Patent Application
20250012874
Embodiments described herein generally relate to Device to Device (D2D) communication, and more specifically to D2D spatial understanding with electric magnets.
D2D solutions allow different devices to communicate with each other. Intel® Unison™ is an example of currently available D2D solutions.
Features of embodiments of the claimed subject matter will become apparent as the following detailed description proceeds, and upon reference to the drawings, in which like numerals depict like parts, and in which:
Although the following Detailed Description will proceed with reference being made to illustrative embodiments of the claimed subject matter, many alternatives, modifications, and variations thereof will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Accordingly, it is intended that the claimed subject matter be viewed broadly, and be defined as set forth in the accompanying claims.
Various aspects of the illustrative embodiments will be described using terms commonly employed by those skilled in the art to convey the substance of the disclosure to others skilled in the art. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that many alternate embodiments may be practiced using portions of the described aspects. For purposes of explanation, specific numbers, materials, and configurations are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the illustrative embodiments. However, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that alternate embodiments may be practiced without the specific details. In other instances, well-known features may have been omitted or simplified in order to avoid obscuring the illustrative embodiments.
Further, various operations will be described as multiple discrete operations, in turn, in a manner that is most helpful in understanding the illustrative embodiments; however, the order of description should not be construed as to imply that these operations are necessarily order dependent. In particular, these operations need not be performed in the order of presentation.
In D2D solutions, one key problem is spatial understanding from one device to another device. For example, one device may be a laptop and another device may be an external display. With spatial understanding, many novel usages can be enabled in laptop side, including arranging desktops automatically, determining when to connect/disconnect, tuning human presence settings, determining user posture/gaze, and the like.
To enable spatial understanding, two technologies may be considered: an Ultra Wide Band (UWB) ranging based solution and a Visual Simultaneous Localization and Mapping (SLAM) based solution. For the UWB ranging based solution, devices such as phone, laptop or external display are all armed with an UWB component and spatial relationships between the devices can be determined by UWB ranging and angle of arrival (AOA) measurements. For the Visual SIAM based solution, devices such as phone, laptop or external display are all armed with a camera and spatial relationships between the devices can be determined by utilizing same landmarks extracted from different camera images.
Technically, the UWB ranging based solution and the Visual SLAM based solution are all feasible solutions. However, the cost of these solution is high as they require additional infrastructure setup on the laptop and the external display; the solutions are not robust, e.g. the UWB ranging based solution cannot achieve three dimensional (3D) spatial understanding by only using the UWB ranging and horizontal AoA, and the Visual SLAM based solution may be not robust since the camera could be blocked by a mechanical shutter or sticker; and communication between the devices may be complicated as additional communication protocols may be needed for UWB/camera data transfer.
According to the present disclosure, in order to achieve spatial understanding, it is proposed to add electric magnets (e.g. magnetic coils) to the display panel, power on or off the electric magnets according to a specific predefined power-on-off pattern right after the display panel is connected to the laptop, detect a magnetic field at the laptop by an integrated magnetometer at the laptop side to generate reading data associated with the magnetic field, and analyze the reading data to get a spatial understanding result.
In the embodiments, four magnetic coils A, B, C, D are distributed in an array on a panel of the external display and configured to be powered on or off in sequence according to a predefined power-on-off pattern, e.g. when the external display is connected to the laptop. For example, the predefined power-on-off pattern may be A (0.25 s)->B (0.25 s)->C (0.25 s)->D (0.25 s), which means that during one second after connection of the external display, coil A is powered on during the first 0.25 s and then powered off, coil B is powered on during the second 0.25 s and then powered off, coil C is powered on during the third 0.25 s and then powered off, and finally coil D is powered on during the last 0.25 s and then powered off. In this case, the magnetometer integrated on the laptop may detect four intensity peaks of the magnetic field and generate reading data including a changing pattern of intensity peaks of the magnetic field, and then a processor coupled with the laptop or integrated in the laptop may determine a position of the laptop relative to the external display based on the changing pattern of intensity peaks of the magnetic field and the layout of the magnetic coils on the panel of the external display.
