Systems, methods and devices for radar operation in wireless devices

Abstract

To provide systems, methods and devices that enable radar operation in wireless devices.SOLUTION: The methods include the steps of: switching a first transceiver and a second transceiver from a communications mode to a sensing mode while maintaining a network connection; generating a designated waveform at a wireless device; and transmitting a first signal based on the designated waveform via the first transceiver of the wireless device. The methods also include the steps of: receiving a second signal via the second transceiver of the wireless device, the second transceiver being collocated with the first transceiver within the wireless device; and generating sensing data based on the second signal, the sensing data comprising an indication of whether an entity has been detected by the wireless device.SELECTED DRAWING: None

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to wireless devices, and more particularly to enhancing radar capabilities in such wireless devices.

Background Art

[0002] The detection of the movement and presence of entities such as humans may be carried out using devices such as passive infrared (PIR) sensors, frequency modulated continuous wave (FMCW) radars or other passive detection systems. Devices of this kind may include dedicated sensors as well as associated hardware, such as various lenses used in conjunction with PIR sensors. Conventional detection techniques of this kind remain limited as they require additional detection hardware resources and are limited in their ability to communicate the results of the detection operation.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0003]

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DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0004] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the presented concepts. The presented concepts may be practiced without some or all of these specific details. In other instances, well-known process operations are not detailed so as not to unnecessarily obscure the described concepts. Although some concepts are described in conjunction with specific examples, it should be understood that these examples are not intended to be limiting.

[0005] A PIR sensor may include an infrared sensor and a lens structure that may detect a positive difference in ambient infrared rays to estimate the presence of a person. However, this type of technology remains limited because it requires additional hardware resources to implement the sensor and the lens, and is limited in its ability to calculate estimated distance information. Furthermore, this type of PIR sensor does not have a communication link associated with other wireless devices. Similarly, FMCW radar is also limited in this way. Therefore, this type of technology is limited in its ability to communicate with other wireless devices within a wireless environment and / or in its ability to be integrated into smart devices and Internet of Things (IoT) devices within a smart home environment.

[0006] The embodiments disclosed in this specification provide a wireless device configured to support both communication and detection modes for a wireless device such that a detection presence event as well as proximity detection capabilities are integrated into the wireless communication of a smart home environment. As will be described in detail below, the detection presence event may also include proximity detection and distance estimation. More specifically, a wireless device having a transceiver disposed at the same location may toggle between a communication mode and a detection mode. When in the communication mode, the transceiver disposed at the same location may be used for wireless communication with other wireless devices. When in the detection mode, the transceiver disposed at the same location may be used for a detection operation to detect the presence and proximity of an entity such as a person in the surrounding environment of the wireless device. As will be described in detail below, this type of detection operation may be used by the wireless device to trigger additional operations in the surrounding environment, such as controlling one or more smart devices in response to the detection of a person's presence, and may also make a proximity determination.

[0007] Furthermore, as will be described in detail below, the wireless device may switch between the communication mode and the detection mode without disconnecting from the communication medium. Thus, a wireless device such as a station may switch to the detection mode and return to the communication mode without disconnecting from the communication link with other wireless devices such as an access point.

[0008] FIG. 1 shows an example of a system for radar operation of a wireless device configured according to some embodiments. Thus, a system such as system 100 may include a wireless device, and the wireless device is configured to be used for wireless communication and also to be capable of performing radar operation. Thus, as detailed below, the wireless device included within system 100 may be configured to toggle between communication operation and radar operation, thus enabling the wireless communication radio to be used for both sets of operations and further enabling this kind of operation to be interleaved seamlessly.

[0009] In some embodiments, system 100 includes a wireless device 102 configured to transmit and receive wireless signals according to one or more communication protocols. For example, wireless device 102 may include one or more transceivers, such as transceiver 104 and transceiver 105, which are configured to transmit and receive signals according to a wireless communication protocol such as the WiFi protocol. In various embodiments, wireless device 102 additionally includes a processing device such as processing device 106, which is configured to implement various hardware and logic associated with transceivers 104 and 105 and their associated wireless communication protocols. For example, processing device 106 may be configured to implement a media access control (MAC) layer, which is configured to control hardware associated with a wireless transmission medium, such as hardware associated with a WiFi transmission medium. As detailed below, wireless device 102 may be configured as a 2X2 WiFi device, in which transceivers 104 and 105 are each a WiFi transceiver and have associated antennas.

