Wireless communication recommendation

Abstract

In an aspect, a method of performing wireless communication by a wireless communication device (10) arranged to be used in a predictable orientation relative to a user of the wireless communication device is provided. The method comprises providing (S101), to a supervision device (30) monitoring an area (15) in which the wireless communication is to be performed, an indication of capability of the wireless communication device (10) to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the wireless communication device (10), receiving (S103), from the supervision device (30), a recommendation how to orientate the wireless communication device (10) in the area (15) in order to perform the wireless communication, the recommendation being based on the provided indication of capability of the wireless communication device (10) and information specifying available wireless communication resources in the area (15), and informing (S104), by the wireless communication device (10), the user to orientate the wireless communication device (10) in accordance with the recommendation.

Description

WIRELESS COMMUNICATION RECOMMENDATIONTECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method of performing wireless communication by a wireless communication device (WCD) arranged to be used in a predictable orientation relative to a user of the WCD, a corresponding computer program, a corresponding computer program product, and a wireless communication device performing the method.

[0002] The present disclosure further relates to a method of a supervision device of providing a recommendation to a wireless communication device arranged to be used in a predictable orientation relative to a user of the WCD performing wireless communication in an area monitored by the supervision device, a corresponding computer program, a corresponding computer program product, and a supervision device performing the method.BACKGROUND

[0003] Many wireless communications networks are currently deployed, both cellular and non-cellular, where users of wireless services may obtain access to the Internet at different locations.

[0004] However, quality of service, such as effective data rates and latency, may vary greatly at different locations. Even in densely populated areas such as city centres, where deployment of wireless infrastructure is plentiful, the quality of service in a specific area can be low due to large variations in usage.

[0005] In contrast, if the user moves slightly from the area (or is in the same specific area at another time of day) the quality of service may improve. Improving communication infrastructure to be capable of handling all types of situations while providing a satisfactory quality of service is costly, and undesired variations in quality of service would likely still be present.SUMMARY

[0006] One objective is to solve, or at least mitigate, these problems in the art and thus to provide an improved method of a wireless communication device of performing wireless communication.

[0007] This objective is attained in a first aspect by a method of performing wireless communication by a wireless communication device arranged to be used in a predictable orientation relative to a user of the wireless communication device. The method comprises providing, to a supervision device monitoring an area in which the wireless communication is to be performed, an indication of capability of the wireless communication device to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the wireless communication device. The method further comprises receiving, from the supervision device, a recommendation how to orientate the wireless communication device in the area in order to perform the wireless communication. The recommendation is based on the provided indication of capability of the wireless communication device and information specifying available wireless communication resources in the area. The method further comprises informing, by the wireless communication device, the user to orientate the wireless communication device in accordance with the recommendation.

[0008] This objective is attained in a second aspect by a method of a supervision device of providing a recommendation to a wireless communication device arranged to be used in a predictable orientation relative to a user of the wireless communication device performing wireless communication in an area monitored by the supervision device. The method comprises receiving, from the wireless communication device, an indication of capability of the wireless communication device to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the wireless communication device. The method further comprises creating a recommendation how to orientate the wireless communication device in order to perform the wireless communication. The recommendation is based on the provided indication of capability of the wireless communication device and information specifying available wireless communication resources in the area. The method further comprises sending, to the wireless communication device, the created recommendation.

[0009] This objective is attained in a third aspect by a wireless communication device configured to perform wireless communication. The wireless communication device is arranged to be used in a predictable orientation relative to a user of the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device comprises a processing unit and a memory, said memory containing instructions executable bysaid processing unit. The wireless communication device is operative to provide, to a supervision device monitoring an area in which the wireless communication is to be performed, an indication of capability of the wireless communication device to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the wireless communication device. The wireless communication device is further operative to receive, from the supervision device, a recommendation how to orientate the wireless communication device in the area in order to perform the wireless communication. The recommendation is based on the provided indication of capability of the wireless communication device and information specifying available wireless communication resources in the area. The wireless communication device is further operative to inform the user to orientate the wireless communication device in accordance with the recommendation.

[0010] This objective is attained in a fourth aspect by a supervision device configured to provide a recommendation to a wireless communication device arranged to be used in a predictable orientation relative to a user of the wireless communication device performing wireless communication in an area monitored by the supervision device. The supervision device comprises a processing unit and a memory, said memory containing instructions executable by said processing unit. The supervision device is operative to receive, from the wireless communication device, an indication of capability of the wireless communication device to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the wireless communication device. The supervision device is further operative to create a recommendation how to orientate the wireless communication device in order to perform the wireless communication. The recommendation is based on the provided indication of capability of the wireless communication device and information specifying available wireless communication resources in the area. The supervision device is further operative to send, to the wireless communication device, the created recommendation.[oon] In a fifth aspect, a computer program is provided comprising computerexecutable instructions for causing a wireless communication device of the third aspect to perform the method according to the first aspect when the computerexecutable instructions are executed on a processing unit included in the wireless communication device.

[0012] In a sixth aspect, a computer program product is provided comprising a computer readable medium, the computer readable medium having the computer program according to the fifth aspect embodied thereon.

[0013] In a seventh aspect, a computer program is provided comprising computer-executable instructions for causing a supervision device of the fourth aspect to perform the method according to the second aspect when the computerexecutable instructions are executed on a processing unit included in the supervision device.

[0014] In an eight aspect, a computer program product is provided comprising a computer readable medium, the computer readable medium having the computer program according to the seventh aspect embodied thereon.

[0015] Advantageously, a user will be able to attain a higher quality of service, or be able to maintain a required quality of service, since recommendations are provided which take into account the communication capabilities of the user’s wireless communication device and possibly also services to be accessed by the user, and the wireless communication resources being available.

[0016] This provides for a greater user experience for the user having access to a device receiving such recommendations.

[0017] In an embodiment, the providing of an indication of capability of the wireless communication device to perform wireless communication comprises sending, to the supervision device, the indication of capability of the wireless communication device to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the wireless communication device.

