# US 11,115,138 B2 · Method for antenna occlusion detection > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 11,115,138 B2 - Document ID: US11115138B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/788,209 - Filed: 2020-02-11 - Published: 2021-02-25 - Granted: 2021-09-07 - Earliest claimed: 2019-08-19 - Assignees: Apple Inc. - Applicants: Apple Inc. - Inventors: Celalettin U. Bas; Joachim S. Hammerschmidt; Ming Lei; Pengcheng Zhan - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US11115138B2 ## CPC - H04B 17/202: {Power received at the antenna} - H04W 64/006: {with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination} - H01Q 1/243: {with built-in antennas} - H01Q 3/247: {by switching different parts of a primary active element} - H01Q 21/28: Combinations of substantially independent non-interacting antenna units or systems {(multiple beam H01Q25/00)} - H04B 7/0608: {Antenna selection according to transmission parameters} - H04B 7/0808: {comparing all antennas before reception} - H04B 7/0814: {based on current reception conditions, e.g. switching to different antenna when signal level is below threshold} - H04B 7/0888: {with selection} - H04W 68/005: {Transmission of information for alerting of incoming communication} - G01S 3/14: Systems for determining direction or deviation from predetermined direction {(aerial arrangements for changing or varying the orientation or the shape of the directional pattern H01Q3/00; combinations of different interacting aerial units for giving a desired directional characteristic H01Q21/29; aerials or aerial systems providing at least two radiation patterns H01Q25/00)} - G01S 5/011: {Identifying the radio environment} - G01S 5/0284: {Relative positioning} - H04W 76/19: Connection re-establishment - H04B: TRANSMISSION - H04W: WIRELESS COMMUNICATION NETWORKS (broadcast communication H04H; communication systems using wireless links for non-selective communication, e.g. wireless extensions H04M1/72) - H01Q: ANTENNAS, i.e. RADIO AERIALS (radiators or antennas for microwave heating H05B6/72) - G01S: RADIO DIRECTION-FINDING; RADIO NAVIGATION; DETERMINING DISTANCE OR VELOCITY BY USE OF RADIO WAVES; LOCATING OR PRESENCE-DETECTING BY USE OF THE REFLECTION OR RERADIATION OF RADIO WAVES; ANALOGOUS ARRANGEMENTS USING OTHER WAVES ## Abstract Techniques are disclosed for detecting obstruction of a device's antenna(s) and then changing an operation of the device. A transmission time at which an antenna of an electronic device transmitted a signal can be identified. A response signal can be detected that was received at a receiver of the electronic device subsequent to the transmission time. Based on the response signal and on the transmission time, one or more response-signal characteristics can be determined. Based on the one or more response-signal characteristics, it can be determined that the antenna or that another antenna of the electronic device is at least partly blocked from emitting or receiving signals. In response to determining that the antenna is at least partly blocked, a changed type of operation can be identified, and the changed type of operation can be performed. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An electronic device comprising: a transmitter; a receiver; an antenna coupled to the transmitter and to the receiver; one or more data processors; and a non-transitory computer readable storage medium containing instructions which, when executed on the one or more data processors, cause the one or more data processors to perform actions including: identifying a transmission time at which the transmitter transmitted a signal; detecting a response signal received at the receiver subsequent to the transmission time; determining, based at least in part on the response signal and on the transmission time, one or more response-signal characteristics; determining, based at least in part on the one or more response-signal characteristics, that the antenna is at least partly blocked from emitting or receiving signals; and in response to determining that the antenna is at least partly blocked: identifying a subset of antennas of the electronic device that does not include the antenna; and performing a directionality analysis using the subset of antennas to identify a direction of another device relative to the electronic device. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: an other transmitter; an other receiver; and an other antenna; wherein the actions further include: identifying an other transmission time at which the other transmitter transmitted an other signal; detecting, within a predefined time period from the other transmission time: a first response signal received at the other receiver; and a second response signal received at the receiver; detecting, within a predefined time period from the transmission time, a third response signal received at the other receiver; and determining, based at least in part on the first response signal, the second response signal and the third response signal, a set of other response-signal characteristics, wherein the determination that the antenna is at least partly blocked is further based at least in part on the set of other response-signal characteristics. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein: performing the directionality analysis comprises performing a reduced precision directionality analysis to identify the direction of the other device relative to the electronic device, wherein the direction associated with the reduced precision directionality analysis is within a reduced dimensionality space as compared to a default dimensionality space associated with a default precision directionality analysis. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising, in response to determining that the antenna is at least partly blocked: presenting, at the electronic device, a notification indicating that the antenna is blocked and/or that an impairment is reducing device performance. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein: the response signal comprises an impulse-response signal or a component thereof; and the one or more response-signal characteristics comprise a response signal intensity after a predetermined duration following the transmission time. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The electronic device of claim 1, wherein: the one or more response-signal characteristics comprise a comparison statistic generated using the response signal and a baseline signal. ### Claim 7 A computer-implemented method comprising: identifying a transmission time at which an antenna of an electronic device transmitted a signal; detecting a response signal received at the electronic device subsequent to the transmission time; determining, based at least in part on the response signal and on the transmission time, one or more response-signal characteristics; determining, based at least in part on the one or more response-signal characteristics, that the antenna or that an other antenna of the electronic device is at least partly blocked from emitting or receiving signals; and in response to determining that the antenna or the other antenna is at least partly blocked, performing a reduced precision directionality analysis to identify a direction of an other device relative to the electronic device, wherein the direction associated with the reduced precision directionality analysis is within a reduced dimensionality space as compared to a default dimensionality space associated with a default precision directionality analysis. ### Claim 8 (depends on 7) The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein: the response signal is received from the antenna of the electronic device; the method further includes: detecting an other response signal received at the electronic device, the other response signal being received from the other antenna of the electronic device; and determining, based at least in part on the other response signal, one or more other response-signal characteristics; and using the one or more other response-signal characteristics to determine that the other antenna is at least partly blocked. ### Claim 9 (depends on 7) The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising: detecting a set of response signals, wherein the set of response signals includes the response signal, and wherein the set of response signals corresponds to a set of pair-wise transmissions and receptions between a plurality of antennas of the electronic device, the plurality of antennas including three or more antennas. ### Claim 10 (depends on 7) The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising: identifying a subset of antennas that does not include the antenna when the antenna is determined to be at least partly blocked or the other antenna when the other antenna is determined to be at least partly blocked; wherein the reduced precision directionality analysis is performed using the subset of antennas of the electronic device. ### Claim 11 (depends on 7) The computer-implemented method of claim 7, further comprising, in response to determining that the antenna or the other antenna is at least partly blocked: presenting, at the electronic device, a notification indicating that at least one antenna of the electronic device is blocked and/or that an impairment is reducing device performance. ### Claim 12 (depends on 7) The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein: the response signal comprises an impulse-response signal or a component thereof; and the one or more response-signal characteristics comprises a response signal intensity after a predetermined duration following the transmission time. ### Claim 13 A computer-program product tangibly embodied in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium, including instructions configured to cause one or more data processors to perform actions including: detecting an impulse-response signal received at a receiver of an electronic device, the impulse-response signal corresponding to an impulse signal transmitted by an antenna of the electronic device; determining, based at least in part on the impulse-response signal, one or more impulse-response-signal characteristics; determining, based at least in part on the one or more impulse-response-signal characteristics, that the antenna or that an other antenna of the electronic device is at least partly blocked from emitting or receiving signals; and in response to determining that the antenna or that the other antenna is at least partly blocked: identifying a set of antennas of the electronic device, the set excluding at least the antenna when the antenna is determined to be at least partly blocked or excluding at least the other antenna when the other antenna is determined to be at least partly blocked; and performing a directionality analysis using the set of antennas to identify a direction of another device relative to the electronic device. ### Claim 14 (depends on 13) The computer-program product of claim 13, wherein: the impulse-response signal is received from the antenna of the electronic device; the actions further include: detecting an other impulse-response signal received at the electronic device, the other impulse-response signal corresponding to another impulse signal transmitted by the other antenna of the electronic device; and determining, based at least in part on the other impulse response signal, one or more other impulse-response-signal characteristics; and the determining that the antenna or that the other antenna is at least partly blocked is further based at least in part on the one or more other impulse-response-signal characteristics. ### Claim 15 (depends on 13) The computer-program product of claim 13, wherein the actions further include: detecting a set of impulse-response signals, wherein the set of impulse-response signals includes the impulse-response signal, and wherein the set of impulse-response signals corresponds to a set of pair-wise transmissions and receptions between a plurality of antennas of the electronic device, the plurality of antennas including three or more antennas. ### Claim 16 (depends on 13) The computer-program product of claim 13, further comprising, in response to determining that the antenna or the other antenna is at least partly blocked: performing a reduced precision directionality analysis to identify the direction of another device relative to the electronic device, wherein the direction associated with the reduced precision directionality analysis is within a reduced dimensionality space as compared to a default dimensionality space associated with a default precision directionality analysis. ### Claim 17 (depends on 13) The computer-program product of claim 13, further comprising, in response to determining that the antenna or the other antenna is at least partly blocked: presenting, at the electronic device, a notification indicating that the antenna is blocked and/or that an impairment is reducing device performance. ### Claim 18 (depends on 13) The computer-program product of claim 13, wherein: the one or more impulse-response-signal characteristics comprise a response signal intensity after a predetermined duration following a time at which the impulse signal was transmitted. ### Claim 19 (depends on 13) The computer-program product of claim 13, wherein: the one or more impulse-response-signal characteristics comprise a comparison statistic generated using the impulse-response signal and a baseline signal. ### Claim 20 (depends on 7) The computer-implemented method of claim 7, wherein: the one or more response-signal characteristics comprise a comparison statistic generated using the response signal and a baseline signal.