[0010] In various embodiments, the wireless device 102 is within the communication range of one or more devices or entities. In one example, the wireless device 102 is within the range of a device 108, which may also be another wireless device. Thus, the device 108 may include a transceiver and associated processing logic configured to facilitate wireless communication according to a wireless communication protocol such as the WiFi protocol. Thus, the wireless device 102 may be configured to establish a wireless connection with the device 108 and transmit and receive data packets to and from the device 108.

[0011] Furthermore, the wireless device 102 is also within the range of an entity 110. As shown in FIG. 1, the entity 110 may be a person (not shown in a certain ratio). As will be described in detail below, the wireless device 102 is configured to switch from a communication mode of communicating with the device 108 to a detection mode of performing one or more detection operations, in which the detection mode determines whether an entity such as the entity 110 exists and / or determines the distance to the entity for proximity detection. As will be described in detail below, components of the wireless device 102, such as the transceiver 104 and the transceiver 105, may be used for this type of detection operation to determine whether a user is present within the operating environment of the wireless device 102.

[0012] FIG. 2 shows another example of a device for radar operation of a wireless device configured according to some embodiments. As similarly described above, a system such as the system 200 may include a wireless device, and the wireless device is configured to be used for wireless communication and also to perform detection, identification, and ranging operations. Thus, as will be described in detail below, the wireless device included within the system 200 may be configured to enable seamless exchange (interleaving) of communication operations and detection operations.

[0013] Similarly, as described above, system 200 may include a wireless device, e.g., wireless device 201 configured to transmit and receive data according to one or more wireless communication protocols. Thus, wireless device 201 may include a transmission processing device 202, and transmission processing device 202 may provide digital data to be transmitted. This kind of data may be received from other components of wireless device 201, and the other components may be, for example, a host processor or other processing devices configured to generate a data stream according to a wireless communication protocol such as the WiFi protocol. In various embodiments, this kind of data may be received from components external to wireless device 201. For example, the host processor may be implemented within a different device or on a different chip, and the data may be received via a communication interface. The output of transmission processing device 202 is provided to a digital / analog converter (DAC) 203, then to a low-pass filter (LPF) 204, and further to a power amplifier (PA) 208 via a mixer 206, and may be transmitted via a transmit-receive (T / R) switch 218 and an antenna 220. In some embodiments, DAC 203, LPF 204, mixer 206, and PA 208 are part of a transmission chain included within a first transceiver. In various embodiments, the first transceiver may also include a receive chain including a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 210, a mixer 212, an amplifier 214, and an analog / digital converter (ADC) 216.

[0014] Wireless device 201 may also include one or more components for receiving signals. For example, the signal may be received via antenna 242, provided to LNA 232, and then provided to mixer 234, amplifier 236, and analog / digital converter (ADC) 238. Next, ADC 238 may provide the received signal to other components of the second transceiver, such as receive processing device 222. In some embodiments, LNA 232, mixer 234, amplifier 236, and ADC 238 are part of a receive chain included within the second transceiver. In various embodiments, the second transceiver may include a transmit chain including DAC 224, LPF 226, mixer 228, and PA 230. The transmit chain may be coupled to antenna 242 via switch 240.

[0015] In various embodiments, wireless device 201 further includes a signal generator 250, which is configured to generate signals that may be provided to mixers 212, 206, 234, and 228. Signal generator 250 may include various components such as a phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit that may be coupled to a frequency divider. As shown in FIG. 2, a communication path may also be provided between mixer 206 and mixer 234. Thus, signal generator 250 may be configured to generate a specified waveform to be transmitted and may also be configured to generate a reference waveform for the received signal. In some embodiments, signal generator 250 includes a voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) configured to generate a carrier frequency and convert a high-frequency signal to a baseband signal.

[0016] Similarly, as described above, the wireless device 201 is configured to perform wireless communication operations according to a wireless communication protocol such as the WiFi protocol. As will be described in detail below, the first transceiver and the second transceiver included within the wireless device 201 are configured to switch to a sensing configuration that supports the sensing operation. Further, when this kind of switching is performed, it may be carried out without disconnecting from the communication link used in the communication mode. In some embodiments, the channel used for the communication link may also be used for the sensing operation. When configured in this way, the wireless device 201 may transmit a signal via the transmission chain of the first transceiver, an entity may reflect a signal to the wireless device 201, and the reflected signal may be received by the reception chain of the second transceiver. In this way, the first transceiver may be configured to transmit a signal, and the second transceiver may be configured to receive a signal reflected by an entity. Further, reference signals may also be generated and captured, and the elapsed time may also be determined. In other embodiments, the elapsed time may be determined using the transmitter's timestamp.

