METHOD AND DEVICE FOR PERFORMING BEAM TRACKING THROUGH SHORT RANGE OBJECT DETECTION

• US 20150195026A1
• Filed: 01/05/2015
• Published: 07/09/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/06/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: SAGONG, Min, LIM, Chi-Woo, JEONG, Su-Ryong, HONG, Sung-Nam
• Granted Patent: US 9,306,648 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 17/27 for locating or positioning the transmitter
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 30/70 in wireless communication networks

Abstract

A method of a terminal that forms beams and a device for performing beam tracking in a communication system that supports beamforming are provided. The method includes detecting, by the terminal, an object located at a periphery of the terminal and performing beam tracking through beams formed by the terminal, except for a beam that is formed in a direction in which the detected object is located.

Claims

1. A method for operating a terminal, the method comprising:

detecting an object located at a periphery of the terminal; and

performing beam tracking through beams formed by the terminal, except for a beam that is formed in a direction in which the detected object is located.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the object located at the periphery of the terminal is detected by at least one sensor provided in the terminal.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of a proximity sensor, a pressure sensor, a contact sensor, a touch sensor, a laser sensor, a light detection sensor and a camera sensor.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the object comprises:

detecting an existence of the object based on data input by at least one sensor provided in the terminal; and

determining a beam direction related to a sensor, which detected the existence of the object, as the direction in which the detected object is located.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the object located at the periphery of the terminal is detected through a signal received in the terminal.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the received signal comprises at least one of an electric wave signal and an ultrasonic wave signal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the object comprises:

receiving a signal from a base station through a plurality of beams having different directionality;

determining an intensity of the signal received through each of the plurality of beams; and

determining a direction in which the object is located based on the determined signal intensity.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting of the object comprises:

transmitting a signal through at least one beam of a plurality of beams having different directionality;

receiving a signal transmitted through remaining beams of the plurality of beams, except for the at least one beam having transmitted the signal, from among the plurality of beams;

determining an intensity of the signal received through each of the remaining beams; and

determining the direction in which the object is located based on the determined signal intensity.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the determining of the direction comprises:

selecting a receiving beam of the remaining beams based on the determined signal intensity; and

determining the direction in which the object is located based on at least one of a direction of the selected receiving beam, a transmitting beam direction of a signal received through the selected receiving beam, a time period from a transmitting time point to a receiving time point of the received signal, and a ratio of reception power to transmission power of the received signal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing of the beam tracking comprises:

determining at least one beam corresponding to the direction in which the detected object is located among a plurality of beams having different directionality;

determining the at least one beam corresponding to the direction in which the detected object is located as a beam that is not used for beam tracking; and

performing the beam tracking through remaining beams, except for the at least one beam that is determined as the beam that is not used for the beam tracking, among the plurality of beams.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the performing of the beam tracking comprises performing the beam tracking according to one of a preset number and a preset time.

12. A device of a terminal, the device comprising:

an object detection unit configured to detect an object located at a periphery of the terminal; and

a beam forming unit configured to perform beam tracking through beams formed by the terminal, except for a beam that is formed in a direction in which the detected object is located.

13. The terminal of claim 12, further comprising at least one sensor,

wherein the object detection unit is further configured to detect the object located at the periphery of the terminal by the at least one sensor of the terminal.

14. The terminal of claim 13, wherein the at least one sensor comprises at least one of a proximity sensor, a pressure sensor, a contact sensor, a touch sensor, a laser sensor, a light detection sensor and a camera sensor.

15. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the object detection unit is further configured to detect an existence of the object based on data input by at least one sensor provided in the terminal and to determine a beam direction related to a sensor, which detected the existence of the object, as the direction in which the detected object is located.

16. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the object detection unit is further configured to detect the object located at the periphery of the terminal through a signal received in the terminal.

17. The terminal of claim 16, wherein the received signal comprises at least one of an electric wave signal and an ultrasonic wave signal.

18. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the object detection unit is further configured to receive a signal from a base station through a plurality of beams having different directionality, to determine an intensity of the signal received through each of the plurality of beams, and to determine a direction in which the object is located based on the determined signal intensity.

19. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the object detection unit is further configured to transmit a signal through at least one beam of a plurality of beams having different directionality, to receive a signal transmitted through remaining beams of the plurality of beams, except for the at least one beam having transmitted the signal, from among the plurality of beams, to determine an intensity of the signal received through each of the remaining beams, and to determine the direction in which the object is located based on the determined signal intensity.

20. The terminal of claim 19, wherein the object detection unit is further configured to select a receiving beam of the remaining beams based on the determined signal intensity and to determine the direction in which the object is located based on at least one of a direction of the selected receiving beam, a transmitting beam direction of a signal received through the selected receiving beam, a time period from a transmitting time point to a receiving time point of the received signal, and a ratio of reception power to transmission power of the received signal.

21. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the beam forming unit is further configured to determine at least one beam corresponding to the direction in which the detected object is located among a plurality of beams having different directionality, to determine the at least one beam corresponding to the direction in which the detected object is located as a beam that is not used for beam tracking, and to perform the beam tracking through remaining beams, except for the at least one beam that is determined as the beam that is not used for the beam tracking, among the plurality of beams.

22. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the beam forming unit is further configured to perform the beam tracking according to one of a preset number and a preset time through other beams, except for the beam that is formed in the direction in which the detected object is located.

23. The terminal of claim 12, wherein the object detection unit is further configured to determine whether a beam, which receives a signal having an intensity that is weaker, by an intensity of at least a threshold value, than other beams exists, and

wherein the beam forming unit is further configured to, when the controller determines that the beam exists, perform beam tracking using other beams, except for the beam determined by the controller to exist, and when the controller determines that the beam does not exist, perform the beam tracking using all of the beams formed by the terminal.