UWB on / off operation method to minimize power consumption and UWB anchor using the same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a UWB ON / OFF operation method for minimizing power consumption and a UWB anchor to which the same is applied. The UWB anchor according to the present invention comprises: a power supply unit that supplies power to the UWB anchor; a transceiver unit that transmits and receives a UWB tag and a UWB signal for ranging, and transmits to a control unit below that reception has failed if the signal of the UWB tag is not received; and a control unit that terminates a ranging session when the number of ranging failures accumulated per ranging block reaches the maximum number of ranging attempts.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a UWB ON / OFF operation method for minimizing power consumption and a UWB anchor applying the same. More specifically, the invention relates to a UWB ON / OFF operation method and a UWB anchor applying the same, which minimizes power consumption by not waiting for reception when the number of failures reaches a threshold due to continuous positioning failures of the UWB anchor. Background Technology

[0002] Ultra-wideband (UWB) is a wireless communication protocol that operates at high frequencies (6–8 GHz) across a very wide bandwidth (over 500 MHz). UWB can be used to perform various functions such as location recognition, location tracking, and remote payment. In particular, a key advantage of UWB is its superior distance estimation precision compared to existing narrowband systems. Among the positioning (distance calculation) methods using UWB, Time of Flight (ToF) is a method that calculates the physical distance between communicating entities by multiplying the signal arrival time between them by the speed of light.

[0003] A UWB anchor acts as a responder in the positioning process of a smart key / digital key system. The operation is completed when the UWB anchor receives the initial signal (pre-poll message) from a UWB tag (e.g., a fob in a smart key system or a smartphone equipped with a digital key system), which acts as the UWB initiator, and responds to it. However, not all of the multiple UWB anchors used in a smart key / digital key system are always operational. Due to the characteristics of UWB wireless communication, if a UWB anchor fails to receive the UWB signal for various reasons—such as being far from the UWB tag, lack of linearity, or material influence—the anchor keeps its reception window open, resulting in unnecessary power consumption. The problem to be solved

[0004] The present invention aims to provide a UWB ON / OFF operation method and a UWB anchor to which the same is applied, in order to solve the above-mentioned problems, by terminating the positioning session so as not to wait for reception when the UWB anchor continuously fails to position and reaches a threshold of the number of set failures, while allowing it to re-enter the waiting state after a certain period of time, thereby minimizing unnecessary power consumption and preventing degradation of UWB positioning performance.

[0005] The objectives of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned objectives will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below. means of solving the problem

[0006] A UWB anchor applying a UWB ON / OFF operation method for minimizing power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention for achieving the above objective comprises: a power supply unit that supplies power to the UWB anchor; a transceiver unit that transmits and receives a UWB tag and a UWB signal for ranging, and transmits to a control unit below that reception has failed if the signal of the UWB tag is not received; and a control unit that terminates a ranging session when the number of ranging failures accumulated per ranging block reaches the maximum number of ranging attempts.

[0007] The above control unit can cause the UWB anchor to re-enter the reception standby (UWB ON) state when the preset UWB OFF time has elapsed, and the UWB OFF time can be set to be longer than the time during which the reception standby (UWB ON) state is maintained.

[0008] A smart key system applying a UWB ON / OFF operation method for minimizing power consumption according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises: a plurality of UWB anchors installed in a vehicle and calculating the distance between itself and a UWB tag via UWB communication; and an integrated controller that calculates the location of a UWB tag using the calculated distance transmitted from the plurality of UWB anchors. The UWB anchors terminate the reception standby state and enter a resting state (UWB OFF) when the cumulative sum of positioning failures per positioning block reaches the maximum number of positioning attempts, and re-enter the reception standby state (UWB ON) when a preset UWB OFF time elapses, wherein the UWB OFF time is set to be longer than the time during which the reception standby state (UWB ON) is maintained.

[0009] A method for operating a UWB anchor on / off to minimize power consumption according to an embodiment of the present invention comprises: a step in which the UWB anchor enters a UWB reception standby state (UWB ON); a step of determining whether a positioning failure has occurred for each positioning block; a step in which, if the positioning failure occurs continuously across several positioning blocks, the control unit accumulates the number of positioning failures; a step of checking whether the accumulated number of positioning failures has reached a predetermined maximum number of positioning attempts; a step in which, if the accumulated number of positioning failures has reached the maximum number of positioning attempts, the UWB anchor is maintained in a state not waiting for reception (UWB OFF) for a set UWB OFF time; and a step of switching the UWB anchor back to a UWB reception standby state (UWB ON) when the set UWB OFF time has elapsed; wherein the UWB OFF time is set to be longer than the time during which the reception standby (UWB ON) state is maintained. Effects of the invention

[0010] By setting a threshold for cases where the UWB anchor continuously fails to position, it prevents further waiting for reception, thereby minimizing unnecessary power consumption.

