Wi-Fi / BlueTooth antenna disconnection detection

Abstract

The embodiments described herein are directed to techniques for performing antenna / cable separation using co-located communication devices. A first device may transmit a reference signal over a predetermined bandwidth. A parasitic signal corresponding to the reference signal may be received via a coupling at a second device co-located with the first device. The second device may be coupled via a port to a first end of a cable, the second end of the cable configured to connect to an antenna. A processing device may determine a ratio of amplitudes of the parasitic signal over a predefined bandwidth. The processing device may then determine a separation status of one or more of the antenna and the cable based on the amplitude of the parasitic signal over the predefined bandwidth.

Description

FIELD OF TECHNOLOGY

[0001] The present disclosure relates generally to co-located communication devices each using any of various communication protocols (e.g., Wi-Fi™ and Bluetooth™), and more particularly to detecting antenna / cable disconnects at co-located communication devices. GENERAL STATE OF THE ART

[0002] Various communication devices may include transceivers configured to transmit / receive data using any of a variety of communication protocols. For example, a transceiver may transmit / receive signals using, among others, the Wi-Fi protocol, the Bluetooth protocol, or the WiMAX protocol. In some cases, multiple transceivers may be implemented in a single multi-protocol combination device. For example, a single device may include Bluetooth (BT) transceivers as well as wireless local area network (WLAN) transceivers (operating, for example, with the Wi-Fi protocol), which may utilize their own transmission hardware, such as antennas, cables, etc. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE CHARACTERS

[0003] The present embodiments are illustrated by way of example and not limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings. Fig. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a wireless communication device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The Fig. 2A-2C are block diagrams showing the wireless communication device of Fig. 1 in a specific antenna / cable separation scenario according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. Figure 3 is a diagram showing the amplitude of a parasitic reference signal over a predetermined bandwidth for each of the Fig. 2A-2C, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 4 is a functional block diagram illustrating an antenna / cable disconnection detection method according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 5 is a diagram illustrating the amplitude (vs. frequency) of a parasitic reference signal for different antenna / cable separation scenarios and different antenna matching scenarios according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 6 is a block diagram showing the wireless communication device of Fig. 1 performing a wireless communication / environmental sensing test, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 7 is a block diagram showing the wireless communication device of Fig. 1 utilizing Wi-Fi sensing to perform some of the antenna / cable disconnect detection functions described herein, in accordance with some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 8 is a diagram illustrating different antenna / cable disconnection scenarios depending on the distance and time of an object detected using Wi-Fi sensing, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 9 is a diagram illustrating a parasitic path and a reference path of a parasitic reference signal detected using Wi-Fi sensing, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 10 is a flowchart of a method for antenna / cable disconnection detection according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 11A is a flowchart of a method for antenna / cable disconnection detection according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 11B is a flowchart of a method for antenna / cable disconnection detection using Wi-Fi sensing according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 12 is a detailed block diagram of the wireless communication device of Fig. 1 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. Fig. 13 illustrates a communication device according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0004] In the following description, for purposes of explanation, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present embodiments may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known circuits, structures, and techniques are shown by way of block diagram form rather than in detail in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring this description.

[0005] Reference in the specification to "one embodiment" or "an embodiment" means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. The phrase "in one embodiment" appears in various places throughout this specification and does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0006] Wireless communication in multi-protocol devices can be interrupted for a variety of reasons. One reason involves disconnections in the antenna and / or cable used by a transceiver to transmit / receive information. Detecting an antenna or cable disconnection in a multi-protocol device is important to ensure proper operation of the multi-protocol device. This is especially important for automotive applications where the transceiver chips may be located farther from their respective antennas (e.g., to achieve ideal antenna positioning) and may use radio frequency (RF) cables to connect the transceiver chips to their respective antennas. If a cable connecting a transceiver chip to its respective antenna is severed, it is difficult to know / locate where along its length the cable is severed.A technician must be able to rule out physical antenna separation as a potential problem without having to open sections of the car, which could be time-consuming and resource-consuming.

[0007] Therefore, a diagnostic test that can be executed, for example, from a vehicle infotainment system's settings menu is desirable. Many current solutions use dedicated antenna / cable disconnection detection hardware on their multi-protocol devices. However, such solutions are costly both financially and in terms of hardware footprint.

[0008] The embodiments described herein are directed to techniques for performing antenna / cable separation using co-located communication devices. Such techniques may, for example, be implemented as part of a multi-protocol communication device that implements co-located transceivers, thereby eliminating the need for the dedicated antenna / cable separation hardware discussed above. A first transceiver (also referred to as a reference device) may transmit a reference signal over a predetermined bandwidth. The reference signal may be transmitted as a parasitic signal via a parasitic or spatially designed coupling to a second transceiver (co-located with the first transceiver).

[0009] A processing device of the multi-protocol communication device may determine the amplitude of the parasitic signal across the predetermined bandwidth. This is because, as discussed in more detail herein, the amplitude ratio of the parasitic signal for multiple frequencies within the predetermined bandwidth is different for different antenna / cable separation scenarios. The processing device may implement a classifier comprising reference data comprising the amplitude shape and average amplitude of a reference signal received at the second device across a wide range of frequencies (spanning the predetermined bandwidth) for each of a set of different antenna / cable separation scenarios.The processing device may compare the amplitude of the parasitic signal across the predetermined bandwidth with the reference data for each of the set of different antenna / cable separation scenarios to classify the amplitude of the parasitic signal across the predetermined bandwidth into one of the set of antenna / cable separation scenarios.

[0010] In one embodiment, an apparatus is disclosed, the apparatus including first means for transmitting a reference signal over a predetermined bandwidth and second means for receiving a parasitic signal corresponding to the reference signal via a parasitic or spatially designed coupling, the second means being co-located with the first means. The apparatus may include a port for coupling a first end of a cable to the second means, the second end of the cable being configured for connection to an antenna. The apparatus may further include processing means for determining an amplitude of the parasitic signal over a predefined bandwidth. The processing means may determine a disconnection status of one or more of the antenna and the cable based on the amplitude of the parasitic signal over the predefined bandwidth.

[0011] Fig. Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating a multi-protocol communication device 100 (hereinafter referred to as device 100), which may be a multi-protocol combination communication chip that combines a first transceiver operating using a first communication protocol and a second transceiver operating using a second communication protocol. It should be noted that the communication protocols used by the first and second transceivers need not be different. In the example of Fig. 1, the device 100 may include a BT transceiver 110 and a WLAN transceiver 115 co-located on the same chip. Additionally, the device 100 may be implemented on a single die or may be implemented using multiple dies in a single package. The WLAN transceiver 115 may include a transmit chain 118A and a receive chain 118B, and both the transmit chain 118A and the receive chain 118B may be comprised of signal processing components such as a low-noise amplifier, a mixer, a variable-gain amplifier, and a low-pass filter (not illustrated). The WLAN transceiver 115 may further include a T / R switch 118C for switching between the transmit chain 118A and the receive chain 118B.More specifically, the T / R switch 118C can selectively couple port 130 to the transmit chain 118A to enable transmission of signals via an antenna 119, or couple port 130 to the receive chain 118B to enable reception of signals via the antenna 119. A cable 120 can be coupled to the port 130 and to the antenna 119. The transmit chain 118A can also be coupled to an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 117A, which it can use to digitize received signals and output the digitized signals to a digital demodulator 116 (also referred to as a digital detector), which can extract any information content from the received digitized signals (e.g., by extracting the information-carrying signal from a carrier wave). Likewise, the BT transceiver 110 may be coupled to a port 132 to which a first end of the cable 112 may be coupled.A second end of cable 112 may be coupled to antenna 111, through which BT transceiver 110 may transmit and receive signals. Although BT transceiver 110 and Wi-Fi transceiver 115 are illustrated as being located on the same chip, this is not a requirement, and BT transceiver 110 and Wi-Fi transceiver 115 may be co-located but implemented on different chips.