[0018] In an embodiment, the providing of an indication of capability of the wireless communication device to perform wireless communication comprises sending, to the supervision device, information specifying a device category to which the wireless communication device belongs. The supervision device is configured to acquire an indication of capability of the wireless communication device to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the wireless communication device based on the information specifying a device category to which the wireless communication device belongs.

[0019] In an embodiment, the providing of an indication of capability of the wireless communication device to perform wireless communication comprises sending, to the supervision device, an indication of the orientation of the wireless communication device relative to the user.

[0020] In an embodiment, the providing of an indication of capability of the wireless communication device to perform wireless communication comprises sending, to the supervision device, an identifier associated with the user of the wireless communication device. The supervision device is configured to map said identifier associated with the user of the wireless communication device to a device category to which the wireless communication device belongs, an orientation of the wireless communication device relative to the user, and a resulting indication of capability of the wireless communication device to perform wireless communication in at least one direction with which the supervision device has been configured for said identifier associated with the user.

[0021] In an embodiment, the recommendation of the supervision device is further based on wireless communication activity of other wireless communication devices in the area.

[0022] In an embodiment, the wireless communication activity of other wireless communication devices in the area is predicted from current and / or historical data.

[0023] In an embodiment, the recommendation of the supervision device further comprises information as to which communication resources should be utilized by the wireless communication device performing the wireless communication.

[0024] In an embodiment, the providing of an indication of capability of the wireless communication device to perform wireless communication comprises an indication of a communication service to be used by the wireless communication device upon performing the wireless communication.

[0025] In an embodiment, the recommendation of the supervision device is further configured to be based on a required quality of service to be provided to the wireless communication device upon performing the wireless communication.

[0026] In an embodiment, the recommendation of the supervision device is further configured to be based on predicted wireless communication activity of the wireless communication device.

[0027] In an embodiment, the receiving of a recommendation from the supervision device comprises receiving a plurality of recommendations, and the method further comprises selecting the recommendation adapted best to the wireless communication capabilities and / or the user’s actions.

[0028] In an embodiment, the recommendation of the supervision device further comprises how to position the wireless communication device in the area in order to perform the wireless communication.

[0029] In an embodiment, the recommendation of the supervision device further comprises information indicating orientations and / or positions in the area to be avoided by the wireless communication device upon performing the wireless communication.

[0030] In an embodiment, the recommendation of the supervision device further comprises an indication of an expected quality of service to be attained upon performing the wireless communication in accordance with the recommendation.

[0031] In an embodiment, the recommendation of the supervision device is further configured to be based on signal reflections and / or multipath propagation occurring in the area.

[0032] Generally, all terms used in the claims are to be interpreted according to their ordinary meaning in the technical field, unless explicitly defined otherwise herein. All references to "a / an / the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc." are to be interpreted openly as referring to at least one instance of the element, apparatus, component, means, step, etc., unless explicitly stated otherwise. The steps of any method disclosed herein do not have to be performed in the exact order disclosed, unless explicitly stated.BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0033] Aspects and embodiments are now described, by way of example, with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0034] Figures la and ib show two examples of wireless communication devices in which embodiments may be implemented;

[0035] Figures 2a and 2b show an exemplifying embodiment of a supervision device providing a communication recommendation to a wireless communication device;

[0036] Figure 2c show an exemplifying embodiment of a supervision device providing a communication recommendation to a wireless communication device taking into account signal reflections or multipath propagations;

[0037] Figure 3 illustrates a signalling diagram of a supervision device providing a communication recommendation to a wireless communication device, according to an embodiment;

[0038] Figure 4 illustrates a signalling diagram of a supervision device providing a communication recommendation to a wireless communication device, according to another embodiment;

[0039] Figure 5 illustrates a signalling diagram of a supervision device providing a communication recommendation to a wireless communication device, according to a further embodiment;

[0040] Figures 6a and 6b show an exemplifying embodiment of a supervision device providing a communication recommendation to a wireless communication device, according to an embodiment;

[0041] Figures 7a and 7b show an exemplifying embodiment of a supervision device providing a communication recommendation to a wireless communication device, according to another embodiment;

[0042] Figure 8 illustrates a wireless communication device according to an embodiment; and

[0043] Figure 9 illustrates a supervision device according to an embodiment.DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0044] The aspects of the present disclosure will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which certain embodiments of the invention are shown.

[0045] These aspects may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limiting. Rather, these embodiments are provided by wayof example so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and to fully convey the scope of all aspects of invention to those skilled in the art. Like numbers refer to like elements throughout the description.

[0046] Figures la and ib illustrate scenarios in which embodiments may be implemented. Shown in the Figures are a wireless communication device (WCD) to be used in a predictable orientation relative to the user, in the form of a set of augmented reality (AR) glasses. Other envisaged wireless communication devices include, for instance, headsets, smartphones held in a bag or in a pouch, smart watches, vehicles being equipped with modems and antennas placed in predictable orientations relative to the vehicle, or other types of wearables that can be carried in a predictable manner, e.g., smart clothes, earbuds with cellular connection, virtual reality (VR) glasses, etc. A smartphone held, e.g., in a hand of the user would typically not be considered to be a device to be used in a predictable orientation, since the user has a tendency to continuously (and instantly) change orientation of the smartphone from one hand to another, place the smartphone in a pocket or on a table, etc., and thus also rapidly change the wireless signal transfer conditions of the smartphone in a manner that are difficult to predict.

[0047] Figure la illustrates AR glasses 10 configured with antennas at a front of a frame of the AR glasses 10, while Figure ib illustrates AR glasses 20 configured with antennas at the front of the frame and the temples on each side of the frame, as well as being arranged with a head band also comprising antennas for transfer of wireless signals, thereby providing for a more or less omnidirectional coverage.

[0048] Thus, while the first AR glasses 10 typically are capable of transferring (i.e., both receiving and transmitting) wireless signals in a forward direction with a high quality as illustrated in Figure la by a circular sector area in front of the AR glasses, the capability of transferring signals in a backward direction is typically substantially lower.

