Simultaneous multiband and / or multimode wireless local area network (WLAN) sensing

Abstract

This provides a method for performing sensing in a client wireless device environment. [Solution] The method involves the processor of the client wireless device causing a first transceiver and a second transceiver to perform time-division multiplexing switching between a first radio band and a second radio band while operating in Wi-Fi® radar mode. The method includes extracting first channel state information (CSI) data from a first reflected radio signal received by the second transceiver after the first transceiver has transmitted a radio signal in the first radio band, and extracting second CSI data from a second reflected radio signal received by the second transceiver after the first transceiver has transmitted a radio signal in the second radio band. The method includes processing the first and second CSI data with a processor to perform wireless local area network (WLAN) sensing in the environment of the client wireless device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Reference to Related Applications This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 721,284, filed on November 15, 2024, which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.

[0002] This disclosure relates to client wireless devices, and more specifically, to simultaneous multi-band and / or multi-mode WLAN sensing.

[0003] Background Art A number of applications have been developed that operate on client wireless devices such as mobile devices (e.g., smartphones, wearable devices) where sensing capabilities are desired, home automation devices, and other Internet of Things (IoT) devices. This sensing functionality generally relies on normal Wi-Fi® or other wireless sensing that uses channel state information (CSI) data obtained from CSI packets embedded within the normal wireless signals exchanged in standard wireless communications. However, this wireless or Wi-Fi® CSI sensing is not very accurate and has limited range. Wireless / Wi-Fi® radar sensing is more accurate and has a better range, but the use of wireless radar sensing can be limited because Wi-Fi® radar sensing is more complex to implement (e.g., transmission is required) and consumes more power.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0004] [Figure 1] FIG. is a simplified block diagram of a wireless network in which an exemplary client wireless device operates within a sensing target environment according to various embodiments. [Figure 2] FIG. is a schematic block diagram of a client wireless device configured to perform radar sensing according to some embodiments. [Figure 3]This is a flowchart of a method for performing simultaneous multiband sensing using a client wireless device in normal wireless mode according to several embodiments. [Figure 4] This is a flowchart of a method for performing simultaneous multiband sensing using client radio devices in wireless radar modes, such as Wi-Fi® radar mode, according to several embodiments. [Figure 5A] This is a flowchart of a method for performing simultaneous multiband and multimode sensing using both normal wireless mode and wireless radar mode according to several embodiments. [Figure 5B] This is a flowchart of a method for performing radar sensing in Wi-Fi® radar mode across multiple frequency bands according to several embodiments.

[0005] Modes for carrying out the invention The following description includes numerous specific details, such as examples of specific systems, devices, components, and methods, to provide a good understanding of various embodiments of multiband and / or multimode WLAN sensing. For example, CSI packets can be collected wirelessly from numerous wireless devices, and they contain CSI data that characterizes the characteristics of the wireless communication channel. Once characterized, these CSI-based characteristics can be used to sense objects or motion, such as detecting the presence or movement of animals, people, or vehicles.

[0006] In particular, CSI data captures path loss, i.e., the decrease in signal power density as a signal propagates through space. Furthermore, CSI data captures fading, i.e., fluctuations in the signal amplitude at the receiver due to changes in the transmission medium or path. In addition, CSI data captures time delay, for example, the delay a signal experiences as it travels through various paths from the transmitter to the receiver. Also, CSI data captures phase shift, i.e., changes in the signal's phase when it encounters different propagation environments. By detecting this CSI-based channel characterization, client wireless devices can perform wireless or Wi-Fi® sensing within their environment, for example, to detect the presence or movement of objects, including localization.

[0007] However, as mentioned above, wireless CSI sensing (such as Wi-Fi® sensing) is not always feasible due to its limited accuracy, short range, and power consumption concerns from client wireless devices, some of which operate at low power. Furthermore, wireless CSI sensing typically operates in a single frequency band, and therefore has limited bandwidth, leading to some accuracy challenges. Thus, wireless radar sensing (such as Wi-Fi® radar sensing) can be used instead in some client devices to improve sensing accuracy and range. However, as mentioned above, wireless radar sensing is more complex and may consume more power to implement. Moreover, wireless radar sensing also typically operates in a single frequency band, and therefore again has limited bandwidth, and its accuracy and resolution are still limited by the frequency band.

[0008] According to the disclosed embodiments, in order to overcome the shortcomings of known methods for wireless / Wi-Fi® CSI-based sensing and wireless (or Wi-Fi®) radar sensing, the disclosure describes a method generally implemented by a client wireless device in which the client wireless device performs time-division multiplexing between multiple frequency bands (e.g., 2.4 gigahertz (GHz), 5.0 GHz, and 6.0 GHz) and / or between different sensing modes, i.e., time-division multiplexing between communication in normal wireless mode and operation in wireless radar mode, during sensing. Furthermore, the client wireless device can perform scans within subband ranges (e.g., different channels) within each frequency band and then combine these different subband scans to effectively increase the bandwidth that can be used for sensing in each frequency band. Performing scans in wireless radar mode in different frequency bands using a time-division multiplexing scheme may involve time synchronization of transmission and reception of wireless radar signals in each band, but the increased CSI data obtained from such multiband scans can significantly improve sensing and ranging capabilities.

[0009] In particular, in at least one embodiment, the client radio device causes the transceiver to perform time-division multiplexing switching between communication in a first radio band and communication in a second radio band. The client radio device extracts CSI data from radio signals received by the first transceiver during communication in the first radio band, and extracts second CSI data from radio signals received by the first transceiver during communication in the second radio band. The client radio device can then process the first and second CSI data to perform WLAN sensing in the client radio device's environment. In an embodiment, the client radio device causes an application to perform an action in response to the detection of at least one of the presence, movement, or gesture of an object within a threshold based on WLAN sensing.