[0012] As in Fig. 1, the device 100 further includes a processing device 105 and a memory 106, which may include an antenna / cable disconnect detection module 107. The processing device 105 may execute the module 107 to perform the antenna / cable disconnect detection techniques described herein. Although the functionality of the module 107 is executably illustrated as a software module stored in the memory 106 and accessed / executed by the processing device 105, this functionality may also be implemented using dedicated hardware (e.g., an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC)) or as a firmware module within the processing device 105. The module 107 may include a wireless communication and environmental sensing module 107A, a disconnect detection module 107B, and an antenna link quality module 107C.A single processing device 105 is illustrated for operating both the BT transceiver 110 and the WLAN transceiver 115, however, again, this is not a limitation, and both the BT transceiver 110 and the WLAN transceiver 115 may include their own memory in which the module 107 may be stored, and their own processing devices for executing the module 107 to perform the associated functions described herein.

[0013] Fig. 1 illustrates an example where the processing device 105 determines a disconnection status of the antenna 111 and / or the cable 112 of the BT transceiver 110, thus using the WLAN transceiver 115 as the reference device and the BT transceiver 110 as the receiving device (i.e., the device being diagnosed), as discussed in more detail herein. As can be seen, the processing device 105 may use the method discussed herein to determine a disconnection status of the antenna 119 and / or its respective cable 120 using the WLAN transceiver 115 as the receiving device and the BT transceiver 110 as the reference device.

[0014] As discussed above, WLAN transceiver 115 may use a T / R switch 118C to switch between transmit chain 118A and receive chain 118B. When executing module 107B, processing device 105 may use transmit chain 118A to transmit a reference signal 121 over a predetermined bandwidth using antenna 119. T / R switch 118C may couple port 130 to transmit chain 118A to enable transmission of reference signal 121 via antenna 119. Since the reference signal 121 travels from the transmit chain 118A to the T / R switch 118C (the transmit path of the T / R switch 118C), it can be received by the receive chain 118B via the receive path of the T / R switch 118C, as shown in Fig. 1. In some embodiments, the reference signal 121 may be received by the receive chain 118B via a coupling that occurs within the WLAN transceiver 115 or a coupling external to the WLAN transceiver (i.e., coupling may occur before or after the T / R switch 118C). It should be noted that the signal actually transmitted by the antenna 119 (in Fig. 1 as Tx signal 123) may differ from the reference signal 121 due to a reflection caused by improper operation of the antenna 119. In addition, as the reference signal 121 travels from the transmit chain 118A to the T / R switch 118C, it may be transmitted (as a parasitic signal 122) to the transmit / receive path of the BT transceiver 110 via a parasitic or spatially designed coupling, as shown in Fig. 1. The Bluetooth transceiver 110 may include a port 132 to which a first end of the cable 112 is connected. The other end of the cable 112 may be connected to the antenna 111.

[0015] As in Fig. 1, the energy of the parasitic signal 122 may split into two paths, a first path directly toward the BT transceiver 110 and a second path along the cable 112 toward the antenna 111 (assuming that the cable 112 is connected to the port 132, as discussed herein). The processing device 105 may detect the connection state of the antenna 111 / the cable 112 based on the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 across the predetermined bandwidth (i.e., the ratio of the different amplitudes of the parasitic signal 122 across the predetermined bandwidth), as discussed in more detail herein.

[0016] The predetermined bandwidth can be determined by the devices involved in the separation detection. If the devices involved in the separation detection are a combination of Wi-Fi and BT / BLE transceivers, as in the example of Fig. As shown in Figure 1, the predetermined bandwidth may be limited by a bandwidth limitation of the BT / BLE device. For example, the BT transceiver 110 may be limited to 80 MHz, and thus the predetermined bandwidth may be set to 80 MHz. In such situations, the processing device 105 may transmit the reference signal 121 as a series of tones across the predetermined bandwidth, as a single signal that varies across different channels within the predetermined bandwidth, or as a set of subcarriers (multiple tones).

[0017] If both devices involved in separation detection are Wi-Fi transceivers, a very wide bandwidth is available, and the predetermined bandwidth can extend over a wide frequency range. The processing device 105 can transmit the reference signal 121 as a series of tones across the predetermined bandwidth or as a single signal containing multiple tones within the predetermined bandwidth.

[0018] When the cable 112 is disconnected from the port 132 (ie both the cable 112 and the antenna 111 are disconnected), as in Fig. As shown in Figure 2A, all of the energy of the parasitic signal 122 follows the first path directly to the BT transceiver 110, and no energy loss occurs as a result of any portion of the energy of the parasitic signal 122 traveling on the cable 112 (e.g., on the second path). Thus, in scenarios where the cable 112 is disconnected from the port 132, a relatively large amplitude is expected for the parasitic signal 122 across the entire range of the predetermined bandwidth, as shown in Fig. 3 shown.

[0019] Fig. Figure 2B illustrates a scenario where cable 112 is connected to port 132 but disconnected from antenna 111. Cable 112 may be disconnected from antenna 111 simply because antenna 111 has been disconnected, a connection / interface between cable 112 and antenna 111 has been broken, or because cable 112 has been cut or severed at some point along its length. Because cable 112 is connected to port 132, some of the energy of parasitic signal 122 travels along the second path and, upon reaching the open end of cable 112, propagates back along cable 112 and can be received by BT transceiver 110. However, the open end of cable 112 is not impedance-matched to its environment (e.g., the air). As the parasitic signal 122 propagates back along the cable 112, it is thus affected by energy loss due to the cable 112 itself.Because the antenna 111 is disconnected, no interference occurs due to signals received by the antenna 111. As a result, in scenarios where the cable 112 is connected to the port 132 but disconnected from the antenna 111, the expected amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the range of the predetermined bandwidth is lower compared to situations where the cable 112 is disconnected from the port 132 (as shown in FIG. Fig. 3), is generally lower. In addition, interference (constructive and destructive) occurs between signals injected directly into the receiver and those reflected from the cable end, resulting in large minima / maxima of the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the range of the predetermined bandwidth, as shown in Fig. 3 shown.

[0020] Fig. Figure 2C illustrates a scenario in which cable 112 is connected to port 132 and to antenna 111. Part of the energy of parasitic signal 122 travels along the second path and, upon reaching antenna 111, is subject to energy loss via antenna 111 because cable 112 and antenna 111 are impedance matched. The impedance matching between antenna 111 and cable 112 also means that parasitic signal 122 is not reflected off antenna 111. Thus, no interference due to reflection occurs. However, it should be noted that if antenna 111 is not functioning properly (e.g., is damaged or has a poor connection to cable 112), a reflection may occur, causing interference. The remaining energy of the parasitic signal 122 propagates back and can be received by the BT transceiver 110.However, in some scenarios, the parasitic signal 122 will be subject to some interference due to other signals received by the antenna 111. For example, if the antennas 119 and 111 are located close to each other, the Tx signal 123 transmitted by the antenna 119 may be received at the antenna 111 via antenna coupling and interfere with the parasitic signal 122. As a result, in scenarios where the cable 112 is connected to the port 132 and is also connected to the antenna 111, the expected amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 is generally lower over the range of the predetermined bandwidth compared to situations where the cable 112 is disconnected from the port 132, as in FIG. Fig. 3. It should be noted that the expected amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 is generally lower across the range of the predetermined bandwidth, assuming that the coupling between the antenna 119 and the antenna 111 is relatively small. When the coupling between the antenna 119 and the antenna 111 is large, the expected amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 is generally comparable to or greater across the range of the predetermined bandwidth compared to situations where the cable 112 is disconnected from the port 132. In addition, it includes an interference pattern caused by the Tx signal 123 received by the antenna 111 from the antenna 119 via an antenna coupling, as discussed above, as well as a reflection of the reference signal 121 from conductive objects in the vicinity of the device 100. As shown in Fig. 3, minima / maxima of the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 are present over the range of the predetermined bandwidth, which is determined by the method described herein with respect to Fig. 2C discussed interference.

