RF Signal-Emission Control for Privacy-Preserving Activity Sensing
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Existing RF-based sensing systems face privacy leakage issues due to illegitimate use of RF signals by eavesdropping devices, which can be addressed by electromagnetic shielding or signal jamming, but these methods also hinder legitimate use for presence or activity sensing.
Innovation Solution
A signal-emission control device that modulates RF communication signal parameters such as power, frequency, and beam-form to create variations that obscure the correlation between signal changes and subject activity, making it difficult for eavesdropping devices to determine presence or movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Object-affected harmful factors
If electromagnetic shielding or signal jamming is used to prevent illegitimate use of RF signals, then privacy protection is improved, but legitimate RF sensing functionality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies dynamics by making the RF signal parameters dynamic and time-varying. The signal-emission control device continuously varies signal parameters such as power, frequency, and beam-form over time, creating a dynamic signaling pattern that prevents eavesdropping devices from establishing stable correlations between signal variations and subject activity, while legitimate sensing devices can track and compensate for these variations
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies parameter changes by systematically varying multiple signal parameters including power levels, frequency offsets, and beam-forming characteristics. These parameter variations create complex signal patterns that obscure the relationship between RF signal reflections and human activity, preventing illegitimate sensing while maintaining legitimate sensing capability through controlled parameter modulation
2Measurement precision
If signal parameters are kept constant for reliable RF sensing, then sensing accuracy is improved, but vulnerability to eavesdropping increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies periodic action by implementing cyclic variations in signal parameters. The signal-emission control device periodically changes power, frequency, and beam-form settings in a predetermined pattern, creating time-varying signal characteristics that prevent eavesdroppers from establishing accurate presence detection while allowing legitimate devices to detect periodic patterns and extract sensing information
3Object-affected harmful factors
If RF signal parameters are varied to prevent eavesdropping, then privacy protection is improved, but signal complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies self-service by enabling the signal-emission control device to autonomously manage signal parameter variations without requiring external intervention. The device independently generates and applies predetermined variation patterns to RF signals, automatically preventing eavesdropping while maintaining compatibility with legitimate sensing operations through self-configured parameter modulation
Data Source
Figure 1
Figure 2~3
Figure 4
AI summary
The invention is directed to a signal-emission control device (100) for controlling emission of RF communication signals (Si) in a wireless communication network (140) that includes a transmitter device (152) and a receiver device (154). The emission is controllable with respect to a variable signal parameter (P). An emission-value ascertainment unit (102) is configured to ascertain variation-data indicative of an emission-value variation of signal-parameter values of the signal parameters. A transmitter-control unit (104) is configured to control operation of the transmitter device (152) for transmitting the communication signals according to the ascertained emission-value variation. Also, a receiver-control unit (106) is configured to control a provision, to the receiver device (154), of control-data (CD) indicative of the signal-parameter value used. This advantageously enables trusted receiver devices to perform RF-based activity sensing while preventing illegitimate RF-based eavesdropping.