[0049] In contrast, the second AR glasses 20 are due to the configuration with both front, side, and back, antennas typically capable of transferring signals with a high quality in all directions, as indicated in Figure ib by four circular sector areas surrounding the AR glasses 20.

[0050] Communication conditions for the AR glasses 10, 20 are thus considerably different and the experience for, and behaviour of, the user in terms of, e.g., services to be accessed and the glasses’ position and orientation can be allowed to vary greatly depending on whether the user wears the first AR glasses 10 or the second AR glasses 20.

[0051] Further, it should be noted that a wireless communication device, e.g. the second AR glasses 20, may have different communication capabilities in different directions. As an example, a front side of the second AR glasses 20 may be equipped with antennas capable of communicating over a low-frequency band, while the head band maybe equipped with antennas capable of communicating over a high- frequency band. In another example, a right-hand side antenna of the AR glasses 20 may be capable of communication utilizing a 4thgeneration (4G) radio access technology (RAT), while a left-hand side antenna of the AR glasses 20 maybe capable of communication utilizing a 5thgeneration (5G) RAT, etc. In yet another example, one antenna of the AR glasses 20 maybe capable of performing beamforming according to one beamforming scheme (e.g., null-steering beamforming) while another antenna of the AR glasses 20 maybe capable of performing beamforming according to another beamforming scheme (e.g., frequency-domain beamforming), etc.

[0052] As previously mentioned, the quality of service of wireless communication will typically vary between different locations and orientations of AR glasses or other wireless communication devices, but also depending on the configuration of the wireless communication device receiving / transmitting the signals (as illustrated in Figures la and ib), as well depending on the requirements of, and usage by, other nearby users within a given area. For instance, if a first user needs to share the available bandwidth with other users intending to utilize services requiring high bandwidth, that will likely affect the bandwidth available to the first user. Typically, it is not practically possible to fully eliminate such effects with improvements in communication infrastructure, such as adding radio base stations or Wi-Fi access points to an area.

[0053] In an exemplifying embodiment, a wireless communication device, in this example the AR glasses 10 of Figure la, improves this issue as will be described in the following.

[0054] Figure 2a illustrates the AR glasses 10 worn by a user entering or approaching an area 15 monitored by a supervision device 30, which typically is provided as a server, having knowledge of the communication infrastructure of the area 15 and any other wireless communication devices (not shown in Figure 2a) entering or approaching the area.

[0055] Reference will further be made to a signalling diagram of Figure 3 illustrating a method according to an embodiment.

[0056] The first AR glasses 10 provide in step S101 an indication of their capability to perform wireless communication in the area 15 in one or more directions when used in a predictable orientation relative to the user. In this example, the AR glasses 10 report that they are capable of performing wireless communication in a forward direction when worn by the user in a conventional manner, i.e., the AR glasses 10 being worn in a predictable orientation in relation to the user. It may be envisaged that the AR glasses provide information representing its wireless communication performance directional characteristics, for instance, as a polar diagram indicating its capability.

[0057] The AR glasses 10 may perform measurements to establish their capabilities, such as instructing the user to move her head in various directions and measure, e.g., quality of service of transmitted and received signals using different beamforming settings, frequency bands, bitrate, error rate, latency, modulation and coding schemes, etc. Any data transmitted between the AR glasses 10 and the supervision device 30 may be compressed or appropriately encoded.

[0058] The provided indication of capability to perform wireless communication in one or more directions may practically contain numerous parameters characterizing the capability, such as frequency bands utilized by the wireless communication device or different RATs which the device supports. For instance, in case of the second AR glasses 20, it maybe envisaged that a right-hand temple of the AR glasses 20 comprises a transceiver for 4thgeneration (4G) Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication while the left-hand temple comprises a transceiver capable of communicating via 5thgeneration (5G) New Radio (NR) technology, and the frame is capable of Wi-Fi communication.

[0059] Further parameters may include the type of antennas being used, beamforming capabilities, or even more detailed parameters such as available normalized effective isotropic radiated power (EIRP) of the wireless communication device in case of transmit mode or achievable negative (reversed sign) normalized isotropic sensitivity (EIS) in case of receive mode, or other power-related specifications of the wireless communication device. Moreover, parameters such as information about current and anticipated requirements regarding, e.g., quality of service or which services are intended to be accessed, information about user subscriptions to wireless services, status of the device such as battery charge, expected energy consumption, required signal strength for transmitting and receiving data, etc., maybe provided with the indication of capability. This information can be represented in, e.g., a cylindrical or spherical coordinate system.

[0060] The supervision device 30 creates in step S102, based on the reported capability of the AR glasses 10 and information specifying available wireless communication resources in the area 15 being monitored by the supervision device 30, a recommendation how to orientate the AR glasses 10 in order to perform the wireless communication in the area 15.

[0061] In this example, the supervision device 30 will in step S102 conclude from the information specifying available wireless communication resources that a radio base station 25 serving the area 15 is located at a left-hand side of the area, and further from the indicated capability provided in step S101 that the user is wearing AR glasses 10 with antennas arranged in the front part of the frame, thereby allowing communication in a forward direction and thus send the recommendation to the AR glasses 10 in step S103 accordingly.

[0062] Figure 2b illustrates the AR glasses 10 complying with the recommendation received in step S103 by instructing the user to orientate the AR glasses 10 in accordance with the recommendation, which in this example implies turning left in step S104 towards the radio base station 25 in order to direct the front antennas of the AR glasses 10 towards the radio base station 25. As is understood, the recommendation may be provided visually to the user wearing the AR glasses 10 to turn to the left, by means of an audio alert, or by using haptics.

[0063] In an embodiment, the recommendation further comprises an instruction on how to position the AR glasses 10 to perform the wireless communication. Hence,not only may the recommendation be to turn to the left, but further, e.g., to move 20 m in a westbound direction closer to the radio base station 25, or following a certain route.

[0064] This may be particularly advantageous in case the AR glasses 10 report their current battery status to the supervision device 30. Should the battery level be low, the supervision device 30 may instruct the user to move closer to the radio base station 25 whereas in case the battery level is high, it may be sufficient to only have the user turn towards the radio base station 25.