[0021] With further reference to Fig. 1, the processing device 105, when measuring the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the range of the predetermined bandwidth, may convert the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the range of the predetermined bandwidth into one of the Fig. 2A-2C to determine the disconnect status of the cable 112 and / or the antenna 111, as discussed in more detail herein.

[0022] Fig. 4 illustrates a functional block diagram of the separation detection method performed by executing module 107B, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. At block 401, processing device 105 may use transmit chain 118A to transmit reference signal 121 using antenna 119 over the predetermined bandwidth. As reference signal 121 travels from transmit chain 118A to T / R switch 118C (the transmit path of T / R switch 118C), it may be received at block 402 by receive chain 118B via the receive path of T / R switch 118C, as shown in Fig. 1. In some embodiments, the reference signal 121 may be received by the receive chain 118B via a coupling that occurs within the WLAN transceiver 115 or a coupling that occurs externally of the WLAN transceiver (i.e., coupling may occur before or after the T / R switch 118C). It should be noted that the signal actually transmitted by the antenna 119 (in Fig. 1 as Tx signal 123) may differ from the reference signal 121 due to a reflection caused by improper operation of the antenna 119. Furthermore, since the reference signal 121 travels from the transmit chain 118A to the T / R switch 118C, it may be transmitted at block 403 (as a parasitic signal 122) via a parasitic or spatially designed coupling to the transmit / receive path of the BT transceiver 110 (as shown in Fig. 1). As used herein, spatially designed coupling may refer to coupling that occurs as a result of the proximity of two or more conductors or paths within a device.

[0023] At block 404, the processing device 105 may extract the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 (e.g., extract the amplitude from each tone of the parasitic signal 122 or from each channel over which the parasitic signal 122 is received) and, at block 405, may determine the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 across the predetermined bandwidth (i.e., the ratio of the different amplitudes of the parasitic signal 122 across the predetermined bandwidth). This is because, as discussed hereinabove, the amplitude ratio of the parasitic signal 122 for multiple frequencies in the predetermined bandwidth behaves differently for different antenna / cable disconnection scenarios, as described with respect to the Fig. 2A-3 discussed.

[0024] In some embodiments, at block 406, the processing device 105 may extract the amplitude of the reference signal 121 received by the receive chain 118B via the receive path of the T / R switch 118C (e.g., extract the amplitude from each tone of the received signal 121 or from each channel over which the reference signal 121 is received) and determine the amplitude of the reference signal 121 over the predetermined bandwidth (i.e., the ratio of the different amplitudes of the reference signal 121 over the predetermined bandwidth).At block 405, the processing device 105 may use the amplitude of the reference signal 121 across the predetermined bandwidth to compensate for distortions in the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 across the predetermined bandwidth caused, for example, by temperature variations of the WLAN transceiver 115 or variations in the behavior of the power amplifier (not shown) of the WLAN transceiver 115 caused by a different load or a change in the load of the power amplifier (since the reference signal 121 will have the same distortions). For example, the processing device 105 may identify distortions common to the parasitic signal 122 and the reference signal 121 and remove such distortions from the parasitic signal 122 using any suitable method.

[0025] At block 407, the processing device 105 may use a multiplicative correction (or any convenient method) to correct (scale) the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the predetermined bandwidth to adjust the effect of the filter(s) (not shown) of the BT transceiver 110 for different frequencies.

[0026] At block 408, the processing device 105 may implement a classifier to classify the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the predetermined bandwidth into one of the three Fig. 2A-2C. The classifier knows the amplitude shape and the average amplitude of a reference signal (similar to the reference signal 121) transmitted over a wide range of frequencies (spanning the predetermined bandwidth) by the BT transceiver 110 from the WLAN transceiver 115 via a parasitic coupling for each of the scenarios identified in the Fig. 2A-2C (hereinafter referred to as reference data for each of the scenarios discussed in Fig. 2A-2C). The memory 106 can store the reference data for each of the scenarios described in the Fig. 2A-2C. In some embodiments, during the manufacture of the device 100, the reference data for each of the scenarios discussed in the Fig. 2A-2C are recorded and stored in the memory 106.

[0027] The classifier may include a shape detector and an average amplitude detector for determining the shape of the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the predetermined bandwidth and the average amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the predetermined bandwidth. The classifier may then compare the average amplitude and the shape of the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the predetermined bandwidth with the reference data for each of the Fig. 2A-2C to convert the parasitic signal 122 over the predetermined bandwidth into one of the scenarios identified in the Fig. 2A-2C identified scenarios.

[0028] When the processing device 105 converts the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the predetermined bandwidth into the Fig. 2B (i.e., determines that the cable 112 is connected to the port 132 but is disconnected from the antenna 111), this may mean that the antenna 111 has been disconnected from the cable 112. However, it may also mean that the cable 112 has been cut or severed at some point along its length. Thus, in some embodiments, in response to the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 being extended beyond the predetermined bandwidth into the Fig. 2B, the processing device 105 (which continues to execute the classifier) may further determine a point along the length of the cable 112 where the cable 112 was cut (if any). As discussed above, as the energy of the parasitic signal 122 propagates back along the cable 112, it will be affected by energy loss due to the cable 112 itself. In addition, as discussed herein, the parasitic signal 122 will include an interference pattern caused by the reference signal 121 received by the antenna 111 from the antenna 119 via an antenna coupling, as discussed above with respect to Fig. 2C. As discussed in Fig. 3, minima / maxima of the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 exist over the range of the predetermined bandwidth caused by the interference pattern. As a result, the length of the cable 112 (i.e., the point at which the cable 112 was severed) may be based on the interference pattern (the amplitude versus frequency) and / or the energy of the parasitic signal 122. Thus, the reference data may include additional cable spacing reference data corresponding to the average amplitude and amplitude shape of a reference signal (comprising the interference pattern) received over the wide range of frequencies for different lengths of the cable 112 (i.e., different potential points where the cable 112 was severed).The cable spacing reference data may also include the average amplitude and amplitude shape of a reference signal received over the wide range of frequencies when the antenna 111 was simply disconnected from the cable 112.

[0029] The processing device 105 may compare the average amplitude and amplitude shape of the parasitic signal 122 (which comprises the interference pattern) over the predetermined bandwidth with the cable spacing reference data for each potential point where the cable 112 was severed to determine the point where the cable 112 was severed. After determining that the cable 112 is connected to the port 132 but disconnected from the antenna 111 and determining the point where the cable 112 was severed (if applicable), the processing device 105 may notify the user in any convenient manner.

[0030] In some embodiments, the processing device 105 (executing module 107B) may perform the antenna / cable disconnection detection method based on a comparison of the parasitic signal 122 with the signal of the cable 112 outside the ISM band as well as within the ISM band. The signal of the cable 112 may refer to the reflection of the parasitic signal 122 from the end of the cable 112. With reference to Fig. 5, when the processing device 105 performs a specific scan outside the ISM band, the measured amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 can be approximated by the signal from the cable 112 (which includes board-specific and chip-specific behavior). This is because the antenna 111 is not impedance-matched outside the ISM band, so no energy of the parasitic signal 122 is lost. If the processing device 105 determines that the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 (e.g., peak-to-peak amplitude) outside the ISM range is similar to the amplitude (e.g., peak-to-peak amplitude) of the parasitic signal 122 within the ISM range, the processing device 105 can therefore determine that the antenna 111 is disconnected from the cable 112.

[0031] If the amplitude of the signal of cable 112 within the ISM range differs from that of the parasitic signal 122 within the ISM range (e.g., the amplitude is smaller), the processing device 105 can determine that the antenna 111 is connected to the cable 112. If the amplitude of the signal of cable 112 within the ISM range is similar to that of the parasitic signal 122 within the ISM range, the processing device 105 can determine that the antenna 111 is disconnected from the cable 112. If the processing device 105 determines that the parasitic signal 122 within and outside the ISM band does not contain the signal of cable 112 (in Fig. 5 not shown), it may determine that the cable 112 is disconnected from the port 132 of the BT transceiver 110.