[0010] In at least one other embodiment, the client radio device causes a first transceiver (e.g., transmitting a radio signal) and a second transceiver (e.g., receiving a radio signal) to perform time-division multiplexing switching between a first radio band and a second radio band while operating in radio radar mode. The client radio device can extract first CSI data from a first reflected radio signal received by the second transceiver after the first transceiver has transmitted a radio signal in the first radio band. The client radio device can extract second CSI data from a second reflected radio signal received by the second transceiver after the first transceiver has transmitted a radio signal in the second radio band. The client radio device can then process the first and second CSI data to perform WLAN sensing in the client radio device's environment. In an embodiment, the client radio device causes an application to perform an action in response to the detection of at least one of the presence, movement, or gesture of a person within a threshold based on WLAN sensing.

[0011] In additional embodiments, the client radio device includes a first transceiver for transmitting radio signals via a first antenna, a second transceiver for receiving radio signals via a second antenna, and a processor coupled to the first and second transceivers. In such embodiments, the processor causes the first and second transceivers to perform time-division multiplexing switching between communication in normal radio mode (or normal Wi-Fi® mode) and operation in radio radar mode (or Wi-Fi® radar mode). During communication in normal radio mode in the first radio band, the processor extracts first CSI data from the radio signal received by the second transceiver. In operation in radio radar mode, the processor extracts second CSI data from a reflected radio signal received by the second transceiver, the reflected radio signal being a reflected version of the radio signal transmitted by the first transceiver in the second radio band. The processor processes the first and second CSI data to perform WLAN sensing in the client wireless device environment.

[0012] This disclosure includes several advantages, such as improved quality and increased volume of CSI data acquired from the environment of a client wireless device that can be used to perform WLAN sensing. The additional data is expected to help improve the sensing capabilities of the client wireless device, which will largely use existing hardware but will switch frequency bands and / or sensing modes while performing WLAN sensing. The improved capabilities may include, for example, determining the difference between a person and a metallic object, determining the size of a person (e.g., distinguishing a person from a pet), and having richer data that can better utilize artificial intelligence (AI), such as machine learning, to provide additional sensing and localization. Such sensing is expected to help better run applications on client wireless devices related to home automation, household safety devices, environmental control such as thermostats, and household appliances. Further advantages will be obvious to those skilled in the art of wireless sensing and will be discussed further below.

[0013] References in the specification to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” “some embodiments,” and “various embodiments” mean that a particular feature, structure, step, operation, or characteristic described in relation to that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Furthermore, the appearances of the phrases “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” “some embodiments,” and “various embodiments” in various parts of this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

[0014] The description includes references to accompanying drawings, which form part of the detailed description. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments. These embodiments, which may also be referred to herein as “examples,” are described in sufficient detail to enable a person skilled in the art to practice embodiments of the claimed subject matter described herein. Embodiments can be combined, other embodiments can be utilized, or structural, logical, and electrical modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the claimed subject matter. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope of the subject matter, but rather to enable a person skilled in the art to practice, manufacture, and / or use the subject matter.

[0015] Figure 1 is a simplified block diagram of a wireless network 100 in which exemplary client wireless devices 102 in various embodiments operate within the environment to be sensed. Furthermore, the wireless network 100 may further include at least one peer wireless device 112, and may further include another client wireless device in the environment including objects 105 which may include, for example, animals, people, drones, cars, or other objects. In at least some embodiments, the wireless network 100 includes an anchor wireless device 145, which is not required for the implementation of the disclosed embodiments but helps to spread the wireless signal more widely into the environment from which CSI data can be derived. The anchor wireless device 145 may operate to provide access to the Internet via the network 115 and may provide connectivity to a cloud server 150 and / or a cloud data store 155. In embodiments, the anchor wireless device 145 may be an access point (AP) device, a wireless router, a wireless mesh node, a wireless gateway, a cellular base station or tower, an IoT hub or gateway, etc.

[0016] In at least some embodiments, the client radio device 102 includes a front end 101 having a first transceiver 103 which may be configured as a transmitter (TX), a second transceiver 104 which may be configured as a receiver (RX), a communication interface 106, and a user interface 116. The client radio device 102 may further include at least one TX antenna 110A coupled to the first transceiver 103 and at least one RX antenna 110B coupled to the second transceiver 104. In some embodiments, at least the first transceiver 103 and the second transceiver 104 are both separate radio or WLAN radios present in the front end 101. In some embodiments, the front end 101 includes switching circuitry for switching between dual bands, including, for example, 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 6 GHz bands, as will be described in more detail with reference to Figure 2.

[0017] The client radio device 102 may further include memory 114, one or more input / output (I / O) devices 118 (such as a display screen, touchscreen, keypad, etc.), a processor 120 (or processing device), and a storage device 124. All of these components can be coupled to a communication bus 130 or multiple communication buses. In some embodiments, at least some of the components of the client radio device 102 may be directly connected and therefore not coupled via the communication bus 130, as illustrated by dashed lines. Thus, the illustration of the communication bus 130 should not be interpreted as mandatory or limiting with respect to at least some of the components of the client radio device 102 that can communicate directly with each other. In some embodiments, an aspect of the communication interface 106 cooperates with the processor 120 to perform the operation or function of the client radio device 102 as a processing device. In some embodiments, there is a single antenna and multiplexing logic for switching the use of the antenna between a first transceiver 103 and a second transceiver 104.

[0018] In at least some embodiments, the memory 114 and / or storage device 124 include computer storage for storing instructions that cause the processor 120 to perform operations described herein, in addition to specific operations for an application or program executed by, for example, a client radio device 102, when executed by the processor. Furthermore, the memory 114 and / or storage device 124 may also store data generated or accessed by the communication interface 106 or generated by the processor 120. Depending on the application and implementation, the processor 120 may use the storage device 124 when executing program code that can be stored in the memory 114, which may or may not be the same memory components. In various embodiments, front-end components such as a first transceiver 103, a second transceiver 104, a communication interface 106, and one or more antennas are tuned or configured to match WLAN and WLAN-based frequency bands such as Wi-Fi®, Bluetooth® (BT), Bluetooth® Low Energy (LBE), Ultra-Wideband (UWB), Z-wave®, Zigbee®, LoRa®, Wi-SUN®, or other radio protocols. Some of these radio protocols are sometimes referred to as Personal Area Network (PAN) technologies, but for simplicity, they are all broadly referred to as WLAN technologies. Future radio protocols are also anticipated.

