wirelessly interconnect to wirelessly communicate and interact with each other. Wireless network devices are modular, intelligent, multi-sensing, network-connected devices that can be seamlessly integrated with each other and / or with a central server or cloud computing system to provide any of a variety of useful automation goals and implementations. Figure 8 Examples of wireless network devices that can be implemented as any of the devices described herein are shown and described.

[0034] In an implementation, the thermostat 132 may include a Nest® learning thermostat that detects ambient climate characteristics (e.g., temperature and / or humidity) in a residential environment and controls the HVAC system 144. The learning thermostat 132 and other network-connected devices "learn" by capturing the occupant settings of the device. For example, the thermostat learns preferred temperature set points in the morning and evening, as well as when the occupants of the structure are asleep or awake, and when the occupants are typically away or at home.

[0035] The hazard detectors 134 may be implemented to detect the presence of hazardous materials or materials indicative of hazardous materials (e.g., smoke, fire, or carbon monoxide). In an example of wireless interconnection, the hazard detectors 134 may detect the presence of smoke, which indicates a fire in a structure, in which case the hazard detector that first detects the smoke may broadcast a low-power wake-up signal to all connected wireless network devices. Other hazard detectors 134 may then receive the broadcasted wake-up signal and initiate a high-power state for hazard detection and receive wireless communications of alarm messages. Further, the lighting unit 138 may receive the broadcasted wake-up signal and activate in an area of ​​detected hazard to illuminate and identify the problem area. In another example, the lighting unit 138 may be activated with one illuminated color to indicate a problem area or zone in a structure (such as a problem area or zone of a detected fire or break-in), and activated with a different illuminated color to indicate a safe zone and / or an escape route from the structure.

[0036] In various configurations, the wireless network device 140 may include an entrance interface device 146 that works in conjunction with a network-connected door lock system 148 and detects and responds to a person approaching or leaving a location such as an exterior door of the structure 104. The entrance interface device 146 may interact with other wireless network devices based on whether a person approaches or enters the smart home environment. The entrance interface device 146 may control doorbell functionality, announce the approach or departure of a person via audio or visual means, and control settings on the security system, such as to activate or deactivate the security system when a resident enters or exits. The wireless network device 140 may also include other sensors and detectors, such as to detect ambient lighting conditions, detect room occupancy status (e.g., using an occupancy sensor 150), and control the power and / or dimming state of one or more lights. In some cases, sensors and / or detectors may also control the power state or speed of a fan such as a ceiling fan 152. Further, sensors and / or detectors may detect occupancy in a room or enclosed space and control the power supply to an electrical outlet or device 154, such as if the room or structure is not occupied.

[0037] The wireless network devices 140 may also include connected appliances and / or controlled systems 156, such as refrigerators, stoves and ovens, washing machines, dryers, air conditioners, pool heaters 158, irrigation systems 160, security systems 162, etc., and other electronic and computing devices, such as televisions, entertainment systems, computers, intercom systems, garage door openers 164, ceiling fans 152, control panels 166, etc. When plugged into a power source, the appliances, devices, or systems may announce themselves to the home area network as described above, and may automatically integrate with controls and devices of a home area network, such as in a residence. It should be noted that the wireless network devices 140 may include devices physically located outside of the structure but within wireless communication range, such as devices controlling a pool heater 158 or an irrigation system 160.

[0038] As described above, the HAN includes a border router 106 that interfaces to communicate with an external network outside the HAN. The border router 106 is connected to an access point 110 that is connected to an external network 108 such as the Internet. The cloud service 112 connected via the external network 108 provides services related to the devices in the HAN and / or provides services using the devices in the HAN. For example, the cloud service 112 may include applications for connecting end-user devices 168 such as smart phones, tablet computers, etc. to devices in a home area network, processing data obtained in the HAN and presenting the data to the end user, linking one or more devices in the HAN to a user account of the cloud service 112, configuring and updating devices in the HAN, etc. For example, a user can use a network-connected computer or a portable device such as a mobile phone or tablet computer device to control the thermostat 132 and other wireless network devices in the residential environment. Further, the wireless network devices can transmit information to any central server or cloud computing system via the border router 106 and the access point 110. Data communications may be performed using any of a variety of custom or standard wireless protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi, low power ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, Thread, etc.) and / or by using any of a variety of custom or standard wired protocols (CAT6 Ethernet, HomePlug, etc.).

[0039] Any of the wireless network devices in the HAN can be used as a low power and communication node to create a HAN in a residential environment. Individual low power nodes of the network can periodically send out messages about what they are sensing, and other low power nodes in the environment - in addition to sending out their own messages - can also repeat the message, thereby transmitting the message from node to node (e.g., from device to device) throughout the home area network. The wireless network device can be implemented to save power, especially when powered by a battery, thereby utilizing a low power communication protocol to receive messages, convert the messages to other communication protocols, and send the converted messages to other nodes and / or a central server or cloud computing system. For example, the occupancy sensor 150 and / or the ambient light sensor 170 can detect occupants in a room and measure ambient light, and activate a light source when the ambient light sensor 170 detects that the room is dark and when the occupancy sensor 150 detects that someone is in the room. Further, the sensor may include a low-power wireless communication chip (e.g., an IEEE 802.15.4 chip, a Thread chip, a ZigBee chip) that periodically sends out messages about the occupancy of the room and the amount of light in the room, including instant messages that coincide with the occupancy sensor detecting the presence of a person in the room. As described above, these messages may be sent wirelessly from node to node (e.g., network-connected device to network-connected device) within a residential environment using a home area network, as well as to a central server or cloud computing system via the Internet.

[0040] In other configurations, various wireless network devices in the wireless network device can act as a "tripwire" for the alarm system in the residential environment. For example, in the case where the criminal circumvents the detection of the alarm sensors located at the windows, doors and other entry points of the structure or environment, the alarm can still be triggered by receiving occupancy, motion, heat, sound, etc. messages from one or more of the low-power mesh nodes in the home area network. In other implementations, the home area network can be used to automatically turn on and off the lighting unit 138 when a person moves from room to room in the structure. For example, the wireless network device can detect the movement of a person through the structure and transmit corresponding messages via the nodes of the home area network. Using the message indicating which rooms are occupied, other wireless network devices that receive the message can be activated and / or deactivated accordingly. As described above, the home area network can also be used to provide exit lighting in an emergency, such as by turning on the appropriate lighting unit 138 leading to a safe exit. The lighting unit 138 can also be turned on to indicate the direction along the exit route that the person should travel to safely leave the structure.

[0041] Various wireless network devices may also be implemented to integrate and communicate with the wearable computing device 172, such as may be used to identify and locate occupants of a structure and adjust temperature, lighting, sound systems accordingly, etc. In other implementations, radio frequency identification (RFID) sensing (e.g., a person has an RFID bracelet, necklace, or key fob), synthetic vision technology (e.g., a video camera and facial recognition processor), audio technology (e.g., voice, sound pattern, vibration pattern recognition), ultrasonic sensing / imaging technology, and infrared (IR) or near field communication (NFC) technology (e.g., a person wears an IR or NFC-enabled smartphone) along with rule-based inference engines or artificial intelligence technology may draw useful conclusions about the location of occupants in a structure or environment from the sensed information.

[0042] In other implementations, personal comfort zone networks, personal health zone networks, personal safety zone networks, and / or other such human-oriented functionality of service robots can be enhanced by logical integration with other wireless network devices and sensors in the environment based on rule-based inference techniques or artificial intelligence techniques to achieve better performance of these functionalities. In an example related to a personal health zone, the system can detect whether a family pet is moving toward the current location of the occupant (e.g., using any of the wireless network devices and sensors) together with rule-based inference and artificial intelligence techniques. Similarly, a hazard detector service robot can be notified that the temperature and humidity levels in the kitchen are rising, and any small increase in the ambient smoke level will most likely be due to cooking activities rather than due to a real dangerous condition. The hazard detection threshold, such as the smoke detection threshold, can be temporarily increased. Any service robot configured for any type of monitoring, detection, and / or service can be implemented as a mesh node device on a home area network, conforming to a wireless interconnection protocol for communicating on the home area network.

[0043] The wireless network device 140 may also include a network-connected alarm 174 for each of the individual occupants of the structure in the residential environment. For example, the occupant may customize and set the alarm device for a wake-up time, such as for the next day or the next week. Artificial intelligence may be used to consider the occupant's response to the alarm when they go off and make inferences about preferred sleep patterns over time. Individual occupants may then be tracked in the home area network based on a person's unique signature, which is determined based on data obtained from sensors located in the wireless network device, such as sensors including ultrasonic sensors, passive infrared (PIR) sensors, etc. The unique signature of the occupant may be based on a combination of movement patterns, voice, height, body shape, etc., as well as using facial recognition technology.

