Barrier detection to aid in contact tracing
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- JP · JP
- Patent Type
- Applications
- Current Assignee / Owner
- QUALCOMM INC
- Filing Date
- 2026-02-05
- Publication Date
- 2026-06-23
Smart Images
Figure 2026102537000001_ABST
Abstract
Claims
1. A method for detecting a barrier between a first device and a second device, The first device determines a first distance measurement value for the second device using a first positioning technique, The first device determines a second distance measurement value for the second device using a second positioning technique different from the first positioning technique, The barrier between the first device and the second device is detected based on the first distance measurement and the second distance measurement, A method that includes [a certain feature].
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first positioning technique is based on a round-trip time measurement between the first device and the second device.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the round-trip time measurement is based on the exchange of fine timing measurements between the first device and the second device.
4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the second positioning technique is based on a received signal strength indicator measurement value.
5. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first positioning technique is based on one or more millimeter-wave signals transmitted from the first device.
6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first positioning technique is based on one or more ultrasonic signals transmitted from the first device.
7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining that the first device is within a predetermined contact distance of the second device.
8. The method according to claim 1, further comprising providing instructions for the barrier to a contact tracing application.
9. The method of claim 8, further comprising providing the contact tracking application with a distance between the first device and the second device.
10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising providing the contact tracing application with a first identification value associated with the first device and a second identification value associated with the second device.
11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving a probabilistic model from a server.
12. The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting the barrier comprises providing the server with the first distance measurement and the second distance measurement.
13. The method according to claim 12, wherein detecting the barrier comprises receiving instructions from the server regarding the barrier between the first device and the second device.
14. The method according to claim 12, wherein the server is a crowdsourcing server configured to receive distance measurement information, barrier detection information, and location information from multiple devices in the network.
15. The method according to claim 1, wherein the detection of the barrier is performed by the first device.
16. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first positioning technique and the second positioning technique is based on one or more radio frequency signals communicated in accordance with a Wi-Fi communication protocol or a Bluetooth communication protocol.
17. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the first positioning technique and the second positioning technique is based on one or more radio frequency signals communicated in accordance with a new wireless sidelink protocol.
18. Further comprising determining the rough location of the first device, The method according to claim 1, wherein detecting the barrier is at least partially based on the rough location.
19. The method according to claim 18, wherein the aforementioned coarse location is associated with an environmental tag.
20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising determining date and time information, wherein detecting the barrier is at least partially based on the date and time information.
21. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first device is a mobile or fixed device, and the second device is a mobile or fixed device.
22. The method according to claim 1, wherein the barrier is an architectural feature designed to separate space.
23. The method according to claim 1, wherein the barrier is a safety device designed to isolate people and reduce the free transmission of airborne diseases.
24. The method according to claim 1, wherein the barrier is a group of objects, and the density of the group of objects is such that it hinders the spread of airborne infectious diseases.
25. A method for providing a device with barrier detection information, Receiving from the device an instruction for a first distance measurement based on a first positioning technique and an instruction for a second distance measurement based on a second positioning technique different from the first positioning technique, and determining an adjacent barrier at least in part based on the instruction for the first distance measurement and the instruction for the second distance measurement. To provide the device with instructions regarding the adjacent barrier, A method that includes [a certain feature].
26. The method according to claim 25, wherein the first positioning technique is based on a round-trip time measurement, and the second positioning technique is based on a received signal strength indication measurement.
27. The method according to claim 25, wherein the first positioning technique is based on one or more millimeter-wave signals transmitted from the device.
28. The method according to claim 25, wherein the first positioning technique is based on one or more ultrasonic signals transmitted from the device.
29. The method of claim 25, wherein determining the adjacent barrier includes querying a data structure based on the indication of the first distance measurement and the indication of the second distance measurement.
30. The method further comprises determining the rough location of the aforementioned device, The method of claim 25, wherein determining the nearby barrier is at least partially based on the rough location of the device.
31. The method according to claim 30, wherein the aforementioned coarse location is associated with an environmental tag.
32. The method according to claim 25, further comprising determining date and time information, wherein determining the adjacent barrier is at least partially based on the date and time information.
33. The method of claim 25, further comprising providing the indication of the nearby barrier to a contact tracing application.
34. The method according to claim 33, further comprising providing the contact tracking application with at least one of the first distance measurement indicator and the second distance measurement indicator.
35. The method of claim 33, further comprising providing the contact tracing application with an identification value associated with the device.
36. The method according to claim 33, further comprising providing barrier classification information to the contact tracing application.
37. The method of claim 25, wherein the indication of the first distance measurement includes a distance value.
38. The method of claim 25, wherein the indication of the first distance measurement includes a time-of-flight value.
39. The method of claim 25, wherein the indication of the second distance measurement includes a distance value.
40. The method according to claim 25, wherein the indication of the second distance measurement includes a signal intensity value.