[0019] In some embodiments, the processor 120 is configured to implement various hardware and logic related to the first transceiver 103 and the second transceiver 104 and their associated wireless communication protocols. For example, the processor 120 may be configured to implement a media access control (MAC) layer configured to control hardware related to a wireless transmission medium, such as a Wi-Fi® transmission medium.

[0020] In some embodiments, the client radio device 102 is configured as a 2x2 Wi-Fi® device, each of which is a Wi-Fi® transceiver, with a first transceiver 103 and a second transceiver 104, each having an associated antenna. In other embodiments, the client radio device 102 is configured as a 1+1 Wi-Fi® device (or to operate in 1+1 mode), where transmission is performed via a first antenna such as a TX antenna 110A and reception is performed via a second antenna such as an RX antenna 110B, with these antennas kept physically separated and measures taken to reduce interference between the two antennas. In 1+1 mode operation, the client radio device 102 can enjoy several advantages, including the elimination of the need for an RF switch or duplexer to alternate between transmission and reception, the ability to perform true full-duplex operation (simultaneous transmission and reception), reduced leakage and self-interference, and improved signal isolation (better dynamic range and cleaner reflections).

[0021] In various embodiments, the client wireless device 102 is within the communication range of one or more devices or entities. In one example, the client wireless device 102 is within the range of a peer wireless device 112, which may be another wireless device. The peer wireless device may also include a transceiver and associated processing logic configured to facilitate wireless communication using a wireless communication protocol such as the Wi-Fi® protocol. Thus, the client wireless device 102 may be configured to establish a wireless connection with the peer wireless device 112 and to transmit and receive data packets to and from the peer wireless device 112.

[0022] Furthermore, the client wireless device 102 is within the scope of an entity such as the object 105. In some embodiments, the client wireless device 102 switches from a communication mode of communicating with the peer wireless device 112 and is configured to switch to a sensing mode that determines whether an entity such as the object 105 exists and further / or determines the distance to the entity for proximity detection and performs one or more sensing operations. In an embodiment, components of the client wireless device 102, such as the first transceiver 103 and the second transceiver 104, are used for such sensing operations to determine whether an object is present within the operating environment of the client wireless device 102.

[0023] Wireless sensing is realized by analyzing wireless signals as they propagate through the environment and detecting variations resulting from events or activities of interest. As Wi-Fi (registered trademark) becomes increasingly available in public and private spaces (not only in the form of smartphones and routers, but also in the form of computers, smartwatches, sensors, etc.), the client wireless device 102 can utilize its ubiquity not only for communication but also for sensing.

[0024] In some embodiments, the communication interface 106 is instructed by the processor 120 to request / receive packets or packets reflected by objects from other radio devices. In embodiments, these are CSI packets carrying the CSI data described herein. Furthermore, the communication interface 106 may process the data symbols received by the second transceiver 104 so that the processor 120 can perform further processing, including identification and analysis of the data packets received in the radio signal. In various embodiments, the client radio device 102 intercepts CSI packets transmitted by the anchor radio device 102, the peer radio device 112 (and other radio devices in the environment), and / or one or more IoT devices (not shown) in the normal course of communication.

[0025] In such embodiments, the client radio device 102 extracts CSI data from the CSI packets of the radio signal received via the second transceiver 104. The CSI data can be processed to extract fine-grained information about the amplitude and phase changes of the Wi-Fi® or radio signal as it moves through the environment, allowing for the measurement of how the signal changes as an object moves, thus enabling sensing applications such as motion detection and occupancy estimation. In some embodiments, received signal strength indicator (RSSI) data, a measure of the power level of the received radio signal, can be further extracted from the radio signal. RSSI can be used to indicate the strength of the radio connection.

[0026] In the case of Wi-Fi (registered trademark) sensing (or WLAN sensing), Wi-Fi (registered trademark) signal characteristics such as received RSSI and CSI measurement values can be utilized to detect and track obstacles affecting the channel. In an embodiment, CSI describes the channel characteristics of the communication link between a transmitter and a receiver considering the combined effects of scattering, fading, and power attenuation over distance for a wireless signal. Once this information is extracted, signal processing techniques can be used to determine features such as distance, speed, angle, etc. These features can then be used to train various models (machine learning (ML) or deep learning models) to identify and classify various applications. The ML and deep learning models can be executed via one or more neural networks (NN). In some embodiments, the processor 120 can instruct the CSI and RSSI data, the ML model, and one or more NNs to operate from the memory 114 and be stored in the storage 124.

[0027] In an alternative embodiment, the ML model and one or more NNs are stored in the cloud server 150, for example, when the model is too large to be stored in the client wireless device 102. In such an embodiment, the CSI data and RSSI data can be sent to the cloud server 150 to update the ML or NN model. Similarly, once these models are trained, the client wireless device 102 can request an inference using such an ML or NN model.

[0028] In various embodiments, the processor 120 can be configured to operate via the front-end 101 to perform measurement acquisition, measurement processing, and execution of sensing algorithms related to the acquisition and use of CSI data for environmental sensing. In measurement acquisition, the processor 120 can acquire sensing measurements from 802.11-based communication packets. This is more difficult because the current 802.11 standard does not explicitly support sensing. Wi-Fi® sensing applications utilize CSI between access points (APs) and stations (STAs) to track CSI over time / space and capture certain regularities that can be used to identify patterns. Frequency bands below 7 GHz (particularly 5 GHz and 6 GHz) used in next-generation Wi-Fi® provide wide bandwidth for ranging purposes. At 60 GHz (or, as commonly known, directional multi-gigabit (DMG)), wider channel bandwidth results in wider range and higher angular resolution. DMG sensing performs Doppler estimation while transmitting DMG burst frames. This takes place after the DMG beamforming training phase is completed between AP and STA.