[0044] In an example of wireless interconnection, wake times for individuals can be associated with a thermostat 132 to control the HVAC system in an efficient manner to preheat or cool the structure to desired sleeping and waking temperature settings. Preferred settings can be learned over time, such as by capturing the temperature set in the thermostat before the person falls asleep and when they wake up. The collected data can also include biometric indications of the person, such as breathing patterns, heart rate, movement, etc., based on which inferences are made in combination with data indicating when the person actually wakes up. Other wireless network devices can use this data to provide other automated goals, such as adjusting the thermostat 132 to preheat or cool the environment to the desired setting and turning on or off the lighting unit 138.

[0045] In an implementation, the wireless network devices may also be used for sound, vibration, and / or motion sensing, such as to detect running water and determine inferences about water usage in a residential environment based on algorithms and mapping of water usage and consumption. This can be used to determine a signature or fingerprint for each water source in a residence, and is also referred to as "audio fingerprint water usage." Similarly, the wireless network devices may be utilized to detect subtle sounds, vibrations, and / or motion of nuisance pests, such as mice and other rodents, as well as termites, cockroaches, and other insects. The system may then notify occupants of suspected pests in the environment, such as with a warning message to help promote early detection and prevention.

[0046] Environment 130 may include one or more wireless network devices that act as a hub 176. Hub 176 (e.g., hub 120) may be a general home automation hub, or an application-specific hub such as a security hub, energy management hub, HVAC hub, etc. The functionality of hub 176 may also be integrated into any wireless network device such as a network-connected thermostat device or edge router 106. Hosting functionality on hub 176 in structure 104 may improve reliability when a user's Internet connection is unreliable, may reduce latency for operations that would typically have to connect to cloud services 112, and may satisfy system and regulatory constraints around local access between wireless network devices.

[0047] In addition, the example environment 130 includes a network-connected speaker 178. The network-connected speaker 178 provides a voice assistant service, including providing voice control of network-connected devices. The functionality of the hub 176 may be hosted in the network-connected speaker 178. The network-connected speaker 178 may be configured to communicate via a HAN, which may include a wireless mesh network, a Wi-Fi network, or both.

[0048] Figure 2A1 is a block diagram showing a representative network architecture 200 including a home area network 202 (HAN 202) according to some implementations. In some implementations, smart devices 204 (e.g., wireless network devices 102) in the network environment 100 are combined with the hub 176 to create a mesh network in the HAN 202. In some implementations, one or more of the smart devices 204 in the HAN 202 operate as a smart home controller. Additionally and / or alternatively, the hub 176 can operate as a smart home controller. In some implementations, the smart home controller has more powerful computing capabilities than other smart devices. The smart home controller can process inputs (e.g., from the smart devices 204, the end-user devices 168, and / or the server system 206) and send commands (e.g., to the smart devices 204 in the HAN 202) to control the operation of the network environment 100. In various aspects, some of the smart devices 204 in the HAN 202 (e.g., in a mesh network) are "spokesperson" nodes (e.g., 204-1, 204-2, 204-3, 204-4, 204-5, 204-6), while other smart devices are "low power" nodes (e.g., 204-n). Some of the smart devices in the network environment 100 may be battery powered, while other smart devices may have a conventional and reliable power source, such as via line power (e.g., to a 120 V line voltage line). Smart devices with a conventional and reliable power source are referred to as "spokesperson" nodes. These nodes are typically equipped with the ability to use wireless protocols to facilitate two-way communication with various other devices in the network environment 100 and the server system 206 (e.g., cloud service 112, partner cloud service 122). In some implementations, one or more "spokesperson" nodes operate as a smart home controller. On the other hand, battery-powered devices are "low power" nodes. These nodes tend to be smaller than speaker nodes and typically communicate using only wireless protocols such as Zigbee, Z-Wave, 6LoWPAN, Thread, Bluetooth, etc. that require very little power.

[0049] Some low-power nodes may not be able to perform two-way communication. These low-power nodes send messages, but cannot "listen". Therefore, other devices in the network environment 100 (such as a speaker node) cannot send information to these low-power nodes.

[0050] Some low-power nodes may only be capable of limited two-way communication. Due to this limited two-way communication, other devices may only be able to communicate with these low-power nodes during specific time periods.

[0051] As described above, in some implementations, smart devices are used as low-power and speaker nodes to create a mesh network in the network environment 100. In some implementations, individual low-power nodes in the network environment periodically send out messages about what they are sensing, and other low-power nodes in the network environment—in addition to sending out their own messages—relay the messages, thereby propagating the messages from node to node (e.g., from device to device) throughout the HAN 202. In some implementations, a speaker node in the HAN 202 is capable of communicating using a relatively high-power communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.11), is capable of switching to a relatively low-power communication protocol (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4) to receive these messages, convert the messages to other communication protocols, and send the converted messages to other speaker nodes and / or the server system 206 (using, for example, a relatively high-power communication protocol). Thus, a low-power node using a low-power communication protocol is capable of sending and / or receiving messages across the entire HAN 202 and to the server system 206 via the Internet (e.g., network 108). In some implementations, the mesh network enables the server system 206 to periodically receive data from most or all of the smart devices in the residence, make inferences based on the data, facilitate state synchronization across devices inside and outside the HAN 202, and send commands to one or more of the smart devices to perform tasks in the network environment.

[0052] As described above, the speaker node and some low-power nodes are capable of "listening". Thus, a user, other device, and / or server system 206 can communicate control commands to the low-power nodes. For example, a user can use an end-user device 168 (e.g., a smart phone) to send a command to the server system 206 over the Internet, which then relays the command to one or more speaker nodes in the HAN 202. The speaker node can use a low-power protocol to communicate the command to the low-power nodes throughout the HAN 202, as well as other speaker nodes that do not receive commands directly from the server system 206.

[0053] In some implementations, the lighting unit 138 ( Figure 1B) can be a low-power node. In addition to housing a light source, the lighting unit 138 can also house an occupancy sensor (e.g., occupancy sensor 150), such as an ultrasonic or passive IR sensor, and an ambient light sensor (e.g., ambient light sensor 170), such as a photoresistor or a single-pixel sensor that measures light in a room. In some implementations, the lighting unit 138 is configured to activate the light source when its ambient light sensor detects that the room is dark and when its occupancy sensor detects that someone is in the room. In other implementations, the lighting unit 138 is only configured to activate the light source when its ambient light sensor detects that the room is dark. Further, in some implementations, the lighting unit 138 includes a low-power wireless communication chip (e.g., a ZigBee chip) that periodically sends out messages about the occupancy of the room and the amount of light in the room, including instant messages at the same time as the occupancy sensor detects the presence of a person in the room. As described above, these messages can be sent wirelessly (e.g., using a mesh network) from node to node (e.g., smart device to smart device) within the HAN 202, and sent to the server system 206 via the Internet (e.g., network 108).

[0054] Other examples of low-power nodes include battery-powered versions of hazard detectors 134. These hazard detectors 134 are typically located in areas where a constant and reliable power source is not available, and may include any number and type of sensors, such as smoke / fire / heat sensors (e.g., thermal radiation sensors), carbon monoxide / carbon dioxide sensors, occupancy / motion sensors, ambient light sensors, ambient temperature sensors, humidity sensors, etc. In addition, the hazard detectors 134 may send messages corresponding to each of the corresponding sensors to other devices and / or the server system 206, such as by using a mesh network as described above.

[0055] Examples of speaker nodes include entry interface devices 146 (e.g., smart doorbells), thermostats 132, control panels 166, power outlets or devices 154, and other wireless network devices 140. These devices are typically located near and connected to a reliable power source and, therefore, may include more power-consuming components, such as one or more communication chips capable of bidirectional communication in various protocols.

[0056] In some implementations, the network environment 100 includes a controlled system 156, such as a service robot, that is configured to perform any of a variety of household tasks in an autonomous manner.

