Adjusting transmitted power output of an antenna of a device

• US 9,986,516 B2
• Filed: 08/30/2013
• Issued: 05/29/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 08/30/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Lagnado, Isaac
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US14/893,949
• Publication Number:
  US 20160165551A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,733 Days
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 43/10 Active monitoring, e.g. heartbeat, ping or trace-route
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 52/283 Power depending on the position of the mobile

Abstract

An antenna and a proximity sensor coupled to the antenna can determine proximity of an object to a device. The device can include a controller to adjust a transmitted power output of the antenna if the object is proximate to the device and measurements from the sensor collected over a period of time vary.

Claims

1. A method of adjusting a transmitted power output of an antenna of a device, comprising:

monitoring a measurement from a proximity sensor coupled to the antenna;

determining whether the device is proximate to an object based upon the measurement, based on whether the measurement from the sensor is above a threshold value;

upon determining the device is proximate to the object, collecting measurements from the proximity sensor over a period of time; and

adjusting the transmitted power output of the antenna when the object is determined to be a body part based on the measurements collected over the period of time remaining above the threshold value and varying, while remaining above the threshold value.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein adjusting the transmitted power output of the antenna comprises reducing the transmitted power output.

3. The method of claim 1, comprising maintaining or increasing the transmitted power output of the antenna if the measurements collected over the period of time remain constant.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein measurements from the proximity sensor comprise measuring values based on a movement of the device with respect to a ground reference.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein measurements from the proximity sensor comprise measuring values based on a movement of the device with respect to an animate object.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurements collected over the period of time vary if the measurements change in a cyclical manner.

15. The method of claim 1, wherein the measurements collected over the period of time vary if the measurements change in a random manner.

6. A device, comprising:

an antenna;

a proximity sensor coupled to the antenna to determine whether the device is proximate to an object if a measurement from the sensor is above a threshold value; and

a controller to reduce a transmitted power output of the antenna when the object is determined to be a body part based on measurements from the sensor collected over a period of time remaining above the threshold value and varying, while remaining above the threshold value.

7. The device of claim 6, wherein the controller is to maintain or increase the transmitted power output of the antenna if the object is proximate to the device and measurements collected over the period of time remain constant.

8. The device of claim 6, wherein the proximity sensor measures values based on a movement of the device with respect to a ground reference.

9. The device of claim 6, wherein the proximity sensor measures values based on a movement of the device with respect to an inanimate object.

10. A device, comprising a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium and a plurality of programming instructions stored in the storage medium to cause the device, in response to execution of the programming instructions by a processing resource, to cause the device to:

monitor a measurement from a proximity sensor;

determine whether the device is proximate to an object based upon the measurement, based on whether the measurement from the sensor is above a threshold value;

upon determining the device is proximate to the object, collect measurements from the proximity sensor over a period of time; and

adjust the transmitted power output of an antenna when the object is determined to be a body part based on the measurements collected over the period of time remaining above the threshold value and varying, while remaining above the threshold value.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the instruction for adjusting the transmitted power output of the antenna comprises reducing the transmitted power output.

12. The device of claim 10, comprising instructions for maintaining or increasing the transmitted power output of the antenna if the measurements collected over the period of time remain constant.

13. The device of claim 10, wherein the proximity sensor measures values based on a movement of the device with respect to a ground reference.