[0032] In some embodiments, the processing device 105 may monitor communications by the WLAN transceiver 115 and the BT transceiver 110 to determine whether any of the antennas 119 and 111 are potentially disconnected before executing the module 107B to perform the antenna / cable disconnection detection method discussed above. The processing device 105 may do this by monitoring the WLAN transceiver 115 and the BT transceiver 110 to determine whether they are currently receiving external signals from any other devices (e.g., a computing device 205 in Fig. 6), and in some embodiments, by ensuring that they are currently detecting changes in the environment, as discussed in more detail herein. Any device may be a device that is not paired or synchronized with device 100 in any way. The wireless communication and environment sensing module 107A (hereinafter referred to as module 107A) may include logic to determine whether the WLAN transceiver 115 and the BT transceiver 110 are capable of receiving packets from any other devices and whether they can detect changes in the environment.

[0033] In the example of Fig. 6, for example, when executing module 107A, processing device 105 may determine whether antenna 119 is currently receiving packets over communication channel 1 from computing device 205. If processing device 105 determines that no packets are currently being received, in some embodiments, it may immediately determine that there is a potential problem with antenna 119 and execute module 107B to perform the antenna / cable disconnection detection method discussed above.

[0034] In other embodiments, the processing device 105 may receive additional information about whether the antenna 119 is capable of detecting changes in its environment (in Fig. 6 as communication channel 2) before executing module 107B. Changes in communication channel 2 may correspond to movement of a person or other object within communication channel 2.

[0035] More specifically, the processing device 105 may instruct the BT transceiver 110 to transmit a first signal via antenna 111, and the processing device 105 may measure the received signal strength of the transmitted signal at antenna 119. The processing device 105 may instruct the BT transceiver 110 to transmit a second signal, the same as the first signal, via antenna 111 and may, in turn, measure the received signal strength of the second signal at antenna 119. If there are changes in the received signal strength between the first and second signals at antenna 119, the processing device 105 may determine that the device 100 is still capable of detecting changes in communication channel 2 and may still be operational.However, if the processing device 105 does not detect a difference in received signal strength between the first and second signals at the antenna 119, it may confirm that the antenna 119 is potentially disconnected or broken and execute module 107B to perform the antenna / cable disconnection detection method discussed above. In some embodiments, the processing device 105 may execute module 107A continuously, while in other embodiments, the processing device 105 executes module 107A at intervals.

[0036] Fig. 6 illustrates processing device 105 performing communication and / or environmental sensing with respect to antenna 119 (using BT transceiver 110 as a reference device). However, it should be understood that whenever processing device 105 executes module 107A, it may also perform communication and / or environmental sensing with respect to antenna 111 (using WLAN transceiver 115 as a reference device). In response to determining using module 107A that one of antennas 119 and 111 is potentially disconnected, processing device 105 may execute module 107B to perform the disconnection detection method on the device (in this example, BT transceiver 110 or WLAN transceiver 115) that includes the potentially disconnected antenna.

[0037] The antenna / cable disconnection detection method performed by the module 107B enables the processing device 105 to detect when the cable 112 is connected to the port 132 and when the antenna 111 is connected to the cable 112 (e.g., the scenario of Fig. 2C), however, it cannot detect if the antenna 111 is connected to the cable 112 with a poor connection. If the antenna 111 is connected to the cable 112 with a poor connection (e.g., the antenna 111 is near metal), the BT transceiver 110 is sensitive to impedance changes in the antenna 111 (e.g., red-curve sensitivity). Thus, the processing device 105 can, in response to determining based on the antenna / cable disconnection detection process performed by the module 107B that the cable 112 is connected to the port 132 and the antenna 111 is connected to the cable 112 (i.e., Fig. 2C), execute the antenna link quality module 107C (hereinafter referred to as module 107C) to notify a user that an additional separation test, requiring user actions (e.g., touching the antenna 111), is necessary to determine whether the connection of the antenna 111 to the cable 112 is in poor condition.

[0038] In some embodiments, when executing module 107C, processing device 105 may enter an impedance monitoring mode and provide instructions to a user to perform one or more actions (e.g., touching antenna 111 with a hand and / or moving antenna 111) within a predefined period of time (e.g., the next ten seconds). Processing device 105 may detect impedance changes of antenna 111 caused by the user's actions within the predefined period of time and, based on the detected impedance changes, determine whether antenna 111 is connected to cable 112 with a poor connection. For example, in response to detecting an impedance change above a threshold, processing device 105 may determine that the connection of antenna 111 to cable 112 is in a poor condition.After determining that the connection of the antenna 111 to the cable 112 is in poor condition, the processing device 105 may notify the user in any convenient manner.

[0039] Fig. Figure 7 illustrates device 100 when the first and second devices are synchronized, and more specifically illustrates device 100 implemented with a 2x2 Wi-Fi configuration. Two transceivers can be considered synchronized when both transceivers are implemented on a single chip with a common signal source (e.g., phase-locked loop (PLL), voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO)). As can be seen, instead of BT transceiver 110, device 100 now includes a second Wi-Fi transceiver 215 co-located with Wi-Fi transceiver 115.In embodiments where the devices involved in antenna / cable disconnection detection are synchronized, the processing device 105 may optionally (when executing module 107B) use Wi-Fi sensing (also referred to herein as wireless sensing) to perform antenna / cable disconnection detection (unlike the method described with respect to FIG. Fig. 1-4) and may optionally (when executing module 107A) use a Wi-Fi sensing to determine whether the WLAN transceiver 115 and the WLAN transceiver 215 can detect environmental changes (other than the method discussed with respect to Fig. 6 discussed environmental detection procedures).

[0040] As in Fig. 7, the antenna 119 can continuously transmit reference signals 127 into the environment during normal operation of the device 100. Since the reference signals 127 travel on the transmit path of the T / R switch 118C, they can be passed through the receive chain 118B (in Fig. 7 not shown) of the WLAN transceiver 115 via the receive path of the T / R switch 118C. In some embodiments, the reference signals 127 may be received by the receive chain 118B via a coupling that occurs within the WLAN transceiver 115 or a coupling that occurs externally of the WLAN transceiver (i.e., coupling may occur before or after the T / R switch 118C). It should be noted that the signal actually transmitted by the antenna 119 (in Fig. 7 as incident signal 126) may differ from the reference signal 127 due to a reflection caused by improper operation of the antenna 119. Furthermore, since the reference signals 127 travel on the transmit path of the T / R switch 118C, they may be transmitted (as received signals 129) to the transmit / receive path of the WLAN transceiver 215 via parasitic or spatially designed coupling, as shown in Fig. 7 shown.

[0041] Additionally, as the incoming signals 126 move into the environment, they may be reflected by an object 125, and the reflected signal 128 may be received by the antenna 111. When performing an environmental sensing, the processing device 105 may use the reflected signals 128 to detect events or changes, such as movement of the object 125. Because the WLAN transceiver 115 and the WLAN transceiver 215 are synchronized, the processing device 105 has phase information for the incoming signal 126 (and thus the corresponding reflected signal 128). The phase information may inform the processing device 105 of the time at which an incoming signal 126 was transmitted and its content, thereby enabling it to determine a corresponding reflected signal 128 (and a received signal 129) for each incoming signal 126.Since the WLAN transceiver 115 continues to transmit (via the antenna 119) incoming signals 126 over time, the processing device 105 can use the corresponding reflected signals 128 received at the antenna 111 to determine the distance to the object 125 (or the distance traveled by the reflected signals 128) over time using the time difference between incoming signals 126 and their corresponding reflected signals 128.