[0057] As reference Figure 1BAs explained, in some implementations, the network environment 100 includes a hub device (e.g., hub 176) that is communicatively coupled to the network 108 directly or via a network interface 208 (e.g., access point 110). The hub 176 is further communicatively coupled to one or more of the smart devices 204 using a radio communication network available at least in the network environment 100. The communication protocols used by the radio communication network include, but are not limited to, ZigBee, Z Wave, Insteon, EuOcean, Thread, OSIAN, Bluetooth Low Energy, and the like. In some implementations, the hub 176 not only converts data received from each smart device to meet the data format requirements of the network interface 208 or the network 108, but also converts information received from the network interface 208 or the network 108 to meet the data format requirements of the corresponding communication protocol associated with the target smart device. In some implementations, in addition to data format conversion, the hub 176 further preliminarily processes data received from the smart device or information received from the network interface 208 or the network 108. For example, the hub 176 can integrate inputs from multiple sensors / connected devices (including sensors / devices of the same and / or different types), perform higher-level processing on those inputs (e.g., to assess the overall environment and coordinate operations between different sensors / devices), and / or provide instructions to different devices based on the collection and programmatic processing of the inputs. It should also be noted that in some implementations, the network interface 208 and the hub 176 are integrated into one network device. The functionality described herein represents a specific implementation of a smart device, a control application running on a representative electronic device (such as a smartphone), a hub 176, and a server system 206 coupled to the hub 176 via the Internet or other wide area network. All or part of this functionality and associated operations can be performed by any element of the described system—for example, all or part of the functionality described herein as performed by an implementation of the hub can be performed in whole or in part on a server, one or more connected smart devices and / or control applications, or different combinations thereof in different system implementations.

[0058] Figure 2B A representative operating environment 220 is shown in which server system 206 provides data processing to monitor events (e.g., motion, audio, security, etc.) in video streams captured by cameras 136 (e.g., video cameras, doorbell cameras) and facilitate review of these events. Figure 2B As shown, the server system 206 is located at various physical locations (e.g., residences, restaurants, stores, streets, parking lots, and / or Figure 1A and Figure 1BThe server system 206 receives video data from a video source 222 (including a video camera 224 or a video doorbell 226) within or near the network environment 100 and 130. Each video source 222 can be linked to one or more reviewer accounts, and the server system 206 provides video surveillance data of the video source 222 to the client device 228 associated with the reviewer account. For example, the portable end-user device 168 is an example of a client device 228. In some implementations, the server system 206 is a video processing server that provides video processing services to the video source and the client device 228.

[0059] In some implementations, the server system 206 receives non-video data (e.g., audio data, metadata, digital data, etc.) from one or more smart devices 204. The non-video data can be analyzed to provide context for motion events detected by the video camera 224 and / or the video doorbell 226. In some implementations, the non-video data indicates that an audio event (e.g., detected by an audio device such as an audio sensor integrated into a network-connected speaker 178), a security event (e.g., detected by a perimeter surveillance device such as a camera 136 and / or a motion sensor), a hazard event (e.g., detected by a hazard detector 134), a medical event (e.g., detected by a health monitoring device), etc., has occurred within the network environment 100.

[0060] In some implementations, multiple reviewer accounts are linked to a single network environment 100. For example, multiple occupants of a network environment 100 may have accounts linked to the network environment 100. In some implementations, each reviewer account is associated with a particular access level. In some implementations, each reviewer account has personalized notification settings. In some implementations, a single reviewer account is linked to multiple network environments 100 (e.g., multiple different HANs). For example, a person may own or possess, or be assigned to review and / or manage multiple network environments 100. In some implementations, the reviewer account has different access levels and / or notification settings for each network environment.

[0061] In some implementations, each of the video sources 222 includes one or more video cameras 224 or one or more video doorbells 226 that capture video and send the captured video to the server system 206 in substantially real time (e.g., within 1 second, 10 seconds, 30 seconds, or 1 minute). In various aspects, the video sources 222 include a controller device (not shown) that acts as an intermediary between the one or more doorbells 226 and the server system 206. The controller device receives video data from the one or more doorbells 226, optionally performs some preliminary processing on the video data, and sends the video data and / or the results of the preliminary processing to the server system 206 on behalf of the one or more doorbells 226 (e.g., in real time). In some implementations, each camera has its own onboard processing capability to perform some preliminary processing on the captured video data before sending the video data (e.g., together with metadata obtained by the preliminary processing) to the controller device and / or the server system 206. In some implementations, one or more of the cameras are configured to optionally store the video data locally (e.g., for later transmission if requested by a user). In some implementations, the camera is configured to perform certain processing on the captured video data and, based on the processing, send the video data in substantially real time, store the video data locally, or ignore the video data.

[0062] According to some implementations, the client device 228 includes a client-side module 230. In some implementations, the client-side module communicates with a server-side module 232 executed on the server system 206 via one or more networks 108. The client-side module provides client-side functionality for event monitoring and review processing and communication with the server-side module. The server-side module provides server-side functionality for event monitoring and review processing for any number of client-side modules that each reside on a corresponding client device 228 (e.g., any of the client devices 228-1 to 228-m). In some implementations, the server-side module 232 also provides server-side functionality for video processing and camera control for any number of video sources 222 including any number of control devices, cameras 224, and doorbells 226.

[0063] In some implementations, the server system 206 includes one or more processors 234, a video storage database 236, an account database 238, an input / output (I / O) interface 240 to one or more client devices 228, and an I / O interface 242 to one or more video sources 222. The I / O interface 242 to the one or more client devices 228 facilitates client-oriented input and output processing. The account database 238 stores a plurality of profiles of reviewer accounts registered with the video processing server, wherein a respective user profile includes account credentials for the respective reviewer account, and one or more video sources linked to the respective reviewer account. The I / O interface 242 to the one or more video sources 222 facilitates communication with the one or more video sources 222 (e.g., a group of one or more doorbells 226, cameras 224, and associated controller devices). Video storage database 236 stores raw video data received from video source 222, as well as various types of metadata, such as motion events, event categories, event classification models, event filters, and event masks, for data processing for event monitoring and review for each reviewer account.

[0064] Examples of representative client devices 228 include handheld computers, wearable computing devices, personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablet computers, laptop computers, desktop computers, cellular telephones, smart phones, enhanced general packet radio service (EGPRS) mobile phones, media players, navigation devices, game consoles, televisions, remote controls, point of sale (POS) terminals, in-vehicle computers, e-book readers, or a combination of any two or more of these or other data processing devices.

[0065] Examples of the one or more networks 108 include a local area network (LAN) and a wide area network (WAN) such as the Internet. The one or more networks 108 are implemented using any known network protocol, including various wired or wireless protocols such as Ethernet, Universal Serial Bus (USB), FIREWIRE, Long Term Evolution (LTE), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Wi-MAX, or any other suitable communication protocol.

[0066] In some implementations, the server system 206 is implemented on one or more independent data processing devices or a distributed computer network. The server system 206 may also employ the services of various virtual devices and / or third-party service providers (e.g., third-party cloud service providers) to provide the underlying computing resources and / or infrastructure resources of the server system 206. In some implementations, the server system 206 includes, but is not limited to, a server computer, a handheld computer, a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a desktop computer, or a combination of any two or more of these data processing devices or other data processing devices.

[0067] Figure 2B The server-client environment shown includes a client side part (e.g., a client side module) and a server side part (e.g., a server side module). The functional division between the client side part and the server side part of the operating environment may be different in different implementations. Similarly, the functional division between the video source 222 and the server system 206 may be different in different implementations. For example, in some implementations, the client side module is a thin client that only provides user-oriented input and output processing functions, and all other data processing functionalities are delegated to the back-end server (e.g., the server system 206). Similarly, in some implementations, the corresponding video source in the video source 222 is a simple video capture device that continuously captures video data and streams video data to the server system 206 when limited local preliminary processing is performed on the video data or when the video data is not locally preliminary processed. Although many aspects of the present technology are described from the perspective of the server system 206, the corresponding actions performed by the client device 228 and / or the video source 222 will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Similarly, some aspects of the present technology can be described from the perspective of the client device or video source, and the corresponding actions performed by the video server will be apparent to those skilled in the art. In addition, some aspects of the present technology can be performed by the server system 206, the client device 228 and the video source 222 in collaboration.

