Adjusting wireless parameters based on node location

Abstract

The present invention relates to adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes (12, 14, 16) based on one or more node parameters including the relative positions of the one or more nodes (12, 14, 16). The nodes (12, 14, 16) are wirelessly connected in a wireless connection system (100) and configured to transmit radio frequency (RF) signals (18), receive RF signals (18), or both. The one or more wireless parameters are adjusted to optimize wireless performance of the one or more nodes (12, 14, 16) for an application of the wireless connection system (100). Transmit power can be adjusted to reduce the probability of detecting an event in a volume (212, 222) that should not be covered by the one or more nodes (12, 14, 16), allowing for a reduction in false positives from the uncovered volume (212, 222).

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a wireless parameter adjustment device, a wirelessly connected system, a method for adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes of a wireless connection system, and a computer program product for adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes of a wireless connection system. [Background technology]

[0002] Wireless connectivity systems are used, inter alia, for home automation. Nodes of the wireless connectivity system can be wirelessly connected to a router or gateway or to a remote control device, such as a smartphone, so that a user can remotely control the wireless connectivity system. Nodes of the wireless connectivity system can be used, for example, for radio frequency (RF)-based sensing or asset tracking.

[0003] US 2012 / 0146788 A1 shows a system and method for device-free motion and presence detection within a region of interest. A plurality of nodes, configured to be placed around the region of interest, form a wireless network. The plurality of nodes transmit wireless signals as radio waves and receive the transmitted wireless signals. Received signal strengths (RSS) of the transmitted wireless signals between the plurality of nodes are measured and values ​​are reported. A computing device receives the measured RSS reports and tracks the reported values ​​over time. The computing device processes the reported values ​​using an aggregate disturbance calculation to detect motion and presence within the region of interest.

[0004] US 2019 / 166562 discloses a method for dynamically controlling the transmission power of a wireless transmitter based on, for example, changes in power levels at each of a set of sensors and changes in interference levels. Changes in the transmission power of the wireless transmitter may be dynamically effected based on changes in requirements.

[0005] The wireless performance of a wireless access system affects whether a user can reliably control the wireless access system and whether RF-based sensing, such as motion detection and presence detection, can be performed reliably. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] An object of the present invention is to provide a wireless parameter adjustment device, a wireless access system, a method, a computer program product, and a computer readable medium that are capable of providing improved wireless transmission performance, improved wireless reception performance, or both. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In a first aspect of the present invention, a wireless parameter adjustment device is presented for a wireless access system including wirelessly connected nodes configured to transmit RF signals, receive RF signals, or both. The wireless parameter adjustment device is configured to adjust one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes based on one or more node parameters including a relative location of the one or more nodes such that wireless performance of the one or more nodes is optimized for an application of the wireless access system.

[0008] The wireless parameter adjusting device can affect the wireless performance of the wireless connection system because the wireless parameter adjusting device is configured to adjust one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes based on one or more node parameters including the relative location of the one or more nodes. Adjusting the wireless parameters of one or more nodes can enable symmetric, or at least homogenous, wireless performance across nodes at different relative locations. Furthermore, the wireless performance of each node can be optimized for applications where symmetric wireless performance may be needed or desired. The wireless performance can include wireless transmission performance and wireless reception performance. The wireless performance can be improved, especially for residential wireless connection systems, where there is typically a greater diversity of materials, relative locations, and designs used for nodes in wireless connection systems compared to wireless connection systems in offices. Furthermore, adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes can enable maintaining a healthy mesh routing network, as well as optimizing detection and reliability of RF-based sensing and asset tracking.

[0009] Relative location represents where each node is located relative to its environment. Relative location includes information about the node's environment. The environment can include one or more other nodes, or one or more objects that affect the RF signal, such as walls, windows, ceilings, metal beams, appliances, furniture, or other objects that affect the RF signal transmitted and received by the node. Relative location can include the location of the node relative to one or more other nodes or one or more objects that affect the RF signal. The relative location of one or more nodes can be, for example, the location of the node in a room having walls, floors, and ceilings. The relative location can include the placement of each node on a wall, ceiling, floor, table, or any other location. For example, if the node is a lighting fixture, the lighting fixture can be located in different locations, such as a wall-mounted lighting fixture, a ceiling-mounted lighting fixture, a pendant, table lighting fixture, a side lighting fixture, a portable lighting fixture that is dynamically moved around the volume, thus dynamically changing its relative location, or other lighting fixture. The relative position of a node with respect to one or more other nodes may be determined, for example, based on a grouping or clustering of nodes, such as the grouping of lighting fixtures in a chandelier.

[0010] Applications of the wireless connectivity system may include RF-based sensing, asset tracking, wireless communication between nodes, or other applications.

[0011] The one or more wireless parameters may include one or more of transmit (Tx) power, a number of antennas used to generate the RF signal, a type of antenna used to generate the RF signal, a frequency channel(s), a bandwidth, and a receive (Rx) sensitivity.

[0012] The wireless tuning device can be configured to, for example, adjust the Tx power of one or more nodes based on the relative location of the respective nodes. For example, the device can reduce the Tx power of a wall-mounted node compared to the Tx power of a ceiling-mounted node because the wall-mounted node has more lateral influences and the ceiling-mounted node sees objects below it as relatively small targets. This can improve the RF-based sensing performance of the wireless connectivity system.

