Radiation pattern recognition system and method for a mobile communications device

• US 8,954,121 B2
• Filed: 11/26/2010
• Issued: 02/10/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Kanj, Houssam, Ali, Shirook, Gu, Huanhuan
• Primary Examiner(s): Bilodeau, David
• Application Number:
  US13/880,412
• Publication Number:
  US 20130217450A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,537 Days
• Field of Search: 455/575.7
• US Class Current: 455/575.7
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/242 specially adapted for hand-held use
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 1/52 Means for reducing coupling between antennas; Means for reducing coupling between an antenna and another structure absorbing means H01Q17/00
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 21/293 one unit or more being an array of identical aerial elements adaptive arrays H01Q3/2605
• CPC Class Codes: H01Q 3/2611 Means for null steering; Adaptive interference nulling
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0608 Antenna selection according to transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0617 for beam forming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0689 using different transmission schemes, at least one of them being a diversity transmission scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0802 using antenna selection H04B7/0868 takes precedence; antenna beam directivity switching H01Q3/24
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/086 using weights depending on external parameters, e.g. direction of arrival [DOA], predetermined weights or beamforming
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0871 using different reception schemes, at least one of them being a diversity reception scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 24/02 Arrangements for optimising operational condition
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 88/06 adapted for operation in multiple networks or having at least two operational modes, e.g. multi-mode terminals

Abstract

A radiation pattern recognition system and method for a wireless user equipment (UE) device wherein a set of benchmark radiation patterns are matched based on the wireless UE device'"'"'s usage mode. In one aspect, the wireless UE device includes one or more antennas adapted for radio communication with a telecommunications network. A memory is provided including a database of benchmark radiation patterns for each of the one or more antennas in one or more usage modes associated with the wireless UE device. A processor is configured to execute an antenna application process for optimizing performance of the wireless UE device based at least in part upon using the matched set of benchmark radiation patterns.

Claims

1. A method operable on a wireless user equipment (UE) device, said method comprising:

identifying a current usage mode in which said wireless UE device is being used, said wireless UE having one or more antennas for radio communication with a telecommunications network;

matching said current usage mode with a set of benchmark radiation patterns associated with each of said one or more antennas;

determining a set of antenna parameters based on said current usage mode;

matching said current usage mode with a set of Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) parameters associated with each of said one or more antennas in said current usage mode; and

providing said matched set of benchmark radiation patterns, said antenna parameters and said SAR parameters to an antenna application executing on said wireless UE device.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein said current usage mode is identified by collecting situational data that comprises at least one of said wireless UE device'"'"'s orientation, proximity to a user of said wireless UE device, motion associated with said wireless UE device, indication of usage of a key pad of said wireless UE device, indication of usage of a touch screen of said wireless UE device, indication of usage of a speaker and a microphone of said wireless UE device, location of said wireless UE device, location of impediments relative to said wireless UE device, indication of usage of a short-range radio frequency communication subsystem of said wireless UE device, global positioning information, identification of one or more radio access technologies (RATs) being used by said wireless UE device, and interference levels associated with radio channels corresponding to said RATs.

3. The method of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of said situational data is determined by an accelerometer of said wireless UE device.

4. The method of claim 2 wherein at least a portion of said situational data is determined by a gyroscope of said wireless UE device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein said current usage mode comprises at least one of:

a voice call mode, a video call mode, a data session mode, a multimedia call mode, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) mode, a speakerphone mode, a mode of positioning said wireless UE device near a user'"'"'s ear, a mode of placing said wireless UE device in a user'"'"'s holster, a mode of placing said wireless UE device in a cradle, a mode of placing said wireless UE device in a holder, a mode of placing said wireless UE device on a clip, a WiFi use mode, a Bluetooth use mode, and a mode of placing said wireless UE device at a place positioned away from a user'"'"'s body.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein said matching said current usage mode with a set of benchmark radiation patterns comprises comparing said usage mode against a database of radiation patterns that are determined for each of said one or more antennas in a plurality of usage modes.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein said database of radiation patterns is stored locally on said wireless UE device.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein said database of radiation patterns is at least one of updated and pushed to said wireless UE device by a network node comprising one of a website of said wireless UE device'"'"'s manufacturer, a base station of said telecommunications network, an eNB node of said telecommunications network, and a trusted device management node.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein said database of radiation patterns comprises a plurality of transmit mode radiation patterns.

10. The method of claim 6 wherein said database of radiation patterns comprises a plurality of receive mode radiation patterns.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein said one or more antennas are adapted for radio communication using a radio access technology selected from IEEE 802.11a technology, IEEE 802.11b technology, IEEE 802.11g technology, IEEE 802.11n technology, GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) technology, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) technology, Evolution—

Data Optimized (EVDO) technology, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) technology, Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology, HiperLan technology, HiperLan II technology, Wi-MAX technology, OpenAir technology, Bluetooth technology, and GMR-1 technology.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein said antenna application comprises at least one of a beam forming process, a beam steering process, an antenna selection process for a multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) antenna application, an antenna selection process for a weighted multi-antenna process, a least-mean-squares (LMS) weighting process, a recursive least squares (RLS) weighting process, a constant modulus weighting process, a constant modulus weighting process, and a genetic adaptive antenna selection process.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of antenna parameters are determined by searching a parameter library.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein said set of antenna parameters are determined by computing based on said antenna application.