[0068] In some aspects, a video source 222 (e.g., a video camera 224 or a doorbell 226 having an image sensor) transmits one or more video data streams 244 to a server system 206. For example, a video source 222-1 may include one or more video cameras (e.g., 224-1, 224-2) and / or a doorbell 226-1). Additionally or alternatively, a video source 222-n may include one or more video cameras (e.g., 224-m through 224-z) and / or a doorbell 226-x. In some implementations, the one or more streams include multiple streams of raw video captured by the image sensor, the multiple streams having corresponding resolutions and / or frame rates. In some implementations, the multiple streams include: a "main" stream (e.g., 244-1) having a particular resolution and frame rate, the "main" stream corresponding to the raw video captured by the image sensor; and one or more additional streams (e.g., 244-2 through 244-q). The additional stream is optionally a video stream that is the same as the "main" stream, but has a different resolution and / or frame rate, or is a stream that captures a portion of the "main" stream (e.g., cropped to include the portion of the field of view or pixels of the main stream) at the same or different resolution and / or frame rate as the "main" stream. In some implementations, the main stream and / or additional streams are encoded dynamically (e.g., based on network conditions, server operating conditions, camera operating conditions, data representations in the stream (e.g., whether there is motion), user preferences, etc.

[0069] In some implementations, one or more of the streams 244 are sent directly from the video source 222 to the client device 228 (e.g., without being routed to or processed by the server system 206). In some implementations, one or more of the streams are stored in local memory of the doorbell 226 and / or at a local storage device (e.g., a dedicated recording device) such as a digital video recorder (DVR). For example, according to some implementations, the doorbell 226 stores the last 24 hours of video clips recorded by the camera. In some implementations, portions of one or more streams are stored at the doorbell 226 and / or the local storage device (e.g., portions corresponding to particular events or times of interest).

[0070] In some implementations, the server system 206 sends one or more video data streams 246 to the client device 228 to facilitate event monitoring by the user. In some implementations, the one or more streams may include multiple streams of the same video source with corresponding resolutions and / or frame rates. In some implementations, the multiple streams include a "primary" stream (e.g., 246-1) with a particular resolution and frame rate corresponding to the video feed, and one or more additional streams (e.g., 246-2 to 246-t). The additional streams may be video streams that are the same as the "primary" stream but at a different resolution and / or frame rate, or may be streams that show a portion of the "primary" stream at the same or different resolution and / or frame rate as the "primary" stream (e.g., cropped to include a portion of the field of view or pixels of the primary stream).

[0071] Figure 3 is a block diagram illustrating a server system 206 according to some implementations. The server system 206 typically includes one or more processors 302, one or more network interfaces 304 (e.g., including an I / O interface 240 to one or more client devices and an I / O interface 242 to one or more electronic devices), a memory 306, and one or more communication buses 308 for interconnecting these components (sometimes referred to as a chipset). The memory 306 includes high-speed random access memory, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM), static random access memory (SRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SRAM), or other random access solid-state memory devices; and optionally includes non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, one or more optical disk storage devices, one or more flash memory devices, or one or more other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. The memory 306 optionally includes one or more storage devices remote from one or more of the processors 302. The memory 306 or alternatively the non-volatile memory within the memory 306 includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In some implementations, the memory 306 or the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of the memory 306 stores the following programs, modules, and data structures, or a subset or superset thereof: • an operating system 310 , which includes processes for handling various basic system services and for performing hardware-related tasks; • A network communication module 312 for connecting the server system 206 to other systems and devices (eg, client devices, electronic devices, and systems connected to one or more networks 108) via one or more network interfaces 304 (wired or wireless); ● Server-side modules 314, which provide server-side functionality for device control, data processing, and data review, including but not limited to: ○ An account management module 316, which is used to create a reviewer account, perform a camera registration process to establish an association between a video source and its corresponding reviewer account, and provide account login services to the client device 228; ○ Data receiving module 318, which is used to receive data from an electronic device (e.g., from Figure 2B 222 in the video source), and preparing the received data for further processing and storage in a data storage database (e.g., data storage database 332); o a device control module 320 for generating and sending server-initiated control commands to modify an operating mode of an electronic device (e.g., a device of the network environment 100), and / or receiving and forwarding user-initiated control commands (e.g., from a client device 228) to modify an operating mode of an electronic device; o A data processing module 322 for processing data provided by an electronic device and / or preparing and sending processed data to a device for review (e.g., to a client device 228 for user review); ○ An event detection module 324, which is used to detect motion event candidates in the video stream from each video source in the video source 222, including motion trajectory identification, false alarm suppression, and event mask generation and caching; ○ An event classification module 326, which is used to classify motion events detected in the received video stream; and o a person identification module 328 for identifying features associated with human presence in a received video stream; and ● Server database 330, which provides server-side storage data associated with device control, data processing and data review, including but not limited to: ○ A data storage database 332 for storing data (e.g., raw / processed image data) associated with each electronic device (e.g., each video source 222) for each user account, as well as data processing models, processed data results, and other relevant metadata associated with the data (e.g., name of the data result, location of the electronic device, creation time, duration, settings of the electronic device, etc.), wherein (optionally) all or part of the data and / or processing associated with the hub 176 or smart device is securely stored; and ○ Account database 334, which is used to store account information of user accounts, including user account information, such as user profiles, information and settings of linked hub devices and electronic devices (e.g., hub device identification), hub device-specific secrets, related user and hardware characteristics (e.g., service layer, device model, storage capacity, processing power, etc.), user interface settings, data review preferences, etc., wherein information of associated electronic devices includes but is not limited to one or more device identifiers (e.g., media access control (MAC) addresses and universally unique identifiers (UUIDs), device-specific secrets, and displayed titles.

[0072] Each element in the elements identified above can be stored in one or more memory devices in the memory devices mentioned previously, and can correspond to the instruction set for performing the functions described above. The modules or programs (e.g., instruction sets) identified above do not need to be implemented as separate software programs, processes or modules, and therefore each subset of these modules can be combined or otherwise rearranged in various implementations. In some implementations, memory 306 optionally stores a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. In addition, memory 306 optionally stores additional modules and data structures not described above.

[0073] Figure 4 1 is a block diagram illustrating an example smart device 204 according to some implementations. In some implementations, the smart device 204 (e.g., any device of the network environment 100 in FIG. 1 (including the end-user device 168) or Figure 2B Any device (e.g., doorbell 226) of a network environment includes one or more processors 402 (e.g., central processing unit (CPU), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), microprocessor, etc.), one or more communication interfaces 404 with radio transceiver 406, image sensor 408, user interface 410, sensor 412, memory 414, and one or more communication buses 416 for interconnecting these components (sometimes referred to as chipsets). In some implementations, user interface 410 includes one or more output devices 418 that enable presentation of media content, including one or more speakers and / or one or more visual displays. In some implementations, user interface 410 includes one or more input devices 420, including user interface components that facilitate user input, such as a keyboard, mouse, voice command input unit or microphone, touch screen display, touch-sensitive input pad, gesture capture camera, or other input buttons or controls. In some implementations, input device 420 of doorbell 226 is a tactile or touch-sensitive doorbell button. Additionally, some smart devices 204 use microphones and voice recognition or cameras and gesture recognition to supplement or replace keyboards.

[0074] Sensor 422 includes, for example, one or more thermal radiation sensors, ambient temperature sensors, humidity sensors, IR sensors (such as PIR sensors), proximity sensors, range sensors, occupancy sensors (e.g., using RFID sensors), ambient light sensors (ALS), motion sensors 422, location sensors (e.g., global navigation satellite system (GNSS) sensors, global positioning system (GPS) sensors), accelerometers and / or gyroscopes.

[0075] In some implementations, the smart device 204 includes an energy storage component 424 (e.g., one or more batteries and / or capacitors). In some implementations, the energy storage component 424 includes a power management integrated circuit (IC). In some implementations, the energy storage component 424 includes a circuit for harvesting energy from a signal received via an antenna (e.g., a radio transceiver 406) of the smart device. In some implementations, the energy storage component 424 includes a circuit for collecting thermal energy, vibration energy, electromagnetic energy, and / or solar energy received by the smart device. In some implementations, the energy storage component 424 includes a circuit for monitoring the stored energy level and adjusting operations and / or generating notifications based on changes in the stored energy level.

[0076] The communication interface 404 includes, for example, the ability to use various custom or standard wireless protocols (e.g., WLAN (in addition to Wi-Fi, IEEE 802.11 (including 802.11ax) and WiFi), low-rate wireless personal area network (LR-WPAN) (in addition to Bluetooth, Bluetooth low energy (BLE), IEEE 802.15.1, ZigBee, IEEE 802.15.4, wireless infrared communication, IrDA, wireless USB, NFC, 6LoWPAN, Thread, Z-Wave, Bluetooth Smart, ISA100.5A, WirelessHART, MiWi, etc.), and wireless wide area network (WWAN) (in addition to cellular, 5G, long-term evolution (LTE), 4G, 3G, 2G, WiMAX, and IEEE 802.16) and / or any of a variety of custom or standard wired protocols (e.g., Ethernet, HomePlug, etc.), or any other suitable communication protocol (including communication protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this document). The radio transceiver 406 enables one or more radio communication networks in the network environment 100 and enables the smart device 204 to communicate with other devices. In some implementations, the radio transceiver 406 can communicate data using any of a variety of custom or standard wireless protocols (e.g., IEEE 802.11, IEEE 802.15.4, Wi-Fi, ZigBee, 6LoWPAN, Thread, Z-Wave, Bluetooth Smart, ISA100.5A, WirelessHART, MiWi, etc.).