[0013] The one or more node parameters may include one or more of: an orientation of the one or more nodes, an antenna design of the one or more nodes, a directionality of an RF signal generated by the one or more nodes, a polarization of an RF signal generated by the one or more nodes, a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) characteristic of the one or more nodes, one or more materials of the one or more nodes, connectivity of the one or more nodes to one or more other nodes, a probability of detecting an event in a volume that should not be covered by the one or more nodes, a confidence level of an event detected by the one or more nodes, a contextual parameter of the one or more nodes, an amount of nodes in different relative positions, a current Tx power, a current Rx sensitivity, a frequency channel(s), and a bandwidth.

[0014] Instead of the current value of the parameter, the node parameters may also include a trend for each node parameter, such as a pattern over a period of time, so that changes in the node parameters can be considered for a longer period of time and adjustments to the wireless parameters can be performed less frequently, thus avoiding adjusting the wireless parameters too frequently.

[0015] The orientation of one or more nodes may include the orientation of one or more nodes relative to a particular volume, relative to one or more other nodes, relative to one or more objects, or a combination thereof. The directivity of the RF signal generated by one or more nodes may be an inherent directivity of each node that depends on the node design. For example, if the node is a lighting fixture, the bulb design may affect the directivity of the RF signal generated by the lighting fixture. The material of the node may additionally or alternatively affect the directivity by obstructing the RF signal in a certain direction. The material of the node may include, for example, one or more materials of the housing of the node. The connectivity of one or more nodes to one or more other nodes may include a data transfer rate between the nodes, for example, a data transfer rate required to wirelessly communicate between the nodes in real time. For example, if the data transfer rate between the nodes is below what is required to communicate in real time, the wireless parameters may be adjusted to increase the data transfer rate. The connectivity of one or more nodes to one or more other nodes may also include, for example, a number of retries to transmit data. For example, if a greater number of retries is required to transmit data, the node may have worse connectivity.

[0016] The wireless parameter adjusting device may be configured to reduce the Tx power of one or more nodes based on the connectivity of the one or more nodes to one or more other nodes, thereby reducing possible connectivity issues by avoiding the Tx power being reduced too much. The wireless parameter adjusting device may be configured to only reduce the Tx power of one or more nodes based on the connectivity of the one or more nodes to a threshold Tx power. The threshold Tx power may be selected such that the overall proportion of Tx power is as high as possible without significantly reducing the connectivity of the one or more nodes.

[0017] The wireless parameter adjustment device can be configured to adjust the Tx power of one or more nodes based on the amount of nodes at different relative positions in the wireless connection system or the amount of nodes at different relative positions of a group of nodes in the wireless connection system. A group of nodes in a wireless connection system can include, for example, a group of nodes or all nodes located in a room, a floor, a house, etc. For example, a group of nodes can include a ceiling-mounted node and four table nodes. If the ceiling-mounted node is located in the center of the room and the four table nodes are distributed in the room, the overall relative increase in Tx power of the ceiling-mounted node will be higher than if there were three ceiling-mounted nodes. This allows the spatial wireless performance of RF-based sensing throughout the volume to be kept as homogenous as possible. This allows, for example, a person to be detected with an equal confidence level throughout the room, rather than a blind spot in the center due to the relatively poor relative wireless transmission performance of the nodes installed on the ceiling.

[0018] The wireless parameter adjustment device can be configured to adjust the Tx power based on a confidence level of an event, e.g., a sensing event, such as a presence detection, detected by one or more nodes. The confidence level of the event can be provided to the wireless parameter adjustment device from one or more nodes. Alternatively or additionally, the wireless parameter adjustment device can be configured to determine a confidence level of the event detected by one or more nodes. For example, if the confidence level is low, the Tx power of nodes located on the walls of rooms adjacent to one or more rooms can be reduced, and if the confidence level is high, the Tx power may not be adjusted. This can avoid detecting false positive events in rooms adjacent to a room where the event should be correctly detected. The wireless parameter adjustment device can include or be connected to a source for verifying the confidence level. The source for verifying the confidence level, e.g., high or low confidence, can be a ground truth mechanism, e.g., other sensing modalities covering the same volume, or can be based on manual user input.

[0019] The wireless parameter adjustment device can be configured to adjust one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes based on a context parameter, which can include currently available bandwidth, time of day, weather conditions, temperature, or other context data, such that, for example, temperature can affect wireless performance of a node, thereby improving wireless performance by taking the context into account and adjusting the wireless parameters accordingly.

[0020] The wireless parameter adjusting device can be configured to adjust one or more wireless parameters of the one or more nodes such that the signal parameters of the RF signal outside the volume to be covered by the one or more nodes have a value below a threshold. The signal parameter of the RF signal can be, for example, a signal strength. The wireless parameter adjusting device can also be configured to adjust one or more wireless parameters of the one or more nodes such that the signal parameters of the RF signal outside the volume to be covered by the one or more nodes have a value below a respective threshold of the respective signal parameter. The signal parameters can also include a signal-to-noise ratio (SNR), a carrier frequency bandwidth, a carrier frequency shift, or any other signal parameter. This can reduce the risk of the RF signal leaking out of the volume it is intended for. This can improve data security since the risk of data sniffing is reduced. Additionally, interference of the RF signal of the node covering the adjacent volume can be reduced. Furthermore, this can reduce detecting false positive events from the adjacent volume when the node is used for event detection. The threshold signal strength can be predefined. The threshold signal strength can be selected, for example, such that received signal strength indicator (RSSI) values ​​outside the volume that should be covered are on the order of noise and no information is obtained from adjacent volumes that should not be covered.

[0021] Signal parameters of the RF signal can, for example, be determined by a node of the wireless access system that is outside a volume that is to be covered by one or more nodes.