[0065] For devices with low battery level, the recommendation of the supervision device 30 may commonly be to move the user to a location in the area with a high Reference Signal Received Power (RSRP) or high Signal-to-Noise Ratio (SNR), thereby allowing for less power consumption of the device, or to move the user to an area with low interference as determined by a high Signal-to-Interference-and Noise- Ratio (SINR).

[0066] If the user alternatively had worn the second AR glasses 20 illustrated in Figure lb, having omnidirectional coverage, the recommendation would not necessarily have contained instructions as to which direction the user should turn (i.e., 90° to the left), but may have only instructed the user to position herself somewhere at the left-hand side of the area 15. In a further example, assuming that the radio base station 25 communicates using a 4G RAT, the recommendation may have contained the instruction to orient the right-hand temple of the AR glasses 20 towards the radio base station 25 given that the right-hand temple of the AR glasses 20 comprises a transceiver for 4G LTE communication as previously discussed.

[0067] Advantageously, by reporting the communication capability of the AR glasses 10 in one or more directions - in this example indicating that the forward direction relative to the AR glasses 10 is preferred - the supervision device 30 is enabled to provide a recommendation on how the user should orientate the AR glasses 10 for satisfactory quality of service as regards the wireless communication to be performed, in this case by turning 90° to the left.

[0068] As is understood, without the recommendation, the user may well have turned away from the radio base station 25, and may in such case even have failed to access or maintain the desired service with an expected quality of service.

[0069] Advantageously, the embodiment provides for a guidance system that informs user(s) utilizing wireless communication devices regarding favourable orientations (and possibly also positions) for wireless communication in order to provide a sufficient quality of service. The users can thus move to more preferable positions and / or turn in more preferable directions, and even avoid unfavourable positions and / or directions. These recommended changes in orientation and / or position may further be taken into account by the supervision device 30 by instructing other radio base stations (not shown) to adapt provided communication services and / or RATs to the capabilities and requirements of the AR glasses 10.

[0070] By providing a recommendation indicating directions and / or positions to avoid, an ongoing service may be continued without disruptions. Assuming, e.g., that the user of the AR glasses currently is partaking in a iooMbps+ holographic or 3D video-session, where the user is about to enter a store with poor reception. In this scenario, the supervision device 30 may recommend (via the AR glasses 10) the user to stay away from the store (or certain parts of the store) while the session is ongoing. The recommendation may further include a quality of service that can be expected (in this case a performance reduction) if the user still enters the store.

[0071] In a similar use case, the user is assumed to walk along a street having the holographic or 3D video session ongoing. The recommendation of the supervision device 30 may in this scenario be to cross over to the other side of the street since the session is at risk of being disrupted if the user continues along the same side of the street. A recommendation of the supervision device 30 may thus be based on the predicted wireless communication activity and expected future position and / or orientation of the AR glasses 10, for instance in that the supervision device predicts that the user will transport the AR glasses 10 along this side of the street for some distance. A further recommendation taking this into account may thus be provided as the user moves along. Such a recommendation may, e.g., be based on a route which the user is following to a target destination, e.g., provided by a routing service like Google Maps.

[0072] In a further use case, the user is about to enter a cafe where she is planning to have a holographic or 3D video session with a couple of friends, or to play a certain Extended Reality (XR) game demanding certain performance from a local network. Then, the recommendation will preferably enable the user to find the “best” seat, or a sufficiently good seat, in the cafe given the current application, short-time future intentions of the user, device capability, battery status, etc. For example, a low battery level may result in a lower bandwidth being provided to the AR glasses 10. In another example, different frequency bands may be assigned to the different users participating in the XR game for a best experience. If anyone of the users no longer participates in the XR game, an updated recommendation may be to assign a lower bandwidth to said user to allow somebody else in a cafe to be assigned more resources instead.

[0073] In an embodiment, it is envisaged that the recommendation is based on a required quality of service to be provided to the AR glasses 10 when performing the wireless communication. Thus, if the supervision device 30 has, e.g., two alternatives when providing the recommendation, where one of the alternatives will result in a scenario where the required quality of service cannot be attained, while the other alternative indeed will result in the required quality of service being attained, the supervision device 30 will recommend the second alternative. It may also be that a sufficient amount of radio resources cannot be allocated at some location or in some direction of the area 15 for an extended time period, which information may be included in the recommendation, thereby enabling the user to avoid such locations and directions.

[0074] In a further embodiment, it is envisaged that the supervision device 30 provides two or more recommendations, in which case the AR glasses 10 may select from the plurality of recommendations being provided. For instance, the recommendations could be to orientate in two slightly different directions and the AR glasses may select the recommendation that adapts best to the capabilities of the AR glasses 10, such as having the user orientate in a direction where 5G communication is possible rather than in a direction only allowing 4G communication. If multiple recommendations provide similar performance of the wireless connectivity, the recommendations can be presented to the user that makes a choice based on, e.g., personal preferences, or the AR glasses 10 may select a desired recommendationbased on, e.g., a current or future service to be accessed, or a route which the user is following (e.g., a route provided by Google Maps or a similar service).

[0075] In another example, the user of a device with only narrow beam direction capabilities (e.g., forward within a narrow angular range) maybe recommended to a specific chair in a room (i.e., corresponding to the area 15) where the device would be oriented to communicate with the radio base station 25 in the optimal way, whereas the user of a device with capabilities of using any beam direction can be guided to a much wider selection of chairs, as the device’s orientation would be less critical. If several users are being guided simultaneously, the supervision device 30 can adapt the guidance so that the users with the least options are being served first.

[0076] In a further embodiment, the recommendation will also comprise information as to which communication resources should be utilized upon the AR glasses 10 performing the wireless communication with the radio base station 25, for example frequency bands, operators, cell identifiers, etc.