[0011] In addition, it has the effect of preventing positioning performance from degrading by re-entering the reception standby state (resuming positioning) at a certain point after the positioning session ends. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0012] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration for UWB positioning according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a UWB anchor according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a reference diagram to explain the concepts of positioning blocks and positioning rounds. Figure 4 is a reference diagram showing the trend of current values ​​in one positioning block when UWB positioning is successful. Figure 5 is a reference diagram showing the trend of current values ​​in one positioning block when UWB positioning continuously fails. Figure 6 is a reference diagram showing the trend of current values ​​when the maximum number of positioning attempts is applied. FIG. 7 is a diagram showing the UWB ON / OFF time setting of a UWB anchor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8a is a diagram showing the UWB ON / OFF time setting of a UWB anchor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8b is a diagram showing the UWB ON / OFF time setting of a UWB anchor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a UWB ON / OFF operation method of a UWB anchor according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a smart key system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 11 is a reference diagram regarding the calculation of the average movement speed of a UWB tag according to one embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a UWB ON / OFF operation method of a UWB anchor according to an embodiment of the present invention. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0013] The present invention is capable of various modifications and may have various embodiments; specific embodiments are illustrated in the drawings and described in detail in the detailed description. However, this is not intended to limit the present invention to specific embodiments, and it should be understood that it includes all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions that fall within the spirit and scope of the present invention. In describing the present invention, detailed descriptions of related prior art are omitted if it is determined that such detailed descriptions may obscure the essence of the present invention.

[0014] The terms "first," "second," etc., as used in the specification may be used to describe various components, but said components shall not be limited by said terms. These terms are used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

[0015] When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it should be understood that while it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, there may also be other components in between. Conversely, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between. Other expressions describing the relationship between components, such as "between" and "exactly between," or "adjacent to" and "directly adjacent to," should be interpreted in the same way.

[0016] Additionally, the term "...part" as described in the specification refers to a unit that processes one or more functions or operations, which may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of hardware and software.

[0017] The terms used in this application are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the invention. The singular expression includes the plural expression unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this application, terms such as "comprising" or "having" are intended to specify the existence of the features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof described in the specification, and should be understood as not precluding the existence or addition of one or more other features, numbers, steps, actions, components, parts, or combinations thereof. Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0018] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration for UWB positioning according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] In one embodiment of the present invention, a plurality of UWB anchors (110) are mounted on a vehicle (10), and positioning of the UWB tag (200) is achieved by the UWB anchor (110) receiving and communicating with the initial signal transmitted from the UWB tag (200). At this time, the UWB tag (200) acts as a UWB initiator, and the UWB anchor (110) acts as a UWB responder. The UWB tag (200) is a wireless device capable of UWB communication that is the target of location tracking. For example, the UWB tag (200) may be a fob operating in a smart key system or a smartphone equipped with a digital key system.

[0020] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing the configuration of a UWB anchor (110) according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] As shown in FIG. 2, a UWB anchor (110) according to one embodiment of the present invention is configured to include a power supply unit (111), a transceiver unit (112), a control unit (113), and a vehicle network communication unit (114).

[0022] The power supply unit (111) supplies power to the UWB anchor (110) under the control of the control unit (113). For example, the power supply unit (111) can change the current value supplied to the UWB anchor (110) under the control of the control unit (113).

[0023] The transceiver (112) receives the initial signal (pre-poll) of the UWB tag (200) and can send a response signal in response to it or receive the final signal of the UWB tag (200). It can also transmit a report signal regarding the distance data of the UWB tag (200) to the UWB tag (200). In addition to the above signals, the transceiver (112) can exchange other signals necessary for UWB positioning with the UWB tag (200). If the transceiver (112) fails to receive the signal of the UWB tag (200) within a positioning round and thus cannot perform positioning, it transmits this to the control unit (113) so that the control unit (113) can accumulate and sum the positioning failures for each positioning block, thereby enabling the control unit (113) to perform UWB ON / OFF operations in the event of a positioning failure. Positioning failure refers to a case where the distance between the UWB anchor (110) and the UWB tag (200) cannot be calculated as a result of the transmitting and receiving unit (112) failing to receive the signal of the UWB tag (200). Positioning failure includes cases where the distance cannot be calculated because not only the initial signal of the UWB tag (200) but also subsequent signals are not received.

