Personal electronic device providing enhanced user environmental awareness

• US 20120274498A1
• Filed: 07/29/2011
• Published: 11/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: Searete LLC (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Wood, Lowell L. Jr.
• Granted Patent: US 8,884,809 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 342/28
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/0209 Systems with very large relative bandwidth, i.e. larger than 10 %, e.g. baseband, pulse, carrier-free, ultrawideband
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/06 Systems determining position data of a target
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/56 for presence detection presence detection using near field arrangements G01V3/00, e.g. G01V3/08, G01V3/12; burglar, theft or intruder alarms with electrical actuation G08B13/22 - G08B13/26
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/86 Combinations of radar systems with non-radar systems, e.g. sonar, direction finder

Abstract

A personal electronic device is configured to provide enhanced user awareness of the environment responsive to data from a micro-impulse radar (MIR).

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a personal electronic device including a logic circuit and a user interface; and

at least one micro-impulse radar operatively coupled to the logic circuit and configured to probe one or more regions near the personal electronic device;

wherein the logic circuit is configured to receive or generate micro-impulse radar data including information about the probed one or more regions and, in cooperation with the user interface, at least conditionally provide information about the one or more regions to a user.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the personal electronic device includes a cellular phone, a smart phone, a personal data assistant, a pager, a tablet computer, a netbook, a notebook computer, or a combination thereof.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the micro-impulse radar includes a signal processor embodied as software or firmware running on a microcontroller or microprocessor shared by the logic circuit.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the micro-impulse radar is configured to detect and provide raw data to the logic circuit;

and

wherein the logic circuit is configured to perform signal processing on the raw data to produce the micro-impulse radar data.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the micro-impulse radar includes a signal processor configured to convert detected raw data to the micro-impulse radar data;

and

wherein the micro-impulse radar is configured to output the micro-impulse radar data to the logic circuit.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more regions near the personal electronic device correspond one or more possible locations of a person or animal proximate to the personal electronic device.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more regions near the personal electronic device correspond one or more regions probed by the micro-impulse radar.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more regions near the personal electronic device correspond one or more regions not visible from the personal electronic device.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more regions near the personal electronic device correspond one or more regions outside the current field-of-view of a user of the personal electronic device.

13. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more regions near the personal electronic device correspond one or more regions along a predicted route of the personal electronic device.

14. The device of claim 1, wherein the personal electronic device is configured to output user perceptible data corresponding to the micro-impulse radar data.

21. The device of claim 1, wherein the user interface includes one or more of a haptic or audio output device.

22. The device of claim 1, wherein the personal electronic device is configured to output the user perceptible data as a minimally processed representation of the micro-impulse radar data.

23. The device of claim 1, wherein the personal electronic device is configured to output a processed representation of the micro-impulse radar data.

24. The device of claim 1, wherein the logic circuit is further configured to analyze the micro-impulse radar data.

31. The device of claim 1, wherein the one or more regions include one or more alarm zones.

41. The device of claim 1, wherein the micro-impulse radar data includes information related to a motion of one or more objects in the one or more regions.

42. The device of claim 1, wherein the micro-impulse radar data includes information related to one or more physiological parameters of one or more persons in the one or more regions.

44. The device of claim 1, wherein the logic circuit is configured to receive, from the user interface, user commands corresponding to one or more interactions between the micro-impulse radar and the logic circuit.

50. The device of claim 1, wherein the personal electronic device further comprises:

one or more second sensors operatively coupled to the logic circuit.

3. (canceled)

7-8. -8. (canceled)

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43. (canceled)

45-49. -49. (canceled)

51-58. -58. (canceled)

59. A method, comprising:

operating a micro-impulse radar operatively coupled to a personal electronic device to produce micro-impulse radar data; and

at least conditionally outputting user-perceptible data responsive to the micro-impulse radar data.

60. The method of claim 59, wherein the personal electronic device includes a cellular phone, a smart phone, a personal data assistant, or a tablet computer.

62. The method of claim 59, wherein operating the micro-impulse radar includes operating a signal processor embodied as software or firmware running on a microcontroller or microprocessor shared by a personal electronic device logic circuit.

63. The method of claim 59, further comprising:

receiving raw data from the micro-impulse radar; and

performing signal processing on the raw data to produce the micro-impulse radar data.

64. The method of claim 59, wherein operating the micro-impulse radar includes converting detected raw data to the micro-impulse radar data.

65. The method of claim 59, wherein operating the micro-impulse radar includes probing one or more regions located peripheral to the personal electronic device.

72. The method of claim 59, wherein at least conditionally outputting the user perceptible data includes displaying an indication of objects in one or more regions probed by the micro-impulse radar.

78. The method of claim 59, wherein outputting user-perceptible data includes outputting data as a minimally processed representation of the micro-impulse radar data.

79. The method of claim 59, wherein outputting user-perceptible data includes outputting a processed representation of the micro-impulse radar data.

80. The method of claim 59, wherein outputting user-perceptible data includes outputting the user-perceptible data on a user interface of the personal electronic device.

