RF RANGING-ASSISTED LOCAL MOTION SENSING

• US 20110312279A1
• Filed: 06/16/2010
• Published: 12/22/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Qualcomm, Inc.
• Inventors: Tsai, Ming-Chang, Ekbal, Amal, Julian, David Jonathan, Lee, Chong U.
• Granted Patent: US 8,593,331 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 11/02 using radio waves G01S19/00 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/74 Systems using reradiation of radio waves, e.g. secondary radar systems; Analogous systems
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/017 Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/20 Services signaling; Auxiliary data signalling, i.e. transmitting data via a non-traffic channel
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/21 for social networking applications

Abstract

Example methods, apparatuses, and articles of manufacture are disclosed herein that may be utilized to facilitate or otherwise support RF ranging-assisted local motion sensing based, at least in part, on measuring one or more characteristics of a range between communicating devices in one or more established RF links.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

measuring one or more characteristics of a range between a mobile device and a second device co-located with a portion of a user'"'"'s body based, at least in part, on one or more radio frequency (RF) links between said mobile device and said second device; and

affecting one or more applications hosted on said mobile device based, at least in part, on said one or more measured characteristics of said range.

2. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

performing, in connection with said mobile device, a particular action based, at least in part, on said affecting said one or more applications hosted on said mobile device.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said particular action comprises zooming a content within a user display associated with said mobile device.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein said particular action comprises panning a content within a user display associated with said mobile device.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein said particular action is motion-controlled.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein said one or more characteristics of said range comprises at least one of the following:

a measured range;

a change in said range;

an acceleration of said range;

or a deceleration of said range.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said measuring said one or more characteristics of said range is based, at least in part, on one or more time-of-flight (TOF) measurements.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said measuring said one or more characteristics of said range is based, at least in part, on one or more received signal strength (RSS) measurements.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said measuring said one or more characteristics of said range is based, at least in part, on measuring a change in received carrier phase.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein said mobile device comprises a wireless device having an RF-ranging capability.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein said second device comprises at least one of the following:

a headset;

an earphone;

a pair of headphones;

a transceiver chip;

or a cellular telephone.

12. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

measuring one or more characteristics of a range between a mobile device and a wireless device in proximity to said mobile device based, at least in part, on one or more radio frequency (RF) links between said mobile device and said wireless device; and

affecting one or more applications hosted on said mobile device based, at least in part, on said one or more measured characteristics of said range.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said wireless device comprises at least one of the following:

an access point, a base transceiver station;

an e-book reader, a tablet personal computer (PC), a laptop computer, or a cellular telephone.

14. The method of claim 1, and further comprising:

integrating said one or more measured characteristics of said range with one or more sensor measurements from at least one of the following;

an inertial sensor supported by said mobile device;

an ambient environment sensor supported by said mobile device;

or any combination thereof.

15. An apparatus comprising:

a mobile device comprising;

a transceiver to transmit and/or receive RF signals between said mobile device and a second device; and

one or more processors programmed with instructions to;

measure one or more characteristics of a range between said mobile device and said second device co-located with a portion of a user'"'"'s body based, at least in part, on said RF signals; and

affect one or more applications hosted on said mobile device based, at least in part, on said one or more measured characteristics of said range.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said one or more processors are programmed with instructions to perform a particular action in connection with said mobile device based, at least in part, on said affecting said one or more applications hosted on said mobile device.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said one or more characteristics of said range comprises at least one of the following:

a measured range;

a change in said range;

an acceleration of said range;

or a deceleration of said range.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said mobile device comprises a wireless device having an RF-ranging capability.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein said one or more processors are further programmed with instructions to integrate said one or more measured characteristics of said range with one or more sensor measurements from at least one of the following:

an inertial sensor supported by said mobile device;

an ambient environment sensor supported by said mobile device;

or any combination thereof.

20. An apparatus comprising:

means for measuring one or more characteristics of a range between a mobile device and a second device co-located with a portion of a user'"'"'s body based, at least in part, on one or more radio frequency (RF) links between said mobile device and said second device; and

means for affecting one or more applications hosted on said mobile device based, at least in part, on said one or more measured characteristics of said range.

21. The apparatus of claim 20, and further comprising:

means for performing, in connection with said mobile device, a particular action based, at least in part, on said affecting said one or more applications hosted on said mobile device.

22. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said means for measuring said one or more characteristics of said range comprises at least one of the following:

means for measuring a change in said range;

means for measuring an acceleration of said range;

means for measuring a deceleration of said range;

or means for measuring said range.

23. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said means for measuring said one or more characteristics of said range comprises means for measuring one or more time-of-flight (TOF) measurements.

24. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said means for measuring said one or more characteristics of said range comprises means for measuring one or more received signal strength (RSS) measurements.

25. The apparatus of claim 20, wherein said means for measuring said one or more characteristics of said range comprises means for measuring a change in received carrier phase.

26. The apparatus of claim 20, and further comprising:

means for integrating said one or more measured characteristics of said range with one or more sensor measurements from at least one of the following;

an inertial sensor supported by said mobile device;

or an ambient environment sensor supported by said mobile device.

27. An article comprising:

a storage medium having instructions stored thereon executable by a special purpose computing platform to;

measure one or more characteristics of a range between a mobile device and a second device co-located with a portion of a user'"'"'s body based, at least in part, on one or more radio frequency (RF) links between said mobile device and said second device; and

affect one or more applications hosted on said mobile device based, at least in part, on said one or more measured characteristics of said range.

28. The article of claim 27, wherein said storage medium further includes instructions to:

perform, in connection with said mobile device, a particular action based, at least in part, on said affecting said one or more applications hosted on said mobile device.

29. The article of claim 27, wherein said instructions to measure one or more characteristics of said range comprises instructions to measure at least one of the following:

a change in said range;

an acceleration of said range;

a deceleration of said range;

or said range.

30. The article of claim 27, wherein said storage medium further includes instructions to:

integrate said one or more measured characteristics of said range with one or more sensor measurements from at least one of the following;

an inertial sensor supported by said mobile device;

an ambient environment sensor supported by said mobile device;

or any combination thereof.