41. It is a device, Memory and At least one transceiver, A memory and at least one transceiver are communicatively coupled to at least one processor, The at least one processor is equipped with Determining a first distance measurement value for a user device using a first positioning technique, and determining a second distance measurement value for the user device using a second positioning technique different from the first positioning technique, Based on the first distance measurement and the second distance measurement, a barrier between the device and the user equipment is detected. A device configured to perform the following actions.
42. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the first positioning technique is further configured such that the at least one processor determines the round-trip time measurement between the apparatus and the user device, based on the round-trip time measurement between the apparatus and the user device.
43. The apparatus according to claim 42, wherein the round-trip time measurement is based on the exchange of fine timing measurement values between the apparatus and the user equipment.
44. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the second positioning technique is further configured such that the at least one processor determines the received signal strength indicator measurement based on the received signal strength indicator measurement.
45. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the first positioning technique is based on one or more millimeter-wave signals transmitted from the apparatus, and the at least one processor is further configured to determine the first distance measurement based on the one or more millimeter-wave signals transmitted from the apparatus.
46. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the first positioning technique is based on one or more ultrasonic signals transmitted from the apparatus, and the at least one processor is further configured to determine the first distance measurement based on the one or more ultrasonic signals transmitted from the apparatus.
47. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine that the apparatus is within a predetermined contact distance of the user equipment.
48. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide instructions for the barrier to a contact tracking application.
49. The apparatus according to claim 48, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide the contact tracking application with a distance between the apparatus and the user equipment.
50. The apparatus according to claim 48, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide the contact tracking application with a first identification value associated with the apparatus and a second identification value associated with the user equipment.
51. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to receive a probabilistic model from a server.
52. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the at least one processor is configured to provide the server with the first distance measurement and the second distance measurement, and to receive the instruction from the server regarding the barrier between the apparatus and the user equipment.
53. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide the crowdsourcing server with the first distance measurement, the second distance measurement, barrier detection information, and location information.
54. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein at least one of the first positioning technique and the second positioning technique is based on one or more radio frequency signals communicated in accordance with a Wi-Fi communication protocol or a Bluetooth communication protocol.
55. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein at least one of the first positioning technique and the second positioning technique is based on one or more radio frequency signals communicated in accordance with a new wireless sidelink protocol.
56. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine a coarse location and to detect the barrier based at least partially on the coarse location.
57. The apparatus according to claim 56, wherein the aforementioned coarse location is associated with an environmental tag.
58. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine date and time information and to detect the barrier based at least in part on the date and time information.
59. The apparatus according to claim 41, wherein the apparatus is mobile or fixed, and the user equipment is mobile or fixed.
60. It is a device, Memory and At least one transceiver, A memory and at least one transceiver are communicatively coupled to at least one processor, The at least one processor is equipped with Receiving an instruction for a first distance measurement value based on a first positioning technique and an instruction for a second distance measurement value based on a second positioning technique different from the first positioning technique, Determining the proximity of a barrier based at least partially on the indication of the first distance measurement and the indication of the second distance measurement, To provide instructions for barriers adjacent to the device, A device configured to perform the following actions.
61. The apparatus according to claim 60, wherein the first positioning technique is based on a round-trip time measurement, and the second positioning technique is based on a received signal strength indication measurement.
62. The apparatus according to claim 60, wherein the first positioning technique is based on one or more millimeter-wave signals transmitted from the device.
63. The apparatus according to claim 60, wherein the first positioning technique is based on one or more ultrasonic signals transmitted from the device.
64. The apparatus according to claim 60, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to query a data structure based on the indication for the first distance measurement and the indication for the second distance measurement.
65. The apparatus according to claim 60, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine the coarse location of the device and to determine the adjacent barrier based at least partially on the coarse location of the device.
66. The apparatus according to claim 65, wherein the aforementioned coarse location is associated with an environmental tag.
67. The apparatus according to claim 60, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to determine date and time information and to determine the adjacent barrier based at least in part on the date and time information.
68. The apparatus according to claim 60, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide the instructions for the proximity barrier to a contact tracking application.
69. The apparatus according to claim 68, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide the contact tracking application with at least one of the instructions for the first distance measurement and the instructions for the second distance measurement.
70. The apparatus according to claim 68, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide the contact tracing application with an identification value related to the device.
71. The apparatus according to claim 68, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide barrier classification information to the contact tracking application.
72. The apparatus according to claim 68, wherein the at least one processor is further configured to provide the contact tracking application with a duration for a contact event.
73. The apparatus according to claim 60, wherein the indication of the first distance measurement includes a distance value.
74. The apparatus according to claim 60, wherein the indication of the first distance measurement includes a time-of-flight value.
75. The apparatus according to claim 60, wherein the indication of the second distance measurement includes a distance value.
76. The apparatus according to claim 60, wherein the indication of the second distance measurement includes a signal intensity value.