For example, in scenario 1, the changing pattern of intensity peaks of the magnetic field is A>C>B>D, which means that the intensity peak of the magnetic field when coil A is powered on is larger than the intensity peak of the magnetic field when coil C is powered on, the intensity peak of the magnetic field when coil C is powered on is larger than the intensity peak of the magnetic field when coil B is powered on, the intensity peak of the magnetic field when coil B is powered on is larger than the intensity peak of the magnetic field when coil D is powered on. In this scenario, the processor may determine that the laptop is located at an up-left side of the external display. Likewise, for example, in scenario 2, the changing pattern of intensity peaks of the magnetic field is C>A>D>B, which means that the intensity peak of the magnetic field when coil C is powered on is larger than the intensity peak of the magnetic field when coil A is powered on, the intensity peak of the magnetic field when coil A is powered on is larger than the intensity peak of the magnetic field when coil D is powered on, the intensity peak of the magnetic field when coil D is powered on is larger than the intensity peak of the magnetic field when coil B is powered on. In this scenario, the processor may determine that the laptop is located at an up-right side of the external display. As illustrated in
With the proposed solution for spatial understanding as discussed with reference to
The equation used to calculate the magnetic field produced by a current flowing through a coil is given below according to the Biot-Savart law:
B=(μ0/4π)*∫(Idl*r)/r3
For a given magnetic coil in square shape as shown in
B=μ0*I/(2π*d), where d is the distance from the edge.
Suppose the magnetometer of the laptop is located at point P which is 30 cm away from one edge of the magnetic coil and 50 cm away from another edge of the magnetic coil, and the current flowing through the magnetic coil is 1 A. In this case, one edge of each loop in the magnetic coil may generate a magnetic field with an intensity of 6.67e-7 T at point P, another edge of the loop may generate a magnetic field with an intensity of 4e-7 T in an opposite direction at point P, and thus the total magnetic field at point P may have an intensity of 2.67e-7 T. Earth's magnetic field has an intensity of about 5e-5 T, so if it is desired to generate a magnetic field equal to this level, the magnetic field generated by the magnetic coil may need to be multiplied by about 5e-5/2.67e-7=187.27 times. Suppose there are 100 loops in the magnetic coil, then the current flowing through the magnetic coil should be 1.87 A.
It is noted that the above estimation of the current flowing through the magnetic coil is just a rough estimation as an example. Based on practical needs and the sensitivity of the magnetometer, the generated magnetic field can be much smaller. Also, when magnetic coils of a bigger size are used, the required current may be smaller.
As described above with reference to
In some embodiments, the plurality of components may be magnetic coils and configured to be powered on or off in sequence according to a predefined power-on-off pattern, e.g. when the first device is connected to the second device. In this case, the reading data of the magnetometer may include a changing pattern of intensity peaks of the magnetic field at the second device, and the preset layout of the plurality of components may include the predefined power-on-off pattern. The magnetic coils may have a same winding direction. Furthermore, the magnetic coils may be configured to be powered on with a same direct current to avoid high frequency interference.
In some embodiments, a magnet may be disposed at a center of each magnetic coil to increase the magnetic field generated by the magnetic coil. The magnetic coils may be integrated with the first device or mounted to the first device as peripherals.
It is also noted that depending on practical applications, the number of magnetic coils mounted to the first device may be increased or decreased, the winding direction of the magnetic coils may be changed, and the predefined power-on-off pattern of the magnetic coils may be changed.
According to some embodiments of the present disclosure, instead of magnetic coils, permanent magnets may be mounted to the external display, as shown in
As illustrated in
For example, when the magnetometer detects that the magnetic field vector direction of the magnetic field at the laptop is downward, it can be determined that the laptop is located at an upside of the external display; when the magnetometer detects that the magnetic field vector direction of the magnetic field at the laptop is upward, it can be determined that the laptop is located at a downside of the external display; when the magnetometer detects that the magnetic field vector direction of the magnetic field at the laptop is toward left, it can be determined that the laptop is located at a right side of the external display; when the magnetometer detects that the magnetic field vector direction of the magnetic field at the laptop is toward right, it can be determined that the laptop is located at a left side of the external display.