[0029] During the processing of measurement values, the processor 120 can acquire timing, and phase offsets from the acquired measurement data are removed by filtering. Then, various signal processing algorithms can be applied to further process the measurement data and acquire application-specific features for the sensing algorithm. Once the processor 120 has the information processed from the measurement data, it can design or apply algorithms for different applications. Some algorithms are for complex applications and are therefore data-driven, but for simple detection-based applications, thresholding and signal processing methods may suffice.

[0030] In embodiments, IEEE 802.11bf defines and classifies various use cases for Wi-Fi® sensing, the most important of which include room sensing, healthcare, gesture recognition, and in-vehicle sensing. Room sensing applications include detecting the presence and movement of people, counting and tracking people, detecting objects and obstacles, and detecting intruders. Healthcare includes detecting falls and abnormal postures, monitoring heart rate, monitoring respiratory rate, and detecting sneezes. Gesture recognition includes hand and finger gesture recognition, human activity recognition, and gesture-based home appliance control. In-vehicle sensing includes detecting people inside a vehicle, detecting driver drowsiness, and so on.

[0031] In response to the aforementioned drawbacks of using only one frequency band or only one sensing mode, this disclosure explains how the client radio device 102 can use multiple radio bands simultaneously (e.g., via time-division multiplexing) in either a normal radio mode (i.e., a normal Wi-Fi® mode) or a radio radar mode (i.e., a Wi-Fi® radar mode). Furthermore, this disclosure explains how the client radio device 102 can perform time-division multiplexing between operation in normal radio mode and operation in radio radar mode. When switching to radar mode, the client radio device 102 can transmit radio signals using the first transceiver 103 (or transmitter), as described with reference to Figure 2, and receive reflected radio signals (or reflected versions of transmitted radio signals) for extracting CSI and RSSI data.

[0032] Figure 2 is a schematic block diagram of a client radio device 201 configured to perform radar sensing according to several embodiments. For example, a system such as system 200 may include radio devices used for wireless communication and configured to also perform detection, identification, and ranging operations. Thus, as will be described in more detail below, the radio devices included in system 200 may be configured to allow seamless interleaving of communication and sensing operations. In some embodiments, client radio device 201 is client radio device 102.

[0033] In some embodiments, the system 200 includes a wireless device, such as a wireless device 201, configured to transmit and receive data according to one or more wireless communication protocols. Thus, the wireless device 201 may include a transmit processing device 202 (or processor) capable of providing digital data to be transmitted. Such data may be received from another component of the wireless device 201, such as a host processor or other processing device configured to generate a data stream according to a wireless communication protocol, such as the Wi-Fi® protocol. In various embodiments, such data may be received from an external component of the wireless device 201. For example, the host processor may be implemented on a different device or chip, and the data may be received via a communication interface. The output of the transmit processing device 202 may be provided to a digital-to-analog converter (DAC) 203, then to a low-pass filter (LPF) 204, and then to a power amplifier (PA) 208 via a mixer 206 for transmission through a transmit / receive (T / R) switch 218 and antenna 220. In some embodiments, the DAC 203, LPF 204, mixer 206, and PA 208 are part of the transmit chain included in the first transceiver 103. In various embodiments, the first transceiver 103 may further include a receive chain including a low-noise amplifier (LNA) 210, a mixer 212, an amplifier 214, and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 216.

[0034] The wireless device 201 may further include one or more components for receiving signals. For example, a signal may be received via antenna 242 and provided to LNA 232, then to mixer 234 and amplifier 236, and subsequently to analog-to-digital converter (ADC) 238. The ADC 238 can then provide the received signal to another component of a second transceiver 104, such as a receive processing device 222. In some embodiments, the LNA 232, mixer 239, mixer 234, amplifier 236, and ADC 238 are part of a receive chain included in the second transceiver. In various embodiments, the second transceiver 104 may further 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.

[0035] In various embodiments, the wireless device 201 further includes a signal generator 250 configured to generate signals that can be supplied to mixers 212, 206, 234, and 228. The signal generator 250 may include various components, such as a phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit that can be coupled to a frequency divider. A communication path may also be provided between mixers 206 and 234, as shown in Figure 2. Thus, the signal generator 250 may be configured to generate a specified waveform to be transmitted and may be further configured to generate a reference waveform for a received signal. In some embodiments, the signal generator 250 includes a voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) configured to generate a carrier frequency for converting a high-frequency signal to a baseband signal.

[0036] As described above, the wireless device 201 is configured to perform wireless communication operations according to a wireless communication protocol such as the Wi-Fi® protocol. In some embodiments, the first transceiver 103 and the second transceiver 104 included in the wireless device 201 are configured to switch to a sensing configuration that supports sensing operations. Furthermore, when such a switch occurs, the switch may be performed without disconnecting from the communication link used in communication mode. In some embodiments, the channel used for the communication link may also be used for sensing operations. When configured in this way, the wireless device 201 can transmit a signal via the transmit chain of the first transceiver 103, and an entity can reflect the signal back to the wireless device 201, which can then be received by the receive chain of the second transceiver 104. Thus, the first transceiver 103 may be configured to transmit a signal, and the second transceiver 104 may be configured to receive the signal reflected by the entity. Furthermore, a reference signal may also be generated and captured, and the transit time may be determined. In other embodiments, the transit time can be determined using a timestamp in the transmitter.