[0024] The transmitting and receiving unit (112) closes the receiving window according to the UWB OFF control of the control unit (113) in case of positioning failure. Additionally, the transmitting and receiving unit (112) transmits information in the final signal transmitted by the UWB tag (200) (ID of the UWB tag (200) and information on the time of transmission and reception of the UWB signal) and information on the time of reception of the final signal to the control unit (113) so that the control unit (113) can calculate the distance.

[0025] When the control unit (113) receives a positioning failure from the transceiver (112), it accumulates and sums the results by positioning block unit to check if the maximum number of positioning attempts (MAX_RR_RETRY) has been reached. If the number of positioning failures by positioning block unit, which is continuously accumulated, reaches the maximum number of positioning attempts, the control unit (113) applies a preset UWB OFF time. The control unit (113) terminates the positioning session (UWB OFF) to reduce power consumption. That is, it causes the transceiver (112) to close the receiving window and controls the power supply unit (111) to supply only a predetermined current value. The control unit (113) controls the UWB OFF time according to the preset number of positioning blocks or time. That is, when the preset number of positioning blocks or time has elapsed, it attempts positioning again (re-enters the receiving standby state (UWB ON)). Meanwhile, when the control unit (113) receives signal transmission and reception information with the UWB tag (200) normally from the transmission and reception unit (112), it calculates the distance between the UWB tag (200) and the UWB anchor (110).

[0026] The vehicle network communication unit (114) can exchange signals with the integrated controller of the smart key system through the vehicle internal communication bus. When the number of positioning failures per positioning block unit accumulated continuously reaches the maximum number of positioning attempts, the control unit (113) can transmit the relevant information to the integrated controller through the vehicle network communication unit (114).

[0027] Figures 3 to 5 are reference diagrams for explaining the comparison of power consumption when the UWB anchor is successful and when it fails to be positioned.

[0028] Figure 3 is a reference diagram to explain the concepts of positioning blocks and positioning rounds.

[0029] A ranging block refers to a time unit for performing ranging. A ranging block consists of multiple ranging rounds. Figure 3 illustrates a case where one ranging block consists of eight ranging rounds, but the number of ranging rounds depending on the ranging block may vary. In the example of Figure 3, eight ranging blocks proceed along the time axis.

[0030] A positioning round is a unit in which a complete positioning event occurs between an initiator and a responder on a UWB network. In the example of Figure 3, one positioning block consists of eight positioning rounds.

[0031] Figure 4 is a reference diagram showing the trend of current values ​​in one positioning block when UWB positioning is successful.

[0032] Although the actual current value varies depending on the detailed operation of the UWB transmitter and receiver, for the convenience of conceptual explanation, it is assumed on the graph in the drawing that the current value must remain at its maximum value during one positioning round (the current values ​​indicated on the graph in the following drawing are approximate figures).

[0033] If positioning is successful in the first positioning round, no further positioning is performed in the other positioning round defined as a single positioning block. Therefore, in the other positioning round, the current is maintained at a level lower than the current required for positioning (e.g., 1 / 4).

[0034] Figure 5 is a reference diagram showing the trend of current values ​​in one positioning block when UWB positioning continuously fails.

[0035] The UWB anchor (110) continuously fails to position from the first positioning round to the last positioning round, but must keep the receiving window open to receive the initial signal (pre-poll) from the UWB tag (200). Consequently, a high current (e.g., 4 times) must be continuously maintained compared to the current when no positioning is performed within the positioning block, so unnecessarily high power is consumed compared to the case of FIG. 4.

[0036] Figure 6 is a reference diagram showing the trend of current values ​​when the maximum number of positioning attempts is applied.

[0037] To address the aforementioned power consumption issue, the maximum number of positioning attempts (MAX_RR_RETRY: number of failed ranging round attempts) is specified. If the number of failed positioning blocks reaches the specified number, the positioning session is terminated. For example, as illustrated, if the maximum number of positioning attempts is specified as 5, positioning is attempted across 5 positioning blocks, and the positioning session is terminated. However, since power consumption must be reduced while positioning performance must be ensured simultaneously, consideration must be given to the timing of resuming the positioning process.