[0017] As detailed below, the wireless device 201 may include one or more components such as the signal processing device 244, which is configured to extract data values from received signals or perform one or more detection operations such as presence detection and ranging. In some embodiments, the wireless device 201 may be configured to determine whether an entity such as a user is present based on the extracted detection values. Further, the wireless device 201 may be configured to store the extracted data values and / or transmit the extracted detection values to other devices that may also be configured to determine whether an entity is present. In this way, the processing operations associated with entity detection may be offloaded from the wireless device 201, and the extracted detection data may be transmitted once the transceiver is switched back to the communication mode. As described above, the wireless device 201 may still be connected to the communication link. Thus, when switched back to the communication mode, the wireless device 201 may continue to use the previously established communication link.

[0018] FIG. 3 shows an example of a device for radar operation of a wireless device, configured according to some embodiments. More specifically, FIG. 3 shows an example of a system that may include a wireless device 301, for example, system 300. In some embodiments, system 300 may additionally include a host device that may have an associated processor and memory. It should be appreciated that the wireless device 301 may be any one of the wireless devices described above with reference to FIGS. 1 and 2 (e.g., wireless device 102 and wireless device 201).

[0019] In various embodiments, the wireless device 301 includes one or more transceivers, such as transceiver 304 and transceiver 305. In one example, the system 300 includes a transceiver 304 configured to transmit and receive signals using a communication medium that may include antenna 321 or antenna 322. As described above, transceiver 304 may be a WiFi transceiver. Thus, transceiver 304 may be compatible with a WiFi communication protocol such as the 802.11 protocol. It should be appreciated that any suitable WiFi communication protocol may be used, such as 802.11ac, 802.11ax, 802.11be, and 802.11bn. In various embodiments, transceiver 304 includes a modulator and demodulator as well as one or more buffers and filters, which are configured to generate and receive signals via antenna 321 and / or antenna 322.

[0020] The system 300 additionally includes, in the wireless device 301, a transceiver 305 that may be co-located with transceiver 304. FIG. 3 shows transceiver 304 and transceiver 305 implemented on integrated circuit 320, but it should be appreciated that transceiver 304 and transceiver 305 may be implemented on different chips and still be co-located within the wireless device 301. In various embodiments, transceiver 305 is also configured to transmit and receive signals using a communication medium that may include antenna 321 or antenna 322. Thus, transceiver 305 may be a WiFi transceiver that is compatible with a WiFi communication protocol. Further, transceiver 305 includes a modulator and demodulator as well as one or more buffers and filters, which are configured to generate and receive signals via antenna 321 and / or antenna 322. Although various embodiments are described with reference to a WiFi communication protocol, it should be appreciated that any suitable protocol may be used.

[0021] In various embodiments, transceivers 304 and 305 may be configured to perform the detection operations described above and further detailed below. In one example, transceiver 304 may be configured as a transmitter, and transceiver 305 may be configured as a receiver. Thus, as detailed below, a signal may be transmitted from transceiver 304, reflected by an entity such as a user, and received by transceiver 305. Further, transceivers 304 and 305 may toggle between this type of detection operation and wireless communication operations such as the transmission and reception of data packets. In this way, transceivers 304 and 305 and their associated processing logic may be configured to seamlessly transition between this type of functionality.

[0022] In various embodiments, system 300 may further include one or more processing devices such as processing device 324, and processing device 324 may include logic implemented using one or more processor cores. Thus, processing device 324 is configured to implement logic for the detection operations, as detailed below. For example, processing device 324 may be configured to perform signal generation and sampling operations and extraction and / or determination of detection information for this type of detection operation. Thus, processing device 324 includes processing elements configured to perform the detection operations detailed below. In some embodiments, the processing elements included within processing device 324 may be configured to implement a transmission processing device, a reception processing device, and a signal processing device as described above with reference to FIG. 2.

