Radio Communication Device
First Claim
1. A radio communication device (1) for use near to a body (10), the device (1) comprising:
- a receiver (2) for receiving a radio signal in a communication link with another radio communication device (9);
a detector (4) for detecting deterioration in quality of the radio signal; and
a processor (5) for determining if the detected deterioration in signal quality is likely to be caused by the body (10) blocking the signal and, upon such determination, causing the device (1) to try to maintain the communication link.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
A radio communication device (1) comprises a Radio Frequency (RF) unit (2) for transmitting and receiving radio signals, a link controller (3) for controlling operation of the RF unit (2) and a signal monitor (4) for monitoring signals received by the RF unit (2). A processor (5) is connected to the link controller (3) and the signal monitor (4) and a user interface (6). When it is desired for the communication device (1) to communicate with another device (9), a communication link is established in a conventional way. The signal monitor (4) is able to measure signal strength and the bit error rate (BER) of the signal received in the communication link from the other communication device (9) and outputs these to the processor (5). When the BER is unacceptably high, the processor (5) determines whether the measured signal strength has changed from very high to very low in a short period. This is indicative of the body (10) blocking the signal. If the processor (5) determines that the body (10) is blocking the signal it causes the device (1) to try to maintain the communication link, e.g. by continuing to try to receive a signal in the communication link rather than allowing the link to break normally.
13 Citations
40 Claims
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1. A radio communication device (1) for use near to a body (10), the device (1) comprising:
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a receiver (2) for receiving a radio signal in a communication link with another radio communication device (9);
a detector (4) for detecting deterioration in quality of the radio signal; and
a processor (5) for determining if the detected deterioration in signal quality is likely to be caused by the body (10) blocking the signal and, upon such determination, causing the device (1) to try to maintain the communication link. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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8. A radio communication device (1) for use near to a body (10), the device (1) comprising:
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a detector (4) for detecting the quality of a received radio signal; and
a processor (5) for determining that the signal is likely to have been blocked by the body (10) if the detected signal quality deteriorates from an acceptable level to an unacceptable level in less than a given period.
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21. A method of operating a radio communication device (1) near to a body (10), the method comprising:
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receiving a radio signal in a communication link with another radio communication device (9);
detecting deterioration in quality of the radio signal; and
determining if the detected deterioration in signal quality is likely to be caused by the body (10) blocking the signal and, upon such determination, causing the device (1) to try to maintain the communication link. - View Dependent Claims (22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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28. A method of determining when a radio signal is blocked by a nearby body (10), the method comprising:
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detecting the quality of a received radio signal; and
determining that the signal is likely to have been blocked by the body (10) if the detected signal quality deteriorates from an acceptable level to an unacceptable level in less than a given period.
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Specification