[0037] In at least some embodiments, the wireless device 201 includes one or more components, such as a signal processing device 244 (or processor), configured to extract data values ​​from a received signal or to perform one or more sensing operations, such as presence detection and distance measurement. In some embodiments, the wireless device 201 is configured to determine whether or not an entity, such as an object, is present based on the extracted sensing values. Furthermore, the wireless device 201 may be configured to store the extracted data values ​​and / or to transmit the extracted sensing values ​​to another device which may be configured to determine whether or not an entity is present. In this way, processing operations related to entity detection can be offloaded from the wireless device 201, and the extracted sensing data can be transmitted when the transceiver is switched back to communication mode. As described above, the wireless device 201 can remain connected to the communication link. Therefore, when switched back to communication mode, the wireless device 201 can continue to use the previously established communication link.

[0038] Figure 3 is a flowchart of Method 300 for performing simultaneous multiband sensing by a client radio device 102 in a normal wireless mode, such as a normal Wi-Fi® mode, according to several embodiments. Method 300 may be implemented by processing logic that may include hardware (e.g., processing devices, circuits, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, device hardware, integrated circuits, etc.), software (e.g., instructions that operate on or are executed on the processing devices), or a combination thereof. For example, Method 300 may be implemented by a processor 120 (Figure 1) or processing devices 202, 222, and / or 244 (Figure 2).

[0039] The actions of Method 300 are listed and numbered, but Method 300 may be performed without one or more actions, or may include other actions that may be described elsewhere in this disclosure. For example, dashed boxes indicate optional actions. Furthermore, one or more actions may be performed in a different order. Thus, the description of Method 300 can be understood in the broader context of the entire disclosure without being limited to a specific order.

[0040] In operation 310, the processing logic causes the first transceiver 103 to perform time-division multiplexing switching between communication in the first radio band and communication in the second radio band. In one embodiment, the first radio band is the 2.4 GHz band and the second radio band is the 5.0 GHz band. In at least the second embodiment, the first radio band is the 2.4 GHz band and the second radio band is the 6.0 GHz band. In at least the third embodiment, the first radio band is the 5.0 GHz band and the second radio band is the 6.0 GHz band.

[0041] In operation 320, the processing logic extracts first channel status information (CSI) data from the radio signal received by the first transceiver 103 during communication in the first radio band.

[0042] In operation 330, the processing logic extracts the second CSI data from the radio signal received by the first transceiver during communication in the second radio band.

[0043] In operation 340, the processing logic processes the first and second CSI data to perform WLAN sensing in the environment of the client wireless device.

[0044] In a voluntary action 350, the processing logic causes the client wireless device application to perform an action in response to the detection of at least one of the following based on WLAN sensing: the presence, movement, or gesture of an object within a threshold.

[0045] Referring further to Figure 1, in some embodiments, the WLAN sensing is IEEE 802.11bf-compliant sensing, or supported by another future standard with enhanced sensing, and the processing logic further receives additional CSI data extracted from the radio signal by a second radio device in the vicinity of the client radio device via the first transceiver 103. The second radio device may be a peer radio device 112. The processing logic can further process the combination of the first and second CSI data and the additional CSI data to perform WLAN sensing. In at least some embodiments, the processing logic extracts RSSI data received in the radio signal by the first transceiver 103 in the first and second radio bands, and processes the combination of the RSSI data and the first and second CSI data to perform WLAN sensing.

[0046] Furthermore, assuming that several peer radio devices and / or anchor radio devices within the environment of a client radio device are communicating in different radio bands, the processing logic can further cause the first transceiver 103 to scan within a subband range of the first radio band for different periods while operating in a first phase when receiving in the first radio band. The processing logic can accumulate first CSI data over the scan within the subband range of the first radio band. Furthermore, the processing logic can cause the first transceiver 103 to scan within a subband range of the second radio band for different periods while operating in a second phase when receiving in the second radio band. The processing logic can accumulate second CSI data over the scan within the subband range of the second radio band. For example, a subband of approximately 20 megahertz (MHz) can extend within the 2.4 GHz band, and a subband of approximately 1 GHz can extend within the 5.0 and 6.0 GHz bands. In this way, by scanning the radio bandwidth within a subband range (or channel), the effective bandwidth of the detected radio signal and the resulting CSI data can be increased.

[0047] Figure 4 is a flowchart of Method 400 for performing simultaneous multiband sensing by a client radio device in a radio radar mode, such as Wi-Fi® radar mode, according to several embodiments. Method 400 may be performed by processing logic that may include hardware (e.g., processing devices, circuits, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, device hardware, integrated circuits, etc.), software (e.g., instructions that operate on or are executed on the processing devices), or a combination thereof. For example, Method 400 may be performed by a processor 120 (Figure 1) and / or processing devices 202, 222, and / or 244 (Figure 2).

[0048] Although the actions of Method 400 are listed and numbered, Method 400 may be performed without one or more actions, or may include other actions that may be described elsewhere in this disclosure. For example, dashed boxes indicate optional actions. Furthermore, one or more actions may be performed in a different order. Thus, the description of Method 400 can be understood in the broader context of the entire disclosure without being limited to a specific order.

[0049] In operation 410, the processing logic causes the first and second transceivers to perform time-division multiplexing switching between the first and second radio bands while operating in Wi-Fi® radar mode. In some embodiments, operation in Wi-Fi® radar mode is performed independently of the operation of the anchor radio device 112, such as an AP device. In one embodiment, the first radio band is the 2.4 GHz band and the second radio band is the 5.0 GHz band. In at least the second embodiment, the first radio band is the 2.4 GHz band and the second radio band is the 6.0 GHz band. In at least the third embodiment, the first radio band is the 5.0 GHz band and the second radio band is the 6.0 GHz band.

[0050] In operation 420, the processing logic extracts the first CSI data from the first reflected radio signal received by the second transceiver 104 after the first transceiver 103 has transmitted a radio signal in the first radio band. For example, the processing logic may cause the first transceiver to transmit the first radio signal in the first radio band over a first period of time, and then cause the second transceiver to receive the first reflected radio signal over the first period of time.