[0022] The wireless parameter adjustment device can be configured to adjust one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes such that the probability of detecting an event in a volume that should not be covered by the one or more nodes is reduced. The nodes can be configured to detect an event, for example, performing RF-based sensing, such as detecting the presence of a person. The nodes can be positioned around a volume to perform RF-based sensing in the volume and thereby cover the volume. Adjacent volumes should not be covered by RF-based sensing. However, it is possible that a node detects a false positive event, i.e., an event in a volume that should not be covered by the one or more nodes. By adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes such that the probability of detecting an event in a volume that should not be covered by the one or more nodes is reduced, the number of false positive events detected in a volume adjacent to a volume covered by the node, e.g., a room, can be reduced. For example, the wireless parameter adjustment device can be configured to adjust one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes such that the relative Tx power of the RF signal transmitted by the one or more nodes is reduced based on the distance to the center of the volume covered by the one or more nodes. In this case, both the distance of each node to the center of the volume covered by one or more nodes and the relative position of each node with respect to its environment are decisive for adjusting the Tx power of the RF signal transmitted by each node. If the nodes are placed such that the covered volume corresponds to the volume of a room, the volumes of other adjacent rooms should not be covered. If the Tx power of the RF signal generated by a node far from the center and close to an adjacent room is high, the probability of that node detecting a false positive event in the adjacent room is higher.By decreasing the Tx power of a node based on its distance to the center of the volume covered by one or more nodes, the number of false positive events detected can be reduced.

[0023] The wireless parameter adjusting device can be configured to determine a relative position of one or more nodes. The wireless parameter adjusting device can be configured to determine a relative position of one or more nodes, so that the relative position of one or more nodes can be taken into account by the wireless parameter adjusting device when adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes. The relative positions of the nodes can be determined manually or automatically. The relative positions of the nodes can be entered manually by a user via a user interface, such as a user input device with a touch screen or a display and a keyboard. The relative positions can also be determined automatically, based on tracking the node's position and environment, for example via a camera and an image analysis unit, or in other manners known to those skilled in the art. Alternatively or additionally, the relative positions can be node parameters stored on the nodes for each node, for example during node manufacturing, node placement, or both. Alternatively or additionally, the nodes can be configured to determine their own relative positions. For example, the nodes can include a microphone for determining a distance to another node. For example, a node in the form of a television can wirelessly transmit a current volume setting to another node that includes a microphone, which can determine the received volume. The difference between the volume setting and the received volume can be used to determine the distance between the node and the television. The node can be configured to provide its relative location to a wireless parameter adjustment device.

[0024] The wireless parameter adjusting device can be configured to determine a probability of detecting an event in a volume that should not be covered by one or more nodes based on one or more node parameters including a relative position of the one or more nodes. The wireless parameter adjusting device can be configured to adjust, for example, a Tx power based on the probability of detecting an event in a volume that should not be covered by the one or more nodes. This can avoid detecting a false positive event in a room adjacent to a room in which the event should be correctly detected.

[0025] The wireless parameter adjusting device can be configured to adjust one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes when a triggering event is detected. The triggering event can be provided to the wireless parameter adjusting device. The triggering event can include, for example, a user manually triggering an adjustment of one or more wireless parameters, or a node being replaced, removed, malfunctioning, activated, or deactivated. This can keep the wireless parameters up to date.

[0026] In a further aspect of the present invention, a wireless access system is presented. The wireless access system includes two or more nodes and a wireless parameter adjustment device or any embodiment of a wireless parameter adjustment device according to claim 1. The two or more nodes are configured to transmit RF signals, receive RF signals, or both. The wireless access system enables improved wireless transmission performance, improved wireless reception performance, or both.

[0027] In one embodiment of the wireless connectivity system, each of the nodes can be configured to initially transmit an RF signal at a maximum Tx power, and the wireless parameter adjustment device can be configured to decrease the Tx power of one or more nodes based on one or more node parameters including the relative location of the one or more nodes.

[0028] Further, the wireless connection system may include a camera and an image analysis unit. The camera may be configured to image the arrangement of the nodes, the nodes, or both. The image analysis unit may be configured to determine one or more of the relative positions of one or more nodes, the material of one or more nodes, the orientation of one or more nodes, and the amount of nodes at different relative positions. This allows the relative positions, material and / or orientation of one or more nodes, and / or the amount of nodes at different relative positions to be automatically determined.

[0029] The wireless connectivity system is configured to perform RF-based sensing, asset tracking, or both. RF-based sensing may include applications such as proximity detection, motion detection, presence detection, object counting, or other RF-based sensing.

[0030] In a further aspect of the invention, a method is presented for adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes of a wireless access system, the nodes being configured to transmit RF signals, receive RF signals, or both, the method including adjusting one or more wireless parameters of the one or more nodes based on one or more node parameters including relative positions of the one or more nodes such that wireless performance of the one or more nodes is optimized for an application of the wireless access system.

[0031] The method allows adjusting available wireless parameters to compensate for different wireless performances of nodes, mitigate the performance difference of different nodes, and improve the overall wireless performance of the wireless access system. For example, the Tx power of the RF signal can be optimized for each node covering a volume to improve the overall wireless performance of the wireless access system.

[0032] The method may be implemented as or as part of an algorithm, which may be implemented, for example, in a processor of a general purpose computer, a system on a chip (SoC), or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0033] The method may include determining one or more node parameters including a relative position of the one or more nodes.