[0038] According to one embodiment of the present invention, a UWB anchor (110) is in a UWB ON state (reception standby mode) or a UWB OFF state (idle mode). The reception standby mode refers to a mode in which the reception window is kept open when the UWB anchor (110) has succeeded in positioning the UWB tag (200) or when, even if positioning fails, the number of predetermined maximum positioning attempts has not yet been reached. If the UWB anchor (110) continuously fails to position the UWB tag (200), the accumulated number of failures is increased. The accumulated number of failures is calculated by determining whether positioning failed for each positioning block and summing them up one by one, and becomes 0 when positioning is successful. When the accumulated number of failures reaches the predetermined maximum number of positioning attempts, the UWB anchor (110) switches to an idle mode (a state in which the reception window is not opened) to reduce power consumption. The control unit (113) controls the power supply unit (111) and the transceiver unit (112) according to the preset UWB OFF time or the number of UWB OFF positioning blocks. During the idle mode, the transceiver unit (112) does not open the receiving window according to the control of the control unit (113), and the current flowing from the power supply unit (111) is reduced compared to the UWB ON mode. For example, 100mA of current flows in the receiving standby mode, but when the idle mode is activated, 0.1mA of current flows.

[0039] Referring to FIG. 7, the UWB ON / OFF time setting of a UWB anchor (110) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. The time setting involves repeating the UWB ON / OFF cycle in the same period, and the UWB OFF time is set to be the same as the time calculated by the maximum number of positioning attempts (MAX_RR_RETRY).

[0040] For example, if the maximum number of positioning attempts is 5 and the positioning block is 192ms, the UWB ON time becomes 960ms (192ms multiplied by 5), and the UWB OFF time becomes the same 960ms. Consequently, UWB ON / OFF is repeated with a 960ms cycle.

[0041] This policy has the advantage of reducing the power consumption of UWB anchors by half while preventing degradation of positioning performance by determining the timing of UWB positioning resumption (recovery) based on the maximum number of positioning attempts.

[0042] Meanwhile, in the UWB ON / OFF time setting of the UWB anchor (110) according to one embodiment of the present invention, the positioning performance can be improved by making the UWB OFF time shorter than the UWB ON time.

[0043] Referring to FIG. 8a, the UWB ON / OFF time setting of a UWB anchor (110) according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described. In the time setting, the UWB OFF time is set to a constant time regardless of the maximum number of positioning attempts. For example, if the positioning block is 192ms and the maximum number of positioning attempts is 5, the UWB ON time becomes 960ms, which is 192ms multiplied by 5, and if the UWB OFF time is set to 3840ms, the UWB OFF time becomes 4 times the UWB ON time.

[0044] Referring to Fig. 8b, another example of applying the above time settings is described. For example, if the positioning block is 384ms and the maximum number of positioning attempts is 3, the UWB ON time becomes 1152ms, which is 384ms multiplied by 3, and if the UWB OFF time is set to 3840ms, the UWB OFF time becomes 3.33 times the UWB ON time.

[0045] The above time setting has the advantage of significantly reducing the power consumption of the UWB anchor.

[0046] A UWB ON / OFF time setting for a UWB anchor according to another embodiment of the present invention is a method of increasing the UWB OFF time in units of a certain amount from an initially specified time if positioning continues to fail at the corresponding UWB anchor during the UWB ON time. For example, if the positioning block is 192ms and the maximum number of positioning attempts is 5, the UWB ON time becomes 960ms, which is 192ms multiplied by 5. The initial UWB OFF time is set to 3840ms, and the increment unit is set to 192ms, which is the positioning block time. Initially, the UWB OFF time is 4 times the UWB ON time, but if positioning fails during the next UWB ON time, the UWB OFF time becomes 4.2 times (4032ms), and if positioning fails during the subsequent UWB ON time, the UWB OFF time becomes 4.4 times (4224ms) the UWB ON time. This method has the advantage of significantly reducing the power consumption of the UWB anchor.

[0047] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a UWB ON / OFF operation method of a UWB anchor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0048] First, in step S110, the UWB anchor (110) enters the UWB ON state (reception standby mode), and under the control of the control unit (113), the transceiver (112) opens the reception window, and the power supply (111) supplies enough current to receive a UWB signal from the UWB tag (200).

