Mobile electronic device equipped with radar

• US 8,004,454 B2
• Filed: 11/17/2006
• Issued: 08/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Lindoff, Mats Eric Gustav, Blomkvist, Magnus
• Primary Examiner(s): Gregory; Bernarr E
• Application Number:
  US11/561,003
• Publication Number:
  US 20080117094A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,740 Days
• Field of Search: 340/425.5, 175/57, 175/61, 342/20, 342/21, 342/27, 342/28, 342 29- 58, 342/60, 342 70- 72, 342 89-115, 342/118, 342134-147, 342/175, 342/195, 34235701-35717, 342450-465, 342/176, 342/352, 342/357.2, 342/357.21, 342/357.22, 342/357.25, 455/403, 455/422.1, 4554561-457, 455/550.1, 455/556.1, 455/566, 455/73, 455/90.1, 701/200, 701/207, 701/213
• US Class Current: 342/134
• 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 13/18 wherein range gates are used
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/522 using transmissions of interrupted pulse modulated waves
• CPC Class Codes: G01S 13/88 Radar or analogous systems specially adapted for specific applications electromagnetic prospecting or detecting of objects, e.g. near-field detection, G01V3/00

Abstract

The present invention is directed towards method, apparatus, and computer product for obtaining additional information in relation to a target in the vicinity of a mobile electronic device as well as such a mobile electronic device. The device includes a radar unit for operation in a certain frequency range including a pulse generating unit, a transmitting and receiving antenna, an echo detecting unit, a timing unit for timing the generation and transmission of pulses and providing an echo detection window for the echo detecting unit to detect echoes of said pulses when being reflected by a target, and a signal processing unit configured to process received echo pulses.

Claims

1. In a portable electronic device, a method for obtaining information related to a target in a vicinity of the portable electronic device, the method comprising:

generating, by the portable electronic device, at least one pulse;

transmitting, by the portable electronic device, the at least one pulse in a direction of the target;

providing, by the portable electronic device, a time period for echo detection in which to detect an echo pulse formed from the at least one pulse being incident upon the target;

receiving, by the portable electronic device, the echo pulse in the time period for echo detection; and

processing, by the portable electronic device, the received echo pulse for providing processed data.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

obtaining data related to the target from another source;

combining the data from the other source with the processed data; and

presenting the combined data.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the data from the other source includes data associated with a location of the portable electronic device.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein the processing includes determining a distance from the portable electronic device to the target, and the presenting the combined data includes presenting the distance.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the providing the data associated with the location of the portable electronic device comprises providing a view-finder image at the device;

the processing the received echo pulse comprises determining a position associated with the target; and

the combining comprises combining the position associated with the target with the view-finder image.

6. The method according to claim 5, wherein the determination of a position associated with the target is based on the location of an antenna of the portable electronic device and an associated dispersion.

7. The method according to claim 4, wherein the providing data associated with the location of the portable electronic device comprises providing a position determined for the portable electronic device;

and the combining comprises determining the location and velocity of the target based on positions of the portable electronic device obtained from a position determining unit of the portable electronic device and distances to the target obtained via processed echo pulses.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the determination of the location and velocity of the target is based on Doppler analysis.

9. The method according to claim 3, wherein the echo pulse provides information embedded in the target and the processing the echo pulse comprises processing the echo pulse to obtain the embedded information.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the providing data associated with the location of the portable electronic device comprises capturing an image via the portable electronic device, wherein the image at least partially obscures the target;

and the combining comprises combining the captured image and the embedded information.

11. A portable electronic device comprising:

a radar unit for operation in a predetermined frequency range, the radar unit including;

a pulse generating unit,

a transmitting and receiving antenna,

an echo detecting unit,

a timing unit configured to time generation of a pulse by the pulse generating unit and transmission of the pulse via the antenna, and provide a time period for echo detection for the echo detecting unit to detect an echo of the pulse when the pulse has been reflected by a target, and

a signal processing unit configured to process the echo pulse received in the time period for echo detection to form first information related to the target.

12. The portable electronic device according to claim 11, further comprising:

another unit configured to acquire second information related to the target;

a combining unit configured to combine the first and second information to form combined data; and

a presenting unit configured to present the combined data.

13. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the other unit comprises a location data providing unit configured to provide data associated with a location of the portable electronic device.

14. The portable electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the signal processing unit is configured to process the received echo pulse to determine a distance from the portable electronic device to the target and the presenting unit is further configured to present the distance.

15. The portable electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the presenting unit comprises a display,

the location data providing unit comprises an image capturing unit configured to provide data associated with the location of the portable electronic device in a form of digital images,

the signal processing unit is configured to determine a position associated with the target, and

the combining unit is configured to combine the position associated with the target with a view-finder image from the image capturing unit to be presented via the display.

16. The portable electronic device according to claim 15, wherein the signal processing unit is configured to determine a dispersion of the antenna and determine a position associated with the target to be rendered via the display based on the location of the antenna and the dispersion.

17. The portable electronic device according to claim 13, wherein the location data providing unit is a position determining unit for determining the position of the portable electronic device and the data combining unit is configured to determine the location and velocity of the target based on positions of the portable electronic device obtained via the position determining unit and distances to the target obtained via the signal processing unit.

18. The portable electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the data combining unit is configured to determine the location and velocity of the target based on Doppler analysis.

19. The portable electronic device according to claim 12, wherein the echo pulse includes information embedded in the target and the signal processing unit is configured to process the echo pulse to obtain the embedded information.

20. The portable electronic device according to claim 19, wherein the presenting unit comprises a display and the location data providing unit comprises an image capturing unit configured to provide data associated with the location of the portable electronic device as a digital image and the data combining unit combines an image captured by the camera, wherein the captured image at least partially obscures the target.

21. The portable electronic device according to claim 11, wherein the portable electronic device comprises a mobile phone.

22. A portable electronic device for obtaining information related to a target in a vicinity of the portable electronic device, the portable electronic device comprising:

means for generating at least one pulse signal;

means for transmitting the at least one pulse signal toward the target;

means for providing a time period for echo detection in which to detect an echo of the at least one pulse signal, wherein the echo is created by the at least one pulse signal being incident upon the target,

means for receiving the time period for echo in the echo detection; and

means for processing said received echo to generate processed data related to the target.

23. A computer readable medium with computer readable program code for obtaining information related to a target in a vicinity of a portable electronic device, the program code comprising:

instructions to generate at least one radar signal;

instructions to transmit the at least one radar signal, wherein the at least one radar signal is directed toward the target by positioning of the portable electronic device;

instructions to provide a time period for echo detection in which to detect an echo signal associated with the radar signal being incident upon the target;

instructions to process the received echo pulse for providing processed data; and

instructions to render the processed data via the portable electronic device.