[0051] In operation 430, the processing logic extracts the second CSI data from the second reflected radio signal received by the second transceiver after the first transceiver has transmitted a radio signal in the second radio band. For example, the processing logic may cause the first transceiver to transmit the second radio signal in the second radio band over a second period following a first period, and then cause the second transceiver to receive the second reflected radio signal during the second period.

[0052] In operation 440, the processing logic processes the first and second CSI data to perform WLAN sensing in the environment of the client wireless device.

[0053] In a voluntary action 450, the processing logic causes the client wireless device application to perform an action in response to the detection of at least one of the following based on WLAN sensing: the presence, movement, or gesture of an object within a threshold.

[0054] Further referring to Figure 1, and assuming in some embodiments that several peer radio devices and / or anchor radio devices in the environment of a client radio device are communicating in different radio bands, the processing logic can further cause the first and second transceivers to scan within a first subband range of the first radio band for different periods while operating in a first phase. The processing logic can accumulate first CSI data over scanning within the first subband range of the first radio band to increase the bandwidth of the WLAN scan. Furthermore, the processing logic can cause the first and second transceivers to scan within a second subband range of the second radio band for different periods while operating in a second phase. Furthermore, the processing logic can accumulate second CSI data over scanning within a second subband range of the second radio band to increase the bandwidth of the WLAN scan. For example, a subband of about 20 MHz can extend within the 2.4 GHz band, and a subband of about 1 GHz can extend within the 5.0 and 6.0 GHz bands. In this way, by scanning the radio bandwidth within a subband range (or channel), the effective bandwidth of the detected radio signal and the resulting CSI data can be increased.

[0055] Figure 5A is a flowchart of Method 500A for performing simultaneous multiband and multimode sensing using both normal radio mode and radio radar mode according to several embodiments. Method 500A may be performed by processing logic that may include hardware (e.g., processing devices, circuits, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, device hardware, integrated circuits, etc.), software (e.g., instructions that operate on or are executed on the processing devices), or a combination thereof. For example, Method 500A may be performed by processor 120 (Figure 1) and / or processing devices 202, 222, and / or 244 (Figure 2).

[0056] The actions of Method 500A are listed and numbered, but Method 500A may be performed without one or more actions, or may include other actions that may be described elsewhere in this disclosure. For example, dashed boxes indicate optional actions. Furthermore, one or more actions may be performed in a different order. Thus, the description of Method 500A can be understood in the broader context of the entire disclosure without being limited to a specific order.

[0057] In operation 510, the processing logic causes the first transceiver 103 and the second transceiver 104 to switch between time-division multiplexing between normal wireless mode communication and wireless radar mode operation. In this embodiment, normal wireless mode operation is normal Wi-Fi® mode, and wireless radar mode operation is Wi-Fi® radar mode, and Wi-Fi® radar mode is performed independently of the operation of an anchor wireless device such as an AP device.

[0058] In operation 520, the processing logic detects whether the client radio device is operating in normal radio mode or radio radar mode.

[0059] In operation 530, in the case of communication in a normal radio mode in the first radio band, the processing logic extracts the first CSI data from the radio signal received by the second transceiver 104.

[0060] In operation 540, when operating in radio radar mode, the processing logic extracts the second CSI data from the reflected radio signal received by the second transceiver 104. In embodiments, the reflected radio signal is a reflected version of the radio signal transmitted by the first transceiver 103 in the second radio band. In at least some embodiments, operation 540 may be further implemented as described with reference to Figure 5B.

[0061] In embodiments relating to operation 540, operation in Wi-Fi® radar mode is possible independently of the operation of the access point device. In one embodiment, the first radio band is the 2.4 GHz band and the second radio band is the 5.0 or 6.0 GHz band. In a second embodiment, the first radio band is the 5.0 or 6.0 GHz band and the second radio band is the 2.4 GHz band. In a third embodiment, the first radio band is the 5.0 GHz band and the second radio band is the 6.0 GHz band. In a fourth embodiment, the first radio band is the 6.0 GHz band and the second radio band is the 5.0 GHz band.

[0062] In operation 550, the processing logic processes the first and second CSI data to perform WLAN sensing in the environment of the client wireless device.

[0063] In a voluntary action 560, the processing logic causes the client wireless device application to perform an action in response to the detection of at least one of the following based on WLAN sensing: the presence, movement, or gesture of an object within a threshold.

[0064] Referring further to Figures 1 and 2, the processing logic can switch between one of the first and second radio bands to use different combinations of frequency bands between normal radio mode communication and radio radar mode operation. In such embodiments, the processing logic selects a specific combination of the first and second radio bands that yields the most accurate sensing performance by inputting the first and second CSI data into a trained machine learning model.

[0065] In some embodiments, when operating in wireless radar mode, the processing logic causes the first and second transceivers to scan within a subband range of the second wireless band over different periods of time while operating in the first phase. Furthermore, the processing logic accumulates second CSI data over the scan within the subband range of the second wireless band in order to increase the bandwidth of the WLAN scan.

[0066] In some embodiments, the WLAN sensing is IEEE 802.11bf-compliant sensing. In such embodiments, the processing logic receives additional CSI data extracted from the radio signal by a second radio device in the vicinity of the client radio device via a first transceiver 103. The processing logic can further process the combination of the first and second CSI data and the additional CSI data to perform WLAN sensing.

[0067] Figure 5B is a flowchart of Method 500B for performing radar sensing in Wi-Fi® radar mode across multiple bandwidths according to several embodiments. Method 500B may be implemented by processing logic that may include hardware (e.g., processing devices, circuits, dedicated logic, programmable logic, microcode, device hardware, integrated circuits, etc.), software (e.g., instructions that operate on or are executed on the processing devices), or a combination thereof. For example, Method 500B may be implemented by processor 120 (Figure 1) and / or processing devices 202, 222, and / or 244 (Figure 2).