It is noted that the positions, the number and the direction of the permanent magnets may vary depending on practical application, which is similar to the above described magnetic coil based solution. On the other hand, for the permanent magnet based solution, the direction of the magnetic field generated by the permanent magnets may be interfered by environmental magnetic field, so the magnetometer on the laptop may need to be well calibrated for accurate spatial understanding. Also, depending on the length of permanent magnets, there may be a detection zone on each edge of the display panel, and mispredictions may occur outside the detection zone.
As a strong magnetic field may be generated during the spatial understanding, it is preferable to consider electromagnetic compatibility (EMC) in the above solutions. There are mature mechanisms to protect electric devices from generated magnetic fields. For example, for the above solutions, the following mechanisms can be considered in EMC designs: moving magnetic coils as far as possible from the display panel PCB; using a direct current to power on the magnetic coils to avoid high frequency interference; and/or using electromagnetic shielding to cover IC chips or active components on PCB so as to protect sensitive signals from external electromagnetic signals. Anyway, it is noted that the EMC design is not in scope of this disclosure, the above examples are just illustrating that there are available methods to handle the interference from magnetic coils used in this disclosure.
In order to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed solution, tests have been performed with two magnetic coils. The magnetic coils were used for high school physics experiments and were attached to the left side of the back of a display monitor, as shown in
Table 1 below shows a summary of test results. On the four different test positions, the magnetic coils were manually powered up (left top and left bottom), then the magnetometer reading changes were measured from the laptop side. As shown in Table 1, with the given magnetic coils and given current from the DC power supply, when the laptop is 10 cm and 20 cm away from the left side of the display, powering up of the two magnetic coils can be easily distinguished, but when the laptop is 10 cm and 20 cm away from the right side of the display, no change can be detected (because the laptop is too far away).
The following paragraphs describe examples of various embodiments.
Example 1 includes a system including: a plurality of components to be mounted to a first device in a preset layout and generate a magnetic field; a magnetometer integrated with a second device to detect the magnetic field to generate reading data associated with the magnetic field at the second device; and a processor configured to determine a position of the second device relative to the first device based on the reading data and the preset layout of the plurality of components.
Example 2 includes the system of Example 1, wherein the plurality of components are magnetic coils and configured to be powered on or off in sequence according to a predefined power-on-off pattern; the reading data includes a changing pattern of intensity peaks of the magnetic field at the second device; and the preset layout of the plurality of components includes the predefined power-on-off pattern.
Example 3 includes the system of Example 2, wherein the magnetic coils have a same winding direction.
Example 4 includes the system of Example 2 or 3, wherein a magnet is disposed at a center of each magnetic coil to increase the magnetic field generated by the magnetic coil.
Example 5 includes the system of any of Examples 2 to 4, wherein the plurality of components are integrated with the first device or mounted to the first device as peripherals.
Example 6 includes the system of Example 1, wherein the plurality of components are permanent magnets; and the reading data includes a magnetic field vector direction of the magnetic field at the second device.
Example 7 includes the system of any of Examples 1 to 6, wherein the first device includes a display monitor.
Example 8 includes the system of Example 7, wherein the plurality of components are mounted to a bezel of a display panel of the display monitor at a plurality of corners of the display panel.
Example 9 includes the system of Example 7, wherein one or more of the plurality of components are mounted to a stand of the display monitor.
Example 10 includes the system of any of Examples 1 to 9, wherein the second device includes a laptop installed with the processor.
Example 11 includes a first device including: a plurality of components to be mounted to the first device in a preset layout and generate a magnetic field detectable at a second device to be connected to the first device, wherein the preset layout of the plurality of components is provided for the second device to determine a position of the second device relative to the first device based on the preset layout of the plurality of components and reading data associated with the magnetic field generated by a magnetometer integrated with the second device.