[0042] If also with reference to Fig. 8 During normal operation, if the antenna 111 and / or the cable 112 are disconnected, no reflected signals 128 are received by the WLAN transceiver 215. The processing device 105 may detect such a disconnection based on the signal from the cable 112 (i.e., the reflection of the received signal 129 from the end of the cable 112) using Wi-Fi sensing. Since Wi-Fi sensing measures the reflection from the open end of the cable 112, the signal from the cable 112 may correspond to a signal reflected from an artificial, stationary object a distance N away (where N corresponds to the distance of the cable 112). When the antenna 111 is disconnected, the processing device 105 may only detect the received signal 129, which includes the signal from the cable 112.If, over time, the processing device 105 detects only received signals 129 that include a signal from the cable 112 indicating that it is reflected by a non-moving object located at a distance N, it may determine that the antenna 111 has been disconnected, as shown in FIG. Fig. 8 shown.

[0043] If the processing device 105 detects received signals 129 over time, including a signal from the cable 112 indicating that it is reflected from a non-moving object closer than the distance N (or closer than the distance N and outside a threshold proximity of the distance N), it may determine that the cable 112 has been disconnected from the port 132, since a real target cannot be closer than the length of the cable 112, as in Fig. 8 shown.

[0044] In some embodiments, processing device 105 may use Wi-Fi sensing to perform antenna / cable disconnect detection based on the parasitic path and the reflected path of a received signal 129. As discussed herein, when a received signal 129 is detected on the transmit / receive path of Wi-Fi transceiver 215, the signal's energy may follow two paths: a parasitic path toward Wi-Fi transceiver 215 and a reflected path along cable 112 that is ultimately reflected back to Wi-Fi transceiver 215. Processing device 105 may use the phase information contained in a received signal 129 to distinguish between the parasitic path and the reflected path of the received signal 129.

[0045] If both the parasitic path and the reflected path of the received signal 129 are present, the processing device 105 may determine that the antenna 111 is disconnected. If only the parasitic path is present, the processing device 105 may determine that the cable 112 has been disconnected from the WLAN transceiver 215. This is determined by Fig. 9, which illustrates the amplitude of the parasitic path and the reflected path over the distance of the cable 112. As can be seen, at a distance of "zero" (i.e., at the port 132), the amplitude of the parasitic path is maximum and the amplitude of the reflected path is zero. The greater the cable distance (i.e., the point at which the cable 112 can be severed is farther away along its length), the smaller the amplitude of the parasitic path and the more the amplitude of the reflected path increases up to a certain point. To measure the ranging spectrum, the processing device 105 may scan multiple Wi-Fi channels and may use any suitable super-resolution algorithm to extract the spectrum, such as correlation (IFFT).

[0046] Fig. 10 is a flowchart of a method 1000 for detecting an antenna and / or cable disconnection using two or more co-located wireless communication devices, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 1000 may be performed by processing logic that may include hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, a processor, a processing device, a central processing unit (CPU), a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.), software (e.g., instructions running / executing in a processing device), firmware (e.g., microcode), or a combination thereof. For example, the method 1000 may be performed by the processing device 105 executing the module 107.

[0047] Also with reference to Fig. 1, at block 1005, the processing device 105 (executing module 107A) may monitor communications by the WLAN transceiver 115 and the BT transceiver 110 to determine whether any of the antennas 119 and 111 are potentially disconnected before executing module 107B to perform the antenna / cable disconnection detection method discussed above. The processing device 105 may do this by monitoring the antennas 119 and 111 to determine whether they are currently receiving external signals from any other devices (e.g., the computing device 205 in Fig. 6) and also by ensuring that they are each capable of detecting changes in the environment, as discussed in more detail herein.

[0048] If the processing device 105 determines at decision block 1010 that the antennas 119 and 111 are capable of receiving external signals and are capable of detecting changes in the environment, the processing device 105 may operate the device 100 normally and continue to monitor the antennas 119 and 111. In response to determining that one of the two antennas 119 and 111 is unable to receive external signals or is unable to detect changes in the environment, the processing device 105 may execute module 107B at block 1015 to perform the antenna / cable disconnection detection method with respect to the antenna that is unable to receive external signals or detect changes in the environment.

[0049] If the processing device 105 determines at decision block 1020 that either the cable 112 is disconnected or that only the cable 112 is connected, it may report this to the user at block 1030. If the processing device 105 determines that both the cable 112 and the antenna 111 are connected, or that there are disconnections that cannot be determined with sufficient reliability, it may execute the antenna link quality module 107C (hereinafter referred to as module 107C) to notify a user that an additional disconnection test, requiring user action (e.g., touching the antenna 111), is necessary to determine whether the connection of the antenna 111 to the cable 112 is in poor condition.This is because the antenna / cable disconnection detection process performed by module 107B allows processing device 105 to detect when cable 112 and / or antenna 111 are disconnected / connected, but not when antenna 111 is connected to cable 112 with a poor connection or when additional reliability of the disconnections determined by the antenna / cable disconnection detection process performed by module 107B is required. When antenna 111 is connected to cable 112 with a poor connection (e.g., antenna 111 is near metal), BT transceiver 110 is sensitive to impedance changes in antenna 111 (e.g., red-curve sensitivity).

[0050] At block 1025, upon executing module 107C, processing device 105 may enter an impedance monitoring mode and provide instructions to a user to perform one or more actions (e.g., touching antenna 111 with a hand and / or moving antenna 111) within a predefined period of time (e.g., the next ten seconds). Processing device 105 may detect impedance changes of antenna 111 caused by the user's actions within the predefined period of time and, based on the detected impedance changes, determine whether antenna 111 is connected to cable 112 with a poor connection. For example, in response to detecting an impedance change above a threshold, processing device 105 may determine that the connection of antenna 111 to cable 112 is in poor condition.At block 1030, the processing device 105 may notify the user based on the result of the impedance monitoring mode.

[0051] Fig. 11A is a flowchart of a method 1100 for detecting an antenna and / or cable disconnection using two or more co-located wireless communication devices, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 1100 may be performed by processing logic that may include hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, a processor, a processing device, a central processing unit (CPU), a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.), software (e.g., instructions running / executing in a processing device), firmware (e.g., microcode), or a combination thereof. For example, the method 1100 may be performed by the processing device 105 executing the module 107B.

[0052] Also with reference to Fig. 1, at block 1105, the processing device 105 may use the transmit chain 118A to transmit a reference signal 121 over a predetermined bandwidth using the antenna 119. The T / R switch 118C may couple the port 130 to the transmit chain 118A to enable transmission of the reference signal 121 via the antenna 119. As the reference signal 121 travels from the transmit chain 118A to the T / R switch 118C (the transmit path of the T / R switch 118C), it may be received by the receive chain 118B via the receive path of the T / R switch 118C, as shown in Fig. 1. In some embodiments, the reference signal 121 may be received by the receive chain 118B via a coupling that occurs within the WLAN transceiver 115 or a coupling that occurs externally of the WLAN transceiver (i.e., coupling may occur before or after the T / R switch 118C). It should be noted that the signal actually transmitted by the antenna 119 (in Fig. 1 as Tx signal 123) may differ from the reference signal 121 due to a reflection caused by improper operation of the antenna 119. Furthermore, since the reference signal 121 travels from the transmit chain 118A to the T / R switch 118C, it may be transmitted (as the parasitic signal 122) via a parasitic or spatially designed coupling to the transmit / receive path of the BT transceiver 110, as shown in Fig. 1 shown.

[0053] At block 1115, the processing device 105 may extract the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 (e.g., extract the amplitude from each tone of the parasitic signal 122 or from each channel over which the parasitic signal 122 is received) and determine the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 across the predetermined bandwidth (i.e., the ratio of the different amplitudes of the parasitic signal 122 across the predetermined bandwidth). This is because, as discussed hereinabove, the amplitude ratio of the parasitic signal 122 for multiple frequencies in the predetermined bandwidth behaves differently for different antenna / cable disconnection scenarios, as described with respect to the Fig. 2A-2C discussed.