[0023] The processing device 324 includes one or more components configured to implement a Media Access Control (MAC) layer, which is configured to control hardware associated with a wireless transmission medium, e.g., hardware associated with a WiFi transmission medium. In one example, the processing device 324 may include a processor core block 310 that may be configured to implement a driver such as a WiFi driver. Thus, the processing device 324 may include components associated with the transceiver 304, such as a MAC layer, a packet traffic arbiter, and a scheduler. In various embodiments, the processing device 324 may further include a Digital Signal Processor (DSP) core block 312 that may be configured to include microcode.

[0024] The system 300 further includes a Radio Frequency (RF) circuit 302 coupled to the antennas 321 and 322. In various embodiments, the RF circuit 302 may include various components, such as RF switches, diplexers, and filters. Thus, the RF circuit 302 may be configured to select an antenna for transmission and reception and to provide a coupling between a selected antenna, such as antenna 321 or antenna 322, and other components of the system 300 via a bus such as bus 311. It should be appreciated that although one RF circuit is shown, the wireless device 301 may include multiple RF circuits. Thus, each of the multiple antennas may have its own RF circuit.

[0025] System 300 includes a memory system 308 configured to store one or more data values associated with the detection operations detailed below. Thus, memory system 308 may include a storage device, which may be a non-volatile random access memory (NVRAM) configured to store this type of data value, and may include a cache configured to provide a local cache. In various embodiments, system 300 further includes a host processor 314 configured to perform processing operations performed by system 300.

[0026] It should be appreciated that one or more of the above-described components may be implemented on a single chip or on different chips. For example, transceiver 304, transceiver 305, and processing device 324 may be implemented on the same integrated circuit chip, such as integrated circuit chip 320. In other examples, transceiver 304, transceiver 305, and processing device 324 may each be implemented on its own chip and thus may be arranged separately as a multi-chip module or on a common substrate such as a printed circuit board (PCB). It should be appreciated that the components of system 300 may be implemented in the context of a smart home environment. Thus, the wireless devices and systems disclosed herein may be implemented in the context of a smart TV or other smart home-compatible device, such as an Alexa-compatible or HomePod-compatible personal assistant device or a Google Nest or Google Home smart device.

[0027] FIG. 4 shows an example of a method for radar operation of a wireless device, executed according to some embodiments. Thus, a method such as method 400 may be executed to facilitate detection, identification, and sensing operations. As detailed below, a method such as method 400 may be executed to enable a wireless device used for wireless communication to also perform the sensing operations disclosed herein.

[0028] Method 400 may perform operation 402, in which the specified waveform may be generated by the wireless device. Thus, when in the detection mode, the wireless device may generate the specified waveform. As described above, the specified waveform may be any waveform that may be previously specified by a standard-based algorithm, a manufacturer, or a user. In some embodiments, the waveform may be included within a WiFi data packet, for example, within some preambles. In various embodiments, the waveform may be a sequence of orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) symbols.

[0029] Method 400 may perform operation 404, in which the specified waveform may be transmitted via a first transceiver of the wireless device. Thus, the specified waveform may be transmitted from the wireless device using the first transceiver. As described above, when an entity such as a person is within the range of the wireless device, the transmitted signal may be reflected by the entity.

[0030] Method 400 may perform operation 406, in which the signal may be received via a second transceiver of the wireless device. Thus, according to some embodiments, the signal reflected by the entity may be detected and received by the second transceiver. In one example, the second transceiver is configured to perform a listening period during which the second transceiver listens for the reflected signal. Thus, regardless of whether the reflected signal is received, the received data may include any data received during this listening period.

[0031] Method 400 may perform operation 408, in which the sensed value may be stored in the wireless device based on the received signal. Thus, the raw data of the received signal may be stored in the wireless device. Further, the results of one or more calculations may also be performed. For example, the transmitted signal and the received signal may be compared, and one or more characteristics of the comparison may be stored in memory. In other examples, using this type of characteristic, it may be determined whether a reflection of the transmitted signal is detected, whether an entity exists, and when an entity exists, ranging information may be determined. As will be described in detail below, this type of determination may be performed by a processing device or, alternatively, by a separate computing system to which the received data is provided.

[0032] FIG. 5 shows another example of a method for radar operation of a wireless device, which is performed according to some embodiments. Thus, a method such as method 500 may be performed to facilitate detection, identification, and sensing operations. As will be described in detail below, a method such as method 500 may be performed to enable a wireless device used for wireless communication to also perform the sensing operations and presence detection operations disclosed herein.