[0077] The memory 414 includes high-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random access solid-state memory devices; and optionally includes non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, one or more optical disk storage devices, one or more flash memory devices, or one or more other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. The memory 414 or alternatively the non-volatile memory within the memory 414 includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In some implementations, the memory 414 or the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of the memory 414 stores the following programs, modules, and data structures, or a subset or superset thereof: • an operating system 426, which includes procedures for handling various basic system services and for performing hardware-related tasks; ● a communication module 428 for coupling with and communicating with other network devices (e.g., network interfaces 208 such as routers providing Internet connectivity, networked storage devices, network routing devices, server systems 206, other smart devices 204, client devices 228, etc.) connected to one or more networks 108 via one or more communication interfaces 404 (wired or wireless); • an input processing module 430 for detecting one or more user inputs or interactions from one or more input devices 420 and interpreting the detected inputs or interactions; ● a user interface module 432 for providing and presenting a user interface in which settings, captured data, and / or other data of one or more devices (e.g., smart device 204, and / or other devices in network environment 100) may be configured and / or viewed; ● One or more applications 434 for execution by the smart device (e.g., games, social networking applications, smart home applications, and / or other web-based or non-web applications) that are used to control the device (e.g., execute commands, send commands, and / or configure settings of the smart device 204 and / or other client / electronic devices) and to review data captured by the device (e.g., device status and settings, captured data, or other information about the smart device 204 and / or other client / electronic devices); ● Device-side modules 436, which provide device-side functionality for device control, data processing, and data review, including but not limited to: o A command module 438 for receiving, forwarding and / or executing instructions and control commands for operating the smart device 204 (e.g., from the client device 228, from the server system 206, from user input detected at the user interface 410, etc.); and o a data processing module 440 for processing data captured or received by one or more inputs (e.g., input device 420, image sensor 408, sensor 412, interfaces (e.g., communication interface 404, radio 406), and / or other components of smart device 204, and for preparing and transmitting the processed data to a remote device (e.g., client device 228) for user review; and ○ an access point manager 442 for performing access point, node, and router functionality and providing Internet connectivity for one or more devices (wireless network devices 204) connected to one or more networks 108 via one or more communication interfaces 404; ● a camera module 444 for operating the image sensor 408 and associated circuitry, e.g., for enabling and disabling the image sensor 408 based on data from one or more low-power sensors 412 (e.g., data from a PIR sensor or an ALS), and for adjusting encoding of raw image data captured by the image sensor 408 (e.g., adjusting the format, resolution, and / or frame rate); ● Device data 446, which stores data associated with a device (eg, smart device 204), including but not limited to: ○ Account data 448, which stores information related to a user account linked to the smart device 204, including, for example, cached login credentials, smart device identifiers (e.g., MAC address and UUID), user interface settings, display preferences, authentication tokens and tags, cryptographic keys, etc.; o A local data storage device 450 for selectively storing raw data or processed data associated with the smart device 204, such as event data and / or video data captured by the image sensor 408;

[0078] Each element in the elements identified above can be stored in one or more memory devices in the previously mentioned memory devices, and corresponds to the instruction set for performing the functions described above. The modules or programs (e.g., instruction sets) identified above do not need to be implemented as separate software programs, processes, or modules, and therefore each subset of these modules can be combined or otherwise rearranged in various implementations. In some implementations, memory 414 optionally stores a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. In addition, memory 414 optionally stores additional modules and data structures not described above, such as a sensor management module for managing the operation of sensor 412.

[0079] Figure 55 is a block diagram showing a representative client device 228 associated with a user account according to some implementations. The client device 228 typically includes one or more processing units (CPUs) 502, one or more network interfaces 504, a memory 506, and one or more communication buses 508 for interconnecting these components (sometimes referred to as a chipset). Optionally, the client device also includes a user interface 510 and one or more built-in sensors 512 (e.g., accelerometers and gyroscopes). The user interface 510 includes one or more output devices 514 that implement the presentation of media content, and the one or more output devices include one or more speakers and / or one or more visual displays. The user interface 510 includes one or more input devices 516, including user interface components that facilitate user input, such as a keyboard, a mouse, a voice command input unit or a microphone, a touch screen display, a touch-sensitive input board, a gesture capture camera, or other input buttons or controls. In addition, some of the client devices use microphones and voice recognition or cameras and gesture recognition to supplement or replace keyboards. In some implementations, the client device includes one or more cameras, scanners, or light sensor units (not shown) for capturing images. Optionally, the client device includes a location detection device 518, such as a GPS sensor or other geo-location receiver, for determining the location of the client device.

[0080] The memory 506 includes high-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR SRAM, or other random access solid-state memory devices; and optionally includes non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, one or more optical disk storage devices, one or more flash memory devices, or one or more other non-volatile solid-state storage devices. The memory 506 optionally includes one or more storage devices remote from the one or more processing units 502. The memory 506 or alternatively the non-volatile memory within the memory 506 includes a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. In some implementations, the memory 506 or the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium of the memory 506 stores the following programs, modules, and data structures, or a subset or superset thereof: • an operating system 520 , which includes processes for handling various basic system services and for performing hardware-related tasks; • A network communication module 522 for connecting the client device 228 to other systems and devices (eg, client devices, electronic devices, and systems connected to one or more networks 108) via one or more network interfaces 504 (wired or wireless); • an input processing module 524 for detecting one or more user inputs or interactions from one of the one or more input devices 516 and interpreting the detected inputs or interactions; ● One or more applications 526 for execution by the client device (e.g., games, social networking applications, smart home applications, and / or other web-based or non-web applications) that are used to control the device (e.g., send commands to the hub device and / or other client or electronic devices, configure settings, etc.), and to review data captured by the device (e.g., device status and settings, captured data, or other information about the hub device or other connected devices); ● a user interface module 528 for providing and displaying a user interface in which settings, captured data, and / or other data of one or more devices (e.g., smart devices 204 in the network environment 100) may be configured and / or viewed; ● Client-side modules 530, which provide client-side functionality for device control, data processing, and data review, including but not limited to: ○ A device control module 532, which is used to generate control commands for modifying the operation mode of the smart device (and optionally other electronic devices) according to user input; o A video analytics module 534 for analyzing captured video data, e.g., to detect and / or identify persons, objects, animals, and events; o A data review module 536, which is used to provide a user interface for reviewing data from the server system 206 or the video source 222, and includes but is not limited to: ■ an event review module 538 for reviewing events (eg, motion and / or audio events) and optionally enabling a user to edit and / or update events; and ■ a people review module 540 for reviewing data and / or images regarding detected people and other entities, and optionally enabling a user to edit and / or update the people data; o a presentation module 542 for presenting a user interface and response options for interacting with the smart device 204 and / or the server system 206; and o A remote interaction module 544 for interacting with a remote person (eg, a visitor to the network environment 100 ), for example, via the smart device 204 and / or the server system 206 ; and ● Client data 546, which stores data associated with the user account and electronic device, including but not limited to: ○ Account data 548, which stores information related to both the user account loaded on the client device and the electronic device (e.g., of the video source 222) associated with the user account, wherein such information includes cached login credentials, hub device identifiers (e.g., MAC address and UUID), electronic device identifiers (e.g., MAC address and UUID), user interface settings, display preferences, authentication tokens and tags, cryptographic keys, etc.; and o A local data storage database 550 for selectively storing raw data or processed data associated with an electronic device (eg, a video source 222 such as a doorbell 226), optionally including entity data as previously described.

[0081] Each element in the element identified above can be stored in one or more memory devices in the memory device mentioned previously, and can correspond to the instruction set for performing the function described above. The module or program (e.g., instruction set) identified above does not need to be implemented as a separate software program, process, module or data structure, and therefore each subset of these modules can be combined or otherwise rearranged in various implementations. In some implementations, memory 506 optionally stores a subset of the modules and data structures identified above. In addition, memory 506 optionally stores additional modules and data structures not described above.

