Smartphone Providing Radar-Based Proxemic Context

Abstract

This document describes techniques and systems that enable a smartphone providing radar-based proxemic context. The techniques and systems use a radar field to accurately determine a user's location and/or physical orientation with respect to an electronic device, such as a smartphone. The radar field also enables the device to receive 3D gestures from the user to interact with the device. The techniques allow the device to provide functionality based on the user's presence and/or orientation, and to appropriately adjust the timing, content, and format of the device's interactions with the user.

What is claimed is: 
     
         1 . A method implemented in an electronic device that includes a radar system and an electronic assistant application, the method comprising:
 providing, by the radar system, a radar field;   sensing, by the radar system, reflections from an object in the radar field;   analyzing the reflections from the object in the radar field;   providing, based on the analysis of the reflections, radar data;   determining, based on a first subset of the radar data, a distance between the object and the electronic device;   based on the distance between the object and the electronic device, operating the electronic assistant application in a first mode;   determining, based on a second subset of the radar data, a change in the distance between the object and the electronic device; and   responsive to determining the change of the distance between the object and the electronic device, operating the electronic assistant application in a second mode.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 the first mode comprises:
 providing communication from the electronic assistant application in a non-visual format, the non-visual format comprising audible communication; or 
 providing communication from the electronic assistant application in a visual format, the visual format comprising communication using a visible element; and 
   the second mode comprises:
 providing communication from the electronic assistant application in a non-visual format when the first mode comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant application in the visual format, the non-visual format comprising audible communication; or 
 providing communication from the electronic assistant application in a visual format when the first mode comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant application in the non-visual format, the visual format comprising communication using a visible element. 
   
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 determining, based on the first subset of the radar data, the distance between the object and the electronic device further comprises determining that the distance between the object and the electronic device is greater than a threshold distance;   the first mode comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant application in a non-visual format;   determining, based on the second subset of the radar data, the change in the distance between the object and the electronic device further comprises determining that the distance between the object and the electronic device is less than the threshold distance; and   the second mode comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant application in a visual format.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 3 , wherein:
 the first mode further comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant application in only the non-visual format; and   the second mode further comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant application in only the visual format.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 determining, based on the first subset of the radar data, the distance between the object and the electronic device further comprises determining that the distance between the object and the electronic device is less than a threshold distance;   the first mode comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant application in a visual format;   determining, based on the second subset of the radar data, the change in the distance between the object and the electronic device further comprises determining that the distance between the object and the electronic device is greater than the threshold distance; and   the second mode comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant application in a non-visual format.   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 5 , wherein:
 the first mode further comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant application in only the visual format; and   the second mode further comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant application in only the non-visual format.   
     
     
         7 . An electronic device, comprising:
 a radar system, implemented at least partially in hardware, configured to:
 provide a radar field; 
 sense reflections from an object in the radar field; 
 analyze the reflections from the object in the radar field; and 
 provide, based on the analysis of the reflections, radar data; 
   a computer processor; and   a computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, implement an electronic assistant configured to:
 determine, based on a subset of the radar data, a distance between the object and the electronic device; and 
 responsive to the determination of the distance between the object and the electronic device, operate in a first mode. 
   
     
     
         8 . The method of  claim 7 , wherein:
 operation in the first mode comprises:
 providing communication from the electronic assistant in a non-visual format, the non-visual format comprising audible communication; or 
 providing communication from the electronic assistant in a visual format, the visual format comprising communication using a visible element; and 
   the electronic assistant is further configured to:
 determine, based on the subset of the radar data or another subset of the radar data, another distance between the object and the electronic device; and 
   responsive to the determination of the other distance between the object and the electronic device, operate in a second mode, operation in the second mode comprising:
 providing communication from the electronic assistant in the non-visual format when the first mode comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant in the visual format, the non-visual format comprising audible communication; or 
 providing communication from the electronic assistant in the visual format when the first mode comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant in the non-visual format, the visual format comprising communication using a visible element. 
   
     
     
         9 . The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the distance between the object and the electronic device is within a threshold distance; and   operation in the first mode comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant in a visual format.   
     
     
         10 . The electronic device of  claim 9 , wherein the electronic assistant is further configured to:
 determine, based on the subset of the radar data or on another subset of the radar data, that the object is outside the threshold distance; and   responsive to the determination that the object is outside the threshold distance, operate in a second mode, the second mode comprising providing communication from the electronic assistant in a non-visual format.   
     