[0049] In step S120, a positioning failure is determined for each positioning block. That is, if the transceiver (112) fails to receive the signal of the UWB tag (200) within a positioning round and thus cannot perform positioning, it transmits this to the control unit (113), allowing the control unit (113) to accumulate and sum the positioning failures for each positioning block. If the control unit (113) fails to position in all positioning rounds within the corresponding positioning block, it determines that positioning has failed in that positioning block.

[0050] In step S130, the number of consecutive positioning failures is accumulated. For example, if positioning failed in the previous positioning block and positioning failed in the next positioning block, the number of consecutive positioning failures becomes 2.

[0051] In step S140, it is determined whether the number of consecutive positioning failures has reached a predetermined maximum number of positioning attempts. If the maximum number of positioning attempts has not been reached, the process returns to step S120 to determine whether positioning failures have occurred for each positioning block. If the maximum number of positioning attempts has been reached, the process switches to the UWB OFF state (idle mode).

[0052] In step S180, the receiving window is not opened for the set UWB OFF time (or number of positioning blocks) (maintaining idle mode). When the set UWB OFF time (or number of positioning blocks) has elapsed, the control unit (113) switches back to the UWB ON state (receiving standby mode) to resume positioning (S110).

[0053] FIG. 10 is a block diagram illustrating the configuration of a smart key system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] As illustrated in FIG. 10, a smart key system (100) according to one embodiment of the present invention comprises a plurality of UWB anchors (110-1 to 110-n) and an integrated controller (120). The functions of the UWB anchors (110) and the components included in the UWB anchors (110) are basically the same as described with reference to FIG. 2.

[0055] Each UWB anchor (one of 110-1 to 110-n, hereinafter referred to as 110) calculates the distance between itself and the UWB tag (200) and transmits it to the vehicle network communication unit (122) of the integrated controller (120) through the built-in vehicle network communication unit (114).

[0056] The vehicle network communication unit (122) of the integrated controller (120) transmits data regarding the calculated distance to the positioning unit (121). The positioning unit (121) estimates the location of the UWB tag (200) based on the distance data. A known triangulation method may be used for the location estimation method.

[0057] The control unit (113) of each UWB anchor (110) can accumulate the number of positioning failures in units of positioning blocks as described above, and when the maximum number of positioning attempts is reached, transmit this information along with its ID to the vehicle network communication unit (122) of the integrated controller (120) via the vehicle network communication unit (114). In this case, the vehicle network communication unit (122) of the integrated controller (120) transmits the information to the positioning unit (121).

[0058] The positioning unit (121) stores movement path data (time and location) of the UWB tag (200) for a certain period of time, and using this data, the average movement speed and direction of movement of the UWB tag (200) for a certain period of time can be calculated. The average movement speed calculated by the positioning unit (121) refers to the speed at which the UWB tag (200) moves away from a specific location of the vehicle (e.g., the center of gravity of the vehicle) for a certain period of time (detailed description will be provided later, see FIG. 11). Since the positioning unit (121) stores movement path data (time and location) of the UWB tag (200) for a certain period of time, the speed and direction of the UWB tag (200) can be calculated. The positioning unit (121) can transmit the average moving speed, moving direction, distance to the location of the UWB tag (200) finally measured from a specific location of the vehicle, or the location of the UWB tag (200) finally measured through the vehicle network communication unit (122) to the UWB anchor (110) that has reached the maximum number of positioning attempts.