[0068] The actions of Method 500B are listed and numbered, but Method 500B may be performed without one or more actions, or may include other actions that may be described elsewhere in this disclosure. For example, dashed boxes indicate optional actions. Furthermore, one or more actions may be performed in a different order. Thus, the description of Method 500B can be understood in the broader context of the entire disclosure without being limited to a specific order.

[0069] In operation 570, the processing logic causes the first transceiver 103 to perform time-division multiplexing switching between transmitting a first radio signal in the first radio band and transmitting a second radio signal in the second radio band.

[0070] In operation 575, the processing logic causes the second transceiver 104 to receive a third radio signal, which is a reflected version of the first radio signal.

[0071] In operation 580, the processing logic causes the second transceiver 104 to receive a fourth radio signal, which is a reflected version of the second radio signal.

[0072] In operation 585, the processing logic extracts the third CSI data from either of the third radio signals and either of the fourth radio signals received by the second transceiver.

[0073] In operation 590, the processing logic combines the third CSI data with the first and second CSI data to perform WLAN sensing.

[0074] Those skilled in the art will see that at least some embodiments can be practiced without these specific details. In other cases, well-known components, elements, or methods are not described in detail or are presented in simple block diagram form, in order to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the subject matter described herein. Thus, the specific details described below are merely illustrative. Certain implementations may differ from these illustrative details and are still considered to be within the spirit and scope of these embodiments.

[0075] References to “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” “some embodiments,” and “various embodiments” in the descriptions mean that a particular feature, structure, step, operation, or characteristic described in relation to that embodiment is included in at least one embodiment. Furthermore, the appearances of the phrases “an embodiment,” “one embodiment,” “an example embodiment,” “some embodiments,” and “various embodiments” in various parts of this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

[0076] The description includes references to accompanying drawings, which form part of the detailed description. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments. These embodiments, which may also be referred to herein as “examples,” are described in sufficient detail to enable a person skilled in the art to practice embodiments of the claimed subject matter described herein. Embodiments can be combined, other embodiments can be utilized, or structural, logical, and electrical modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the claimed subject matter. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope of the subject matter, but rather to enable a person skilled in the art to practice, manufacture, and / or use the subject matter.

[0077] The description includes references to accompanying drawings, which form part of the detailed description. The drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments. These embodiments, which may also be referred to herein as “examples,” are described in sufficient detail to enable a person skilled in the art to practice embodiments of the claimed subject matter described herein. Embodiments can be combined, other embodiments can be utilized, or structural, logical, and electrical modifications can be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the claimed subject matter. It should be understood that the embodiments described herein are not intended to limit the scope of the subject matter, but rather to enable a person skilled in the art to practice, manufacture, and / or use the subject matter.

[0078] Certain embodiments may be implemented by firmware instructions stored in a non-temporary computer-readable medium such as volatile memory and / or non-volatile memory. These instructions may be used to program and / or configure one or more devices, including a processor (e.g., a CPU) or its equivalent (e.g., a processing core, processing engine, microcontroller, etc.), and as a result, when executed by the processor or its equivalent, the instructions cause the device to perform the operations described herein for the USB-C / PD mode transition architecture. Non-temporary computer-readable storage media may include, but are not limited to, electromagnetic storage media, read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), erasable programmable memory (e.g., EPROM and EEPROM), flash memory, or other currently known or later developed non-temporary types of media suitable for storing information.

[0079] Although the operation of circuits and blocks in this specification is shown and described in a specific order, in some embodiments the order of operation of each circuit / block may be modified so that certain operations may be performed in reverse order, or so that certain operations may be performed at least partially simultaneously with and / or in parallel with other operations. In other embodiments, instructions or suboperations of separate operations may be performed intermittently and / or alternately.

[0080] In the above specification, the disclosure is described with reference to specific exemplary embodiments. However, it will be apparent that various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the disclosure as set forth in the appended claims. Accordingly, this specification and the drawings should be considered illustrative rather than restrictive.

Claims

1. A client wireless device, A first transceiver that receives a radio signal via a first antenna, A processor coupled to the first transceiver, Memory that stores instructions and It is equipped with, When the aforementioned instruction is executed by the processor, The first transceiver is made to perform time-division multiplexing switching between communication in the first radio band and communication in the second radio band. To extract first channel status information (CSI) data from a radio signal received by the first transceiver during communication in the first radio band, Extracting second CSI data from the radio signal received by the first transceiver during communication in the second radio band, and Processing the first and second CSI data to perform wireless local area network (WLAN) sensing in the environment of the client wireless device. To cause the processor to execute the above, Client wireless device.

2. The client wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the instruction further causes the processor to cause the application of the client wireless device to perform an action in response to the detection of at least one of the presence, movement, or gesture of an object within a threshold based on the WLAN sensing.

3. The first wireless band is a 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) band, and the second wireless band is a 5.0 GHz band. The first wireless band is a 2.4 GHz band, and the second wireless band is a 6.0 GHz band, or The first wireless band is a 5.0 GHz band, and the second wireless band is a 6.0 GHz band. A client wireless device according to claim 1, which is one of the above.

4. The WLAN sensing is a sensing that complies with IEEE 802.11bf, and the instruction is, Receiving additional CSI data extracted from the radio signal by a second radio device near the client radio device via the first transceiver, and The combination of the first and second CSI data and the additional CSI data is processed to perform the WLAN sensing. The client wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further made to perform the following.

5. The aforementioned instruction is, Extracting Received Signal Strength Indicator (RSSI) data received by the first transceiver in the first and second radio bands, and The combination of the RSSI data and the first and second CSI data is processed to perform the WLAN sensing. The client wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further made to perform the following.