15. A wireless user equipment (UE) device comprising:

means for identifying a current usage mode in which said wireless UE device is being used, said wireless UE having one or more antennas for radio communication with a telecommunications network;

means for matching said current usage mode with a set of benchmark radiation patterns associated with each of said one or more antennas;

means for determining a set of antenna parameters based on said current usage mode;

means for matching said current usage mode with a set of Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) parameters associated with each of said one or more antennas in said current usage mode; and

an antenna application module configured to use said matched set of benchmark radiation patterns, said antenna parameters and said SAR parameters for optimizing performance of said wireless UE device.

16. The wireless UE device of claim 15 wherein said means for identifying said current usage mode is responsive to collecting situational data that comprises means for collecting at least one of said wireless UE device'"'"'s orientation, proximity to a user of said wireless UE device, motion associated with said wireless UE device, indication of usage of a key pad of said wireless UE device, indication of usage of a touch screen of said wireless UE device, indication of usage of a speaker and a microphone of said wireless UE device, location of said wireless UE device, location of impediments relative to said wireless UE device, indication of usage of a short-range radio frequency communication subsystem of said wireless UE device, identification of one or more radio access technologies (RATs) being used by said wireless UE device, and interference levels associated with radio channels corresponding to said RATs.

17. The wireless UE device of claim 16 further comprising at least one of an accelerometer and a gyroscope for collecting at least a portion of said situational data.

18. The wireless UE device of claim 15 wherein said current usage mode comprises at least one of:

a voice call mode, a video call mode, a data session mode, a multimedia call mode, a Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) mode, a speakerphone mode, a mode of positioning said wireless UE device near a user'"'"'s ear, a mode of placing said wireless UE device in a user'"'"'s holster, a mode of placing said wireless UE device in a cradle, a mode of placing said wireless UE device in a holder, a mode of placing said wireless UE device on a clip, a WiFi use mode, a Bluetooth use mode, and a mode of placing said wireless UE device at a place positioned away from a user'"'"'s body.

19. The wireless UE device of claim 15 wherein said means for matching said current usage mode with a set of benchmark radiation patterns comprises means for comparing said usage mode against a database of radiation patterns that are determined for each of said one or more antennas in a plurality of usage modes.

20. The wireless UE device of claim 19 wherein said database of radiation patterns is stored locally on said wireless UE device.

21. The wireless UE device of claim 19 wherein said database of radiation patterns is at least one of updated and pushed to said wireless UE device by a network node comprising one of a website of said wireless UE device'"'"'s manufacturer, a base station of said telecommunications network, an eNB node of said telecommunications network, and a trusted device management node.

22. The wireless UE device of claim 15 wherein said one or more antennas are adapted for radio communication using a radio access technology selected from IEEE 802.11a technology, IEEE 802.11b technology, IEEE 802.11g technology, IEEE 802.11n technology, GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) technology, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) technology, Evolution—

Data Optimized (EVDO) technology, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) technology, Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology, HiperLan technology, HiperLan II technology, Wi-MAX technology, OpenAir technology, Bluetooth technology, and GMR-1technology.

23. The wireless UE device of claim 15 wherein said antenna application module is configured to execute at least one of a beam forming process, a beam steering process, an antenna selection process for a multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) antenna application, an antenna selection process for a weighted multi-antenna process, a least-mean-squares (LMS) weighting process, a recursive least squares (RLS) weighting process, a constant modulus weighting process, a constant modulus weighting process, and a genetic adaptive antenna selection process.

24. The wireless UE device of claim 15 wherein said set of antenna parameters are determined by searching a parameter library.

25. The wireless UE device of claim 15 wherein said set of antenna parameters are determined by computing based on said antenna application.

26. A wireless user equipment (UE) device comprising:

one or more antennas adapted for radio communication with a telecommunications network;

a memory comprising a database of benchmark radiation patterns for each of said one or more antennas in one or more usage modes associated with said wireless UE device; and

a processor configured to;

execute instructions for identifying a current usage mode in which said wireless UE device is being used;

execute instructions for matching said current usage mode with a set of benchmark radiation patterns associated with each of said one or more antennas based on querying the database of benchmark radiation patterns;

execute instructions for determining a set of antenna parameters based on said current usage mode;

execute instructions for matching said current usage mode with a set of Specific Absorption Rate (SAR) parameters associated with each of said one or more antennas in said current usage mode; and

execute an antenna application process for optimizing performance of said wireless UE device based at least in part upon using said set of benchmark radiation patterns, said antenna parameters and said SAR parameters.

27. The wireless UE device of claim 26 wherein said one or more antennas are adapted for radio communication using a radio access technology selected from IEEE 802.11a technology, IEEE 802.11b technology, IEEE 802.11g technology, IEEE 802.11n technology, GSM/EDGE Radio Access Network (GERAN) technology, Universal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) technology, Evolution—

Data Optimized (EVDO) technology, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA) technology, Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) technology, Long-Term Evolution (LTE) technology, HiperLan technology, HiperLan II technology, Wi-MAX technology, OpenAir technology, Bluetooth technology, and GMR-1technology.

28. The wireless UE device of claim 26 wherein said antenna application process comprises at least one of a beam forming process, a beam steering process, an antenna selection process for a multi-input and multi-output (MIMO) antenna application, an antenna selection process for a weighted multi-antenna process, a least-mean-squares (LMS) weighting process, a recursive least squares (RLS) weighting process, a constant modulus weighting process, a constant modulus weighting process, and a genetic adaptive antenna selection process.