[0033] Method 500 may perform operation 502, in which the first transceiver and the second transceiver of the wireless device may be switched from a communication mode to a sensing mode. In various embodiments, the first transceiver and the second transceiver may first be set to a communication mode, in which wireless communication operations with other wireless devices such as an access point are performed. As described above, the first transceiver and the second transceiver may be WiFi transceivers and may receive and transmit WiFi data packets when in the communication mode.

[0034] During operation 502, the first transceiver and the second transceiver may be switched to a sensing mode. This type of transition between modes may be performed by sending a message indicating that the first transceiver and the second transceiver are entering the sleep mode to other wireless devices. This type of message may be a message compatible with an IEEE-PS frame, a TWT message, or any other suitable communication protocol. Thus, the message may be a power-saving signal transmitted from a wireless device configured to maintain a network connection while the sensing operation is being performed, and the acknowledgment message may be received from other wireless devices. In various embodiments, the switch to the sensing mode is performed without disconnecting from the network connection between the wireless devices. Thus, the wireless device may send a message indicating that it is entering the sleep mode and may switch to the sensing mode. Other wireless devices may approve this message but may maintain connectivity using the same communication link.

[0035] In response to receiving a confirmation message, the wireless device may determine to complete the transition to the sensing mode by configuring the receive and transmit chains of the first transceiver and the second transceiver as described above. More specifically, when in the communication mode, the first transceiver may have a transmit chain configured as a transmit path for the first transceiver and a receive chain configured as a receive path. Further, the second transceiver may have a transmit chain configured as a transmit path for the second transceiver and a receive chain configured as a receive path. When in the sensing mode, the first transceiver may have a transmit chain configured as a transmit path for a specified waveform and a receive chain configured as a return path, and the specified waveform is returned via a T / R switch or other component that provides coupling between the transmit and receive chains of the first transceiver. In some embodiments, a time stamp may be used instead of a reference signal. Further, the second transceiver may have a receive chain configured as a receive path for the specified waveform via an antenna. In some embodiments, the transmit chain of the second transceiver is not used during the sensing mode. In various embodiments, the configuration of the transceivers for the communication mode and the sensing mode may be performed by setting the registers of the transceivers for this type of operation, and the setting of the registers may be managed via firmware.

[0036] Method 500 may perform operation 504, in which the specified waveform may be generated by the wireless device. Thus, when in the sensing mode, the wireless device may generate the specified waveform. Similarly as described above, the specified waveform may be any waveform that may be previously specified by an entity such as a manufacturer or a user. Thus, the specified waveform may be loaded from memory or may be dynamically generated based on a specified algorithm.

[0037] Method 500 may perform operation 506, in which the specified waveform may be transmitted via a first transceiver of the wireless device. Thus, the first transceiver may transmit the specified waveform from the wireless device. As described above, when an entity such as a person is within the range of the wireless device, the transmitted signal may be reflected by the entity. As described above, a reference signal may also be generated and transmitted and received between transceivers. Additionally, timestamp information may also be captured.

[0038] Method 500 may perform operation 508, in which a signal may be received via a second transceiver of the wireless device. Thus, according to some embodiments, the signal reflected by the entity may be detected and received by the second transceiver. In one example, the second transceiver is configured to perform a listening period during which the second transceiver listens for the reflected signal. Thus, whether or not the reflected signal is received, the received data may include any data received during this listening period.

[0039] Method 500 may perform operation 510, in which the sensed data may be stored in the wireless device based on the received reflected signal. Thus, the raw data of the received signal may be stored in the wireless device. Additionally, one or more calculations may also be performed. For example, the reference signal and the received signal may be compared, and one or more characteristics of the comparison may be stored in memory. As will be described in detail below with reference to FIG. 6, this type of comparison may be used to identify presence events and ranging information. In various embodiments, additional information such as timestamp data may also be stored and used for calculating an estimated distance. The embodiments disclosed herein describe that this type of determination is made by the wireless device, but as will be described in detail below, this type of determination may be made by a separate computing system to which the sensed data is provided.