[0034] Determining the relative location of one or more nodes can be performed manually or automatically. Other node parameters that can be determined include one or more of the following: orientation of one or more nodes, antenna design of one or more nodes, directivity of RF signals generated by one or more nodes, polarization of RF signals generated by one or more nodes, MIMO characteristics of one or more nodes, one or more materials of one or more nodes, connectivity of one or more nodes to one or more other nodes, probability of detecting an event in a volume that should not be covered by one or more nodes, confidence level of an event detected by one or more nodes, context parameters of one or more nodes, amount of nodes in different relative positions, current Tx power, current Rx sensitivity, frequency channel(s), bandwidth.

[0035] In a further aspect of the present invention, a computer program product for adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes of a wireless access system, the nodes being configured to transmit RF signals, receive RF signals, or both, is presented. The computer program product comprises program code means for causing the processor to perform the method or any embodiment of the method as claimed in claim 10, when the computer program product is executed on a processor.

[0036] In a further aspect there is presented a computer readable medium storing a computer program product according to claim 11. Alternatively or additionally, the computer readable medium may store a computer program product according to any embodiment of the computer program product.

[0037] It is to be understood that the wireless parameter adjusting device according to claim 1, the wireless connection system according to claim 7, the method according to claim 10, the computer program product according to claim 11 and the computer readable medium according to claim 12 have similar and / or identical preferred embodiments, in particular as defined in the dependent claims.

[0038] It shall be understood that a preferred embodiment of the invention can also be any combination of the dependent claims or the above embodiments with the respective independent claim.

[0039] These and other aspects of the invention will be apparent from and elucidated with reference to the embodiment(s) described hereinafter. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0040] [Figure 1A] FIG. 1A illustrates, in a schematic and exemplary manner, one embodiment of a wireless connection system including a wireless parameter adjustment device included in a node of the wireless connection system located in a building having multiple rooms, with a person being present in a first room. [Figure 1B] FIG. 1B shows the wireless connection system of FIG. 1A with a person in a second room. [Diagram 2] FIG. 2 illustrates, in a schematic and exemplary manner, details of an embodiment of a wireless parameter adjustment device of the wireless access system of FIGS. 1A and 1B. [Diagram 3] FIG. 3 illustrates one embodiment of a method for adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes of a wireless access system. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0041] 1A and 1B show, in a schematic and exemplary manner, one embodiment of a wireless connectivity system in the form of a connected lighting (CL) system 100 including a wireless parameter adjustment device 10.

[0042] The CL system 100 includes three wirelessly connected nodes in the form of a Hue bridge 12 and two wall-mounted luminaires 14 and 16 for transmitting and receiving RF signals 18. In other embodiments, the wireless connection system can also include more nodes. The wireless parameter adjustment device 10 is included in the Hue bridge 12 in this embodiment and additionally performs the functions of the Hue bridge 12. In other embodiments, the wireless parameter adjustment device can be a standalone device or can be integrated and distributed in different nodes. In this embodiment, the Hue bridge 12 is connected to a server 40. The server 40 allows the CL system 100 to connect with the Internet. In other embodiments, the Hue bridge 12 can also be connected to the Internet in any other way.

[0043] The Hue bridge 12 and the luminaires 14, 16 are arranged in a first room 200 and cover a respective volume 202 bounded by the walls, floor and ceiling of the room 200. The first room 200 is adjacent to a corridor 210 and a second room 220, which define respective adjacent volumes 212 and 222. The rooms 200 and 220 are separated from each other via a wall 230 and connected to the corridor 210 via a door 240. In other embodiments, further nodes of the wireless connection system can be arranged in other rooms, such as the corridor and the floor. In this case, a subset of the nodes of the wireless connection system, i.e. the nodes of each room, preferably forms a group of nodes for covering the respective volume.

[0044] In this embodiment, the CL system 100 is used for RF-based sensing, in particular presence detection. Thus, an RF signal 18 is transmitted between the lighting fixtures 14 and 16 and the Hue bridge 12. To detect the presence of a person 20 in the first room 200, disturbances of the RF signal 18 caused by the person 20 are analyzed. In other embodiments, the presence detection can be performed by groups of nodes covering other volumes, and depending on which group(s) of nodes detect the presence, one of the volumes in which the person is detected can be determined.

[0045] In other embodiments, the wireless connectivity system may be configured to perform asset tracking or any other application that uses RF signals of nodes located in the wireless connectivity system. The wireless connectivity system may also be configured to perform RF-based sensing and asset tracking.

[0046] In this embodiment, each of the nodes, i.e., the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12, initially transmits RF signals at maximum Tx power. In other embodiments, the nodes may transmit at a pre-defined value of Tx power, which may be different for each of the nodes.

[0047] Additionally, the wireless connection system includes a camera 50 and an image analysis unit 60. In this embodiment, the camera 50 is included in the image analysis unit 60. The camera 50 and the image analysis unit 60 are optional. The camera 50 captures the arrangement of the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12 to generate an image of the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12 and their arrangement relative to the environment. The image is provided to the image analysis unit 60, which determines the relative positions of the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12, as well as node parameters including their materials, orientations, and amounts of nodes at different relative positions. The image analysis unit 60 can provide the node parameters to the wireless parameter adjustment device 10. In this embodiment, the image analysis unit 60 includes a wireless transceiver (not shown) for wirelessly transmitting the node parameters to the wireless parameter adjustment device 10. In other embodiments, the image analysis unit can also be included in the wireless parameter adjustment device, and the wireless parameter adjustment device can be configured to determine the relative positions of the nodes. In yet other embodiments, node parameters, including the relative positions of the nodes and other node parameters, may be entered manually by a user via a user interface (not shown), such as, for example, a touch display.