Example 12 includes the first device of Example 11, wherein the plurality of components are magnetic coils and configured to be powered on or off in sequence according to a predefined power-on-off pattern; the reading data includes a changing pattern of intensity peaks of the magnetic field at the second device; and the preset layout of the plurality of components includes the predefined power-on-off pattern.
Example 13 includes the first device of Example 12, wherein the magnetic coils have a same winding direction.
Example 14 includes the first device of Example 12 or 13, wherein a magnet is disposed at a center of each magnetic coil to increase the magnetic field generated by the magnetic coil.
Example 15 includes the first device of any of Examples 12 to 14, wherein the plurality of components are integrated with the first device or mounted to the first device as peripherals.
Example 16 includes the first device of Example 11, wherein the plurality of components are permanent magnets; and the reading data includes a magnetic field vector direction of the magnetic field at the second device.
Example 17 includes the first device of any of Examples 11 to 16, wherein the first device includes a display monitor.
Example 18 includes the first device of Example 17, wherein the plurality of components are mounted to a bezel of a display panel of the display monitor at a plurality of corners of the display panel.
Example 19 includes the first device of Example 17, wherein one or more of the plurality of components are mounted to a stand of the display monitor.
Example 20 includes the first device of any of Examples 11 to 19, wherein the second device includes a laptop installed with the processor.
The above detailed description includes references to the accompanying drawings, which form a part of the detailed description. The drawings show, by way of illustration, specific embodiments that may be practiced. These embodiments are also referred to herein as “examples.” Such examples may include elements in addition to those shown or described. However, the present inventors also contemplate examples in which only those elements shown or described are provided. Moreover, the present inventors also contemplate examples using any combination or permutation of those elements shown or described (or one or more aspects thereof), either with respect to a particular example (or one or more aspects thereof), or with respect to other examples (or one or more aspects thereof) shown or described herein.
All publications, patents, and patent documents referred to in this document are incorporated by reference herein in their entirety, as though individually incorporated by reference. In the event of inconsistent usages between this document and those documents so incorporated by reference, the usage in the incorporated reference(s) should be considered supplementary to that of this document; for irreconcilable inconsistencies, the usage in this document controls.
In this document, the terms “a” or “an” are used, as is common in patent documents, to include one or more than one, independent of any other instances or usages of “at least one” or “one or more.” In this document, the term “or” is used to refer to a nonexclusive or, such that “A or B” includes “A but not B,” “B but not A,” and “A and B,” unless otherwise indicated. In the appended claims, the terms “including” and “in which” are used as the plain-English equivalents of the respective terms “comprising” and “wherein.” Also, in the following claims, the terms “including” and “comprising” are open-ended, that is, a system, device, article, or process that includes elements in addition to those listed after such a term in a claim are still deemed to fall within the scope of that claim. Moreover, in the following claims, the terms “first,” “second,” and “third,” etc. are used merely as labels, and are not intended to impose numerical requirements on their objects.
The above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive. For example, the above-described examples (or one or more aspects thereof) may be used in combination with each other. Other embodiments may be used, such as by one of ordinary skill in the art upon reviewing the above description. The Abstract is to allow the reader to quickly ascertain the nature of the technical disclosure and is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Also, in the above Detailed Description, various features may be grouped together to streamline the disclosure. This should not be interpreted as intending that an unclaimed disclosed feature is essential to any claim. Rather, inventive subject matter may lie in less than all features of a particular disclosed embodiment. Thus, the following claims are hereby incorporated into the Detailed Description, with each claim standing on its own as a separate embodiment. The scope of the embodiments should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2023/105468 | Jul 2023 | WO | international |
This application claims priority to International Patent Application No. PCT/CN2023/105468, filed on Jul. 3, 2023 and titled “LOW-COST ROBUST D2D SPATIAL UNDERSTANDING WITH ELECTRIC MAGNETS”, the content of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.