[0054] In some embodiments, the processing device 105 may extract the amplitude of the reference signal 121 (e.g., extract the amplitude from each tone of the received signal 121 or from each channel over which the reference signal 121 is received) and determine the amplitude of the reference signal 121 over the predetermined bandwidth (i.e., the ratio of the different amplitudes of the reference signal 121 over the predetermined bandwidth).The processing device 105 may use the amplitude of the reference signal 121 across the predetermined bandwidth to compensate for distortions in the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 across the predetermined bandwidth caused, for example, by temperature variations of the WLAN transceiver 115 or variations in the behavior of the power amplifier (not shown) of the WLAN transceiver 115 caused by a different load or a change in the load of the power amplifier (since the reference signal 121 will contain the same distortions). For example, the processing device 105 may identify distortions common to the parasitic signal 122 and the reference signal 121 and remove such distortions from the parasitic signal 122 using any suitable method.

[0055] At block 1120, the processing device 105 may include a classifier for classifying the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the predetermined bandwidth into one of the three Fig. 2A-2C. The classifier knows the amplitude shape and the average amplitude of a reference signal transmitted over a wide range of frequencies (spanning the predetermined bandwidth) by the BT transceiver 110 from the WLAN transceiver 115 via a parasitic coupling for each of the scenarios identified in the Fig. 2A-2C (hereinafter referred to as reference data for each of the scenarios discussed in Fig. 2A-2C). The memory 106 can store the reference data for each of the scenarios described in the Fig. 2A-2C. In some embodiments, during the manufacture of the device 100, the reference data for each of the scenarios discussed in the Fig. 2A-2C are recorded and stored in the memory 106.

[0056] The classifier may include a shape detector and an average amplitude detector for determining the shape of the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the predetermined bandwidth and the average amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the predetermined bandwidth. The classifier may then compare the average amplitude and the shape of the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the predetermined bandwidth with the reference data for each of the Fig. 2A-2C to convert the parasitic signal 122 over the predetermined bandwidth into one of the scenarios identified in the Fig. 2A-2C identified scenarios.

[0057] When the processing device 105 converts the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 over the predetermined bandwidth into the Fig. 2B (i.e., determines that the cable 112 is connected to the port 132 but is disconnected from the antenna 111), this may mean that the antenna 111 has been disconnected from the cable 112. However, it may also mean that the cable 112 has been cut or severed at some point along its length. Thus, in some embodiments, in response to the amplitude of the parasitic signal 122 being extended beyond the predetermined bandwidth into the Fig. 2B, the processing device 105 (which continues to execute the classifier) may further determine a point along the length of the cable 112 where the cable 112 was severed (if any). As discussed above, as the energy of the parasitic signal 122 propagates back along the cable 112, it will be affected by energy loss due to the cable 112 itself. However, the shorter the length of the cable 112 (i.e., the closer to the port 132 the cable 112 was severed), the less energy loss the parasitic signal 122 may be affected by. Thus, the reference data may include additional cable spacing reference data corresponding to the average amplitude and amplitude shape of a reference signal received over the wide range of frequencies for different lengths of the cable 112 (i.e.,various potential points where the cable 112 was severed). The cable spacing reference data may also include the average amplitude and amplitude shape of a reference signal received over the wide range of frequencies if the antenna 111 were simply severed from the cable 112.

[0058] The processing device 105 may compare the average amplitude and amplitude shape of the parasitic signal 122 across the predetermined bandwidth with the cable spacing reference data for each potential point where the cable 112 was severed to determine the point where the cable 112 was severed. After determining that the cable 112 is connected to the port 132 but disconnected from the antenna 111 and determining the point where the cable 112 was severed (if applicable), the processing device 105 may notify the user in any convenient manner.

[0059] Fig. 11B is a flowchart of a method 1150 for detecting an antenna and / or cable disconnection using two or more co-located wireless communication devices using Wi-Fi sensing, according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The method 1150 may be performed by processing logic that may include hardware (e.g., circuitry, dedicated logic, programmable logic, a processor, a processing device, a central processing unit (CPU), a system-on-chip (SoC), etc.), software (e.g., instructions running / executing on a processing device), firmware (e.g., microcode), or a combination thereof. For example, the method 1150 may be performed by the processing device 105 executing the module 107B.

[0060] Also with reference to Fig. 7, at block 1155, during normal operation of device 100, antenna 119 may continuously transmit reference signals 127, which (as discussed above) are ultimately transmitted via antenna 119 into the environment as incident signals 126. As reference signals 127 travel along the transmit path of T / R switch 118C, they may be passed through receive chain 118B (in Fig. 7) of the WLAN transceiver 115 via the receive path of the T / R switch 118C. In some embodiments, the reference signals 127 may be received by the receive chain 118B via a coupling that occurs within the WLAN transceiver 115 or a coupling that occurs externally of the WLAN transceiver (i.e., coupling may occur before or after the T / R switch 118C). As the reference signals 127 travel on the transmit path of the T / R switch 118C, they may be transmitted (as received signals 129) to the transmit / receive path of the WLAN transceiver 215 at block 1160 via a parasitic or spatially designed coupling, as shown in Fig. 7 shown.

[0061] Additionally, as the incoming signals 126 move into the environment, they may be reflected by an object 125 at block 1165, and the reflected signal 128 may be received by the antenna 111. Because the WLAN transceiver 115 and the WLAN transceiver 215 are synchronized, the processing device 105 has phase information for each incoming signal 126 (and thus the corresponding reflected signal 128). The phase information may inform the processing device 105 of the time at which an incoming signal 126 was transmitted and its content, thereby enabling it to determine a corresponding reflected signal 128 (and a received signal 129) for each incoming signal 126.As the WLAN transceiver 115 continues to transmit incoming signals 126 (via the antenna 119) over time, the processing device 105 may perform antenna / cable disconnection detection at block 1170 based on the received signals 129 and reflected signals 128 received at the antenna 111 (if any), as also described below with respect to FIG. Fig. 8 discussed.

[0062] If, with reference also to Fig. 8 During normal operation, if the antenna 111 and / or the cable 112 are disconnected, no reflected signals 128 are received by the WLAN transceiver 215. The processing device 105 may detect such a disconnection based on the signal from the cable 112 (i.e., the reflection of the received signal 129 from the end of the cable 112) using Wi-Fi sensing. Since Wi-Fi sensing measures the reflection from the open end of the cable 112, the signal from the cable 112 may correspond to a signal reflected from an artificial, stationary object a distance N away (where N corresponds to the distance of the cable 112). When the antenna 111 is disconnected, the processing device 105 may only detect the received signal 129, which includes the signal from the cable 112.If, over time, the processing device 105 detects only received signals 129 that include a signal from the cable 112 indicating that it is reflected by a non-moving object located at a distance N, it may determine that the antenna 111 has been disconnected, as shown in FIG. Fig. 8 shown.

[0063] If the processing device 105 detects received signals 129 over time, including a signal from the cable 112 indicating that it is reflected by a non-moving object that is closer than the distance N (or closer than the distance N and outside a threshold proximity of the distance N), it can determine that the cable 112 has been disconnected from the port 132, since a real target cannot be closer than the length of the cable 112, as in Fig. 8 shown.

[0064] Fig. 12 is a simplified block diagram of the multi-protocol communication device 100 with a more detailed view of the deployed WLAN transceiver 115 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The device 100 may include a GPIO (General Purpose Input / Output) 1205, the BT transceiver 110, and the WLAN transceiver 115. The GPIO 1205 may include a universal digital signal pin that can be used as an input or output for the BT transceiver 110 and / or the WLAN transceiver 115. The WLAN transceiver 115 may include a processing device 1205, a memory 1210, a physical layer chip 1215, and a media access control (MAC) layer chip 1220. The 1215 physical layer chip can handle the conversion of a signal from a clocked digital format to an analog format suitable for longer-range transmission, and vice versa.The MAC layer chip 1220 may assemble and validate bits received from the physical layer chip 1215 into packets, and may receive packets of data from the processing device 1205 and convert them into streams of bits to be provided to the physical layer chip 1215. Note that. Fig. 12 illustrates an embodiment where both the BT transceiver 110 and the WLAN transceiver 115 include their own dedicated processing means and memory, and the instructions for performing the techniques described herein may be included as firmware in the memory of the BT transceiver 110 and the WLAN transceiver 115.