6. The system further comprises a second transceiver coupled to the processor and transmitting a wireless signal via a second antenna, The aforementioned instruction is, The second transceiver and the first transceiver are made to perform time-division multiplexing switching between communication in normal Wi-Fi® mode and operation in Wi-Fi® radar mode. When operating in the aforementioned Wi-Fi® radar mode, The second transceiver is made to perform time-division multiplexing switching between the transmission of the first radio signal in the first radio band and the transmission of the second radio signal in the second radio band. The first transceiver is made to receive a third radio signal, which is a reflected version of the first radio signal. The first transceiver is made to receive a fourth radio signal, which is a reflected version of the second radio signal. Extracting third CSI data from either of the third radio signals and either of the fourth radio signals received by the first transceiver, and The third CSI data is processed in combination with the first and second CSI data to perform the WLAN sensing. To cause the processor to perform the following further: The client wireless device according to claim 1.

7. The client wireless device according to claim 6, wherein the operation in the Wi-Fi® radar mode is performed independently of the operation of the anchor wireless device.

8. The aforementioned instruction is, The first transceiver is to scan within a subband range of the first radio band for different periods of time while operating in the first phase when receiving in the first radio band. To accumulate the first CSI data over scanning within the subband range of the first wireless band, The first transceiver is to scan within the subband range of the second radio band for different periods of time while operating in the second phase when receiving in the second radio band, and Accumulating the second CSI data over scanning within the subband range of the second radio band. The client wireless device according to claim 1, wherein the processor is further made to perform the following.

9. The client wireless device's processor causes the first and second transceivers to perform time-division multiplexing switching between the first and second wireless bands when operating in wireless radar mode. Extracting first channel status information (CSI) data from a first reflected radio signal received by the second transceiver after the first transceiver has transmitted a radio signal in the first radio band, Extracting second CSI data from a second reflected radio signal received by the second transceiver after the first transceiver transmits a radio signal in the second radio band, and The processor processes the first and second CSI data to perform wireless local area network (WLAN) sensing in the environment of the client wireless device. A method that includes this.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising causing an application of the client wireless device to perform an action in response to the detection of at least one of the presence, movement, or gesture of an object within a threshold based on the WLAN sensing.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein the wireless radar mode causes the client wireless device to operate in Wi-Fi® radar mode without depending on the operation of the anchor wireless device.

12. The first transceiver is to transmit a first radio signal in the first radio band over a first period of time. The second transceiver is to receive the first reflected radio signal during the first period. The first transceiver is to transmit a second radio signal in the second radio band over a second period following the first period, and The second transceiver is to receive the second reflected radio signal during the second period. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

13. The first wireless band is a 2.4 gigahertz (GHz) band, and the second wireless band is a 5.0 GHz band. The first wireless band is a 2.4 GHz band, and the second wireless band is a 6.0 GHz band, or The first wireless band is a 5.0 GHz band, and the second wireless band is a 6.0 GHz band. The method according to claim 9, wherein at least one of the following is the method according to claim 9.

14. The first and second transceivers are to scan within the first subband range of the first radio band for different periods of time while operating in the first phase. To increase the bandwidth of the WLAN scan, the first CSI data is accumulated over the scan within the first subband range of the first wireless band. The first and second transceivers are to scan within the second subband range of the second radio band for different periods of time while operating in the second phase, and To increase the bandwidth of the WLAN scan, the second CSI data is accumulated over the scan within the second subband range of the second wireless band. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

15. A client wireless device, A first transceiver that transmits a radio signal via a first antenna, A second transceiver that receives radio signals via a second antenna, A processor coupled to the first transceiver and the second transceiver, Memory that stores instructions and It is equipped with, When the aforementioned instruction is executed by the processor, The first transceiver and the second transceiver are made to perform time-division multiplexing switching between communication in normal wireless mode and operation in wireless radar mode. During communication in the normal wireless mode in the first wireless band, extract first channel status information (CSI) data from the wireless signal received by the second transceiver. During operation in the aforementioned wireless radar mode, the second CSI data is extracted from the reflected radio signal received by the second transceiver, which is a reflected version of the radio signal transmitted by the first transceiver in the second radio band, and Processing the first and second CSI data to perform wireless local area network (WLAN) sensing in the environment of the client wireless device. To cause the processor to execute the above, Client wireless device.

16. The client wireless device according to claim 15, wherein the command causes the application of the client wireless device to perform an action in response to the detection of at least one of the presence, movement, or gesture of an object within a threshold based on the WLAN sensing.

17. The client wireless device according to claim 15, wherein the operation in the normal wireless mode is the operation in the normal Wi-Fi® mode, the operation in the wireless radar mode is the operation in Wi-Fi® radar mode, and the Wi-Fi® radar mode is performed independently of the operation of the anchor wireless device.

18. The aforementioned instruction is, Switching between the first and second radio bands in order to use different combinations of frequency bands between communication in the normal wireless mode and operation in the wireless radar mode, and By inputting the first and second CSI data into a trained machine learning model, a specific combination of the first and second radio bands is selected to provide the most accurate sensing performance. The client wireless device according to claim 15, wherein the processor is further made to perform the following.

19. The first wireless band is a 2.4 GHz band, and the second wireless band is a 5.0 or 6.0 GHz band. The first wireless band is a 5.0 or 6.0 GHz band, and the second wireless band is a 2.4 GHz band. The first wireless band is a 5.0 GHz band, and the second wireless band is a 6.0 GHz band, or The first wireless band is a 6.0 GHz band, and the second wireless band is a 5.0 GHz band. The client wireless device according to claim 15, which is at least one of the following.

20. The aforementioned instruction is, When operating in the aforementioned wireless radar mode, The first and second transceivers are to scan within the subband range of the second radio band for different periods of time while operating in the first phase, and To increase the bandwidth of the WLAN scan, the second CSI data is accumulated over the scan within the subband range of the second wireless band. The client wireless device according to claim 15, wherein the processor is further made to perform the following.

21. The WLAN sensing is a sensing that complies with IEEE 802.11bf, and the instruction is, Receiving additional CSI data extracted from the radio signal by a second radio device near the client radio device via the first transceiver, and The combination of the first and second CSI data and the additional CSI data is processed to perform the WLAN sensing. The client wireless device according to claim 15, wherein the processor is further made to perform the following.

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