Signal comparison and direction

• US 10,186,910 B2
• Filed: 07/15/2016
• Issued: 01/22/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: US Department of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Original Assignee: United States Of America As Represented By The Secretary Of The Army (Government of the United States of America)
• Inventors: Johnson, Rex, Lazzaro, Marianne, Lazzaro, Matthew, Toth, William
• Primary Examiner(s): Maung, Nay A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Soltanzadeh, Maryam
• Application Number:
  US15/210,934
• Publication Number:
  US 20180019620A1
• Time in Patent Office: 921 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 50/20 using microwaves or radio frequency waves
• CPC Class Codes: H02J 7/0068 Battery or charger load switching, e.g. concurrent charging and load supply H02J7/0013 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/16 Threshold monitoring

Abstract

Various embodiments are described that relate to directing of a signal. An incoming signal can be compared to a threshold voltage. If the signal does not meet the threshold voltage, then the signal can be used for normal usage, such as communication with a software-defined radio. However, if the signal does meet the threshold, then the signal can be directed away from normal usage. In one example, the signal can be directed away from a communication component and directed to an energy harvesting component that charges a battery of the software-defined radio.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a comparison component configured to compare an incoming signal level of an incoming signal against a threshold level; and

a charger direction component configured to direct the incoming signal away from a communication processor hardware of a mobile communication device and toward a charger hardware of the mobile communication device when a signal level of the incoming signal meets the threshold level; and

a communication direction component configured to direct the incoming signal toward the communication processor hardware and away from the charger hardware when the signal level of the incoming signal does not meet the voltage threshold

where the comparison component, the charger component, the communication component, or a combination thereof is implemented, at least in part, upon the mobile communication device.

2. The system of claim 1, comprising:

a communication component configured to cause transmission from the mobile communication device; and

a management component configured to disable transmission of the communication component when the incoming signal level meets the threshold.

3. The system of claim 1, comprising:

an antenna configured to receive the incoming signal that is then accessed by the comparison component;

an identification component configured to determine a frequency band of the incoming signal; and

a tuner component configured to tune the antenna to the frequency band,

where the incoming signal is within a radio frequency range.

4. The system of claim 3, comprising:

a housing that retains the comparison component, the charger component, the communication direction component, the antenna, the identification component, and the tuner component; and

a position component configured to determine a location of the housing,

where the identification component is configured to determine the frequency band of the incoming signal thorough determination of a base station that services the location and

where the housing retains the position component.

16. The system of claim 3, the partner component comprising:

a base station determination component configured to determine a base station used by a supplier of the incoming signal; and

a frequency determination component configured to determine a radio frequency of the base station,

where the radio frequency of the based station is determined to be the radio frequency of operation and

where partner component accesses a database with a table correlating base station to radio frequency to determine the radio frequency of the base station.

5. A system, comprising:

a mobile communication device, comprising;

an antenna set to communicate a radio frequency signal;

energy storage hardware configured to provide operational energy to the mobile communication device by way of the radio frequency signal;

communication processor hardware configured to cause the mobile communication device to transmit and to process the radio frequency signal; and

charger hardware configured to charge the energy storage hardware; and

a component set that is resident upon the mobile communication device, the component set comprising;

a charger direction component configured to direct the radio frequency signal, when obtained, away from the communication processor hardware and toward the charger hardware when a signal level of the radio frequency signal meets a voltage threshold; and

a communication direction component configured to direct the radio frequency signal, when obtained, toward the communication processor hardware and away from the charger hardware when the signal level of the radio frequency signal does not meet the voltage threshold.

6. The system of claim 5, the component set comprising:

an output component configured to cause output of a notice when the signal level meets the voltage threshold,

where the notice indicates, when the signal level meets the threshold, that reception of the radio frequency signal is not available.

7. The system of claim 6,

where the mobile communication device is configured to attempt transmission despite reception of the radio frequency signal not being available,

where the notice is presented upon a display of the mobile communication device.

8. The system of claim 5, the mobile communication device comprising:

a comparator configured to compare a voltage of the radio frequency signal against the voltage threshold to produce a comparator result,

where the charger direction component and the communication direction component function as a relay set to open and close based on the comparator result.

9. The system of claim 5, the component set comprising:

a partner component configured to determine a radio frequency of operation for a communication partner of the mobile communication device; and

a tuner component configured to tune the antenna set to the radio frequency of operation.

10. The system of claim 9,

the mobile communication device comprising a non-transitory computer-readable medium configured to retain a list of individual base stations and individual radio frequencies associated with the individual base stations and

the component set comprising a position component configured to determine a position of the mobile communication device,

where the partner component is configured to determine the individual base station that services the position and from that determine, through employment of the database component, the radio frequency of operation and

where the communication partner is a base station.

11. The system of claim 9, the component set comprising:

a spectrum analysis component configured to analyze the radio frequency signal such that an analysis result is produced that indicates the radio frequency of operation,

where the partner component determines the radio frequency of operation through evaluation of the analysis result.

12. The system of claim 5,

where the mobile communication device is a software-defined radio.

13. The system of claim 10, the component set comprising:

a management component configured to disable an ability of the antenna set to transmit the radio frequency signal when the signal level of the radio frequency signal meets the voltage threshold.

14. The system of claim 10, the component set comprising:

a frequency determination component configured to determine an actual frequency of the base station;

a contrast component configured to contrast the actual frequency against a list entry of the list for a retained frequency that corresponds to the base station; and

an update component configured to update the list entry with the actual frequency when the contrast results in a difference between the actual frequency and the retained frequency.

15. The system of claim 14, where the mobile communication device is a first mobile communication device, the component set comprising:

a propagation component configured to cause the actual frequency to be communicated to a second mobile communication device,

where the second mobile communication device makes an update of a database resident upon the second mobile communication device and

where the update is of a database radio frequency band entry retained by the database resident upon the second mobile communication device to reflect the actual frequency.