[0040] In various embodiments, one or more additional operations may also be performed in response to detecting a presence event. For example, in response to detecting a presence event, a wireless device may activate one or more additional components within the wireless device, such as a display device, a light, or other components such as a speaker and a microphone. In some embodiments, the additional operation may include scheduling communication with an additional wireless device when switching back to the communication mode. Thus, when the wireless device switches back to the communication mode, a message may be sent to other wireless devices, such as other smart home devices in an Internet of Things (IoT) environment. In one example, the message may trigger lighting various IoT lights in response to detecting a presence event.

[0041] Method 500 may perform operation 512, in which the first transceiver and the second transceiver of the wireless device may be switched from the sensing mode to the communication mode. Thus, the transmit and receive chains of the first transceiver and the second transceiver may be switched back to the communication mode configuration, and communication operations may resume. In some embodiments, the wireless device may also send a message indicating that it is in the communication mode and is active again. From the perspective of another wireless device, which may be an access point, the wireless device may appear to have transitioned from the sleep mode to the wake mode. Further, as described above, when communication resumes, the same network connection may be used. In this way, the network connection may be maintained, and the operation of establishing an additional network connection is not performed.

[0042] FIG. 6 shows an additional example of a method for the radar operation of a wireless device, which is executed according to some embodiments. Thus, a method such as method 600 may be executed to facilitate detection, identification, and sensing operations. As will be described in detail below, a method such as method 600 may be executed to determine whether an entity such as a person is present and has been detected by the wireless device. Further, the distance to the person may also be determined.

[0043] Method 600 may perform operation 602, in which one or more signal parameters may be determined based on a comparison of a reference signal associated with the wireless device and a received signal. In some embodiments, the signal parameters may include the amplitude and / or phase of the received signal. Thus, the amplitude value and / or phase value of the signal received by the second transceiver may be stored as signal parameters. Further, the signal parameters may also include one or more dispersion or difference measurement criteria between the reference signal and the received signal. In one example, a specified waveform transmitted may be returned via the receive chain of the first transceiver and compared with the signal received via the receive chain of the second transceiver. As described above, the received data may be transmitted to different computing devices and the comparison may be performed on the computing devices. Alternatively, the comparison may be performed on the wireless device.

[0044] In various embodiments, the comparison of signals may be performed by comparing features of the signals, such as phase values. Thus, the comparison may be performed to identify a phase dispersion between the returned reference signal and the received signal, and the phase dispersion may be stored as a signal parameter. In some embodiments, the comparison of signals may be performed by taking a ratio between the received signal and the reference signal in complex form. The results may be stored for further processing. Additional processing operations, such as baselining to remove parasitic coupling, may be performed as well. In some embodiments, the received signal is received using the same communication channel as previously used in the communication mode.

[0045] Method 600 may perform operation 604, in which an existence event may be identified based on one or more signal parameters. Thus, in various embodiments, the result of a signal comparison may be used to determine whether an entity exists. This type of determination may be made, for example, based on the amplitude and / or phase of a received signal. Thus, the existence of an entity may be estimated using the amplitude and / or phase of a compared signal that exceeds a specified threshold. In various embodiments, an existence event may be identified by determining a ratio between a received signal and a reference signal. This ratio provides values for a set of complex amplitudes (amplitude and phase). This type of ratio may be used for OFDM symbols or multi / single-frequency signals. The amplitude value and the phase value may be compared with previously measured values. For example, a set of complex amplitudes may be subtracted from current and previous measured values. In some embodiments, when there is a change in environmental conditions, the difference is non-zero. However, if the sum of the absolute differences is greater than a specified threshold that can be determined by an entity such as a manufacturer, then an existence event is next identified. Thus, according to some embodiments, an existence event may be identified using a comparison of the next set of measurement values. More specifically, the sensed data may be compared with additional sensed data acquired previously, and a change that exceeds a specified threshold may be identified as an existence event.

[0046] Method 600 may perform operation 606, in which the distance to the target may be determined based on one or more signal parameters. In various embodiments, this type of distance determination may be performed based on the calculation of one or more times of flight. For example, using the timestamp data of the transmitted signal and the received signal, the two signals may be correlated in time, and the time of flight may be calculated based on the departure time of the transmitted signal and the arrival time of the received signal. Next, the estimated distance to the entity may be calculated using the time of flight. In some embodiments, the estimated distance may be compared with a specified threshold distance value to identify proximity. In this way, the estimated distance may be compared with, for example, a specified distance value to determine whether the entity is within the specified range of the wireless device and is considered to exist. In some embodiments, the ratio between the received signal and the reference signal may be correlated with an expected pattern to determine a correlation peak. Further, the distance may be estimated based on the correlation peak. In various embodiments, other radar techniques may be used to determine the distance.