[0077] Figure 2c illustrates yet another scenario where the supervision device 30 will take into account reflections and / or multipath propagation of signals being transmitted by the radio base station 25 against a first building 28 and a second building 29. In this particular example, this results in the highest quality of service if the AR glasses 10 are directed towards the second building 29 rather than towards the radio base station 25 of the area 15. Thus, the recommendation of the supervision device 30 in step S103 would be for the user in step S104 to turn towards the second building 29. The recommendation is in this case based on historical data which is indicative of radio propagation in the area.

[0078] Figure 4 shows a signalling diagram illustrating another embodiment, according to which the AR glasses 10 do not explicitly report its communication capability but rather implicitly provide the supervision device 30 with the indication of communication capability by reporting in step Sioia information specifying a device category to which the AR glasses 10 belong, such as “AR type 1” indicating the particular type of AR glasses with antennas arranged in the front of the frame (while the second set of AR glasses 20 may report, e.g., “AR type 2”, indicating the particular type of AR glasses with antennas arranged in the front of the frame, in the side temples and in the headband to provide omnidirectional coverage). As should be noted, there are numerous ways of reporting the device category other than using the“type” indication in accordance with the above, such as model, make, serial number etc., and have the supervision device 30 acquire an indication of the corresponding capability communication from, e.g., a database maintained by the manufacturer of the AR glasses 10 or a 3rd-party database.

[0079] The supervision device 30 may be configured with the capability ("front coverage” and “omnidirectional coverage”, respectively) of each reported type “AR type 1” and “AR type 2“ and thus associate the reported type with the appropriate configured capability in step S102. Thereafter, the process proceeds as previously described with reference to Figures 2a, 2b and 3, i.e., the supervision device creates the recommendation in step S102, sends the recommendation to the AR glasses 10 in step S103, in response to which the AR glasses 10 comply with the recommendation in step S104 by instructing the user to turn to face the radio base station 25.

[0080] Even if the indication of capability is explicitly reported to the supervision device 30 as indicted by step S101 of Figure 3 (and no association to a preconfigured device category thus is undertaken), the reporting may nevertheless comprise an indication of device category (AR glasses, smartphone, headset, etc.), since such information maybe helpful to the supervision device 30.

[0081] In the case of a set of AR glasses 10, 20, it is rather predictable how the glasses are worn by a user as all glasses are used in the same manner. Thus, the orientation of the glasses relative to the user can be predicted.

[0082] This is also the case for a device such as a headset comprising a radio transceiver with a known location relative to the user’s head when worn, e.g., close to the right-hand side ear of the user upon the user wearing the headset. Hence, if, e.g., “Headset type 1” is reported, the supervision device may conclude that the transceiver is located close to the right-hand side ear of the user, and that “Headset type 1” indicates for instance that the transceiver complies with 4G technology, while if "Headset type 2” is reported, the supervision device may conclude that the transceiver is located close to the right-hand side ear of the user and that “Headset type 2” indicates that the transceiver complies with 5G technology. As discussed hereinabove in connection to the second set of AR glasses 20, it maybe envisaged that a device may belong to more than one category.

[0083] In contrast, in the case of a smartphone being held in a pouch of a sports armband upon the user, e.g., during a running session, it may be necessary for the user to indicate the position where the armband is fastened, such as “upper left arm” in order to provide the supervision device 30 with the predictable orientation relative to the user.

[0084] Thus, in an embodiment, with reference to step Sioia of Figure 4, it may be that a wireless communication device sends an indication of device category (“smartphone”) and the position at which the wireless communication device is held (“upper left arm”) wherein the supervision device 30 in step Sioib acquires communication capability information for this combination of device and position based on the received information, i.e., a smartphone worn on the upper left arm of a user. As is understood, the communication capability for that particular combination is typically different from a combination consisting of a smartphone worn on the upper right arm of a user.

[0085] In a further embodiment, it is envisaged that an identifier associated with the user implies a particular combination of device and position having been configured at the supervision device 30.

[0086] Figure 5 illustrates this embodiment, according to which a smartphone 12 sends an identifier associated with the user (“User 1 running”) in step Sioic to the supervision device 30. Thus, it maybe envisaged that as soon as the user starts her running app on the smartphone, the supervision device 30 is informed accordingly by receiving the identifier “User 1 running”.

[0087] The user may have configured the supervision device 30 with a running mode, which configuration indicates that the user is wearing her smartphone on her upper left arm and the communication capability of the smartphone in this particular position (which capability not necessarily is registered by the user herself but by, e.g., a manufacturer of the smartphone).

[0088] The supervision device 30 will thus map the user identifier to the configured communication capability in step Sioid and then proceed as previously has been described by creating the recommendation in step S102, sending the recommendation to the AR glasses 10 in step S103, in response to which the ARglasses 10 comply with the recommendation in step S104 by instructing the user to orientate herself accordingly.

[0089] Advantageously, it may be envisaged that as soon as the user starts her running app on the smartphone 12, the supervision device 30 is informed accordingly, and will thus be able to map the user identifier to a configured combination of position and specific device and the resulting wireless communication capability that can be expected when the smartphone is worn by the user on her upper left arm. As is understood, an individual user may register numerous user identifiers and corresponding combinations of devices / positions and resulting communication capability with the supervision device 30.

[0090] Figures 6a and 6b illustrate a further embodiment according to which, in addition to reporting wireless communication capability in a forward direction in step S101, the AR glasses 10 further report the service to be accessed upon performing the wireless communication. In this example, it is assumed that the service to be undertaken is a 3D video call via the AR glasses 10, which is a bandwidth-heavy operation.

[0091] In case the wireless communication device is embodied in the form of a headset or smart watch worn by the user, the service to be provided may be a less bandwidth-demanding service, such as a voice call.

[0092] In another example, in case the wireless communication device is a smartphone held, e.g., in a phone holder attached to an arm of the user, the service to be provided maybe to stream music via an appropriate app installed on the smartphone.

[0093] The supervision device 30 creates in step S102, based on the provided indication of capability of the AR glasses 10, the service to be performed, and information specifying available wireless communication resources in the area 15, a recommendation to the user how to position and direct herself in the indicated area 15 in order to perform the wireless communication using the AR glasses 10.

[0094] In this example, the supervision device 30 will in step S102 conclude from the wireless communication resource information that a first radio base station 25 and a second radio base station 26 together serve the area 15.