[0082] These and other capabilities and configurations are described in more detail below and Figures 1A to 5 The way entities act and interact with each other. Figures 1A to 5 The described entities can be further divided, combined, etc. Figure 1A Environment 100, Figure 1B Environment 130 and FIG. 2A to FIG. 11D The detailed illustrations illustrate some of the many possible environments, devices, and methods in which the described techniques can be employed, alone or in combination with one another.

[0083] Example Implementation

[0084] Figure 6 An example device 600 (e.g., smart device 204, wireless network device 102, residence router, border router 106, access point 110) for Wi-Fi 6E according to some implementations is shown. Figure 66. As shown, the device 600 is shown with respect to an x-axis 602, a y-axis 604, and a z-axis 606. The x-axis 602 represents the width of the device 600, the y-axis 604 represents the height of the device 600, and the z-axis 606 represents the depth of the device 600 (e.g., from front to back). The device 600 includes a housing having a first housing component (e.g., a front housing component 608) and a second housing component (e.g., a rear housing component 610). The front housing component 608 and the rear housing component 610 mate along the perimeter of each housing component along an xy plane defined by the x-axis 602 and the y-axis 604. In some aspects, the seam formed between the front housing component 608 and the rear housing component 610 is centered along the z-axis 606 so that the front exterior surface of the front housing component 608 is substantially equidistant from the rear exterior surface of the rear housing component 610. However, the seam can be formed between the front housing member 608 and the rear housing member 610 at any suitable point along the depth (z-axis 606) of the device 600. In some implementations, the front housing member 608 and the rear housing member 610 can be formed to mate along different planes (e.g., an xz plane defined by the x-axis 602 and the z-axis 606, a yz plane defined by the y-axis 604 and the z-axis 606).

[0085] In an implementation, the height of the housing of the device 600 is greater than the width, and the width is greater than the depth. In an example, the height can be in the range of about 100 mm to 150 mm (including about 116 mm), the width can be in the range of about 80 mm to 110 mm, and the depth can be in the range of about 65 mm to 85 mm. The corners and edges are rounded to provide a smooth transition between surfaces (e.g., front surface, side surface, top surface, rear surface, bottom surface). The housing forms an enclosed space around the various components of the device 600. Therefore, the device 600 has a form factor that looks like a vertical rectangular cuboid with rounded corners and edges. Because there is no speaker in the device 600, the housing lacks a hole that would have been implemented to be used for sound waves to pass through. Instead, the housing can be a solid, continuous injection-molded plastic that is permeable to wireless signals of at least three frequency bands including 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz and 6 GHz.

[0086] Device 600 can be used as a hub (e.g., hub 120) and / or can be used as an access point (e.g., access point 110) in a mesh network (e.g., home area network 202). Device 600 can operate as a router (e.g., a mesh router) that includes a Wi-Fi 6E router, which means that device 600 meets the IEEE standard for operating in the 6 GHz band in addition to the 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz bands. Therefore, device 600 includes at least three frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz).

[0087] Figure 7 Shows Figure 6 700. The device 600 includes a front housing component 608 and a rear housing component 610 that form an enclosure. Inside the enclosure are a front heat sink 702 and a rear heat sink 704 located on opposite sides of a printed circuit board (PCB) assembly (e.g., circuit board assembly 706). An example of circuit board assembly 706 is a main logic board (MLB). Also included within the enclosure is an antenna board 708. A base plate 710 is attached to the exterior of the enclosure (e.g., the bottom surface) to provide friction with the surface on which the device 600 rests.

[0088] It should be noted that the circuit board assembly 706 is supported in a vertical orientation (eg, in the xy plane). Due to space constraints in the small form factor of the device 600, the circuit board assembly 706 is oriented vertically in the assembly.

[0089] The device 600 includes an antenna system enclosed in a housing and operable in at least three frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz). The antenna system is shown as including orthogonal antenna placement, thereby generating an orthogonal current distribution, which can enhance antenna isolation because the degree of coupling of both the conduction current and the radiated near field between the vertical antennas is lower than the degree of coupling when the antennas are collinear. In the example, the circuit board assembly 706 includes one or more antennas 712 (e.g., antenna 712-1, antenna 712-2). In some implementations, the circuit board assembly 706 includes at least two antennas (e.g., antenna 712-1 and antenna 712-2). In the example, the antenna 712 is attached to the circuit board assembly 706 via surface mount technology (SMT). Further, the antennas 712-1 and 712-2 extend outward from opposite sides of the circuit board assembly 706 in a plane (e.g., an xy plane) defined by the circuit board assembly 706 itself, so that the antennas 712-1 and 712-2 are coplanar with the circuit board assembly 706. In various aspects, antennas 712-1 and 712-2 are inverted-F antennas and are configured for the 2.4 GHz and 6 GHz wireless bands.

[0090] The antenna board 708 includes multiple antennas 714 (e.g., 714-1, 714-2, 714-3, 714-4) that are orthogonally placed relative to each other to enhance coverage of the 5 GHz band. For example, the antennas 714 form a 5 GHz wireless network system that includes both primary antenna switching and diversity antenna switching, along with Thread® and Bluetooth® technologies. The antenna board 708 is a single board with the antennas 714 formed therein. Thus, in some aspects, the antenna board 708 is a single piece (one piece) of metal sheet, in which the antennas 714 are stamped and bent to be above a ground plane, where the ground plane is defined by the metal plate (e.g., the xz plane).

[0091] Therefore, the antenna topology of the device 600 is a three-axis orthogonal antenna system, which tends to direct current flow in orthogonal directions to each other, which can enhance antenna isolation. This architecture enables simultaneous transmission of different frequency bands (eg, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz).

[0092] In an implementation, the rear housing component 610 has one or more openings 716 that are aligned with various ports on the circuit board assembly 706 located within the housing. Example ports include an Ethernet port (e.g., Ethernet port 718) and a power connector (e.g., USB-C). The opening 716 is located in a portion of the rear housing component 610 that is substantially parallel to the y-axis 604 (e.g., a recessed area of ​​the rear exterior surface) such that the angle between the y-axis 604 and the portion of the rear housing component 610 is less than about five degrees. In some aspects, the portion of the rear housing component 610 (e.g., the recessed area of ​​the rear exterior surface) is substantially parallel to the xy plane. The opening is also located near the base 720 of the rear housing component 610 (e.g., within 20 mm). Because the circuit board assembly 706 is supported in a vertical orientation within the housing, the Ethernet port 718 and / or the power connector can be mounted to the circuit board assembly 706 so that their mating direction is substantially orthogonal to the surface of the circuit board assembly 706. In this example, the Ethernet port 718 and / or the power connector are mounted with a mating direction that is orthogonal to the xy plane (eg, the mating direction is parallel to the z-axis 606 ).

[0093] The bottom plate 710 can be attached or attached to the base 720 of the rear housing component 610 and also attached or attached to the base 722 of the front housing component 608. In some implementations, the bottom plate 710 can be assembled to the front housing component 608 and the rear housing component 610 via an adhesive (e.g., a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA), fasteners (e.g., screws, bolts), interlocking components (e.g., snap fit, twist fit), etc. or any combination thereof.

[0094] Figure 8Shows Figure 7 Some components of the device 600 include a circuit board assembly (e.g., circuit board assembly 706) and multiple heat sinks (e.g., heat sinks 702 and 704). Each of the front heat sink 702 and the rear heat sink 704 has a first surface (e.g., outer surface 802) opposite to a second surface (e.g., inner surface 804). For example, the front heat sink 702 includes an outer surface 802-1 and an inner surface 804-1. The rear heat sink 704 includes an outer surface 802-2 and an inner surface 804-2. Both the outer surface 802 and the inner surface 804 are external surfaces of the heat sinks 702 and 704. The inner surface 804 of each of the front heat sink 702 and the rear heat sink 704 contacts the circuit board assembly 706 to conduct heat away from the heat dissipation components (e.g., integrated circuits) on the circuit board assembly 706. The outer surface 802 of each of the front heat sink 702 and the rear heat sink 704 radiates heat toward the front housing member 608 and the rear housing member 610, respectively. The outer surface 802-1 of the front heat sink 702 corresponds to the inner surface of the front housing member 608 in a conforming manner (e.g., following its geometry) to provide a large surface area in contact with the front housing member 608 to transfer heat to the front housing member 608. Similarly, the outer surface 802-2 of the rear heat sink 704 corresponds to the inner surface of the rear housing member 610 in a conforming manner (e.g., following its geometry) to transfer heat to the rear housing member 610. Further, the front heat sink 702 and the rear heat sink 704 have a y-axis dimension (e.g., height) in the range of 50% to 90% (e.g., 55% to 70%, 60% to 80%, 65% to 75%, 70% to 85%) of the height of the front housing member 608 and the rear housing member 610.

