Method and apparatus for proximity sensing on a communication device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10136255-B2
Application number	US-201615372449-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Dec 8, 2016
Priority date	Dec 8, 2016
Publication date	Nov 20, 2018
Grant date	Nov 20, 2018

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.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A device, comprising:
first and second groups of transmitters coupled with a physical guiding transmission medium; first and second groups of receivers coupled with the physical guiding transmission medium; and a processing system including a processor, wherein the first group of transmitters and the first group of receivers are positioned along the physical guiding transmission medium,
wherein the second group of transmitters and the second group of receivers are positioned along the physical guiding transmission medium,
wherein each of the first group of transmitters generates a first electromagnetic wave resulting in a first group of electromagnetic waves, wherein each of the first group of electromagnetic waves propagates along the physical guiding transmission medium and is guided by the physical guiding 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, wherein each of the second group of electromagnetic waves propagates along the physical guiding transmission medium and is guided by the physical guiding transmission medium to a corresponding one of the second group of receivers,
wherein a first receiver of the first group of receivers detects a first disturbance in one of the first group of electromagnetic waves,
wherein a second receiver of the second group of receivers detects a second disturbance in one of the second group of electromagnetic waves, and
wherein the processing system determines a position of a physical object in proximity to the physical guiding transmission medium according to locations of the first and second receivers with respect to the physical guiding transmission medium.

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 physical guiding 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 , further comprising a display screen, wherein the display screen comprises the physical guiding transmission medium.

8. The device of claim 7 , wherein the processing system presents a graphical symbol on the display screen corresponding to the position of the physical object in proximity to the physical guiding 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 one of the first group of electromagnetic waves not being received by the first receiver, and wherein the detection of the second disturbance is based on the one of the second group of electromagnetic waves not being received by the second receiver.

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

12. A method comprising:
generating, by each of a first group of transmitters of a communication device, a first electromagnetic wave resulting in a first group of electromagnetic waves, wherein each of the first group of electromagnetic waves propagates along a physical guiding transmission medium of the communication device and is guided by the physical guiding transmission medium to a corresponding one of a first group of receivers of the communication device;
generating, by each of a second group of transmitters of the communication device, a second electromagnetic wave resulting in a second group of electromagnetic waves, wherein each of the second group of electromagnetic waves propagates along the physical guiding transmission medium and is guided by the physical guiding transmission medium to a corresponding one of a second group of receivers of the communication device;
detecting, by a first receiver of the first group of receivers, a first disturbance in one of the first group of electromagnetic waves;
detecting, by a second receiver of the second group of receivers, a second disturbance in one of the second group of electromagnetic waves; and
determining, by a processing system including a processor of the communication device, a position of a physical object in proximity to the physical guiding transmission medium according to locations of the first and second receivers with respect to the physical guiding transmission medium.

13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first group of transmitters and the first group of receivers are positioned on opposing ends of the physical guiding transmission medium, and wherein the second group of transmitters and the second group of receivers are positioned on other opposing ends of the physical guiding transmission medium.

14. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first and second groups of electromagnetic waves comprise Zenneck waves.

15. The method of claim 12 , wherein the first group of electromagnetic waves 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 group of electromagnetic waves.

16. The method of claim 12 , 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 physical guiding transmission medium.

17. A non-transitory machine-readable storage device, comprising instructions, wherein responsive to executing the instructions, a processing system of a communication device performs operations comprising:
generating, by each of a first group of transmitters, a first electromagnetic wave resulting in a first group of electromagnetic waves, wherein each of the first group of electromagnetic waves propagates along a physical guiding transmission medium of the communication device and is guided by the physical guiding transmission medium;
generating, by each of a second group of transmitters, a second electromagnetic wave resulting in a second group of electromagnetic waves, wherein each of the second group of electromagnetic waves propagates along the physical guiding transmission medium and is guided by the physical guiding transmission medium;
detecting, by a first receiver of a first group of receivers, a first disturbance associated with one of the first group of electromagnetic waves;
detecting, by a second receiver of a second group of receivers, a second disturbance associated with one of the second group of electromagnetic waves; and

Assignees

• At & T Ip I Lp

Inventors

• Bennett Robert
• Henry Paul Shala
• Gerszberg Irwin
• Barzegar Farhad
• Willis Iii Thomas M
• Barnickel Donald J

Classifications

• H04W4/021

  Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences · CPC title

• H04W16/32

  Hierarchical cell structures · CPC title

• H04B7/0413

  MIMO systems · CPC title

• H04W4/025

  using location based information parameters · CPC title

• H04W16/24

  Cell structures · CPC title