[0048] Fig. 2 shows in a schematic and exemplary manner details of an embodiment of the wireless parameter adjusting device 10. The wireless parameter adjusting device 10 is used to adjust the Tx power of the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12 based on their relative positions so that the signal strength of the RF signal 18 outside the volume 202 that should be covered by the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12 is below a threshold signal strength. The relative positions represent where the respective nodes are located with respect to their environment. The threshold signal strength is selected to avoid leakage of the RF signal into the volumes 212 and 222 that should not be covered by the nodes. The signal strength of the RF signal 18 decreases with the distance to its respective source, i.e. the lighting fixture 14 or 16 or the Hue bridge 12, and is further reduced by absorption, diffraction and reflection at objects such as walls 230 (see Figs. 1A and 1B).

[0049] In other embodiments, the wireless parameter adjustment device may also be configured to adjust one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes based on one or more node parameters including the relative location of the one or more nodes to optimize the wireless performance of the node(s) for a particular application of the CL system. Other wireless parameters may include, for example, the number of antennas used to generate the RF signal, the type of antennas used to generate the RF signal, the frequency channel(s), the bandwidth, and the Rx sensitivity. The adjustment of one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes may be performed under additional requirements, i.e., such that the signal parameters of the RF signal outside the volume to be covered by the one or more nodes have values ​​below a threshold. The signal parameters may be or include, for example, signal strength, SNR, carrier frequency shift, carrier frequency bandwidth, or any other signal parameters.

[0050] The wireless parameter adjustment device 10 includes a control unit 22 and a transceiver unit 24. The processing unit 24 is optional. In other embodiments, the wireless parameter adjustment device 10 can use the transceiver unit of the node in which the wireless parameter adjustment device is included.

[0051] The control unit 22 includes a processor 26 and a computer-readable medium in the form of a memory 28 .

[0052] The transceiver unit 24 includes a transceiver in the form of a WiFi transceiver 30. The WiFi transceiver 30 can be operated at different frequencies. In this embodiment, the WiFi transceiver 30 can be operated at the 2.4 GHz, 5 GHz, and 60 GHz bands. Therefore, the WiFi transceiver 30 has antennas 32, 34, and 36 for each WiFi band. The WiFi transceiver can also include an antenna array including multiple antennas for each frequency band. The transceiver unit 24 transmits and receives RF signals 18 to and from the luminaires 14, 16 for wireless communication with the luminaires 14, 16.

[0053] In other embodiments, the transceiver unit may include two or more transceivers, for example, a narrowband transceiver and a wideband transceiver. Additionally or alternatively, the transceiver unit may include one or more transceivers using ZigBee, Thread, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), or other communication protocols.

[0054] In the following, it will be disclosed in more detail how the wireless parameter adjusting device 10 adjusts the Tx power based on the relative positions of the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12.

[0055] The memory 28 stores a computer program product for adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes of the CL system. The computer program product includes program code means for causing the processor 26 to execute a method for adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes of the CL system, such as the method presented in Fig. 3, when the computer program product is executed on the processor 26. Furthermore, the memory 28 includes a computer program product for operating the CL system 100, including controlling the luminaires 14, 16 of the CL system to provide lighting and controlling the nodes of the CL system 100 to perform RF-based sensing and asset tracking.

[0056] Additionally, memory 28 stores the relative positions of the nodes. In other embodiments, memory 28 may also store additional node parameters including one or more of the following: node orientation, node antenna design, directivity of RF signals generated by the node, polarization of RF signals generated by the node, MIMO characteristics of the node, node material, node connectivity to other nodes, probability of detecting an event in a volume that should not be covered by the node, confidence level of an event detected by the node, node context parameters, amount of nodes in different relative positions, current Tx power, frequency channel(s), bandwidth, Rx sensitivity.

[0057] In this embodiment, the processor 26 receives from the memory 28 the relative positions of the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12. The processor 26 adjusts the Tx power of the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12 based on their relative positions. The Tx power of the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12 is reduced to avoid leakage of the RF signal 18 into the volumes 212 and 222 that should not be covered by the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12. Notably, since the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12 in this embodiment transmit the RF signal 18 with maximum Tx power, the Tx power is reduced for each node individually so that the signal strength of the RF signal 18 outside the volume 202 that should be covered by the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12 is below the threshold signal strength. This also reduces the probability of detecting an event in the form of presence detection in the adjacent volumes 212 and 222 that should not be covered by the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12.

[0058] 1B shows a situation where a person 20 is present in a second room 220. If the signal strength of the RF signals 18 of the lighting fixtures 14 and 16 is high in the adjacent volume 222, there is a high probability of falsely detecting an event in the form of the presence of a person 20 in the room 200, i.e. the volume 202 that should be covered by the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12. By reducing the Tx power, the signal strength of the RF signals 18 outside the volume 202 is also reduced, mitigating the risk of detecting a false positive event.

[0059] In other embodiments, processor 26 may be provided with additional node parameters from memory 28 and adjust one or more wireless parameters based on the relative position and the additional node parameters.

[0060] In other embodiments, the wireless parameter adjusting device can be further configured to determine the probability of detecting an event, e.g., detecting the presence of a person, in a volume that should not be covered by the node based on node parameters including the relative position of the node.

