Google Inc.

Leland Stanford Junior University

Erik M Olson

Jaime Lien

Patrick M Amihood

Ivan Poupyrev

Changzhan Gu

Octavio Ponce Madrigal

This document describes techniques for radio frequency (RF) based micro-motion tracking. These techniques enable even millimeter-scale hand motions to be tracked. To do so, radar signals are used from radar systems that, with conventional techniques, would only permit resolutions of a centimeter or more.

RF-based micro-motion tracking for gesture tracking and recognition

Various embodiments utilize application-based processing parameters to dynamically configure a radar-based detection system based upon an operating context of an associated device. A first application with execution priority on a device dynamically configures the radar-based detection system to emit a radar field suitable for a first operating context associated with the first application. The first application can also dynamically configure processing parameters of the radar-based detection system, such as digital signal processing parameters and machine-learning parameters. In some cases, a second application assumes execution priority over the first application, and dynamically reconfigures the radar-based detection system to emit a radar field suitable to a second operating context associated with the second application. Alternately or additionally, the second application can dynamically reconfigure the processing parameters of the radar-based detection system based upon the second operating context of the second application.

Application-based signal processing parameters in radar-based detection

Techniques and apparatuses are described that enable radar modulations for radar sensing using a wireless communication chipset. A controller initializes or controls modulations performed by the wireless communication chipset. In this way, the controller can enable the wireless communication chipset to perform modulations for wireless communication or radar sensing. In some cases, the controller can further select a wireless communication channel for setting a frequency and a bandwidth of a radar signal, thereby avoiding interference between multiple radar signals or between the radar signal and a communication signal. In other cases, the controller can cause the wireless communication chipset to modulate a signal containing communication data using a radar modulation. This enables another device that receives the signal to perform wireless communication or radar sensing. By utilizing these techniques, the wireless communication chipset can be used for wireless communication or radar sensing.

Radar modulation for radar sensing using a wireless communication chipset

Techniques and apparatuses are described that implement a smartphone-based radar system capable of detecting user gestures using coherent multi-look radar processing. Different approaches use a multi-look interferometer or a multi-look beamformer to coherently average multiple looks of a distributed target across two or more receive channels according to a window that spans one or more dimensions in time, range, or Doppler frequency. By coherently averaging the multiple looks, a radar system generates radar data with higher gain and less noise. This enables the radar system to achieve higher accuracies and be implemented within a variety of different devices. With these accuracies, the radar system can support a variety of different applications, including gesture recognition or presence detection.

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Cupertino, CA, United States of America

Erik M Olson