[0065] Fig. 13 is a block diagram illustrating a communication device 1300 according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. The communication device 1300 may include the embodiments of the communication device 100 or portions thereof as described with respect to the Fig.1-9, in whole or in part. The communication device 1300 may be embodied as a computer system in which sets of instructions may be executed to cause the communication device 1300 to perform one or more of the methodologies discussed herein. The communication device 1300 may operate as a standalone device or may be connected (e.g., networked) to other machines. In a networked deployment, the communication device 1300 may operate in the capacity of a server or client machine in a server-client network environment, or as a peer machine in a P2P (or distributed network) environment.

[0066] The communication device 1300 may be an Internet of Things (IoT) device, a server computer, a client computer, a personal computer (PC), a tablet, a set-top box (STB), a voice-activated hub (VCH), a personal digital assistant (PDA), a mobile phone, an Internet appliance, a network router, a switch or bridge, a television, speakers, a remote control, a monitor, a portable multimedia device, a portable video player, a portable gaming device, or a control console, or any other machine capable of executing a set of instructions (sequential or otherwise) that specify actions to be performed by that machine.Furthermore, while only a single communication device 1300 is illustrated, the term "device" should also be understood to include any group of machines that individually or collectively execute a set (or multiple sets) of instructions to perform one or more of the methodologies discussed herein.

[0067] The illustrated communication device 1300 includes one or more processors 1302. In embodiments, the communication device 1300 and / or the one or more processors 1302 may include one or more processing devices 1305, such as a system-on-a-chip processing device developed by Cypress Semiconductor Corporation, San Jose, California. Alternatively, the communication device 1300 may include one or more other processing devices known to those of ordinary skill in the art, such as a microprocessor or central processing unit, an application processor, a host controller, a controller, a special-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or the like.A bus system 1301 may include a communication block (not shown) for communicating with an internal or external component, such as an embedded controller or an application processor, via one or more communication interfaces 1309 and / or the bus system 1301.

[0068] Components of communication device 1300 may be located on a common carrier substrate, such as an IC chip substrate, a multi-chip module substrate, or the like. Alternatively, components of communication device 1300 may be one or more separate ICs and / or discrete components.

[0069] The memory system 1304 may include volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory that can communicate with each other via the bus system 1301. For example, the memory system 1304 may include random access memory (RAM) and program flash memory. The RAM may be static random access memory (SRAM), and the program flash memory may be non-volatile data storage that can be used to store firmware (e.g., control algorithms that can be executed by the one or more processors 1302 to implement operations described herein). The memory system 1304 may include instructions 1303 that, when executed, perform the methods described herein.Portions of the memory system 1304 may be dynamically allocated to provide caching, buffering, and / or other memory-based functionality.

[0070] The storage system 1304 may include a drive unit providing a machine-readable medium on which one or more sets of instructions 1303 (e.g., software) may be stored that implement one or more of the methodologies or functions described herein. The instructions 1303 may also reside, in whole or in part, in the other storage devices of the storage system 1304 and / or in the one or more processors 1302 during their execution by the communication device 1300, which in some embodiments represents machine-readable media. The instructions 1303 may further be sent or received over a network via the one or more communication interfaces 1309. The one or more communication interfaces 1309 may be located wherever the communication device 100 discussed herein is implemented.

[0071] A machine-readable medium is a single medium in some embodiments, however, the term "machine-readable medium" is to be understood to include a single medium or multiple media (e.g., a centralized or distributed database and / or associated caches and servers) that store the one or more sets of instructions. The term "machine-readable medium" is also to be understood to include any medium capable of storing or encoding a set of instructions to be executed by the machine and that cause the machine to perform one or more of the example operations described herein. Accordingly, the term "machine-readable medium" is to be understood to include, but is not limited to, solid-state storage and optical and magnetic media.

[0072] The illustrated communication device 1300 further includes one or more display interfaces 1306 (e.g., a liquid crystal display (LCD), a touchscreen, a cathode ray tube (CRT), and software and hardware support for display technologies), one or more audio interfaces 1308 (e.g., microphones, speakers, and software and hardware support for a microphone input / output and a speaker input / output). The illustrated communication device 1300 also includes one or more user interfaces 1310 (e.g., a keyboard, buttons, switches, a touchpad, touchscreens, and software and hardware support for user interfaces).

[0073] In the foregoing description, numerous details are set forth. However, it will be apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art from this disclosure that embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In some instances, well-known structures and devices are shown by block diagram rather than in detail in order to avoid obscuring the description.

[0074] Some sections of the detailed description are presented in terms of algorithms and symbolic representations of operations on data bits within a computer memory. These algorithmic descriptions and representations are the means used by those skilled in the data processing field to most effectively communicate the content of their work to other professionals. An algorithm is understood here and generally as a internally consistent sequence of steps leading to a desired result. The steps are those that require physical manipulation of physical quantities. Usually, though not necessarily, these quantities take the form of electrical or magnetic signals that can be stored, transferred, combined, compared, and otherwise manipulated.It has sometimes proven convenient to refer to these signals as bits, values, elements, symbols, characters, terms, numbers, or the like, mainly because of common usage.

[0075] It should be noted, however, that all these and similar terms are to be associated with the corresponding physical quantities and are merely convenient labels applied to these quantities. Unless expressly stated otherwise, as far as it is clear from the foregoing discussion, it is to be understood that throughout this specification, any discussion using terms such as "sending," "receiving," "comparing," "determining," "detecting," "classifying," or the like, refers to the actions and processes of a computing system or similar electronic computing device that processes data embodied as physical (e.g.,manipulates and converts physical (electronic) quantities represented within the registers and memories of the computer system into other data that are also represented as physical quantities within the computer system memories or registers or other such information storage, transmission, or display devices.

[0076] The words "example" and "exemplary" are used herein to serve as an example, an exemplary case, or for illustration. Any aspects or embodiments described herein as "example" or "exemplary" are not necessarily to be construed as preferred or advantageous over other aspects or embodiments. Rather, the use of the words "example" and "exemplary" is intended to specifically state concepts. The word "or," as used in this application, has the meaning of an inclusive "or" and not an exclusive "or." That is, unless otherwise stated or clear from context, "X includes A or B" includes within its meaning any of the naturally inclusive permutations. That is, "X includes A or B" is satisfied in any of the following cases: X includes A; X includes B; or X includes both A and B.Additionally, as used in this application and the appended claims, the terms "a" and "an" are generally to be interpreted to mean "one or more," unless otherwise indicated or the context makes it clear that they are directed to a singular form. Furthermore, the use of the terms "an embodiment" or "an implementation" is not intended to imply that they are the same embodiment or implementation unless so described.

[0077] Embodiments described herein may also relate to an apparatus for performing the operations herein. This apparatus may be specially constructed for the required purposes, or it may include a general-purpose computer that is selectively activated or reconfigured by a computer program stored in the computer. Such a computer program may be stored in a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium, such as disks of any type, including, but not limited to, floppy disks, optical disks, CD-ROMs and magneto-optical disks, read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), EPROMs, EEPROMs, magnetic or optical cards, flash memory, or any type of media suitable for storing electronic instructions. The term "computer-readable storage medium" is to be construed as including a single medium or multiple media (e.g.,a central or distributed database and / or associated caches and servers) that store one or more sets of instructions. The term "computer-readable medium" is also to be construed to include any medium capable of storing, encoding, or containing a set of instructions to be executed by the machine and that causes the machine to perform one or more of the methodologies of the present embodiments. Accordingly, the term "computer-readable storage medium" is to be construed to include, but is not limited to, solid-state storage, optical media, magnetic media, any media capable of storing a set of instructions to be executed by the machine and that causes the machine to perform one or more of the methodologies of the present embodiments.