[0095] The supervision device 30 will, similar to the previous embodiment, further conclude from the capability reported in step S101 that the user is wearing a set of AR glasses 10 with antennas arranged in the front part of the frame, thereby allowing communication in a forward direction and thus send the instruction to the AR glasses 10 in step S103 accordingly.

[0096] In this example, it is assumed that the second radio base station 26 is capable of providing a higher bandwidth when engaging in the wireless communication as compared to the first radio base station 25, and the supervision device 30 will as a consequence in step S103 create a recommendation to orientate the AR glasses 10 towards the second radio base station 26, rather than towards the first base station 25.

[0097] Advantageously, by reporting the service to be performed, the supervision device 30 may take into account bandwidth requirements of the user. For instance, allowing the user to perform a 3D video call on a set of AR glasses typically requires more bandwidth than allowing the user to conduct a voice call on a smartphone.

[0098] Figure 6b illustrates the AR glasses 10 complying with the recommendation received in step S103 and thus instructing the user to turn slightly to the left in step S104 towards the second radio base station 26 in order to direct the front antennas of the AR glasses towards the second radio base station 26.

[0099] Figures 7a and 7b illustrate another embodiment according to which, in addition to the first set of AR glasses 10 intending to perform wireless communication within the area 15, a further set of AR glasses 11 (or other communication device) is already communicating with the second radio base station 26, in this example being located on a right-hand side of the area 15.

[0100] Again, the first set of AR glasses 10 provides an indication in step S101 that it has wireless communication capability in a forward direction (and optionally also indicating the service to be accessed).

[0101] In this exemplifying embodiment, the supervision device 30 further takes into account any wireless communication activity of other wireless communication device(s) in the area 15, in this case the further set of AR glasses 11. While Figures 7a and 7b for brevity illustrate one further device 11 communicating within the area, it should be understood that in practice, tens, hundreds, or even thousands, of devicesmay be located in the area 15, either actively communicating or potentially intending to communicate.

[0102] Hence, the supervision device 30 creates in step S102, based on the reported capability of the AR glasses 10, the information specifying wireless communication resources being available in the area 15, as well as the activity of the further set of AR glasses 11 (in this example communication using resources provided by the second base station), a recommendation comprising an instruction how to direct the first set of AR glasses 10 in the area 15 in order to perform the wireless communication.

[0103] If the activity of the further set of AR glasses 11 had not been taken into account, it maybe envisaged that the supervision device 30 may have directed the user of the first set of AR glasses 10 towards the second radio base station 26 (given that the two base stations 25, 26 would be considered equally suitable candidates for undertaking wireless communication with the first set of AR glasses 10), in which case both sets of AR glasses 10, 11 would have been served by the second radio base station 26 while none would have been served by the first radio base station 25, which provides for poor balancing of resource usage in the area 15 (this would be further evident in a practical scenario where hundreds or even thousands of devices may be located in the area 15).

[0104] It may also be envisaged that an updated recommendation is provided to the second set of AR glasses 11 upon the first set of AR glasses 10 entering the area, for instance to move closer to the second radio station 26 in order to avoid possible interference from the first set of AR glasses 10.

[0105] However, in this embodiment, it is assumed that the supervision device 30 in step S102 concludes that the first set of AR glasses 10 should be directed towards the first radio base station 25 and creates a recommendation accordingly, since the further set of AR glasses 11 already is communicating with the second radio base station 26, thus advantageously providing for a better balance of communication resources by sending that instruction to the first set of AR glasses 10 in step S103.

[0106] Figure 7b illustrates the first set of AR glasses 10 complying with the recommendation received in step S103 and instructing the user to turn to the left in step S104 towards the first radio base station 25 in order to direct the front antennasof the AR glasses 10 towards the first radio base station 25, while the further set of AR glasses 11 remains directed towards the second radio base station 26.

[0107] In the example of Figure 7b, the supervision device 30 in practice offloads the second base station by instructing the user of the first set of AR glasses 10 to turn towards the first base station 25. As is understood, the first base station 25 maybe embodied in the form of other device(s) used for offloading, such as, e.g., local computers or compute hubs at certain locations (e.g., cafe, office, home, etc.), possibly taking current usage and access right of the user into account. For instance, the user may be guided to a bearby Wi-Fi access point.

[0108] In an embodiment, the supervision device 30 provides a recommendation in the form of a map of the area 15 containing preferred locations and / or directions where the AR glasses are expected to provide the desired service to its user with adequate quality of service. In another embodiment, it is envisaged that the map is complemented with information indicative of locations and / or directions that should be avoided.

[0109] With reference to the embodiments of Figures 7a and 7b, it may be envisaged that the supervision device 30 predicts wireless communication device activity from historical activity data.

[0110] Assuming for instance that - based on historical data - the first radio base station 25 is expected to have a far higher traffic load than the second base station 26 at a given time period, the supervision device 30 may recommend the first set of AR glasses 10 to rather select the second radio base station 26 for setting up communication. This may further be complemented by the supervision device 30 taking into account current activity data for providing the recommendation.

[0111] Advantageously, by monitoring activity of other devices in the area 15, e.g., by collecting communication data from the other devices for different positions and / or regarding different communication resources, such as signal strengths for different frequency channels, beams, operators, etc., the supervision device 30 can keep track of concurrent resource usage in the area 15 by other devices, such as devices which are sharing the same resources (e.g. same frequency band) as the first set of AR glasses 10.[ooii2] While the wireless communication device according to embodiments (e.g., the AR glasses 10, 20) has been exemplified as a device the orientation and / or position of which is controlled by a user, it may be envisaged that the wireless communication device is embodied by an autonomous device such as a robot. If so, the autonomous device may itself comply with the recommendation by orientating or positing itself accordingly without any user interaction, or to send a control signal to an entity causing the autonomous device to change its position and / or orientation.