[0061] In this embodiment, the processor 26 adjusts the Tx power of the nodes in the CL system 100 when a trigger event is detected. The trigger event includes a user requesting to adjust one or more wireless parameters, turning on or off one of the nodes, i.e., the lighting fixtures 14, 16 and the Hue bridge 12, removing a node, or adding a node.

[0062] Various other embodiments of the wireless connection system and the wireless parameter adjustment device are described below.

[0063] In one embodiment, the wireless connectivity system is used to perform RF-based sensing to detect the presence of a user using lighting fixtures installed in a living room. The presence is detected by determining dynamic changes in the RSSI of messages transmitted between the lighting fixtures. The wireless connectivity system determines the relative position of each lighting fixture involved. These can be, for example, wall-mounted, ceiling-mounted, pendant, table light, cove light, portable, or other positions. The relative position relates to where the lighting fixture is located relative to other nodes and / or other objects. The relative position can be stored during late-stage configuration of the lighting fixtures at a production facility, or can be retrieved during use by a light control system, such as a Hue bridge, gateway, or a remote control unit such as a smartphone. It is also possible for a user to provide the relative position, for example using an app on a smartphone, where the user indicates where the relative position of each lighting fixture is. The wireless parameter adjustment device can determine how the Tx power of each lighting fixture needs to be adjusted to optimize the wireless performance of the wireless connectivity system, and adjust the Tx power accordingly. For example, the Tx power of a ceiling mounted light can be increased since it looks down from above and therefore sees the human body as a smaller target overall, compared to a wall mounted light or table light etc. which can have a more lateral impact. This allows the wireless connectivity system to allow the ceiling light to contribute at the same rate as other lights, meaning that the RF sensing mechanism can obtain richer data overall than before.

[0064] In another embodiment, all luminaires may be configured to transmit at their maximum Tx power, e.g., hardware (HW) defined or limited by local regulations. In this case, it is not possible to further increase the Tx power of any luminaire, especially ceiling mounted luminaires. This additional node parameter can be taken into account when adjusting the wireless parameters, especially the Tx power. If the Tx power of some luminaires cannot be increased, the Tx power of some other luminaires, e.g., table lights, needs to be decreased to maintain the same ratio of Tx power of all luminaires. This allows to obtain a similar overall RF-based sensing effect.

[0065] Reducing Tx power may cause connectivity issues, such as some lighting fixtures being unable to connect to a Hue bridge or gateway, or the health of the mesh network being reduced. Additionally, these node parameters can be taken into account by the wireless parameter adjustment device when adjusting the wireless parameters. For example, an upper limit or maximum reduction rate of Tx power can be provided to minimize the impact on the connectivity of the nodes in the wireless connection system, while keeping the overall percentage of wireless transmission performance close to desired.

[0066] In another embodiment, the wireless parameter adjustment device adjusts the wireless parameters based on the amount of nodes, such as lighting fixtures, in different relative positions. For example, in a situation where there is one ceiling-mounted lighting fixture but four table lights are arranged in a room, the overall relative increase in Tx power of the ceiling-mounted lighting fixture is considered to be higher than that of three ceiling-mounted lighting fixtures. This allows the spatial wireless performance of RF-based sensing throughout the volume covered by these lighting fixtures to be as homogenous as possible. In practice, this allows people to be detected with an equal confidence level throughout the room, instead of a blind spot in the center due to the relatively poor relative wireless transmission performance of the ceiling-mounted lighting fixture.

[0067] In another embodiment, the wireless connection system is optimized to reduce the detection of false positive events. For example, if a user enters his / her bedroom, it is undesirable for a lighting fixture in an adjacent child's room to detect the presence and become active. The wireless connection system can infer that some lighting fixtures are more likely to detect a false positive event than other lighting fixtures based on the relative positions of the lighting fixtures. For example, a lighting fixture mounted on a wall is more likely to detect a false positive event than a lighting fixture mounted on a ceiling. This is because RF signal leakage from a lighting fixture mounted on a wall is higher than that from a lighting fixture mounted on a ceiling. This is because in most buildings, the building materials of the floor tend to absorb RF signals more than the building materials of the walls, so that the RF signal from a lighting fixture mounted on a wall has a higher signal strength in adjacent volumes that should not be covered than a lighting fixture mounted on a ceiling. The wireless parameter adjustment device can adjust the wireless parameters to take into account the probability of this leakage or the probability of detecting an event in a volume that should not be covered by the node.

[0068] Additionally, the Tx power of wall-mounted luminaires can be adjusted in real-time based on the confidence level of the detected presence. For example, if a luminaire is placed on the wall of one room, close to an adjacent room, and a presence is detected with low confidence in both rooms, the Tx power of the wall-mounted luminaire may be reduced to ensure that the presence was not detected due to RF signal leakage to the adjacent room. On the other hand, if a presence is detected with high confidence, the Tx may not need to be adjusted.

[0069] In another embodiment, the wireless parameter adjusting device can additionally adjust the wireless parameters based on the different materials included in the respective nodes. The different materials can affect the wireless performance of the luminaire. For example, recessed luminaires with GU10 spots are usually made of metal to help dissipate heat from the luminaire. Therefore, the luminaire tends to confine the RF signal, resulting in directional RF signal transmission. If the same spot is used in a luminaire made of glass, the RF signal transmission will be more uniform. The wireless adjusting device can additionally adjust the wireless parameters to take into account the inherent directivity of the node, for example, based on the light source design. For example, a spot may always be more directional in RF signal transmission by design than an A19 bulb. Additionally, the wireless parameter adjusting device adjusts the wireless parameters to take into account the relative position of the luminaire, including the position of the luminaire, and its environment, such as materials in that environment. The relative position and materials can be entered by the user or can be automatically determined, for example, using the image analysis unit and camera of the wireless connection system. The user can input the relative position and materials by selecting them from a list of options including, for example, materials, models, brands, etc. The image analysis unit can determine the relative positions and materials by analyzing the images received from the camera. The images include the luminaire(s) and / or the room. Directivity may be compensated for by adjusting wireless parameters to reduce blind spots.

