Radio frequency repeater system for signal transmission through radio frequency shielding material in connected home applications

• US 9,479,244 B1
• Filed: 11/25/2015
• Issued: 10/25/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: AT&T Intellectual Property I LP (AT&T, Inc.)
• Inventors: Dyal, John, Smychkovich, Boris
• Primary Examiner(s): Safaipour, Bobbak
• Application Number:
  US14/952,128
• Time in Patent Office: 335 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/15 Active relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/70 Services for machine-to-machine communication [M2M] or machine type communication [MTC]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 40/22 using selective relaying for reaching a BTS [Base Transceiver Station] or an access point

Abstract

A radio frequency (“RF”) repeater system can receive, from a connected home device, an original RF signal that is unable to propagate through an object. The RF repeater system can demodulate the original RF signal to extract a data stream that includes data captured by the connected home device, can change an original data rate of the data stream to a new data rate that matches an ultrasonic frequency capable of propagating through the object thereby creating an ultrasonic data stream, can transmit, by a first surface transducer, the ultrasonic data stream through the object to a second surface transducer, can receive, by the second surface transducer, the ultrasonic data stream, can change the data stream from the new data rate back to the original data rate, can modulate the data stream to create a new RF signal, and can transmit the new RF signal towards the destination.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

receiving, by a radio frequency repeater system, an original radio frequency signal from a connected home device operating to provide, at least in part, a connected home service, wherein the original radio frequency signal is unable to propagate through an object to a destination to which the connected home device intends to send the original radio frequency signal, and wherein the object comprises a first surface upon which a first surface transducer of the radio frequency repeater system is attached and a second surface upon which a second surface transducer of the radio frequency repeater system is attached;

demodulating, by the radio frequency repeater system, the original radio frequency signal to extract a data stream comprising data;

changing, by the radio frequency repeater system, an original data rate of the data stream to a new Manchester encoded data stream with an ultrasonic data rate, wherein the new Manchester encoded data stream is capable of propagating through the object thereby creating an ultrasonic data stream;

transmitting, by the first surface transducer of the radio frequency repeater system, the ultrasonic data stream through the object to the second surface transducer;

receiving, by the second surface transducer of the radio frequency repeater system, the ultrasonic data stream from the object;

changing, by the radio frequency repeater system, the ultrasonic data stream from the ultrasonic data rate back to the original data rate, thereby returning the ultrasonic data stream to the data stream;

modulating, by the radio frequency repeater system, the data stream to create a radio frequency signal; and

transmitting, by the radio frequency repeater system, the radio frequency signal towards the destination.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the object comprises a wall made of a material through which the original radio frequency signal is unable to propagate.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the material comprises metal.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the material comprises concrete.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the object is made at least partially from metal, concrete, or a combination of metal and concrete.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises data captured by a home automation sensor.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the data comprises data captured by a home security sensor.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the radio frequency signal towards the destination comprises transmitting the radio frequency signal from a first node of the radio frequency repeater system to a second node of the radio frequency repeater system.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein transmitting the radio frequency signal towards the destination comprises transmitting the radio frequency signal to a connected home controller.

10. A radio frequency repeater system comprising:

a radio frequency system node comprising a plurality of hardware components configured in accordance with a circuit design to perform operations comprising

receiving an original radio frequency signal from a connected home device operating to provide, at least in part, a connected home service, wherein the original radio frequency signal is unable to propagate through an object to a destination to which the connected home device intends to send the original radio frequency signal, and wherein the object comprises a first surface upon which a first surface transducer of the plurality of hardware components is attached and a second surface upon which a second surface transducer of the plurality of hardware components is attached;

demodulating the original radio frequency signal to extract a data stream comprising data;

changing an original data rate of the data stream to a new Manchester encoded data stream with an ultrasonic data rate, wherein the new Manchester encoded data stream is capable of propagating through the object thereby creating an ultrasonic data stream;

transmitting, by the first surface transducer, the ultrasonic data stream through the object to the second surface transducer;

receiving, by the second surface transducer, the ultrasonic data stream from the object;

changing the ultrasonic data stream from the ultrasonic data rate back to the original data rate, thereby returning the ultrasonic data stream to the data stream;

modulating the data stream to create a radio frequency signal; and

transmitting the radio frequency signal towards the destination.

11. The radio frequency repeater system of claim 10, wherein the object comprises a wall made of a material through which the original radio frequency signal is unable to propagate.

12. The radio frequency repeater system of claim 11, wherein the material comprises metal, concrete, or a combination of metal and concrete.

13. The radio frequency repeater system of claim 10, wherein the object is made at least partially from metal, concrete, or a combination of metal and concrete.

14. The radio frequency repeater system of claim 10, further comprising a further radio frequency system node;

and wherein transmitting the radio frequency signal towards the destination comprises transmitting the radio frequency signal to the further radio frequency system node.

15. The radio frequency repeater system of claim 10, wherein transmitting the radio frequency signal towards the destination comprises transmitting the radio frequency signal to a connected home controller.

16. A system comprising:

a connected home device that performs connected home device operations comprising

capturing data to be used, at least in part, to provide a connected home service, and

providing the data in an original radio frequency signal towards a connected home controller;

the connected home controller that performs connected home controller operations comprising providing the data received from the connected home device to an external network to provide, at least in part, the connected home service; and

a radio frequency repeater system comprising a first surface transducer and a second surface transducer, wherein the radio frequency repeater system performs operations comprising;

receiving the original radio frequency signal from the connected home device, wherein the original radio frequency signal is unable to propagate through an object between the connected home device and the connected home controller, and wherein the object comprises a first surface upon which the first surface transducer is attached and a second surface upon which the second surface transducer is attached,

demodulating the original radio frequency signal to extract a data stream comprising the data captured by the connected home device,

changing an original data rate of the data stream to a new Manchester encoded data stream with an ultrasonic data rate, wherein the new Manchester encoded data stream is capable of propagating through the object thereby creating an ultrasonic data stream,

transmitting, by the first surface transducer, the ultrasonic data stream through the object to the second surface transducer,

receiving, by the second surface transducer, the ultrasonic data stream from the object,

changing the ultrasonic data stream from the ultrasonic data rate back to the original data rate, thereby returning the ultrasonic data stream to the data stream,

modulating the data stream to create a radio frequency signal, and

transmitting the radio frequency signal towards the connected home controller.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the object comprises a wall made of a material through which the original radio frequency signal is unable to propagate.

18. The system of claim 17, wherein the material comprises metal, concrete, or a combination of metal and concrete.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein the object is made at least partially from metal, concrete, or a combination of metal and concrete.

20. The system of claim 16, wherein the connected home device comprises a home automation sensor, a home security sensor, or a combination of a home automation sensor and a home security sensor.