     
         11 . The electronic device of  claim 9 , wherein:
 the first mode further comprises presenting content, by the electronic assistant, in only the visual format; and   the electronic assistant is further configured to:
 determine, based on the subset of the radar data or another subset of the radar data, that the object is outside the threshold distance; and 
 responsive to the determination that the object is outside the threshold distance, operate in a second mode, the second mode comprising providing communication from the electronic assistant in only a non-visual format. 
   
     
     
         12 . The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the distance between the object and the electronic device exceeds a threshold distance; and   operation in the first mode comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant in a non-visual format.   
     
     
         13 . The electronic device of  claim 12 , wherein the electronic assistant is further configured to:
 determine, based on the subset of the radar data or on another subset of the radar data, that the object is within the threshold distance; and   responsive to the determination that the object is within the threshold distance, operate in a second mode, the second mode comprising providing communication from the electronic assistant in a visual format.   
     
     
         14 . The electronic device of  claim 12 , wherein:
 the first mode further comprises providing communication from the electronic assistant in only the non-visual format; and   the electronic assistant is further configured to:
 determine, based on another subset of the radar data, that the object is within the threshold distance; and 
 responsive to the determination that the object is within the threshold distance, operate in a second mode, the second mode comprising providing communication from the electronic assistant in only a visual format. 
   
     
     
         15 . The electronic device of  claim 7 , wherein:
 the electronic assistant is further configured to determine whether the distance between the object and the electronic device exceeds a threshold distance, the threshold distance being between approximately three feet and approximately fourteen feet; and   the threshold distance is determined by at least one of:
 a predefined setting; 
 a user selection; or 
 a machine-learning module of the electronic device. 
   
     
     
         16 . A system, comprising:
 an electronic device;   a radar system, implemented at least partially in hardware, configured to:
 provide a radar field; 
 sense reflections from an object in the radar field; 
 analyze the reflections from the object in the radar field; and 
 provide, based on the analysis of the reflections, radar data; 
   one or more computer processors; and   one or more computer-readable media having instructions stored thereon that, responsive to execution by the one or more computer processors, perform operations comprising:
 determining, based on a first subset of the radar data, a distance between the object and the electronic device; 
 based on the distance between the object and the electronic device, providing notifications from the electronic device in a first mode; 
 determining, based on a second subset of the radar data, a change of the distance between the object and the electronic device; and 
 responsive to determining the change of the distance between the object and the electronic device, providing notifications from the electronic device in a second mode. 
   
     
     
         17 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein:
 the first mode comprises:
 providing notifications from the electronic device in a non-visual format, the non-visual format comprising audible communication; or 
 providing notifications from the electronic device in a visual format, the visual format comprising communication using a visible element; and 
   the second mode comprises:
 providing notifications from the electronic device in the non-visual format when the first mode comprises providing notifications from the electronic device in the visual format, the non-visual format comprising audible communication; or 
 providing notifications from the electronic device in the visual format when the first mode comprises providing notifications from the electronic device in the non-visual format, the visual format comprising communication using a visible element. 
   
     
     
         18 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the operations further comprise:
 determining, based on the first subset of the radar data, the distance between the object and the electronic device further comprises determining that the distance between the object and the electronic device is greater than a threshold distance;   the first mode comprises providing notifications from the electronic device in a non-visual format;   determining, based on the second subset of the radar data, the change in the distance between the object and the electronic device further comprises determining that the distance between the object and the electronic device is less than the threshold distance; and   the second mode comprises providing notifications from the electronic device in a visual format.   
     
     
         19 . The system of  claim 18 , wherein:
 the first mode further comprises providing notifications from the electronic device in only the non-visual format; and   the second mode further comprises providing notifications from the electronic device in only the visual format.   
     
     
         20 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein:
 determining, based on the first subset of the radar data, the distance between the object and the electronic device further comprises determining that the distance between the object and the electronic device is less than a threshold distance;   the first mode comprises providing notifications from the electronic device in a visual format;   determining, based on the second subset of the radar data, the change in the distance between the object and the electronic device further comprises determining that the distance between the object and the electronic device is greater than the threshold distance; and   the second mode comprises providing notifications from the electronic device in a non-visual format.   
     
     
         21 . The system of  claim 20 , wherein:
 the first mode further comprises providing notifications from the electronic device in only the visual format; and   the second mode further comprises providing notifications from the electronic device in only the non-visual format.   
     
     
         22 . The system of  claim 16 , wherein the radar system further comprises a digital beamformer and an angle estimator, and the radar system is configured to monitor angles in a field of view between approximately −90 degrees and approximately 90 degrees.