[0070] In another embodiment, the node may include multiple antennas and / or use different portions of the frequency spectrum, such as different frequency channels, for example, for 2.4 GHz WiFi and 5 GHz WiFi, and the wireless parameter adjustment device may adjust these wireless parameters to optimize wireless performance. For example, if a room contains a large amount of lighting fixtures with metal materials that use 2.4 GHz WiFi, the wireless parameter adjustment device may adjust the wireless parameters by changing from 2.4 GHz to 5 GHz. This may improve the penetration of the RF signal and reduce the directionality of the RF signal.

[0071] In another embodiment, the wireless parameter adjustment device repeatedly adjusts the wireless parameters whenever a triggering event occurs. The triggering event may include a user selecting a wireless parameter adjustment, a lighting fixture being activated, deactivated, replaced, removed, malfunctioning, etc. For example, the wireless connectivity system performs RF-based sensing in a living room. During the day, the wireless connectivity system automatically activates the lighting fixture based on the presence, but at night, the wireless connectivity system detects an intruder and activates a flashing light as a warning or deterrent. Alternatively, the wireless parameter adjustment may be performed statically. In an example use case of this embodiment, a user may turn off a ceiling lighting fixture via a wall switch next to the living room door. As a result, less RF signal is transmitted to perform RF-based sensing, which reduces the reliability of the wireless connectivity system. The wireless connectivity system may detect if a node is not contributing to RF-based sensing, for example because it has been deactivated. To that end, the wireless connectivity system may measure reachability, detect missing messages, or detect non-acknowledgement (ACK) messages in a predefined period, such as a few minutes. If it is detected that a node (in this case the ceiling luminaire) is not contributing to the RF-based sensing, the wireless parameter adjustment device can adjust the wireless parameters of the other luminaires accordingly, e.g., adjust the wireless parameters of the other luminaires to maintain the same or at least similar wireless performance as before. For example, if the Tx power of the other luminaires was reduced when the ceiling luminaire was contributing to the RF-based sensing, the Tx power of the other luminaires may be restored to increase the resolution of the wireless connection system.

[0072] Figure 3 illustrates one embodiment of a method 300 for adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes of a wireless connectivity system, such as the CL system 100 presented in Figures 1A and 1B. The nodes transmit RF signals, receive RF signals, or both.

[0073] In step 310, the relative positions of the nodes are determined. Alternatively, one or more node parameters including the relative positions of one or more nodes can be determined. Step 310 is optional.

[0074] In step 320, the probability of detecting the presence of a person in a volume that should not be covered by the node is determined based on node parameters including the relative position of the node. Step 320 is optional.

[0075] In step 330, the Tx power of the nodes is reduced based on the relative positions of the nodes and their probability of detecting the presence of a person in a volume that should not be covered by the nodes, such that the signal strength of the RF signal outside the volume that should be covered by the nodes is below a threshold signal strength. This reduces the probability of detecting the presence of a person in the volume that should not be covered by the nodes. Alternatively, one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes can be adjusted based on one or more node parameters including the relative positions of one or more nodes, such that the wireless performance of one or more nodes is optimized for the application of the wireless connection system. For example, the wireless parameters can also be adjusted to optimize wireless communication between nodes of a group of nodes in the wireless connection system. In particular, leakage of RF signals outside the volume covered by the group of nodes can be reduced to enhance data security and reduce signal disturbance.

[0076] In other embodiments, the adjustment of one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes can be performed under additional requirements, i.e., such that the signal parameters of the RF signal outside the volume to be covered by one or more nodes have values ​​below a threshold. The signal parameters can be or include, for example, signal strength, SNR, carrier frequency shift, carrier frequency bandwidth, or any other signal parameters.

[0077] Although the present invention has been illustrated and described in detail in the drawings and the foregoing description, such illustration and description should be considered as illustrative or exemplary and not restrictive. The present invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. For example, the present invention can be operated in an embodiment in which the RF-based sensing system is a heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC) system or any other type of home automation system. The present invention can also be operated in any other wirelessly connected system, including, for example, a security camera, a speaker, a voice assistant, a door lock, a smartphone, a tablet, or any other wireless device.

[0078] Other variations to the disclosed embodiments can be understood by those skilled in the art, from a study of the drawings, the disclosure, and the appended claims, and can be effected in practicing the claimed invention.

[0079] In the claims, the word "comprise" does not exclude other elements or steps, and the indefinite article "a" or "an" does not exclude a plurality.

[0080] A single unit, processor or device may fulfill the functions of several items recited in the claims. The mere fact that certain measures are recited in mutually different dependent claims does not indicate that a combination of these measures cannot be used to advantage.

[0081] Operations such as adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes based on one or more node parameters including the relative positions of one or more nodes, such that the wireless performance of one or more nodes is optimized for the application of the wireless access system, determining one or more node parameters including the relative positions of one or more nodes, determining the probability of detecting an event in a volume that should not be covered by one or more nodes based on one or more node parameters including the relative positions of the nodes, performed by one or several units or devices, can be performed by any other number of units or devices. These operations and / or methods can be implemented as program code means of a computer program and / or as dedicated hardware.

