Personal electronic device with a micro-impulse radar

• US 9,000,973 B2
• Filed: 04/29/2011
• Issued: 04/07/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Original Assignee: The Invention Science Fund I, L.L.C. (Intellectual Ventures LLC)
• Inventors: Hyde, Roderick A., Kare, Jordin T., Wood, JR., Lowell L.
• Primary Examiner(s): BYTHROW, PETER M
• Application Number:
  US13/068,049
• Publication Number:
  US 20120274502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,439 Days
• Field of Search: 342 52- 58, 342/73, 342 89- 97, 342/175, 342/189, 342/197, 340/573.1, 340/573.4, 340/573.5, 340/573.7, 382/103, 382/115, 600/453, 600/454, 600/455, 600/457, 455/404.1, 455/404.2, 455/414.1, 455/456.1, 455/456.3
• 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 13/50 Systems of measurement based on relative movement of 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 13/867 Combination of radar systems with cameras
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/887 for detection of concealed objects, e.g. contraband or weapons
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/89 for mapping or imaging
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/003 Transmission of data between radar, sonar or lidar systems and remote stations
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 7/412 based on a comparison between measured values and known or stored values

Abstract

A personal electronic device such as a smart phone can include a micro-impulse radar (MIR).

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

emitting a pulse from a pulse generator of a micro-impulse radar that is operatively coupled to a personal electronic device;

receiving a return signal in response to the emitted pulse;

processing the return signal, with a processor, to produce micro-impulse radar data that includes information about spatial location of an object;

displaying the spatial location of the object in association with a map;

at least conditionally performing one or more logic functions responsive to the micro-impulse radar data; and

responsive to at least conditionally performing the one or more logic functions, analyzing the micro-impulse radar data to extract information corresponding to one or more of a heart rate of a person, breathing rate of a person, articles carried by a person, or tremor of all or part of a body of a person.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal electronic device includes at least one of a cellular phone, a smart phone, a personal data assistant, a pager, or a tablet computer.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

transmitting the micro-impulse radar data to the personal electronic device via an exposed interface.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the exposed interface includes a USB interface, a SIM card interface, a WiFi interface, a BlueTooth interface, a ZigBee interface, an infrared interface, or a proprietary interface.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of the micro-impulse radar is located inside the personal electronic device.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the micro-impulse radar is integrated with at least one circuit board in the personal electronic device.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising probing one or more regions located peripheral to the personal electronic device.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the personal electronic device includes at least one component of the micro-impulse radar.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the micro-impulse radar includes at least one component of a monostatic micro-impulse radar included in the personal electronic device.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein operating the micro-impulse radar includes operating at least one component of a bistatic micro-impulse radar included in the personal electronic device.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

detecting the pulses at times corresponding to the pulse emission.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the micro-impulse radar data further includes information related to one or more of range, strength-of-response, direction, spectral characteristics, polarization, or Doppler characteristics.

13. The method of claim 1, further comprising analyzing the micro-impulse radar data to extract information corresponding to one or more of body size, body mass, height, body shape, posture, body permittivity, detectable body ornamentation, a characteristic movement, an intracyclic heartbeat characteristic, a rate or magnitude of inhalation, a rate or magnitude of exhalation, an intracyclic breathing characteristic, a location of a user relative to the personal electronic device, a location of a plurality of persons relative to the personal electronic device, a position of the user relative to one or more regions peripheral to the personal electronic device, a position of a plurality of persons relative to one or more regions peripheral to the personal electronic device, a speed of the personal electronic device, a location of a motor vehicle operating position relative to the personal electronic device, or a location of the motor vehicle operating position relative to the user.

14. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user input via a user interface of the personal electronic device.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving user input includes receiving a command to operate the micro-impulse radar.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving user input includes receiving a selection of one or more operating parameters of the micro-impulse radar or of one or more responses of the personal electronic device to micro-impulse radar data.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the one or more responses include one or more automatic interactions with the micro-impulse radar.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein the one or more automatic interactions include one or more of a schedule of probes, coupling to a computer program-driven control, or coupling to received external commands.

19. The method of claim 14, wherein receiving the one or more user commands include receiving selection of one or more operation modes.

20. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

outputting data or information corresponding to the micro-impulse radar data to a user via a user interface.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein at least conditionally performing one or more logic functions responsive to the micro-impulse radar data includes analyzing the micro-impulse radar data from the micro-impulse radar.

22. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

receiving, from the remote resource, one or more personal electronic device operating parameters or data for output to the user.

23. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

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

24. The method of claim 23, wherein at least conditionally performing one or more logic functions includes selecting one or more operating parameters for the personal electronic device responsive to the second sensor data or signals and from the micro-impulse radar data.

25. The method of claim 23, wherein operating the micro-impulse radar is performed responsive to the second sensor data or signal.

26. The method of claim 23, wherein operating the one or more second sensors is performed responsive to the micro-impulse radar data.

27. The method of claim 25, wherein the one or more second sensors includes one or more of a microphone, a camera, a motion sensor, an accelerometer, a magnetic field sensor, an electronic compass, a gyroscope, a gravitational field sensor, a global positioning system receiver, a light sensor, an infrared sensor, a radio frequency sensor, a millimeter wave sensor, or a vibration sensor.

28. A method, comprising:

emitting a pulse from a pulse generator of a micro-impulse radar that is operatively coupled to a personal electronic device;

receiving a return signal in response to the emitted pulse;

processing the return signal, with a processor, to produce micro-impulse radar data that includes information about spatial location of an object;

displaying the spatial location of the object in association with a map;

receiving signals from one or more second sensors;

outputting data via a user interface, the data being responsive to the signals received from the one or more second sensors;

at least conditionally performing one or more logic functions responsive to the micro-impulse radar data; and

responsive to at least conditionally performing the one or more logic functions, analyzing the micro-impulse radar data to extract information corresponding to one or more of a heart rate of a person, breathing rate of a person, articles carried by a person, or tremor of all or part of a body of a person.