[0078] The algorithms and displays presented herein do not generally relate to any particular computer or other device. Various general-purpose systems may be used with programs according to the teachings herein, or it may prove convenient to construct a more specialized device for performing the required method steps. The required structure for various such systems will be apparent from the description below. Furthermore, the present embodiments are not described with reference to any particular programming language. It is understood that various programming languages may be used to implement the teachings of the embodiments described herein.

[0079] The foregoing description sets forth numerous specific details, such as examples of specific systems, components, methods, and so forth, in order to provide a sufficient understanding of several embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art that at least some embodiments of the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known components or methods are not described in detail or are shown by simple block diagram form in order to not unnecessarily obscure the present embodiments. Thus, the specific details set forth above are merely exemplary. Specific implementations may vary from these exemplary details and still be considered within the scope of the present embodiments.

[0080] It is understood that the foregoing description is intended to be exemplary and not restrictive. Many other embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading and understanding the foregoing description. The scope of the embodiments should therefore be determined by reference to the appended claims in conjunction with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.

Claims

[1] A device comprising: a first device configured to transmit a reference signal; a second device co-located with the first device, the second device configured to receive a parasitic signal corresponding to the reference signal, the parasitic signal being received via a coupling between the first device and the second device; a port configured to couple the second device to a first end of a cable, the second end of the cable configured to connect to an antenna; and a processing device operatively coupled to the first device and the second device, the processing device being configured to: Determining an amplitude of the parasitic signal over different frequencies in a predefined bandwidth; and Determining, based at least in part on the amplitude of the parasitic signal across the predefined bandwidth, a separation status of one or more of the antenna and the cable. [2] The apparatus of claim 1, wherein to determine the separation status of one or more of the antenna and the cable, the processing means is configured to: Comparing the amplitude and a shape of the parasitic signal over the predefined bandwidth with reference data for each of a set of separation scenarios; and Classify the amplitude and shape of the parasitic signal over the predefined bandwidth into one of the set of separation scenarios based on the comparison. [3] The device of claim 2, wherein the set of separation scenarios comprises: a first scenario in which the first end of the cable is connected to the port of the second device and the antenna is connected to the second end of the cable; a second scenario in which the first end of the cable is connected to the port of the second device but is severed at a point along its length; and a third scenario in which the first end of the cable is disconnected from the port of the second device. [4] The apparatus of claim 3, wherein the processing means is further configured to: in response to classifying the amplitude and shape of the parasitic signal across the predefined bandwidth into the second scenario, comparing the amplitude and shape of the parasitic signal across the predefined bandwidth with cable spacing reference data for each of a set of points along the cable to determine the point along its length at which the cable was severed. [5] Apparatus according to claim 3, wherein the processing means further serves to: in response to classifying the amplitude and shape of the parasitic signal across the predefined bandwidth into the first scenario, providing instructions for interacting with the antenna; Detecting one or more impedance changes of the antenna caused by interaction with the antenna; and Determining a quality of the connection between the antenna and the second end of the cable based on the one or more impedance changes of the antenna. [6] The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the processing means is further configured to: Determining whether the antenna is currently receiving packets from any one or more devices; and Determining whether the antenna is currently detecting changes in a local communications environment, wherein the processing device transmits the reference signal via the first device in response to determining that the antenna is not currently receiving packets from the one or more devices or that the antenna is not currently detecting changes in the local communications environment. [7] The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the processing device determines whether the antenna of the second device is detecting changes in the local communication environment using wireless sensing. [8] A process comprising: transmitting, from a first device, a reference signal; Receiving, at a second device co-located with the first device, a parasitic signal corresponding to the reference signal, wherein the parasitic signal is received via a coupling between the first device and the second device, and wherein the second device includes a port for coupling to a first end of a cable, and wherein a second end of the cable is for coupling to an antenna; Determining an amplitude of the parasitic signal over different frequencies of a predefined bandwidth; and Determining, based at least in part on the amplitude of the parasitic signal across the predefined bandwidth, a separation status of one or more of the antenna and the cable. [9] The method of claim 8, wherein determining the separation status of one or more of the antenna and the cable includes: Comparing the amplitude and a shape of the parasitic signal over the predefined bandwidth with reference data for each of a set of separation scenarios; and Classify the amplitude and shape of the parasitic signal over the predefined bandwidth into one of the set of separation scenarios based on the comparison. [10] The method of claim 9, wherein the set of separation scenarios comprises: a first scenario in which the first end of the cable is connected to the port of the second device and the antenna is connected to the second end of the cable; a second scenario in which the first end of the cable is connected to the port of the second device but is severed at a point along its length; and a third scenario in which the first end of the cable is disconnected from the port of the second device. [11] The method of claim 10, further comprising: in response to classifying the amplitude and shape of the parasitic signal across the predefined bandwidth into the second scenario, comparing the amplitude and shape of the parasitic signal across the predefined bandwidth with cable spacing reference data for each of a set of points along the cable to determine the point along its length at which the cable was severed. [12] The method of claim 10, further comprising: in response to classifying the amplitude and shape of the parasitic signal across the predefined bandwidth into the first scenario, providing instructions for interacting with the antenna; Detecting one or more impedance changes of the antenna caused by interaction with the antenna; and Determining a quality of the connection between the antenna and the second end of the cable based on the one or more impedance changes of the antenna. [13] The method of claim 8, further comprising: Determine whether the antenna is currently receiving packets from any one or more devices; Determining whether the antenna is currently detecting changes in a local communications environment, wherein the reference signal is transmitted by the first device in response to determining that the antenna is not currently receiving packets from the one or more devices or that the antenna is not currently detecting changes in the local communications environment. [14] The method of claim 13, wherein determining whether the antenna of the second device is detecting changes in the local communication environment is performed using wireless sensing. [15] A system including: an antenna; a cable, a second end of the cable configured to couple to the antenna; a multi-protocol communications device configured to: Transmitting, via a first transceiver, a reference signal; Receiving, via a second transceiver, a parasitic signal corresponding to the reference signal, wherein the parasitic signal is received via a coupling between the first transceiver and the second transceiver, the second transceiver being coupled to a first end of the cable via a port of the multi-protocol communication device; Determining an amplitude of the parasitic signal over different frequencies of a predefined bandwidth; and Determining, based at least in part on the amplitude of the parasitic signal across the predefined bandwidth, a separation status of one or more of the antenna and the cable. [16] The system of claim 15, wherein to determine the separation status of one or more of the antenna and the cable, the multi-protocol communication device is configured to: Comparing the amplitude and a shape of the parasitic signal over the predefined bandwidth with reference data for each of a set of separation scenarios; and Classify the amplitude and shape of the parasitic signal over the predefined bandwidth into one of the set of separation scenarios based on the comparison. [17] The system of claim 16, wherein the set of separation scenarios comprises: a first scenario in which the first end of the cable is connected to the port of the second device and the antenna is connected to the second end of the cable; a second scenario in which the first end of the cable is connected to the port of the second device but is severed at a point along its length; and a third scenario in which the first end of the cable is disconnected from the port of the second device. [18] The system of claim 17, wherein the multi-protocol communication device is further configured to: in response to classifying the amplitude and shape of the parasitic signal across the predefined bandwidth into the second scenario, comparing the amplitude and shape of the parasitic signal across the predefined bandwidth with cable spacing reference data for each of a set of points along the cable to determine the point along its length at which the cable was severed. [19] The system of claim 17, wherein the multi-protocol communication device further serves to: in response to classifying the amplitude and shape of the parasitic signal across the predefined bandwidth into the first scenario, providing instructions for interacting with the antenna; Detecting one or more impedance changes of the antenna caused by interaction with the antenna; and Determining a quality of the connection between the antenna and the second end of the cable based on the one or more impedance changes of the antenna. [20] The system of claim 15, wherein the multi-protocol communication device is further configured to: Determining whether the antenna is currently receiving packets from any one or more devices; and Determining whether the antenna is currently detecting changes in a local communications environment, wherein the processing device transmits the reference signal via the first device in response to determining that the antenna is not currently receiving packets from the one or more devices or that the antenna is not currently detecting changes in the local communications environment.