[0082] The computer program may be stored / distributed in a suitable medium, such as an optical storage medium or a solid-state medium, provided together with or as part of other hardware, but may also be distributed in other forms, such as via the Internet, Ethernet, or other wired or wireless telecommunications systems.

[0083] Any reference signs in the claims should not be construed as limiting the scope.

[0084] The present invention relates to adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes based on one or more node parameters including a relative position of the one or more nodes. The nodes are wirelessly connected in a wireless connection system and configured to transmit RF signals, receive RF signals, or both. The one or more wireless parameters are adjusted such that the wireless performance of the one or more nodes is optimized for the application of the wireless connection system. Tx power can be adjusted such that the probability of detecting an event in a volume that should not be covered by the one or more nodes is reduced, allowing for a reduction in false positives from adjacent volumes.

Claims

1. 1. A wireless parameter adjustment device for a wireless connectivity system including wirelessly connected nodes for transmitting radio frequency signals, receiving radio frequency signals, or both, comprising: the wireless parameter adjustment device is configured to adjust one or more wireless parameters of the one or more nodes based on one or more node parameters including a relative position including a position of each of the one or more nodes relative to other nodes or one or more objects influencing radio frequency signals, such that wireless performance of the one or more nodes is optimized for radio frequency based sensing and / or asset tracking applications of the wireless connectivity system; The one or more nodes are configured to perform radio frequency based sensing and / or asset tracking, and the wireless parameter adjustment device is configured to adjust the one or more wireless parameters of the one or more nodes based on a distance to a center of a volume that should be covered by the one or more nodes, such that the probability of detecting an event via radio frequency based sensing within a volume that should not be covered by the one or more nodes is reduced.

2. The one or more wireless parameters include: Transmit power, The number of antennas used to generate the radio frequency signal, The type of antenna used to generate the radio frequency signal, Frequency channel, Bandwidth, Reception sensitivity, The wireless parameter adjustment device of claim 1 , comprising one or more of:

3. The one or more node parameters are: an orientation of said one or more nodes; an antenna design for said one or more nodes; the directionality of the radio frequency signals generated by said one or more nodes; the polarization of the radio frequency signals generated by said one or more nodes; a multiple-input, multiple-output characteristic of said one or more nodes; one or more materials of the one or more nodes; connectivity of said one or more nodes to one or more other nodes; the probability of detecting an event in a volume that should not be covered by said one or more nodes; a confidence level of the event detected by the one or more nodes; Context parameters of the one or more nodes; The amount of nodes in different relative positions, Current transmit power, Frequency channel, Bandwidth, Current reception sensitivity, The wireless parameter adjustment device of claim 1 , comprising one or more of:

4. 2. The wireless parameter adjustment device of claim 1, wherein the wireless parameter adjustment device is configured to adjust the one or more wireless parameters of the one or more nodes such that a signal parameter of a radio frequency signal outside a volume to be covered by the one or more nodes has a value below a threshold.

5. 2. The wireless parameter adjustment device of claim 1, wherein the wireless parameter adjustment device is configured to determine a probability of detecting an event in a volume that should not be covered by the one or more nodes based on the one or more node parameters including the relative positions of the one or more nodes.

6. The wireless parameter adjusting device of claim 1 , wherein the wireless parameter adjusting device is configured to adjust the one or more wireless parameters of the one or more nodes when a triggering event is detected.

7. two or more nodes configured to transmit radio frequency signals, receive radio frequency signals, or both; A wireless parameter adjustment device according to claim 1; A wireless connectivity system including:

8. each of said nodes is configured to initially transmit a radio frequency signal at a maximum transmit power; the wireless parameter adjusting device is configured to reduce a transmit power of the one or more nodes based on one or more node parameters including a relative position including a position of the node relative to one or more of the nodes or one or more objects that affect radio frequency signals; The wireless connectivity system of claim 7 , wherein the wireless connectivity system is configured to perform radio frequency based sensing, asset tracking, or both.

9. The wireless connection system includes: a camera for imaging the arrangement of nodes, the nodes, or both; an image analysis unit for determining one or more of the relative positions of one or more of said nodes, the material of one or more of said nodes, the orientation of one or more of said nodes, and the amount of nodes at different relative positions; 8. The wireless connection system of claim 7, comprising:

10. 1. A method for adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes of a wireless connectivity system, the nodes being configured to transmit radio frequency signals, receive radio frequency signals, or both, the method comprising: determining one or more node parameters including a relative position including a position of each of the one or more nodes relative to other nodes or one or more objects that influence the radio frequency signal; adjusting one or more wireless parameters of the one or more nodes based on one or more node parameters including the relative location such that wireless performance of the one or more nodes is optimized for radio frequency based sensing and / or asset tracking applications of the wireless connectivity system; Including, The method, wherein the one or more nodes are configured to perform radio frequency based sensing and / or asset tracking, and a wireless parameter adjustment device is configured to adjust the one or more wireless parameters of the one or more nodes based on a distance to a center of a volume that should be covered by the one or more nodes, such that a probability of detecting an event via radio frequency based sensing within a volume that should not be covered by the one or more nodes is reduced.

11. 11. A computer program for adjusting one or more wireless parameters of one or more nodes of a wireless connectivity system, the nodes being configured to transmit radio frequency signals, receive radio frequency signals, or both, the computer program comprising program code means for causing a processor to perform the method of claim 10, when the computer program is executed on a processor.

12. A computer readable medium storing a computer program according to claim 11.

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