Method and procedure for self discovery of small office or home interior structure by means of acoustic sensing and profiling

• US 7,761,058 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2006
• Issued: 07/20/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Cleveland, Joseph
• Primary Examiner(s): Cumming; William D
• Application Number:
  US11/389,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20070225000A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,579 Days
• Field of Search: 455/67.11, 455/69, 455/444, 455/126, 455/446, 455/517, 455/522, 455/575.2, 370/305, 370/332, 370/335, 725/106, 725/114
• US Class Current: 455/67.11
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0695 using beam selection
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/42 in systems with time, space, frequency or polarisation diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 84/16 WPBX [Wireless Private Branch Exchange]

Abstract

A small office/home office base transceiver station includes an acoustic sensor array. Directions from which acoustic signals are detected are presumed to correspond to the interior of the building within which the base transceiver station is located, and with human activity within that interior, while directions from which few or no acoustic signals are detected are presumed to correspond to proximate outside walls. Transmit power gain for directional antenna array elements used for communications are then set to reduce transmission of power in directions that might result in interference with adjacent base transceiver stations.

Claims

1. A system for configuring a base transceiver station having one or more antennae forming a plurality of antenna elements, the antenna elements selectively directing signals towards one or more of a plurality of different areas relative to a location of the base transceiver station, the system comprising:

an acoustic detector determining which of the areas should receive signals transmitted at a higher of at least two transmit powers; and

a controller selectively directing delivery of transmit power to the antenna elements based upon a determination by the acoustic detector for each of the areas;

wherein the plurality if antenna elements comprises an array of antenna elements each selectively directing signals towards a different one of the plurality of different areas.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the detector determines which of the areas should receive signals transmitted at a higher of at least two transmit power by detecting interior directions within a building in which the base transceiver station is located from which acoustic signals are received.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the detector further comprises an acoustic sensing array.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein a controller within the base transceiver station associates receipt of acoustic signals by the acoustic detector from one of the areas with presence of human activity within the respective area.

5. The system according to claim 3, wherein the detector further comprises a micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microphone array.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein the system is included within a base transceiver station, the base transceiver station further comprising:

an interface to a broadband wireline connection; and

a communications transceiver coupled to either the plurality of antenna elements or, if present, a separate set of antenna elements within the one or more antennae, each antenna element coupled to the communications transceiver receiving communications signals from the communications transceiver and selectively directing the received communications signals towards one of the plurality of different areas,

wherein the controller selectively directs delivery of transmit power for the communications signals to antenna elements receiving the communications signals.

7. The system according to claim 6, wherein the base transceiver stations is included within a wireless communications network, the wireless communications network further comprising:

an other base transceiver station that does not detect communications signals transmitted by the base transceiver station; and

a subscriber unit receiving detectable communications signals from the other base transceiver station but not from the base transceiver station.

8. A method for configuring a base transceiver station having one or more antennae forming a plurality of antenna elements, the antenna elements selectively directing signals towards one or more of a plurality of different areas relative to a location of the base transceiver station, the method comprising:

based on detection of acoustic signals, determining which of the areas should receive signals transmitted at a higher of at least two transmit powers and which of the areas, if any, should receive the signals transmitted at a lower of the at least two transmit powers; and

selectively directing delivery of transmit power to the antenna elements based upon a determination by the detector for each of the areas wherein the plurality if antenna elements comprises an array of antenna elements each selectively directing signals towards a different one of the plurality of different areas.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising:

determining which of the areas should receive signals transmitted at a higher of at least two transmit power by detecting acoustic signals within a building in which the base transceiver station is located.

10. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

associating receipt of acoustic signals from one of the areas with presence of human activity in the respective area.

11. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

employing an array of acoustic sensors each selectively receiving acoustic signals from a different one of the plurality of different areas in determining which of the areas should receive signals transmitted at the higher of the at least two transmit powers and which of the areas, if any, should receive the signals transmitted at the lower of the at least two transmit powers.

12. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

employing an array of antenna elements for communication with other devices within a wireless communication network, each antenna element within the array selectively directing communication radio frequency signals towards a different one of the plurality of different areas.

13. The method according to claim 9, further comprising:

providing an interface from the base transceiver station to a broadband wireline connection; and

coupling a communications transceiver to either the plurality of antenna elements or, if present, a separate set of antenna elements within the one or more antennae, each antenna element coupled to the communications transceiver receiving communications signals from the communications transceiver and selectively directing the received communications signals towards one of the plurality of different areas; and

selectively directing delivery of transmit power for the communications signals to the antenna elements receiving the communications signals.

14. A base transceiver station comprising:

a base transceiver station controller;

a communications transceiver coupled to the base transceiver station controller and to a first array of antenna elements each selectively directing communications signals to a different one of a plurality of ranges of directions originating from the base transceiver station; and

an acoustic sensor array coupled to the base transceiver station controller;

an array of antenna elements coupled to the base transceiver station controller and having a corresponding number and orientation to sensors within the acoustic sensor array, the acoustic sensor array detecting acoustic signals in each of the ranges of directions and determining in which of the ranges of directions acoustic signals are received,

wherein the base transceiver station controller controls delivery of transmit power by the communications transceiver to each of the antenna elements for radio frequency communication signals based upon whether acoustic signals were received from a corresponding range of directions by the acoustic sensor array.

15. The base transceiver station according to claim 14, wherein a processor coupled to the acoustic sensor array aggregates received acoustic signals over time.

16. The base transceiver station according to claim 15, wherein the processor coupled to the acoustic sensor array operates continuously to aggregate received acoustic signals over time in building a profile of directions of interior human activity.

17. The base transceiver station according to claim 15, wherein the processor coupled to the acoustic sensor array operates periodically to aggregate received acoustic signals over time in building a profile of directions of interior human activity.

18. The base transceiver station according to claim 15, wherein the processor coupled to the acoustic sensor array operates to aggregate received acoustic signals over time in response to a loss power to the base transceiver station or a change in orientation of the base transceiver station.

19. The base transceiver station according to claim 14, wherein the acoustic sensor array is a plurality of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microphones.

20. The base transceiver station according to claim 15, wherein the acoustic sensor array is a plurality of micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) microphones.