[0095] Generally, the circuit board assembly 706 has various electrical components, including unintentional noise sources that can radiate and couple into the antennas 712 and 714. The effect is to reduce the sensitivity of the receiver and, therefore, reduce the maximum range of the antennas 712 and 714. To reduce noise and reduce sensitivity, the front heat sink 702 and the rear heat sink 704 are assembled to each other with the PCB assembly located in the middle (e.g., between the front heat sink 702 and the rear heat sink 704). Because the surfaces of the heat sinks 702 and 704 are metal, the heat sinks 702 and 704 act as noise suppression devices by shielding the antennas from potential noise sources that are active on the circuit board assembly 706.

[0096] Each of the front heat sink 702 and the rear heat sink 704 forms a cavity (e.g., the front heat sink 702 forms a cavity 806 and the rear heat sink 704 forms a cavity 808). These cavities 806 and 808 are formed to reduce the weight and material cost of the heat sink while maintaining thermal conductivity and providing structural integrity to the entire device 600.

[0097] Fig. 9 and Fig.10 Shows Figure 7 The antenna and shielding subassembly 900 of the device 600. Specifically, Fig. 9 Shows Figure 7 A front left perspective view of a partially assembled version of the antenna and shield subassembly 900 of the device 600. Fig.10 Shows Fig. 9 An example implementation of a fully assembled version of the antenna and shield subassembly 900 is shown.

[0098] exist Fig. 9 , the front heat sink 702 and the rear heat sink 704 are assembled together on opposite sides of the circuit board assembly 706 so that the front heat sink 702 and the rear heat sink 704 form mating clamshells that sandwich the circuit board assembly 706 between them. The antenna 712 extends outwardly from the heat sinks 702 and 704 so that the heat sinks 702 and 704 do not cover or enclose the antenna 712. Further, each of the antennas 712 is offset from the bottom of the device 600 by a distance 902 of approximately one quarter wavelength (λ / 4), which mitigates the effects of metal surfaces that can detune the antenna 712 and / or lossy surfaces that can potentially result in lower range. Because the heat sinks 702 and 704 form a continuous piece of metal surrounding the circuit board assembly 706, the heat sinks 702 and 704 help suppress unwanted noise that can radiate outwardly from the circuit board assembly 706 to the antenna 712 (and antenna 714), which can reduce the sensitivity of the circuit. In various aspects, heat sinks 702 and 704 directly contact circuit board assembly 706. For example, heat sinks 702 and 704 physically contact (e.g., abut) a gold-plated perimeter on circuit board assembly 706 that surrounds (in at least two dimensions) one or more integrated circuit components on circuit board assembly 706. This physical contact helps establish conductive contact, thereby shielding circuit board assembly 706.

[0099] Cavities 806 and 808 produce directional radiation patterns that are aimed directly at the top of device 600 (e.g., in the positive direction of the y-axis) in the 5 GHz band. Typically, this is an undesirable consequence of heat sink design because the radiation pattern converges to one coverage direction, while the 5 GHz plus diversity scheme relies on unique radiation patterns with different coverage. To mitigate the upward directional radiation pattern caused by cavities 806 and 808, antenna board 708 is assembled to the top of the heat sink to close the opening of cavities 806 and 808. In an implementation, antenna board 708 is a solid piece of metal with no holes in its central area. In this way, antenna board 708 prevents cavities 806 and 808 from focusing the radiation pattern in an upward direction (e.g., the positive direction of the z-axis), and thus the radiation pattern can have different coverage in space. In some implementations, antenna board 708 may include one or more holes along its perimeter for assembly to heat sinks 702 and 704. For example, the holes along the perimeter provide a route for inserting fasteners (e.g., screws, bolts) and for attaching the antenna board 708 to the front heat sink 702 and the rear heat sink 704. In some implementations, the antenna board 708 can include one or more additional holes that are small enough to minimize the impact of the upwardly focused radiation pattern caused by the cavities 806 and 808.

[0100] exist Fig.10 , front heat sink 702, rear heat sink 704, circuit board assembly 706, and antenna board 708 together form antenna and shield subassembly 900. Antenna and shield subassembly 900 includes antennas 712 and 714 oriented in a triaxial antenna system having three pairs of antennas oriented along orthogonal principal axes [x, y, z]. Antenna and shield subassembly 900 also includes heat sink cavities 806 and 808 ( Figure 8 and Fig. 9 Further, the front heat sink 702 and the rear heat sink 704 are used as shielding means to shield the antennas 712 and 714 from the circuit board assembly 706 ( Figures 7 to 9704). The circuit board assembly 706 includes exposed copper (or other conductive material) that physically contacts the heat sinks 702 and 704 to complete the shielding. In various aspects, the exposed copper (or other conductive material) is disposed along the perimeter of the circuit board assembly 706 on a first side that interfaces with the front heat sink 702, such that the exposed copper contacts the front heat sink 702. In addition, the exposed copper (or other conductive material) is disposed along the perimeter of the circuit board assembly 706 on a second side (opposite to the first side) that interfaces with the rear heat sink 702, such that the exposed copper contacts the rear heat sink 702. To further complete the shielding, the antenna board 708 is fastened (e.g., screwed) to the front heat sink 702 and the rear heat sink 704 to form a shield around the top (positive direction of the y-axis) of the circuit board assembly 706. Antenna and shield subassembly 900 also maintains a height of at least one quarter wavelength from the surface (eg, wood, metal, plastic, granite, ceramic) on which device 600 rests to minimize the effect of the 2.4 GHz antenna (eg, antenna 712) being affected by the surface.

[0101] FIG. 11A to FIG. 11D According to one or more implementations, Figure 7 Example radiation patterns of antenna 712 (e.g., 2.4 GHz and 6 GHz antennas) in close proximity. Antennas in close proximity tend to have high correlation, which can reduce the effectiveness of multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) antennas. Antenna 712 tends to have a radiation pattern that is opposite to the pattern of another antenna in the same frequency band. Correlation can be defined by the following equation: env :

[0102] In Equation 1, the term XPR is the cross discrimination ratio between the vertically polarized power component and the horizontally polarized power component. θ1 、E θ2 、E φ1 and E φ2 P are the electric field components of the first antenna and the second antenna (e.g., antennas 712-1 and 712-2) in the elevation direction and the azimuth direction, respectively. θ and is the elevation and azimuth power spectrum (APS) distribution.

[0103] By multiplying and By minimizing, the antennas become decorrelated (and opposite in polarity). This minimization is enhanced by having radiation patterns with opposite directions. For example, Fig.11A express Figure 7 The radiation pattern of the antenna 712-1 in the 6 GHz band, and Fig. 11B express Figure 7The radiation pattern of the antenna 712-2 in the 6 GHz band. For comparison, Fig. 11B The radiation pattern of the antenna 712-2 in the 6 GHz band is shown relative to Fig.11A The radiation pattern of antenna 712-1 for the 6 GHz band is shown pointing in opposite directions.

[0104] Similarly, Fig. 11C represents the radiation pattern of the antenna 712-1 in the 2.4 GHz band, and Fig.11D 2.4 GHz band radiation pattern of antenna 712-2. Fig.11D The radiation pattern of the antenna 712-2 in the 2.4 GHz band is shown relative to Fig. 11C The radiation pattern of antenna 712-1 for the 2.4 GHz band is shown pointing in opposite directions.

[0105] Thus, antennas 712-1 and 712-2 are decorrelated (in both the 2.4 GHz and 6 GHz bands) based on minimization of the electric field product generated by each of antennas 712-1 and 712-2 and based on the radiation patterns of antennas 712-1 and 712-2 pointing in opposite directions relative to each other.

[0106] Some examples are described below:

[0107] Example 1: A wireless network device comprises: a housing having a height along a y-axis, a width along an x-axis, and a depth along a z-axis, the height being greater than the width, and the width being greater than the depth, the housing forming a right rectangular cuboid with rounded corners and edges, the housing comprising a front housing component and a rear housing component, the front housing component and the rear housing component being connected to each other along an xy plane defined by the x-axis and the y-axis along a periphery of each of the front housing component and the rear housing component; an antenna system enclosed within the housing and operable in at least three frequency bands including 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz; and a circuit board assembly located within the housing and operable to provide at least one of a gateway or a node to the wireless network.