[0047] Method 600 may perform operation 608, in which a data object may be generated, and the data object may include data values representing the presence event and the distance. Thus, the results of the presence event detection and the distance determination may be combined and stored as a data object. In some embodiments, when this type of determination is performed on separate computing devices, the data object may be returned to the wireless device and used to trigger one or more additional operations, as detailed below. In this type of example, the data object may simply store the results of the determination, or one or more identifiers or flags configured to provide a condensed representation of this type of determination and efficiently convey the results to the wireless device.

[0048] Figure 7 shows another example of a method for radar operation of a wireless device, which is executed according to some embodiments. Thus, a method such as method 700 may be executed to facilitate detection, identification, and ranging operations. As detailed below, a method such as method 700 may be further executed to support additional triggered operations based on presence event detection in order to free the wireless device from calculations. More specifically, the sensing data may be acquired and stored during the sensing mode, and when switched back to the communication mode, the sensing data may be transmitted to other computing devices for presence detection and ranging operations.

[0049] Method 700 may perform operation 702, in which the first transceiver and the second transceiver of the wireless device may be switched from the communication mode to the sensing mode. As described above, the first transceiver and the second transceiver may first be set to the communication mode, in which wireless communication operations with other wireless devices such as access points are performed. Thus, the first transceiver and the second transceiver may be WiFi transceivers and may receive and transmit WiFi data packets when in the communication mode.

[0050] During operation 702, the first transceiver and the second transceiver may be switched to a sensing mode. As described above, this kind of transition between modes may be performed by sending a message indicating that the first transceiver and the second transceiver enter the sleep mode to other wireless devices. Therefore, the message may be sent from a wireless device, the acknowledgment message may be received from other wireless devices, and appropriate reconfiguration of the transmit and receive chains may be performed at the wireless device. As described above, the switch to the sensing mode is performed without disconnecting from the network connection between wireless devices. Therefore, the wireless device may send a message indicating that it enters the sleep mode and may switch to the sensing mode. Other wireless devices may approve this message but may maintain connectivity using the same communication link.

[0051] Method 700 may perform operation 704, in which the specified waveform may be transmitted via the first transceiver of the wireless device. Therefore, when in the sensing mode, the wireless device may generate the specified waveform. As described above, the specified waveform may be any waveform that may be previously specified by an entity such as a manufacturer or a user. As described above, the specified waveform may be loaded from memory or may be dynamically generated based on the specified algorithm.

[0052] Method 700 may perform operation 706, in which a signal may be received via the second transceiver of the wireless device. Therefore, according to some embodiments, the signal reflected by the entity may be detected and received by the second transceiver. In one example, the second transceiver is configured to perform a listening period during which the second transceiver listens for the reflected signal. Therefore, regardless of whether the reflected signal is received, the received data may include any data received during this listening period.

[0053] Method 700 may perform operation 708, in which the first transceiver and the second transceiver of the wireless device may be switched from a detection mode to a communication mode. Accordingly, the transmit and receive chains of the first transceiver and the second transceiver may be switched back to a communication mode configuration, and communication operations may resume. In some embodiments, the wireless device may also send a message indicating that it is in the communication mode and is active again. As described above, when communication resumes, the same network connection may be used. In this way, the network connection may be maintained, and the operation of establishing an additional network connection is not performed.

[0054] Method 700 may perform operation 710, in which a message may be sent to an additional wireless device. In various embodiments, the additional wireless device may be a computing device configured to perform presence event detection operations and distance calculation operations as described above. Accordingly, according to various embodiments, raw detection data may be sent to the additional wireless device during operation 710, and the processing operations may be completely offloaded from the wireless device.

[0055] Similarly, as described above, the results of this type of processing operation may be sent from the additional wireless device to the wireless device, and the wireless device may perform one or more operations in response to receiving the results. In one example, when the wireless device is implemented in the context of a smart device such as a smart TV, the returned results may detect the presence of a person, and the smart TV may enable the display in response to detecting the person. Accordingly, the wireless device may perform various operations in response to the detection and / or enable one or more other components and / or power domains.