[0059] The control unit (113) of the above UWB anchor (110) can determine the UWB OFF time based on the information received through the vehicle network communication unit (114). For example, a threshold for the average movement speed can be set, and the UWB ON / OFF time setting can be varied depending on whether the threshold is exceeded. For example, if the average movement speed of the UWB tag (200) exceeds 0.5 m / sec, the control unit (113) can make a decision to minimize power consumption by making the UWB OFF time longer than the UWB ON time of the UWB anchor (110). On the other hand, if the average movement speed of the UWB tag (200) is 0.5 m / sec or less, the control unit (113) can make a decision to ensure constant positioning performance by making the UWB OFF time of the UWB anchor (110) equal to the UWB ON time. Additionally, if a threshold for the distance from a specific location of the vehicle to the UWB tag (200) is specified, the control unit (113) can adjust the UWB OFF time differently depending on whether it exceeds this threshold. For example, if the threshold for the distance is 20m, if the distance exceeds this threshold, a decision can be made to minimize power consumption by making the UWB OFF time longer than the UWB ON time. On the other hand, if the distance is within 20m, a decision can be made to ensure consistent positioning performance by making the UWB OFF time equal to the UWB ON time. Additionally, the control unit (113) can adjust the UWB OFF time differently depending on whether the final measured location of the UWB tag (200) is in a direction close to the UWB anchor (110). For example, if the final measured position of the UWB tag (200) is in a direction close to the UWB anchor (110), the UWB ON time and UWB OFF time can be made equal, and if it is in a direction far from the UWB anchor (110), the UWB OFF time can be made longer than the UWB ON time.Specifically, for example, if the UWB anchor (110) is installed at the front of the vehicle, if the final measured position of the UWB tag (200) is at the front of the vehicle, the UWB ON time and UWB OFF time are equal, and if the position of the UWB tag (200) is at the rear of the vehicle, the UWB OFF time can be made longer than the UWB ON time.

[0060] Referring to FIG. 11, the calculation of the average movement speed of a UWB tag (200) according to one embodiment of the present invention will be described.

[0061] The average movement speed calculated by the positioning unit (121) refers to the speed at which the UWB tag (200) moves away from a specific location of the vehicle (e.g., the center of gravity of the vehicle) over a predetermined period of time. For example, if the distance from the center of gravity of the vehicle to the UWB tag (200) was initially 10m and after 10 seconds the distance from the center of gravity of the vehicle to the UWB tag (200) was 15m, the average movement speed of the UWB tag (200) over 10 seconds is 0.5m / sec, calculated by dividing (15m - 10m) by 10 seconds. The illustrated graph has the X-axis representing time and the Y-axis representing the distance from a specific location of the vehicle to the UWB tag (200). The average movement speed at the time of calculation of the positioning unit (121) is the value obtained by dividing the difference (Δs) between the distance from the specific vehicle position at the time of calculation to the UWB tag (200) and the distance from the specific vehicle position at the time of calculation to the UWB tag (200) at the time of calculation by the predetermined time (Δt), when the time prior to the time of calculation is set as the starting point of the time interval and the time of calculation is set as the ending point of the time interval.

[0062] FIG. 12 is a flowchart illustrating a UWB ON / OFF operation method of a UWB anchor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0063] The details regarding steps S110 through S130 and S180 are the same as the description with reference to FIG. 9.

[0064] In step S140, it is determined whether the number of consecutive positioning failures has reached a predetermined maximum number of positioning attempts. If the maximum number of positioning attempts has not been reached, the process returns to step S120 to determine whether positioning failures have occurred for each positioning block. If the maximum number of positioning attempts has been reached, step S160 is performed.

[0065] In step S160, the positioning unit (121) of the integrated controller (120) calculates the average movement speed for the recent movement path of the UWB tag (200). Additionally, the positioning unit (121) of the integrated controller (120) can determine the average movement direction of the recent UWB tag (200) based on the movement path data of the UWB tag (200). The time range for calculating the average movement speed and average movement direction follows a specific value (e.g., 10 seconds) that is specified in advance.

[0066] In step S170, the positioning unit (121) of the integrated controller (120) transmits the average movement speed of the UWB tag (200) to the UWB anchor (110) through the vehicle network communication unit (122) when the number of consecutive positioning failures reaches the maximum number of positioning attempts. Additionally, the positioning unit (121) may transmit the average movement direction of the UWB tag (200) or the distance to the location of the UWB tag (200) finally measured from a specific location of the vehicle instead of the average movement speed. The control unit (113) of the UWB anchor (110) determines the UWB OFF time based on at least one of the average movement speed, average movement direction, or the distance to the location of the UWB tag (200) finally measured.

[0067] For reference, the components according to the embodiments of the present invention may be implemented in the form of software or hardware such as an FPGA (Field Programmable Gate Array) or an ASIC (Application Specific Integrated Circuit), and may perform certain roles.

[0068] However, 'components' are not limited to software or hardware, and each component may be configured to reside in an addressable storage medium or configured to operate one or more processors.

[0069] Accordingly, as an example, components include components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, as well as processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables.

[0070] Components and the functions provided within them can be combined into a smaller number of components or further separated into additional components.