77. It is a device, Memory and At least one transceiver, A memory and at least one transceiver are communicatively coupled to at least one processor, The at least one processor is equipped with Determining a first distance between the device and the user equipment using a first positioning technique, The second distance between the device and the user device is determined using a second positioning technique different from the first positioning technique, The barrier between the device and the user equipment is detected based on the difference between the first distance and the second distance, A device configured to perform the following actions.
78. A device for detecting barriers, Means for determining a first distance measurement value for a user device using a first positioning technique, Means for determining a second distance measurement value for the user device using a second positioning technique different from the first positioning technique, Means for detecting the barrier based on the first distance measurement and the second distance measurement, A device equipped with the following features.
79. A device for providing barrier detection information to a device, Means for receiving an indication of a first distance measurement value based on a first positioning technique and an indication of a second distance measurement value based on a second positioning technique different from the first positioning technique, Means for determining an adjacent barrier based at least in part on the indication of the first distance measurement and the indication of the second distance measurement, Means for providing instructions for a barrier adjacent to the device, A device equipped with the following features.
80. A device for detecting barriers, Means for determining a first distance between the device and user equipment using a first positioning technique, Means for determining a second distance between the device and the user device using a second positioning technique different from the first positioning technique, Means for detecting the barrier between the device and the user equipment based on the difference between the first distance and the second distance, A device equipped with the following features.
81. A non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to detect a barrier, A code for determining a first distance measurement value for a user device using a first positioning technique, A code for determining a second distance measurement value for the user device using a second positioning technique different from the first positioning technique, A code for detecting the barrier based on the first distance measurement and the second distance measurement, A non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising the following features.
82. A non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to provide a device with barrier detection information, comprising a code for receiving instructions for a first distance measurement based on a first positioning technique and instructions for a second distance measurement based on a second positioning technique different from the first positioning technique, A code for determining an adjacent barrier, based at least in part on the indication of the first distance measurement and the indication of the second distance measurement, A code for providing instructions for a barrier adjacent to the aforementioned device, A non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising the following features.
83. A non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to detect a barrier, A code for determining a first distance between the first device and the second device using a first positioning technique, provided by the first device. The first device provides a code for determining a second distance between the first device and the second device using a second positioning technique different from the first positioning technique, A code for detecting the barrier between the first device and the second device based on the difference between the first distance and the second distance, A non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising the following features.
84. A method for detecting a barrier, The first device determines a first distance between the first device and the second device using a first positioning technique, The first device determines a second distance between the first device and the second device using a second positioning technique different from the first positioning technique, The barrier between the first device and the second device is detected based on the difference between the first distance and the second distance, A method that includes [a certain feature].
85. A method for detecting barriers using network-supported data, Obtaining a first distance measurement based on a round-trip time procedure, and obtaining a second distance measurement based on a signal intensity measurement, The server is given instructions for the first distance measurement and instructions for the second distance measurement. The server receives instructions regarding nearby barriers, A method that includes [a certain feature].
86. The method of claim 85, wherein the indication of the first distance measurement includes a distance value.
87. The method according to claim 85, wherein the indication of the first distance measurement includes a time-of-flight value.
88. The method of claim 85, wherein the indication of the second distance measurement includes a distance value.
89. The method according to claim 85, wherein the indication of the second distance measurement value includes a signal intensity value.
90. It is a device, Memory and At least one transceiver, A memory and at least one transceiver are communicatively coupled to at least one processor, The at least one processor is equipped with Obtaining a first distance measurement based on a round-trip time procedure, and obtaining a second distance measurement based on a signal intensity measurement, The server is given instructions for the first distance measurement and instructions for the second distance measurement. The server receives instructions regarding nearby barriers, A device configured to perform the following actions.
91. The apparatus according to claim 90, wherein the indication of the first distance measurement includes a distance value.
92. The apparatus according to claim 90, wherein the indication of the first distance measurement includes a time-of-flight value.
93. The apparatus according to claim 90, wherein the indication of the second distance measurement includes a distance value.
94. The apparatus according to claim 90, wherein the indication of the second distance measurement includes a signal intensity value.
95. A device for detecting barriers using network support data, Means for obtaining a first distance measurement based on a round-trip time procedure, A means for obtaining a second distance measurement based on a signal intensity measurement, Means for providing the server with instructions for the first distance measurement and instructions for the second distance measurement, Means for receiving instructions from the server regarding nearby barriers, A device equipped with the following features.
96. A non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising processor-readable instructions configured to cause one or more processors to detect barriers using network-aided data, Code for obtaining the first distance measurement based on the round-trip time procedure, A code for obtaining a second distance measurement based on the signal strength measurement, A code for providing the server with instructions for the first distance measurement and instructions for the second distance measurement, A code for receiving instructions from the aforementioned server regarding nearby barriers, A non-temporary processor-readable storage medium comprising the following features.