Method and apparatus for proximity sensing on a communication device

• US 10,567,911 B2
• Filed: 10/03/2018
• Issued: 02/18/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/2016
• 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: Bennett, Robert, Henry, Paul Shala, Gerszberg, Irwin, Barzegar, Farhad, Willis, III, Thomas M., Barnickel, Donald J.
• Primary Examiner(s): Casca, Fred A
• Application Number:
  US16/150,943
• Publication Number:
  US 20190037356A1
• Time in Patent Office: 503 Days
• Field of Search: 455 78, 455101, 455121, 455130, 455135, 4552261, 455269, 455272, 455443, 4555621
• CPC Class Codes: B64C 39/024 of the remote controlled vehicle type, i.e. RPV
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0413 MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0417 Feedback systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0452 Multi-user MIMO systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/0608 Antenna selection according to transmission parameters
• CPC Class Codes: H04B 7/145 Passive relay systems
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/22 comprising specially adapted graphical user interfaces [GUI]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/14 Spectrum sharing arrangements between different networks
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/18 Network planning tools
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/22 Traffic simulation tools or models
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/24 Cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/28 using beam steering
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 16/32 Hierarchical cell structures
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/023 using mutual or relative location information between multiple location based services [LBS] targets or of distance thresholds
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/025 using location based information parameters

Abstract

Aspects of the subject disclosure may include, for example, detecting, by a first receiver of the first group of receivers, a first disturbance in one of a first group of electromagnetic waves and detecting, by a second receiver of a second group of receivers, a second disturbance in one of the second group of electromagnetic waves. A processing system can determine a position of a physical object in proximity to the transmission medium according to locations of the first and second receivers with respect to the transmission medium. Other embodiments are disclosed.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a first group of transmitters and a second group of transmitters coupled with a transmission medium, wherein the transmission medium comprises an outer surface;

a first group of receivers and a second group of receivers coupled with the transmission medium; and

a processing system including a processor,

wherein each of the first group of transmitters generates a first electromagnetic wave resulting in a first group of electromagnetic waves that is guided by the transmission medium to a corresponding one of the first group of receivers,

wherein each of the second group of transmitters generates a second electromagnetic wave resulting in a second group of electromagnetic waves that is guided by the transmission medium to a corresponding one of the second group of receivers,

wherein a first disturbance is detected by the processing system in a first particular electromagnetic wave of the first group of electromagnetic waves that is transmitted to a first receiver of the first group of receivers,

wherein a second disturbance is detected by the processing system in a second particular electromagnetic wave of the second group of electromagnetic waves that is transmitted to a second receiver of the second group of receivers, and

wherein the processing system determines a position of a physical object in proximity to the transmission medium according to the detection of the first and second disturbances and according to a determination that the first and second particular electromagnetic waves were transmitted to the first and second receivers, respectively.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second groups of electromagnetic waves comprise Zenneck waves.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the first group of electromagnetic waves propagates along the transmission medium orthogonally to the second group of electromagnetic waves.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first group of electromagnetic waves has one or more frequencies that are different from at least one of the second group of electromagnetic waves.

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the first group of electromagnetic waves has a first mode that is different from a second mode of the second group of electromagnetic waves.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein a number of the first group of transmitters is equal to a number of the first group of receivers, and wherein a number of the second group of transmitters is equal to a number of the second group of receivers.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein at least one electromagnetic wave of the first group of electromagnetic waves differs from another electromagnetic wave of the first group of electromagnetic waves.

8. The device of claim 7, further comprising a display screen, wherein the display screen comprises the transmission medium, wherein the processing system presents a graphical symbol on the display screen corresponding to the position of the physical object in proximity to the transmission medium.

9. The device of claim 1, further comprising a transceiver, wherein the processing system provides communication services utilizing the transceiver.

10. The device of claim 1, wherein the detection of the first disturbance is based on the first particular electromagnetic wave not being received by the first receiver, and wherein the detection of the second disturbance is based on the second particular electromagnetic wave not being received by the second receiver.

11. The device of claim 1, wherein the detection of the first disturbance is based on determining a first parameter change for the first particular electromagnetic wave, and wherein the detection of the second disturbance is based on determining a second parameter change for the second particular electromagnetic wave.

12. The device of claim 1, wherein the first and second electromagnetic waves propagate along the transmission medium without requiring an electrical return path.

13. A method comprising:

generating, by a first transmitter of a communication device, a first electromagnetic wave that propagates along and is guided by a physical transmission medium of the communication device;

generating, by a second transmitter of the communication device, a second electromagnetic wave that propagates along the transmission medium;

detecting, by a processing system of the communication device, a first disturbance in the first electromagnetic wave;

detecting, by the processing system, a second disturbance in the second electromagnetic wave; and

determining, by the processing system, a position of a physical object in proximity to the physical transmission medium according to the detecting of the first and second disturbances and according to a determination that the first and second electromagnetic waves were transmitted to a first receiver and a second receiver of the communication device, respectively.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein a first group of transmitters including the first transmitter and a first group of receivers including the first receiver are positioned on opposing ends of the transmission medium, and wherein a second group of transmitters including the second transmitter and a second group of receivers including the second receiver are positioned on other opposing ends of the transmission medium.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the first and second electromagnetic waves comprise Zenneck waves.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the first electromagnetic wave has one of a first frequency, a first mode or a combination thereof that is different from one of a second frequency, a second mode or a combination thereof of the second electromagnetic wave.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising presenting, by the processing system, a graphical symbol on a display screen of the communication device, wherein the graphical symbol is presented at a display location corresponding to the position of the physical object in proximity to the transmission medium.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the detecting of the first disturbance is based on determining a first parameter change for the first electromagnetic wave, and wherein the detecting of the second disturbance is based on determining a second parameter change for the second electromagnetic wave.

19. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device, comprising instructions, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, a processing system of a communication device performs operations, the operations comprising:

detecting a first disturbance in a first electromagnetic wave of a first group of electromagnetic waves that propagates along and is guided by a physical transmission medium of the communication device;

detecting a second disturbance in a second electromagnetic wave of a second group of electromagnetic waves that propagates along the transmission medium;

identifying a first receiver that received or was intended to receive the first electromagnetic wave, the first receiver being identified from among a group of first receivers of the communication device;

identifying a second receiver that received or was intended to receive the second electromagnetic wave, the second receiver being identified from among a group of second receivers of the communication device; and

determining a position of a physical object in proximity to the transmission medium according to the identifying of the first and second receivers.

20. The non-transitory machine-readable storage device of claim 19, wherein each of the first group of electromagnetic waves is guided by the transmission medium to a corresponding one of the first group of receivers, and wherein each of the second group of electromagnetic waves is guided by the physical transmission medium to a corresponding one of the second group of receivers.