US 12,111,393 B2 · Electronic devices with multi-antenna sensing

Abstract

An electronic device may include wireless circuitry that detects the location of external objects. A signal generator may concurrently transmit different radio-frequency ranging signals over two or more transmit antennas. The ranging signals may include waveforms with time-varying frequencies, where each waveform includes frequencies that are non-overlapping with the frequencies of each of the other waveforms at any given time. Antennas may receive reflected versions of the ranging signals and a processor may process the reflected versions of the ranging signals to identify the location of the external objects. This may prevent interference between the ranging signals and may significantly reduce the latency of location detection relative to examples where the ranging signals are transmitted by different transmit antennas in series.

Claims20

Dependent claims

An electronic device comprising:

a signal generator configured to generate a first radio-frequency signal having a first waveform and a second radio-frequency having a second waveform, the first waveform and the second waveform having non-overlapping frequencies as a function of time;
a first antenna configured to transmit the first radio-frequency signal;
a second antenna configured to transmit the second radio-frequency signal concurrent with transmission of the first radio-frequency signal by the first antenna;
a set of one or more antennas configured to receive a reflected version of the first radio-frequency signal and a reflected version of the second radio-frequency signal, wherein the set of one or more antennas is different from the first antenna and the second antenna;
and
one or more processors configured to identify a location of one or more external objects based on the reflected version of the first radio-frequency signal and the reflected version of the second radio-frequency signal received by the set of one or more antennas.

3 more elements

A method of operating an electronic device to perform radio-frequency spatial ranging, the method comprising:

with a first antenna, transmitting a first radio-frequency signal that includes a first linear frequency ramp increasing in frequency from a first time to a second time;
with a second antenna, concurrent with transmission of the first radio-frequency signal by the first antenna, transmitting a second radio-frequency signal that includes a second linear frequency ramp decreasing in frequency from the first time to the second time;
with a set of one or more antennas, receiving a reflected version of the first radio-frequency signal and a reflected version of the second radio-frequency signal;
and
with one or more processors, identifying a location of one or more external objects based on the reflected version of the first radio-frequency signal and the reflected version of the second radio-frequency signal received by the set of one or more antennas.

2 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Electronic devices with multi-antenna sensing

Life of this patent

Electronic devices with multi-antenna sensing

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims20