Method for improving distance measurement accuracy and electronic device therefor

Abstract

A method for improving the accuracy of measuring the distance to an object using a wireless communication signal and an electronic device therefor are provided. The method includes: transmitting a wireless communication signal to an external object by controlling a wireless communication module, receiving a signal reflected from the external object based on the transmitted wireless communication signal by controlling the wireless communication module, acquiring a first distance to the external object based on a transmission time point of the transmitted signal and a reception time point of the received signal, acquiring a second distance to the external object based on a phase of the transmitted signal and the received signal by controlling a phase matching module, and estimating the distance to the external object based on the first distance and the second distance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method of improving the accuracy of measuring a distance to an object using a wireless communication signal and an electronic device used for the method. Background Art

[0002] With the popularity of the use of cellular phones or smart phones, there is a growing need for verification of user faces in order to enhance the security of smart phones, or there is a growing need for identification of objects or people near smart phones in order to execute various applications. In response to this need, various methods of identifying objects and measuring the distance to objects using cameras included in smart phones have been proposed. There is also a method of using an infrared sensor, but this method has limitations in accurately measuring the distance even if it can sense adjacent objects.

[0003] Meanwhile, radar is a device capable of transmitting electromagnetic waves and performing operations based on reflected waves or backscattered waves reflected from an object, such as identifying or classifying the presence / absence of an object, the distance to the object, the altitude of the object, the moving direction of the object, and the moving speed of the object. Radars generally use microwave frequency bands (e.g., 300 MHz to 40 GHz). Radars for detecting objects near the front and rear corners of a vehicle or objects at a medium and long distance in front of the vehicle use, for example, a frequency band of 24 GHz or 77 GHz.

[0004] Smartphones are equipped with 802.11n or 802.11ac systems for wireless data communication, and can perform wireless communication using a frequency band of 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz. In addition, as wireless data communication systems that enable higher data transmission, 802.11ad and 802.11ay systems that have been standardized or are being standardized by the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) in recent years can use a wide bandwidth of several GHz using a 60 GHz frequency band. The 802.11ad system can use a single bandwidth of 2.16 GHz, and the 802.11ay system that has expanded the 802.11ad system can use a much wider bandwidth of up to 8.64 GHz.

[0005] By using a wide bandwidth of several GHz frequency band, the 802.11ay system is able to achieve a transmission speed of up to 100Gbps. Using a wide bandwidth in wireless data communication makes it possible to obtain a high transmission rate proportional to the bandwidth. In addition, when the 802.11ay signal is used for radar functions, such as identifying or classifying the presence / absence of an object, the distance to the object, the altitude of the object, the moving direction of the object, and the moving speed of the object, a high accuracy proportional to the bandwidth can be obtained.

[0006] The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above may be applicable as prior art with respect to the present disclosure. Summary of the invention

[0007] Considering the maximum bandwidth of 4.32 GHz defined as the bandwidth that should be mandatorily supported in the standard, the minimum distance accuracy that can be measured using the distance measurement scheme of the prior art or using the 802.11ay wireless signal using broadband can be determined to be approximately 4.28 cm. However, some applications may require quite high accuracy, thereby estimating the position with an accurate unit of 1 cm and determining what action to perform for each position. Therefore, a system such as an 802.11ay system that basically has a resolution of 4.28 cm may be difficult to use in applications requiring an accuracy of 1 cm. In order to increase the distance estimation accuracy or the position estimation accuracy, interpolation is generally used. However, even if this method is added, there is a limit to improving the accuracy to 1 cm.

[0008] An aspect of the present disclosure is to solve at least the above-mentioned problems and / or disadvantages and to provide at least the advantages described below. Therefore, an aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a method for improving distance estimation accuracy by performing phase matching in addition to a prior art process for performing distance estimation when an electronic device is used as a radar using a signal radiated from a device for wireless communication provided therein.

[0009] The technical problems to be solved by the present disclosure are not limited to those described above, and other technical problems not described above may be clearly understood by those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure belongs.

[0010] Additional aspects and / or advantages will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the embodiments.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes: a wireless communication module configured to send a wireless communication signal to an external object and receive a signal reflected from the external object; a phase matching module configured to estimate the distance to the external object based on the phase of the transmitted signal and the received signal; at least one processor operatively connected to the phase matching module and the wireless communication module; and at least one memory operatively connected to the at least one processor. The at least one memory can store instructions, which, when executed, enable the at least one processor to control the wireless communication module to send a wireless communication signal to an external object, control the wireless communication module to receive a signal returned based on the transmitted wireless signal reflected from the external object, obtain a first distance to the external object based on the transmission time point of the transmitted signal and the reception time point of the received signal, obtain a second distance to the external object based on the phase of the received signal and the transmitted signal by controlling the phase matching module, and estimate the distance to the external object by comparing the first distance and the second distance.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method for operating an electronic device is provided. The method includes: an operation of sending a wireless communication signal to an external object, an operation of receiving a signal returned based on the reflection of the sent wireless signal from the external object, an operation of acquiring a first distance to the external object based on a sending time point of the sent signal and a receiving time point of the received signal, an operation of acquiring a second distance to the external object based on a phase of the sent signal and a received signal by controlling a phase matching module, and an operation of estimating the distance to the external object by comparing the first distance and the second distance.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronic device is provided. The electronic device includes: a wireless communication module configured to send a wireless communication signal and receive a signal returned based on the transmitted wireless communication signal reflected from an external object; a phase matching module configured to estimate a second distance to the external object based on the phase of the transmitted communication signal and the received signal; at least one processor operatively connected to the phase matching module and the wireless communication module; and at least one memory operatively connected to the at least one processor. The at least one memory can store instructions that, when executed, enable the at least one processor to obtain a first distance to the external object based on a transmission time point of the transmitted signal and a reception time point of the received signal, and to estimate the distance to the external object based on the first distance and the second distance.

[0014] When the method according to various embodiments and the electronic device used in the method are used for a radar function using a signal radiated from a wireless communication circuit provided in the electronic device, distance estimation accuracy can be improved by additionally performing phase matching in addition to the related art process for performing related art distance estimation.

[0015] For those skilled in the art, other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description, which, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, discloses various embodiments of the present disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0017] Figure 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0018] Figure 2 is a diagram showing various embodiments to which the method proposed herein is applied according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0019] Figure 3A is a diagram showing the structure of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) used in an 802.11ad system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0020] Figure 3B is a diagram showing a structure of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) used in an 802.11ay system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0021] Figure 4 is a diagram showing an example of calculating autocorrelation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 5A is a diagram illustrating channel estimation using a Golay sequence according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 5B is a diagram for describing an interpolation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 6 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 7 is a diagram for describing an operation of acquiring a phase of a received signal by a wireless communication module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of determining an estimated distance by reflecting a distance estimated by a phase matching module based on phases of a transmission signal and a reception signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Fig. 9 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of measuring a distance to an object by an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0028] Fig.10is a flowchart illustrating an operation of acquiring first distance information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. It includes various specific details to assist in understanding but they are considered to be exemplary only. Therefore, one of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that various changes and modifications of the various embodiments described herein may be made without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and structures may be omitted for clarity and conciseness.

[0031] The terms and words used in the following specification and claims are not limited to the literal meanings, but are merely used by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the present disclosure. Therefore, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustration purposes only and not for the purpose of limiting the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0032] It will be understood that the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a component surface" includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

[0033] Figure 1 is a block diagram illustrating an electronic device 101 in a network environment 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0034] Reference Figure 1, the electronic device 101 in the network environment 100 may communicate with the electronic device 102 via the first network 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or communicate with the electronic device 104 or the server 108 via the second network 199 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may communicate with the electronic device 104 via the server 108. According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 may include a processor 120, a memory 130, an input device 150, a sound output device 155, a display device 160, an audio module 170, a sensor module 176, an interface 177, a haptic module 179, a camera module 180, a power management module 188, a battery 189, a communication module 190, a user identification module (SIM) 196, or an antenna module 197. In some embodiments, at least one of the components (e.g., the display device 160 or the camera module 180) may be omitted from the electronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added to the electronic device 101. In some embodiments, some of the components may be implemented as a single integrated circuit.For example, the sensor module 176 (eg, a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or an illumination sensor) may be implemented to be embedded in the display device 160 (eg, a display).

[0035] The processor 120 may run, for example, software (e.g., program 140) to control at least one other component (e.g., hardware component or software component) of the electronic device 101 connected to the processor 120, and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or calculation, the processor 120 may load a command or data received from another component (e.g., sensor module 176 or communication module 190) into the volatile memory 132, process the command or data stored in the volatile memory 132, and store the resultant data in the non-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, the processor 120 may include a main processor 121 (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP)) and an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that is independent of or combined with the main processor 121 in operation. Additionally or alternatively, the auxiliary processor 123 may be adapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or adapted to be specifically used for a specified function. The auxiliary processor 123 may be implemented separately from the main processor 121 , or as part of the main processor 121 .

[0036] When the main processor 121 is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, the auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of the functions or states related to at least one component (e.g., display device 160, sensor module 176, or communication module 190) among the components of the electronic device 101 (not the main processor 121), or when the main processor 121 is in an active state (e.g., running an application), the auxiliary processor 123 may control at least some of the functions or states related to at least one component (e.g., display device 160, sensor module 176, or communication module 190) among the components of the electronic device 101 together with the main processor 121. According to an embodiment, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., camera module 180 or communication module 190) that is functionally related to the auxiliary processor 123.

[0037] The memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the processor 120 or the sensor module 176). The various data may include, for example, software (e.g., the program 140) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory 130 may include a volatile memory 132 or a nonvolatile memory 134.

[0038] The program 140 may be stored as software in the memory 130 , and may include, for example, an operating system (OS) 142 , middleware 144 , or applications 146 .

[0039] The input device 150 may receive commands or data from outside the electronic device 101 (e.g., a user) to be used by other components of the electronic device 101 (e.g., the processor 120). The input device 150 may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus).

[0040] The sound output device 155 can output a sound signal to the outside of the electronic device 101. The sound output device 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes such as playing multimedia or playing records, and the receiver can be used for incoming calls. Depending on the embodiment, the receiver can be implemented as a separate part from the speaker, or as a part of the speaker.

[0041] The display device 160 may visually provide information to the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., a user). The display device 160 may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector, and a control circuit for controlling a corresponding one of the display, the holographic device, and the projector. According to an embodiment, the display device 160 may include a touch circuit adapted to detect a touch or a sensor circuit (e.g., a pressure sensor) adapted to measure the strength of a force caused by a touch.

[0042] The audio module 170 may convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 may obtain sound via the input device 150, or output sound via the sound output device 155 or an earphone of an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102) directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly connected to the electronic device 101.

[0043] The sensor module 176 may detect an operating state (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device 101 or an environmental state (e.g., a state of a user) outside the electronic device 101, and then generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to an embodiment, the sensor module 176 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illumination sensor.

[0044] The interface 177 may support one or more specific protocols to be used to connect the electronic device 101 directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102). According to an embodiment, the interface 177 may include, for example, a high-definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface.

[0045] The connection end 178 may include a connector, wherein the electronic device 101 can be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device 102) via the connector. According to an embodiment, the connection end 178 may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0046] The haptic module 179 may convert the electrical signal into mechanical stimulation (eg, vibration or motion) or electrical stimulation that can be recognized by the user via his sense of touch or kinesthetic sense. According to an embodiment, the haptic module 179 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulator.

[0047] The camera module 180 may capture still images or moving images. According to an embodiment, the camera module 180 may include one or more lenses, an image sensor, an image signal processor, or a flash.

[0048] The power management module 188 may manage power supply to the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the power management module 188 may be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0049] The battery 189 may power at least one component of the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the battery 189 may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0050] The communication module 190 may support establishing a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device 101 and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102, electronic device 104, or server 108), and perform communication via the established communication channel. The communication module 190 may include one or more communication processors capable of operating independently from the processor 120 (e.g., an application processor (AP)) and supporting direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to an embodiment, the communication module 190 may include a wireless communication module 192 (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module 194 (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module or a power line communication (PLC) module). A corresponding one of these communication modules can communicate with an external electronic device via a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi) Direct, or Infrared Data Association (IrDA)) or a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or a Wide Area Network (WAN))). These various types of communication modules can be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip), or these various types of communication modules can be implemented as multiple components separated from each other (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module 192 can identify and authenticate the electronic device 101 in a communication network (such as the first network 198 or the second network 199) using user information (e.g., an International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)) stored in the user identification module 196.

[0051] The antenna module 197 may transmit or receive a signal or power to or from the outside of the electronic device 101 (e.g., an external electronic device). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include an antenna including a radiating element formed of a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed in or on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). According to an embodiment, the antenna module 197 may include a plurality of antennas. In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication scheme used in a communication network (such as the first network 198 or the second network 199) may be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, the communication module 190 (e.g., the wireless communication module 192). A signal or power may then be transmitted or received between the communication module 190 and the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) other than the radiating element may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module 197.

[0052] At least some of the above components may be connected to each other via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., a bus, a general purpose input output (GPIO), a serial peripheral interface (SPI), or a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI)) and communicatively transmit signals (e.g., commands or data) therebetween.

[0053] According to an embodiment, a command or data may be sent or received between the electronic device 101 and the external electronic device 104 via the server 108 connected to the second network 199. Each of the electronic device 102 and the electronic device 104 may be a device of the same type as the electronic device 101, or a device of a different type from the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, all or some operations to be executed in the electronic device 101 may be executed in one or more of the external electronic device 102, the external electronic device 104, or the server 108. For example, if the electronic device 101 should automatically execute a function or service or should execute a function or service in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to execute at least part of the function or service instead of executing the function or service, or the electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to execute at least part of the function or service in addition to executing the function or service. The one or more external electronic devices that receive the request may execute the requested at least part of the function or service, or execute another function or another service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device 101. The electronic device 101 may provide the result as at least a partial reply to the request with or without further processing the result. To this end, for example, cloud computing technology, distributed computing technology, or client-server computing technology may be used.

[0054] Figure 2 is a diagram 200 illustrating various embodiments to which the methods proposed herein are applied according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0055] refer to Figure 2 , the electronic device 101 communicates with the wireless communication system (eg, Figure 1 The communication module 190 in the electronic device 101 sends a signal 210 and receives a signal 230 reflected from the object 220, and the distance to the object 220 can be measured using the difference between the reception time of the reflected signal 230 and the transmission time of the transmitted signal 210. However, there is a limit to the measurement resolution that can be provided by the electronic device 101, and therefore the measurement resolution needs to be compensated.

[0056] Can be used for Figure 2 The wireless communication system of the illustrated embodiment may be an 802.11n or 802.11ac system, or an 802.11ad or 802.11ay system capable of supporting higher wireless data transmission throughput.

[0057] The 802.11n or 802.11ac system can transmit signals using 20, 40, 80 or 160 MHz bandwidth in the existing 2.4 GHz or 5 GHz frequency band, and the method proposed here can be applied thereto even though the distance measurement resolution may be low.

[0058] An 802.11ad system or an 802.11ay system configured by extending an 802.11ad system can use a wide bandwidth of several GHz using a 60 GHz frequency band. The 802.11ad system can support a single bandwidth of up to 2.16 GHz, and the 802.11ay system can use a much wider bandwidth of up to 8.64 GHz. The 802.11ay system can use a wide bandwidth of several GHz frequency bands to obtain high resolution and / or accuracy in measurement in proportion to the bandwidth. However, considering that the maximum bandwidth defined in the standard is 4.32 GHz, the resolution and / or accuracy may be limited to 4.28 cm.

[0059] Hereinafter, various embodiments will be described mainly based on the 802.11ad or 802.11ay system, but the wireless communication system used in the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and other wireless communication systems may be used. In addition, the method proposed here may be similarly applied thereto.

[0060] Figure 3A is a diagram illustrating the structure of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) 310 used in an 802.11ad system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0061] Figure 3B is a diagram illustrating a structure of a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) 350 used in an 802.11ay system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0062] refer to Figure 3A , the PPDU 310 of the 802.11ad system may include six fields, namely a short training field (STF) 311, a channel estimation field (CEF) 313, a header field 315, a data field 317, an automatic gain control (AGC) field 319, and a receive / transmit training (TRN) field 321. The STF 311 may be used for synchronization, the CEF 313 may be used for channel estimation, the data field 317 may include data to be transmitted, and the AGC field 319 and the TRN field 321 may be used for beam enhancement and beam tracking. The header field 315 may include a plurality of fields describing the PPDU 310 to be transmitted, and may change depending on the form of transmitting the PPDU 310. Examples of the form of transmitting the PPDU 310 may include a control physical layer, an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) physical layer, and a single carrier (SC) physical layer.

[0063] refer to Figure 3B , the PPDU 350 for the 802.11ay system includes fields 311, 313, and 315 of the PPDU 310 for the 802.11ad system, which are used to be backward compatible with the 802.11ad system as is. In order to distinguish the fields 311, 313, and 315 of the 802.11ad system PPDU 310 of the prior art from the newly added fields 363, 365, 367, and 369, an "L" indicating "legacy" may be added in front of the field names, and thus the fields may be referred to as L-STF 351, L-CEF 353, and L-Header 355, respectively. In addition, in addition to the fields of the PPDU 310 of the 802.1lad system, the PPDU 350 for the 802.11ay system may include signaling fields required to support features added to the 802.1lay system, such as channel bonding or multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO). For this purpose, as Figure 3B As shown, the PPDU 350 of the 802.11ay system may further include an EDMG-Header-A field 363, an EDMG-STF 365, an EDMG-CEF 367, and an EDMG-Header-B field 369 between the conventional header field 355 and the data field 357. Here, "Enhanced Directional Multi-Gbit (EDMG)" is a term added to indicate the main features of the 802.11ay system. EDMG-STF 365 and EDMG-CEF 367 are intended to perform functions similar to those of L-STF 351 and L-CEF 353, and EDMG-Header-A field 363 and EDMG-Header-B field 369 may include a plurality of fields describing the PPDU 350 to be transmitted. Figure 3B Also shown is an automatic gain control (AGC) field 359 (similar to Figure 3A AGC field 319 shown).

[0064] The electronic device 101 can be Figure 3A and Figure 3B The CEF 313 or L-CEF 353 and EDMG-CEF 367 of the PPDU 310 or 350 illustrated in the figure transmit a Golay sequence, and an electronic device receiving the PPDU 310 or 350 may use the Golay sequence to perform channel estimation that is usually required to receive data symbols transmitted in the data field 317 or 357 .

[0065] Figure 4 is a diagram 400 illustrating an example of calculating autocorrelation according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0066] Given a sequence X having a length of N (e.g., 8), the electronic device 101 may transmit a signal including the sequence X at a transmission time point 410, the transmission signal may be reflected from an object to be identified, and the electronic device 101 may receive a reflected signal including a sequence Y. The signal received by the electronic device 101 may be received after being delayed by a specific time (e.g., 4*chip duration) 420 from the transmission time point 410. Here, the chip duration 430 may refer to the time taken to transmit one chip or one symbol, and may have a value inversely proportional to the bandwidth of the transmission signal. In order to determine the time delay 420 experienced by the received sequence Y, the electronic device 101 may calculate the autocorrelation (R) between the received sequence Y and a delayed sequence X(k) obtained by delaying the sequence X by k*chip duration. x (k)). The autocorrelation can be calculated as the sum of the products of the corresponding components of the two series and can be expressed as Here, Y is a received sequence included in the reflected signal and corresponds to a signal obtained when X is delayed by a certain time, and X(k) is a signal obtained when the sequence X is delayed by k*chip duration from the transmission time point 410.

[0067] When reference Figure 4 When calculating the autocorrelation between sequence X (k = 1) and received sequence Y in the case of k = 1, since received sequence Y has not arrived during the first three chips (j = 1, 2, 3), the value of Y is 0, and X j (k) The value of Y also becomes 0. During the subsequent chip durations (j=4, 5, 6, 7, and 8), the received sequence Y arrives, and thus X j (k) and Y j has a value of -1 or 1, and the final autocorrelation (Rx(1)) obtained by summing these calculated values ​​has a value of 3.

[0068] Similarly, the electronic device 101 may calculate autocorrelations for other values ​​of k.

[0069] refer to Figure 4 , the autocorrelation can have R x (3) = -1, R x (4) = 8 and R x (6) = 0. Figure 4 Not shown, the autocorrelation may be calculated for other values ​​of k. In addition, when the autocorrelation value is a peak value among the autocorrelation values ​​calculated for the respective values ​​of k, the electronic device 101 may estimate the delay time until the recognized object using the value of k. Figure 4In the example, when k is 4, the autocorrelation has a value of 8 and thus becomes a peak, the electronic device 101 can estimate the delay time until the signal transmitted at the transmission time point 410 is received by being reflected and returned from the identified object as 4*chip duration.