[0056] The above concepts have been described in some detail for clarity of understanding, but it is obvious that certain changes and modifications may be made within the scope of the appended claims. Note that there are many alternative ways to implement the processes, systems and devices. Therefore, this example should be considered illustrative and not restrictive.

Claims

1. switching the first transceiver and the second transceiver from a communication mode to a detection mode while maintaining a network connection; generating a specified waveform at a wireless device; transmitting a first signal based on the specified waveform via the first transceiver of the wireless device; receiving a second signal via the second transceiver of the wireless device co-located with the first transceiver within the wireless device; generating sensing data based on the second signal, the sensing data comprising an indication of whether an entity was detected by the wireless device; The method includes:

2. the second signal is generated based on one or more of reflections and parasitic couplings of the first signal from the entity; The method of claim 1.

3. The method further includes determining whether the entity is detected based on a comparison of the sensed data to additional sensed data. The method of claim 1.

4. The method further includes, in response to determining that an entity has been detected, transmitting a message to an additional wireless device. The method according to claim 3.

5. the step of switching the first transceiver and the second transceiver is performed before the step of generating the specified waveform; The switching steps are transmitting a message indicating that the wireless device is transitioning to a sleep mode; maintaining a network connection used by the wireless device when in the communication mode; Including, The method of claim 1.

6. When in the communication mode, the first transceiver and the second transceiver are configured to be compatible with a wireless communication protocol. The method according to claim 5.

7. The wireless communication protocol is a WiFi protocol. The method according to claim 6.

8. The method further includes switching the first transceiver and the second transceiver from the sensing mode to the communication mode after the generating the sensing data step. The method according to claim 5.

9. The method further comprises transmitting the sensor data to a computing device. The method according to claim 7.

10. a first transceiver configured to be compatible with a wireless communication protocol; a second transceiver configured to be compatible with the wireless communication protocol, the first transceiver being co-located with the second transceiver; a processing device coupled to the first transceiver and the second transceiver; A system comprising: The processing device comprises: switching the first transceiver and the second transceiver from a communication mode to a sensing mode while maintaining a network connection; Generates the specified waveform, Transmitting a first signal via the first transceiver based on the specified waveform; receiving a second signal via the second transceiver; generating, based on the second signal, sensing data comprising an indication of whether an entity has been detected. system.

11. the second signal is generated based on one or more of reflections and parasitic couplings of the first signal from the entity; The system of claim 10.

12. the processing device is further configured to determine whether the entity is detected based on a comparison of the sensed data to additional sensed data. The system of claim 10.

13. The processing device is further configured to, in response to determining that an entity is detected, transmit a message to an additional wireless device. The system of claim 12.

14. switching the first transceiver and the second transceiver into the sensing mode is performed prior to generating the specified waveform; the processing device is further configured to switch the first transceiver and the second transceiver from the sensing mode to the communication mode after generating the sensing data; The switching from the communication mode to the detection mode is transmitting a message identifying a transition to a sleep mode; maintaining a network connection used during said communication mode; Further comprising: The system of claim 10.

15. The wireless communication protocol is a WiFi protocol. The system of claim 10.

16. A device comprising a processing element, The processing element includes: switching the first transceiver and the second transceiver from a communication mode to a sensing mode while maintaining the network connection; Generate the specified waveform on the wireless device, Transmitting a first signal based on the specified waveform via the first transceiver of the wireless device; receiving a second signal via a second transceiver of the wireless device co-located with the first transceiver within the wireless device; generating, based on the second signal, sensing data comprising an indication of whether an entity has been detected by the wireless device. device.

17. the second signal is generated based on a reflection of the first signal from the entity.

17. The device of claim 16.

18. the processing element is further configured to determine if the entity is detected based on a comparison of the sensed data to additional sensed data.

17. The device of claim 16.

19. The processing element is further configured to, in response to determining that an entity is detected, transmit a message to an additional wireless device.

20. The device of claim 18.

20. switching the first transceiver and the second transceiver into the sensing mode is performed prior to generating the specified waveform; the processing element is further configured to switch the first transceiver and the second transceiver from the sensing mode to the communication mode after generating the sensing data; The switching from the communication mode to the detection mode is transmitting a message indicating that the wireless device is going into a sleep mode; maintaining a network connection used by the wireless device while in the communication mode; Further comprising:

17. The device of claim 16.

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