[0113] Figure 8 illustrates a wireless communication device 10, such as the first set of AR glasses, configured to performing wireless communication according to an embodiment, where the steps of the method performed by the device 10 in practice are performed by a processing unit 111 embodied in the form of one or more microprocessors arranged to execute a computer program 112 downloaded to a storage medium 113 associated with the microprocessor, such as a Random Access Memory (RAM), a Flash memory or a hard disk drive. The processing unit 111 is arranged to cause the device 10 to carry out the method according to embodiments when the appropriate computer program 112 comprising computer-executable instructions is downloaded to the storage medium 113 and executed by the processing unit 111. The storage medium 113 may also be a computer program product comprising the computer program 112. Alternatively, the computer program 112 may be transferred to the storage medium 113 by means of a suitable computer program product, such as a Digital Versatile Disc (DVD) or a memory stick. As a further alternative, the computer program 112 maybe downloaded to the storage medium 113 over a network. The processing unit 111 may alternatively be embodied in the form of a digital signal processor (DSP), an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a complex programmable logic device (CPLD), etc. The device 10 further comprises a communication interface 114 (wired and / or wireless) over which the device 10 is configured to transmit and receive data.

[0114] Figure 9 illustrates a supervision device 30 configured to providing a recommendation to a wireless communication device upon the wireless communication device in an area monitored by the supervision device, where the steps of the method performed by the device 30 in practice are performed by a processing unit 211 embodied in the form of one or more microprocessors arranged to execute a computer program 212 downloaded to a storage medium 213 associatedwith the microprocessor, such as a RAM, a Flash memory or a hard disk drive. The processing unit 211 is arranged to cause the device 30 to carry out the method according to embodiments when the appropriate computer program 212 comprising computer-executable instructions is downloaded to the storage medium 213 and executed by the processing unit 211. The storage medium 213 may also be a computer program product comprising the computer program 212. Alternatively, the computer program 212 maybe transferred to the storage medium 213 by means of a suitable computer program product, such as a DVD or a memory stick. As a further alternative, the computer program 212 may be downloaded to the storage medium 213 over a network. The processing unit 211 may alternatively be embodied in the form of a DSP, an ASIC, an FPGA, a CPLD, etc. The device 30 further comprises a communication interface 214 (wired and / or wireless) over which the device 30 is configured to transmit and receive data.

[0115] As can be concluded from the embodiments described herein, numerous advantages are provided:- a user will be able to attain a higher quality of service, or be able to maintain a required quality of service, since recommendations are provided which take into account the communication capabilities of the user’s device and possibly also services to be access by the user, and adapts this to the resources being available,- the recommendations may further take into account the communication capabilities of other user’s devices and possibly also services to be access by the other users,- the recommendations may further take into account activity of other users, and thus the resources to be assigned to these other users,- the recommendations may further take into account predicted activity of other users based on historical or current data, and- the recommendations may further take into account predicted activity of the user to which the recommendation is provided based on historical or current data.

[0116] Taken together, this provides for a greater user experience for the user having access to a device receiving such recommendations.

[0117] The aspects of the present disclosure have mainly been described above with reference to a few embodiments and examples thereof. However, as is readily appreciated by a person skilled in the art, other embodiments than the ones disclosed above are equally possible within the scope of the invention, as defined by the appended patent claims.

[0118] Thus, while various aspects and embodiments have been disclosed herein, other aspects and embodiments will be apparent to those skilled in the art. The various aspects and embodiments disclosed herein are for purposes of illustration and are not intended to be limiting, with the true scope and spirit being indicated by the following claims.

Claims

CLAIMS1. A method of performing wireless communication by a wireless communication device (10), WCD, arranged to be used in a predictable orientation relative to a user of the WCD, comprising: providing (Sioi), to a supervision device (30) monitoring an area (15) in which the wireless communication is to be performed, an indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the WCD (10); receiving (S103), from the supervision device (30), a recommendation how to orientate the WCD (10) in the area (15) in order to perform the wireless communication, the recommendation being based on the provided indication of capability of the WCD (10) and information specifying available wireless communication resources in the area (15); and informing (S104), by the WCD (10), the user to orientate the WCD (10) in accordance with the recommendation.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing (S101) of an indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication comprises: sending, to the supervision device (30), the indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the WCD (10).

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the providing (S101) of an indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication comprises: sending (Sioia), to the supervision device (30), information specifying a device category to which the WCD (10) belongs, wherein the supervision device (30) is configured to acquire (Sioib) an indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the WCD (10) based on the information specifying a device category to which the WCD (10) belongs.

4. The method of any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein the providing (S101, Sioia) of an indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication comprises: sending, to the supervision device (30), an indication of the orientation of the WCD (10) relative to the user.

5. The method of any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the providing (S101) of an indication of capability of the WCD (12) to perform wireless communication comprises: sending (Sioic), to the supervision device (30), an identifier associated with the user of the WCD (12), wherein the supervision device (30) is configured to map (Sioid) said identifier associated with the user of the WCD (12) to a device category to which the WCD (10) belongs, an orientation of the WCD relative to the user, and a resulting indication of capability of the WCD (12) to perform wireless communication in at least one direction with which the supervision device (30) has been configured for said identifier associated with the user.

6. The method of any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) is further based on wireless communication activity of other WCDs (11) in the area (15).

7. The method of claim 6, wherein the wireless communication activity of other WCDs (11) in the area (15) is predicted from current and / or historical data.

8. The method of any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) further comprises information as to which communication resources should be utilized by the WCD (10) performing the wireless communication.

9. The method of any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the providing (S101) of an indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication comprises an indication of a communication service to be used by the WCD (10) upon performing the wireless communication.

10. The method of any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) further is configured to be based on a required quality of service to be provided to the WCD (10) upon performing the wireless communication.

11. The method of any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) further is configured to be based on predicted wireless communication activity of the WCD (10).

12. The method of any one of claims 1 to 11, wherein the receiving (S103) of a recommendation from the supervision device (30) comprises receiving a plurality of recommendations, the method further comprising:selecting the recommendation adapted best to the wireless communication capabilities and / or the user’s actions.

