Beam Transmit Power Limits for Sensor Coverage Blind Spots
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Solution Overview
Problem
Wireless communication devices face challenges in ensuring compliance with radio frequency exposure limits due to blind spots in sensor coverage, leading to potential overexposure of human tissue to radio frequencies.
Innovation Solution
Determine a transmit power limit based on sensor spatial coverage, considering both within and outside the sensor's coverage zone, by applying a constraint that selects the minimum RF exposure limit for inside and outside the sensor coverage to account for blind spots.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If transmit power is increased to improve communication performance, then throughput and latency are improved, but RF exposure limits may be exceeded causing compliance issues
Solution Approach 1:
The transmit power is made dynamic rather than fixed, adjusting in real-time based on sensor coverage detection. The system continuously monitors whether a sensor detects the transmitted signal and modifies power levels accordingly, allowing high power when safe (sensor detects signal) and low power when caution is needed (sensor does not detect signal), thus resolving the contradiction between performance and safety
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements a feedback loop where sensor detection results are used to control transmit power. The sensor continuously monitors the transmitted signal and provides feedback to the power control mechanism, which adjusts power based on whether detection occurs. This closed-loop control ensures RF exposure remains within limits while maximizing communication performance when conditions permit
2Reliability
If sensor coverage is expanded to detect all potential exposure zones, then RF exposure compliance is improved, but device complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The sensor system is designed to perform multiple functions: it detects both the presence of transmitted signals for RF exposure monitoring and serves as part of the overall wireless communication system. By making the sensor multi-functional, the patent avoids adding dedicated specialized sensors, thus improving compliance reliability without proportionally increasing device complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The sensor system serves itself by using the same sensor to both detect the transmitted signal for compliance monitoring and to be integrated into the existing device architecture. The sensor leverages its own detection capability to provide compliance information without requiring separate dedicated monitoring hardware, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining reliability
Data Source
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AI summary
Techniques and apparatus for determining a transmit power limit based on sensor spatial coverage. A method that may be performed by a wireless communication device includes selecting a beam for transmission of a signal, determining a transmit power limit based at least in part on an overlap between the selected beam and a coverage zone of a sensor, and transmitting the signal via the beam at a transmit power based at least in part on the determined transmit power limit.