[0108] Example 2: The circuit board assembly of Example 1 can be supported in an orientation parallel to the xy plane.

[0109] Example 3: A wireless network device as described in Example 1 or 2, wherein the circuit board assembly is particularly thermally coupled to the antenna and shielding subassembly, and is particularly at least partially enclosed by at least one heat sink, and the antenna and shielding subassembly includes at least one heat sink.

[0110] Example 4: A circuit board assembly as described in any of the preceding examples may be enclosed within an antenna and shielding subassembly, the antenna and shielding subassembly comprising a first heat sink and a second heat sink, the first heat sink and the second heat sink being assembled together with a circuit board assembly located therebetween to shield the antenna system from electromagnetic interference generated by electrical components on the circuit board assembly.

[0111] Example 5: The circuit board assembly as described in Example 3 or 4 may include a first side and an opposite second side; the first heat sink may include: a first inner surface, which physically contacts the first side of the circuit board assembly to conduct heat away from the first side of the circuit board assembly; and a first outer surface, which corresponds to the first inner surface of the front housing component in a conforming manner and contacts the first inner surface of the front housing component to transfer heat to the front housing component; and the second heat sink may include: a second inner surface, which physically contacts the second side of the circuit board assembly to conduct heat away from the second side of the circuit board assembly; and a second outer surface, which corresponds to the second inner surface of the rear housing component in a conforming manner and contacts the second inner surface of the rear housing component to transfer heat to the rear housing component.

[0112] Example 6: The wireless network device of Example 5, wherein each of the first heat sink and the second heat sink defines a cavity having an opening; and the antenna and shielding subassembly may include an antenna plate covering the opening of each cavity.

[0113] Example 7: The wireless network device of Example 6, wherein the antenna system may include a plurality of antennas attached to an antenna board and forming a 5 GHz wireless network system including both main antenna switching and diversity antenna switching.

[0114] Example 8: The wireless network device of Example 7, wherein the antenna board can be a single metal sheet forming a ground plane; and the plurality of antennas on the antenna board can be stamped and bent to be above the ground plane.

[0115] Example 9: A wireless network device as described in any of Examples 3 to 8, wherein the antenna system may include at least two antennas attached to a circuit board assembly, the at least two antennas extending outward from an edge of the circuit board assembly; the at least two antennas may be coplanar with the circuit board assembly; the at least two antennas may extend outward from a first heat sink and a second heat sink surrounding the circuit board assembly; and the at least two antennas may be offset from a base of the wireless network device by approximately a quarter wavelength.

[0116] Example 10: The wireless network device of Example 9, wherein the at least two antennas can be attached to the circuit board assembly via surface mount technology.

[0117] Example 11: The wireless network device of Example 9 or 10, wherein each of the at least two antennas can operate in both the 2.4 GHz band and the 6 GHz band.

[0118] Example 12: A wireless network device as described in any of Examples 9 to 11, wherein the at least two antennas can be decorrelated based on minimizing the product of the electric fields generated by each of the at least two antennas and based on the radiation patterns of the at least two antennas pointing in opposite directions relative to each other.

[0119] Example 13: The wireless network device of any of Examples 3 to 12, wherein the first heat sink and the second heat sink may have a y-axis dimension in the range of 50% to 90% of the height of the housing.

[0120] Example 14: A wireless network device as described in any of the preceding examples, wherein the rear housing component may include one or more openings that are aligned with one or more ports on the circuit board assembly; and the one or more openings may be located in a portion of the rear housing component parallel to the xy plane.

[0121] Example 15: The wireless network device of any of the preceding examples, wherein the one or more ports on the circuit board assembly may include an Ethernet port and a power connector.

[0122] Example 16: The wireless network device as described in any of the preceding examples, wherein the antenna system can be a three-axis orthogonal antenna system, the three-axis orthogonal antenna system having three pairs of antennas oriented along orthogonal main axes.

[0123] Example 17: A wireless network device as described in any of the preceding examples, wherein the wireless network device is configured as or includes a thermostat, a hazard detector, a camera, a lighting unit, an entry door lock system, a room occupancy status detector, an alarm system, a wearable computing device, a motion detector, a vibration detector and / or a doorbell.

[0124] in conclusion

[0125] Although aspects of a wireless network device operable in the 6 GHz band have been described in language specific to features and / or methods, the subject matter of the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or methods described. Rather, specific features and methods are disclosed as example implementations of techniques for wireless network devices operable in the 6 GHz band, and other equivalent features and methods are intended to fall within the scope of the appended claims. Further, various different aspects are described, and it should be understood that each described aspect may be implemented independently or in combination with one or more other described aspects.

Claims

1. A wireless network device, comprising: a housing having a height along a y-axis, a width along an x-axis, and a depth along a z-axis, the height being greater than the width, the width being greater than the depth, the housing forming a right rectangular cuboid having rounded corners and sides, the housing comprising a front housing component and a rear housing component, the front housing component and the rear housing component being connected to each other along a perimeter of each of the front housing component and the rear housing component along an xy plane defined by the x-axis and the y-axis; an antenna system enclosed within the housing and capable of operating in at least three frequency bands including 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz; as well as A circuit board assembly is located within the housing and is operable to provide at least one of a gateway or a node for a wireless network.

2. The wireless network device of claim 1, wherein the circuit board assembly is supported in an orientation parallel to the xy plane.

3. The wireless network device according to claim 1 or claim 2, wherein: The circuit board assembly is thermally coupled to an antenna and shield subassembly including at least one heat sink; and The circuit board assembly is partially enclosed by the at least one heat sink.

4. A wireless network device as described in at least one of the preceding claims, wherein the circuit board assembly is enclosed in an antenna and shielding subassembly, the antenna and shielding subassembly including a first heat sink and a second heat sink, the first heat sink and the second heat sink being assembled together with the circuit board assembly located therebetween to shield the antenna system from electromagnetic interference generated by electrical components on the circuit board assembly.

5. The wireless network device according to claim 3 or claim 4, wherein: The circuit board assembly includes a first side and an opposite second side; The first heat sink comprises: a first interior surface that physically contacts the first side of the circuit board assembly to conduct heat away from the first side of the circuit board assembly; and a first outer surface that conformably corresponds to and contacts the first inner surface of the front housing component to transfer heat to the front housing component; and The second radiator comprises: a second inner surface that physically contacts the second side of the circuit board assembly to conduct heat away from the second side of the circuit board assembly; and A second outer surface conformably corresponds to and contacts the second inner surface of the rear housing component to transfer heat to the rear housing component.

6. The wireless network device according to claim 5, wherein: Each of the first heat sink and the second heat sink defines a cavity having an opening; and The antenna and shield subassembly includes an antenna plate covering the opening of each cavity.

7. The wireless network device of claim 6, wherein the antenna system includes a plurality of antennas, the plurality of antennas being attached to the antenna board and forming a 5 GHz wireless network system including both main antenna switching and diversity antenna switching.

8. The wireless network device according to claim 7, wherein: The antenna board is a single sheet of metal forming a ground plane; and The plurality of antennas on the antenna board are stamped and bent to be above the ground plane.

9. The wireless network device according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein: The antenna system includes at least two antennas attached to the circuit board assembly, the at least two antennas extending outwardly from an edge of the circuit board assembly; The at least two antennas are coplanar with the circuit board assembly; The at least two antennas extend outwardly from the first heat sink and the second heat sink surrounding the circuit board assembly; and The at least two antennas are offset from a base of the wireless network device by approximately a quarter wavelength.

10. The wireless network device of claim 9, wherein each of the at least two antennas is capable of operating in both the 2.4 GHz band and the 6 GHz band.

11. The wireless network device of any one of claims 9 to 10, wherein the at least two antennas are decorrelated based on minimization of the product of the electric fields generated by each of the at least two antennas and based on radiation patterns of the at least two antennas pointing in opposite directions relative to each other. 12 . The wireless network device of claim 4 , wherein the first heat sink and the second heat sink have a y-axis dimension in the range of 50% to 90% of the height of the housing.

13. A wireless network device as claimed in any preceding claim, wherein: the rear housing component including one or more openings, the one or more openings being aligned with one or more ports on the circuit board assembly; and The one or more openings are located in a portion of the rear housing component parallel to the xy plane.

14. The wireless network device of claim 13, wherein the one or more ports on the circuit board assembly include an Ethernet port and a power connector.

15. The wireless network device of any one of the preceding claims, wherein the antenna system is a three-axis orthogonal antenna system having three pairs of antennas oriented along orthogonal principal axes.

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