Device, system and method of controlling wireless communication based on an orientation-related attribute of a wireless communication device

• US 9,473,220 B2
• Filed: 08/22/2011
• Issued: 10/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Original Assignee: Intel Corporation
• Inventors: Dinur, Nati, Alpert, Yaron, Sofer, Menashe
• Primary Examiner(s): ODOM, CURTIS B
• Application Number:
  US13/976,057
• Publication Number:
  US 20140140426A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,884 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0404 the mobile station comprising multiple antennas, e.g. to provide uplink diversity
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0689 using different transmission schemes, at least one of them being a diversity transmission scheme
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72412 using two-way short-range wireless interfaces
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/72454 according to context-related or environment-related conditions

Abstract

Some demonstrative embodiments include devices, systems and/or methods of controlling wireless communication based on an orientation-related attribute of a wireless communication device. For example, a wireless communication device may include a controller to receive from a sensor orientation-related information indicating an orientation-related attribute of the wireless communication device, and to control an antenna scheme of one or more antennas of the wireless communication device based on said orientation-related information.

Claims

1. A wireless communication device comprising:

a controller to receive from a sensor orientation-related information indicating an orientation-related attribute of said wireless communication device during communication with a first wireless communication device, and to control an antenna scheme of one or more antennas of said wireless communication device based on said orientation-related information,

wherein said controller is to select, based on a comparison between a change in the orientation-related attribute and a threshold, whether or not to perform one or more wireless communication operations selected from a group consisting of a connectivity-switching operation to switch connectivity from the first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, and a scanning operation to detect other wireless communication devices.

2. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein said controller is to adjust said antenna scheme based on the change in said orientation-related attribute during communication over a communication link.

3. The wireless communication device of claim 2 wherein, if the change in said orientation-related attribute is equal to or lesser than a predefined threshold, said controller is to switch from a current antenna scheme to a backup antenna scheme based on communication link quality.

4. The wireless communication device of claim 2, wherein said controller is to adjust a weighted antenna scheme of said antennas according to the change in the orientation-related attribute of said wireless communication device.

5. The wireless communication device of claim 4, wherein said controller is to adjust said weighted scheme by adjusting a directionality of said antenna scheme opposite to a directionality of said change.

6. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein said controller is to control said antenna scheme during communication over a communication link, and wherein said controller is to control said antenna scheme by causing said wireless communication device to switch between at least first and second antennas, based on said orientation-related information.

7. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein said controller is to select, based on said orientation-related information, whether or not to perform the scanning operation.

8. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein said orientation-related information comprises information indicative of at least one attribute selected from a group consisting of an orientation of said wireless communication device, a movement of said wireless communication device, and a rotation of said wireless communication device.

9. The wireless communication device of claim 1 comprising said sensor.

10. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein said sensor is external to said wireless communication device.

11. The wireless communication device of claim 1, wherein said controller comprises at least one controller selected from a group consisting of an antenna controller and a base-band controller.

12. A wireless communication device comprising:

one or more antennas;

a memory;

a processor; and

a controller to receive orientation-related information indicating an orientation-related attribute of said wireless communication device during communication with a first wireless communication device, and to control an antenna scheme of the one or more antennas based on said orientation-related information, said controller is to select, based on a comparison between a change in the orientation-related attribute and a threshold, whether or not to perform one or more wireless communication operations selected from a group consisting of a connectivity-switching operation to switch connectivity from the first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, and a scanning operation to detect one or more other wireless communication devices.

13. The wireless communication device of claim 12, wherein said controller is to adjust said antenna scheme based on the change in said orientation-related attribute during communication with the first other wireless communication device over a communication link.

14. The wireless communication device of claim 12, wherein said orientation-related information comprises information indicative of at least one attribute selected from a group consisting of an orientation of said wireless communication device, a movement of said wireless communication device, and a rotation of said wireless communication device.

15. A product including a non-transitory storage medium having stored thereon instructions that, when executed by a machine, result in:

controlling an antenna scheme of one or more antennas of a wireless communication device based on orientation-related information indicating an orientation-related attribute of said wireless communication device during communication with a first wireless communication device; and

selecting, based on a comparison between a change in the orientation-related attribute and a threshold, whether or not to perform one or more wireless communication operations selected from a group consisting of a connectivity-switching operation to switch connectivity from the first wireless communication device to a second wireless communication device, and a scanning operation to detect one or more other wireless communication devices.

16. The product of claim 15, wherein the instructions result in adjusting said antenna scheme based on the change in said orientation-related attribute during communication with the first wireless communication device over a communication link.

17. The product of claim 16, wherein the instructions result in, if the change in said orientation-related attribute is equal to or lesser than a predefined threshold, switching from a current antenna scheme to a backup antenna scheme based on communication link quality.

18. The product of claim 16, wherein the instructions result in adjusting a weighted antenna scheme of said antennas according to the change in the orientation-related attribute of said wireless communication device.

19. The product of claim 15, wherein said orientation-related information comprises information indicative of at least one attribute selected from a group consisting of an orientation of said wireless communication device, a movement of said wireless communication device, and a rotation of said wireless communication device.

20. The product of claim 15, wherein the instructions result in controlling said antenna scheme, during communication with the first wireless communication device over a communication link, by causing said wireless communication device to switch between at least first and second antennas, based on said orientation-related information.