[0071] In embodiments of the present invention, the term "part" refers to a software or hardware component, such as an FPGA or ASIC, and the "part" performs certain roles. However, the meaning of "part" is not limited to software or hardware. The "part" may be configured to reside in an addressable storage medium or configured to operate one or more processors. Thus, as an example, the "part" includes components such as software components, object-oriented software components, class components, and task components, as well as processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segments of program code, drivers, firmware, microcode, circuits, data, databases, data structures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functions provided within the components and "parts" may be combined into a smaller number of components and "parts" or further separated into additional components and "parts." Furthermore, the components and "parts" may be implemented to operate one or more CPUs within a device or secure multimedia card.

[0072] Although the present invention has been described above with reference to preferred embodiments, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and changes can be made to the invention without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as described in the following claims. Explanation of the symbols

[0073] 10: Vehicle 100: Smart Key System 110: UWB Anchor 111: Power supply 112: Transmitter / Receiver 113: Control unit 114: Vehicle Network Communications Unit 120: Integrated Controller 121: Side-positioning unit 122: Vehicle Network Communications Unit 200: UWB tag

Claims

Claim 1 A power supply unit that supplies power to a UWB anchor; a transceiver unit that transmits and receives a UWB tag and a UWB signal for positioning, and transmits to a control unit below that reception has failed if the signal of the UWB tag is not received; and a control unit configured to receive the reception failure from the transceiver unit and, when the cumulative sum of the number of positioning failures per positioning block within consecutive positioning blocks reaches the maximum number of positioning round failures, terminate the positioning session and the UWB signal reception standby mode or the UWB ON mode. A UWB anchor applying a UWB ON / OFF operation method to minimize power consumption, wherein each positioning block includes a plurality of positioning rounds, the control unit is configured to determine whether positioning has failed for each positioning block, and if the positioning fails in all positioning rounds of the corresponding positioning block, the positioning fails in the positioning block, the control unit is configured to re-enter the UWB anchor into a UWB signal reception standby mode or a UWB ON mode when the UWB OFF time has elapsed, the UWB OFF time is set to be longer than the time of the UWB signal reception standby mode or the UWB ON mode, and the control unit is configured to control the UWB anchor into a UWB signal reception non-standby mode during the UWB OFF time set from the time when the UWB signal reception standby mode or the UWB ON mode ends. Claim 2 delete Claim 3 Multiple UWB anchors installed in a vehicle and calculating the distance between themselves and UWB tags via UWB communication; The UWB ON / OFF method for minimizing power consumption is characterized by comprising: an integrated controller that calculates the location of a UWB tag using the calculated distance transmitted from the plurality of UWB anchors; wherein the UWB anchor terminates the positioning session and the UWB signal reception standby mode or the UWB ON mode when the cumulative sum of the number of failures per positioning block within consecutive positioning blocks reaches the maximum number of positioning round failures; the control unit re-enters the UWB signal reception standby mode when the UWB OFF time set from the time the UWB signal reception standby mode or the UWB ON mode is terminated has elapsed; each positioning block includes a plurality of positioning rounds; the integrated controller is configured to determine whether positioning has failed for each positioning block; and if the positioning fails in all positioning rounds of the corresponding positioning block, the positioning fails in the positioning block; and the UWB OFF time is set to be longer than the time of the UWB signal reception standby mode or the UWB ON mode. Smart key system with applied operation method. Claim 4 A step in which a UWB anchor enters a UWB reception standby state (UWB ON); a step of determining whether positioning has failed for each positioning block, wherein the positioning block includes a plurality of measurement rounds, and if the positioning fails in all positioning rounds of the corresponding positioning block, the positioning fails in the positioning block; a step of accumulating and summing the number of positioning failures if the positioning fails consecutively in a plurality of positioning blocks; a step of checking whether the accumulated number of positioning failures has reached the maximum number of positioning round failures; and a step in which, in consecutive positioning blocks, if the accumulated number of measurement failures has reached the maximum number of positioning round failures, the UWB anchor is entered into and maintained in a UWB signal reception non-standby mode or a UWB OFF mode. A method for UWB ON / OFF operation of a UWB anchor to minimize power consumption, comprising the step of returning the UWB anchor to a UWB signal reception standby mode or UWB ON mode when the UWB OFF time has elapsed from the point of entry into the UWB signal reception non-standby mode or UWB OFF mode, wherein the UWB OFF time is set longer than the time of the UWB signal reception standby mode or UWB ON mode.

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