13. The method of any one of claims 1 to 12, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) further comprises how to position the WCD (10) in the area (15) in order to perform the wireless communication.

14. The method of any one of claims 1 to 13, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) further comprises information indicating orientations and / or positions in the area (15) to be avoided by the WCD (10) upon performing the wireless communication.

15. The method of any one of claims 1 to 14, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) further comprises an indication of an expected quality of service to be attained upon performing the wireless communication in accordance with the recommendation.

16. The method of any one of claims 1 to 15, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) further is configured to be based on signal reflections and / or multipath propagation occurring in the area (15).

17. A computer program (112) comprising computer-executable instructions for causing a WCD (10) to perform the method according to any one of claims 1-16 when the computer-executable instructions are executed on a processing unit (111) included in the WCD (10).

18. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium (113), the computer readable medium having the computer program (112) according to claim 17 embodied thereon.

19. A method of a supervision device (30) of providing a recommendation to a wireless communication device (10), WCD, arranged to be used in a predictable orientation relative to a user of the WCD (10) performing wireless communication in an area (15) monitored by the supervision device (30), comprising: receiving (S101), from the WCD (10), an indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the WCD (10); creating (S102) a recommendation how to orientate the WCD (10) in order to perform the wireless communication, the recommendation being based on theprovided indication of capability of the WCD (10) and information specifying available wireless communication resources in the area (15); and sending (S103), to the WCD (10), the created recommendation.

20. A computer program (212) comprising computer-executable instructions for causing a supervision device (30) to perform the method according to claim 19 when the computer-executable instructions are executed on a processing unit (211) included in the supervision device (30).

21. A computer program product comprising a computer readable medium (213), the computer readable medium having the computer program (212) according to claim 20 embodied thereon.

22. A wireless communication device (10), WCD, configured to perform wireless communication, the WCD (10) being arranged to be used in a predictable orientation relative to a user of the WCD, the WCD (10) comprising a processing unit (111) and a memory (113), said memory containing instructions (112) executable by said processing unit (111), whereby the WCD (10) is operative to: provide, to a supervision device (30) monitoring an area (15) in which the wireless communication is to be performed, an indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the WCD (10); receive, from the supervision device (30), a recommendation how to orientate the WCD (10) in the area (15) in order to perform the wireless communication, the recommendation being based on the provided indication of capability of the WCD (10) and information specifying available wireless communication resources in the area (15); and to inform, by the WCD (10), the user to orientate the WCD (10) in accordance with the recommendation.

23. The WCD (10) of claim 22, further being operative to, when providing an indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication: send, to the supervision device (30), the indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the WCD (10).

24. The WCD (10) of claim 22, further being operative to, when providing an indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communicationcomprises: send, to the supervision device (30), information specifying a device category to which the WCD (10) belongs, wherein the supervision device (30) is operative to acquire an indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the WCD (10) based on the information specifying a device category to which the WCD (10) belongs.

25. The WCD (10) of any one of claims 22 to 24, further being operative to, when providing an indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication: send, to the supervision device (30), an indication of the orientation of the WCD (10) relative to the user.

26. The WCD (10) of any one of claims 22 to 25, further being operative to, when providing an indication of capability of the WCD (12) to perform wireless communication: send, to the supervision device (30), an identifier associated with the user of the WCD (12), wherein the supervision device (30) is configured to map said identifier associated with the user of the WCD (12) to a device category to which the WCD (10) belongs, an orientation of the WCD relative to the user, and a resulting indication of capability of the WCD (12) to perform wireless communication in at least one direction with which the supervision device (30) has been configured for said identifier associated with the user.

27. The WCD (10) of any one of claims 22 to 26, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) is further based on wireless communication activity of other WCDs (11) in the area (15).

28. The WCD (10) of any one of claims 22 to 27, wherein the wireless communication activity of other WCDs (11) in the area (15) is predicted from current and / or historical data.

29. The WCD (10) of any one of claims 22 to 28, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) further comprises information as to which communication resources should be utilized by the WCD (10) performing the wireless communication.

30. The WCD (10) of any one of claims 22 to 29, further being operative to, when providing an indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication, provide an indication of a communication service to be used by the WCD (10) upon performing the wireless communication.

31. The WCD (10) of any one of claims 22 to 30, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) further is configured to be based on a required quality of service to be provided to the WCD (10) upon performing the wireless communication.

32. The WCD (10) of any one of claims 22 to 31, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) further is configured to be based on predicted wireless communication activity of the WCD (10).

33. The WCD (10) of any one of claims 22 to 32, further being operative to, when receiving a recommendation from the supervision device (30) comprising a plurality of recommendations: select the recommendation adapted best to the wireless communication capabilities and / or the user’s actions.

34. The WCD (10) of any one of claims 22 to 33, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) further comprises how to position the WCD (10) in the area (15) in order to perform the wireless communication.

35. The WCD (10) of any one of claims 22 to 34, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) further comprises information indicating orientations and / or positions in the area (15) to be avoided by the WCD (10) upon performing the wireless communication.

36. The WCD (10) of any one of claims 22 to 35, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) further comprises an indication of an expected quality of service to be attained upon performing the wireless communication in accordance with the recommendation.

37. The WCD (10) of any one of claims 22 to 36, wherein the recommendation of the supervision device (30) further is configured to be based on signal reflections and / or multipath propagation occurring in the area (15).

38. A supervision device (30) configured to provide a recommendation to a wireless communication device (10), WCD, arranged to be used in a predictable orientation relative to a user of the WCD (10) performing wireless communication in an area (15)monitored by the supervision device (30), the supervision device (30) comprising a processing unit (211) and a memory (213), said memory containing instructions (212) executable by said processing unit (211), whereby the supervision device (30) is operative to: receive, from the WCD (10), an indication of capability of the WCD (10) to perform wireless communication in at least one direction relative to the WCD (10); create a recommendation how to orientate the WCD (10) in order to perform the wireless communication, the recommendation being based on the provided indication of capability of the WCD (10) and information specifying available wireless communication resources in the area (15); and to send, to the WCD (10), the created recommendation.

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