81. The method of claim 59, further comprising:

receiving user input related to operating the micro-impulse radar or related to at least conditionally outputting the user-perceptible data.

89. The method of claim 59, further comprising:

selecting one or more operating parameters of the micro-impulse radar.

92. The method of claim 59, further comprising:

analyzing the micro-impulse radar data to determine whether to output the user perceptible data.

94. The method of claim 59, further comprising:

analyzing the micro-impulse radar data to extract one or more parameters.

95. The method of claim 59, further comprising:

comparing the micro-impulse data or one or more parameters extracted from the micro-impulse radar data to one or more criteria; and

determining whether to output the user-perceptible data responsive to the comparison.

97. The method of claim 59, further comprising:

analyzing the micro-impulse radar data to determine or infer an environment of the personal electronic device.

100. The method of claim 59, wherein operating the micro-impulse radar includes probing one or more alarm zones.

108. The method of claim 59, further comprising:

transmitting data corresponding to the micro-impulse radar data to a remote resource; and

receiving, from the remote resource, data for output to the user.

109. The method of claim 59, wherein the micro-impulse data includes information related to a motion of one or more objects in one or more regions near the personal electronic device.

110. The method of claim 59, wherein the micro-impulse data includes information related to one or more physiological parameters of one or more persons in one or more regions near the personal electronic device.

111. The method of claim 59, further comprising:

operating one or more second sensors to receive second sensor data or signals.

61. (canceled)

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98-99. -99. (canceled)

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187. A system, comprising:

a network resource configured to receive micro-impulse radar data from one or more personal electronic devices; and

communications circuitry configured to operatively couple one or more personal electronic devices to the network resource, each personal electronic device being operatively coupled to at least one micro-impulse radar, and each personal electronic device being configured to transmit the micro-impulse radar data to the network resource;

wherein the network resource further comprises;

a logic circuit configured to analyze the micro-impulse radar data from the one or more personal electronic devices and perform one or more logical operations responsive to the micro-impulse radar data.

188-222. -222. (canceled)

223. A method for determining an environment of a personal electronic device, comprising:

receiving micro-impulse radar data from one or more personal electronic devices;

analyzing the micro-impulse radar data; and

performing one or more logical operations responsive to the micro-impulse radar data.

224. The method of claim 223, further comprising:

storing or transmitting second data corresponding to the received micro-impulse radar data.

225. The method of claim 223, wherein analyzing the micro-impulse radar data includes extracting environment information from the micro-impulse radar data.

227. The method of claim 223, wherein t performing one or more logical operations responsive to the environment information includes determining display information for presentation to a user of the personal electronic device.

235. The method of claim 223, wherein the one or more logical operations includes generation of a signal for transmission to the one or more personal electronic devices responsive to an environment condition peripheral to the respective personal electronic devices.

236. The method of claim 223, wherein the one or more logical operations includes modification of a user interface operational parameter of the respective personal electronic device.

238. The method of claim 223, wherein receiving the micro-impulse radar data, analyzing the micro-impulse radar data, and performing one or more logical operations responsive to the micro-impulse radar data is performed by a network resource operatively coupled to the one or more personal electronic devices across a communication network.

239. The method of claim 223, wherein the one or more personal electronic devices includes a cellular phone, a smart phone, a personal data assistant, a pager, a tablet computer, a netbook, a notebook computer, or a combination thereof.

240. The method of claim 223, wherein the each of the one or more personal electronic devices is operatively coupled to at least one micro-impulse radar.

241. The method of claim 223, wherein at least one of the micro-impulse radars is located inside one of the personal electronic devices.

242. The method of claim 223, wherein the logical operation is responsive to at least one parameter that is a function of the micro-impulse radar data.

245. The method of claim 223, wherein analyzing the micro-impulse radar data includes determining or inferring an environment of a particular personal electronic device.

246. The method of claim 223, wherein determining or inferring an environment includes determining or inferring if the particular personal electronic device has a probability of being outdoors;

and

performing one or more logical operations includes transmitting to the particular personal electronic device a parameter selected to cause the particular personal electronic device to select a high probe power for an associated micro-impulse radar responsive to determining or inferring that the particular personal electronic device has a probability of being outdoors.

247. The method of claim 223, wherein determining or inferring an environment includes determining or inferring if the particular personal electronic device has a probability of being indoors;

and

wherein performing one or more logical operations includes transmitting to the particular personal electronic device a parameter selected to cause the particular personal electronic device to select a low probe power for an associated micro-impulse radar responsive to determining or inferring that the particular personal electronic device has a probability of being indoors.

248. The method of claim 223, wherein the micro-impulse radar data includes information corresponding to one or more probes of one or more alarm zones peripheral to the respective one or more personal electronic device.

255. The method of claim 223, further comprising:

receiving sensor data from the one or more personal electronic devices.

259. The method of claim 223, wherein performing one or more logical operations responsive to the micro-impulse radar data includes outputting data corresponding to the micro-impulse radar data.

226. (canceled)

228-234. -234. (canceled)

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243-244. -244. (canceled)

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