[0070] According to various embodiments, in the case where a Golay sequence is used as sequence X, when the delay time is 0, that is, when two signals for which correlation is to be calculated have the same sequence, the correlation becomes a peak, and thus the autocorrelation has a maximum value. Conversely, when the delay time is not 0, that is, when two signals for which correlation is to be calculated are deviated by delay, the correlation has a value of 0 or less, and thus the electronic device 101 can easily obtain the delay time using the autocorrelation. According to another embodiment, in the case where a sequence called a Golay complementary sequence or a Golay pair sequence is used as sequence X, the autocorrelation has the following properties: when the delay time is 0, the autocorrelation has a large value, and when the delay time is not 0, the autocorrelation is 0, and thus the electronic device 101 can more easily obtain the delay time.

[0071] Figure 5A is a diagram 500 illustrating channel estimation using Golay sequences according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0072] refer to Figure 5A , it is assumed that three channel paths with different delay times can be set between the transmitting device 510 and the receiving device 520. When the transmitting device 510 transmits a Golay sequence, the Golay sequence transmitted to the receiving device 520 reaches the receiving device via three channel paths 531, 533, and 535. Then, the receiving device 520 receives a signal including multipath components with multiple delay times, signal amplitudes, and phases. Figure 4 As shown, the receiving device 520 calculates the correlation with respect to each delay time, and obtains the peak value at the time point 540 that is the same as the delay time of the multipath component. The receiving device 520 can also obtain the signal attenuation and phase value of the corresponding channel at the time point when the correlation value becomes the peak. Based on this information, the receiving device 520 can obtain the channel information or channel impulse response (CIR) required for data reception.

[0073] 802.11ad and 802.11ay systems include Golay sequences in CEF (e.g., CEF 313, L-CEF 353, or EDMG-CEF 367) to enable a receiving device to perform channel estimation. Therefore, an electronic device 101 including a wireless communication module 192 supporting 802.11ad and 802.11ay systems can send a PPDU 310 or 350 including a Golay sequence to perform distance measurement. When sending a PPDU 310 or 350 for distance measurement, the electronic device 101 may not use the data field 317 or 357, or may only load short information for a specific purpose therein to reduce overhead. In another embodiment, even if the PPDU 310 or 350 is used for general data transmission, channel estimation is possible because the Golay sequence is included in the CEF. In this case, the data field 317 or 357 may include data to be sent. The electronic device 101 intended to implement a radar function using a signal of an 802.11ad and 802.11ay system may transmit a PPDU 310 or 350 including a Golay sequence, and may receive signals reflected and returned from surrounding objects. As described above, the electronic device 101 may estimate the CIR using the correlation characteristics of the Golay sequence or the Golay pair. By calculating the correlation between the transmitted Golay sequence and the received signal for various delay times after transmitting the PPDU 310 or 350 including the Golay sequence, the electronic device 101 may obtain a correlation value used as a peak value in a time delay of each received channel component, and may estimate the CIR by obtaining the signal amplitude and phase information of the corresponding signal component at the corresponding time delay.

[0074] Assume that the delay time corresponding to the peak of the correlation between the signal received by reflection from a specific object and the transmission signal is τ, and the speed of the electromagnetic wave is V l , then the distance traveled by the electromagnetic wave until the signal transmitted from the electronic device 101 is received by being reflected from the object is V l *τ. Since this distance corresponds to the round trip distance to the corresponding object, the electronic device 101 can estimate the distance of the object at (V l Here, the resolution of τ can be determined by the chip duration.

[0075] When the electronic device 101 is used as a radar using a wireless signal of 802.11ay, it can be used Figure 4 The distance estimation is performed based on the related features of the Golay sequence described in the example. Figure 4As shown in FIG. 1 , since the delay time τ at which the correlation value reaches a peak is obtained by delaying the transmitted Golay sequence in units of the chip duration and calculating the correlation between the transmitted Golay sequence and the received Golay sequence, the resolution of the delay time can be determined based on the chip duration. Assuming that the chip duration is T c And the speed of electromagnetic waves is V l , in order to convert the delay time resolution into distance resolution, the distance traveled by the electromagnetic wave during the chip duration is T c *V l Since the signal transmitted from the wireless communication device is received after reciprocating to the distance of the object 200, the resolution of the distance may be (V l *T c ) / 2.

[0076] In an embodiment, the wireless communication scheme defined in 802.11ay supports channel bonding so that a bandwidth from 2.16 GHz to 8.64 GHz can be used, and the chip duration is inversely proportional to the bandwidth, and thus the chip duration can have a value from 0.57 ns to 0.14 ns. Substituting it into the above equation, a radar using a wireless signal of 802.11ay can have a resolution as shown in Table 1 depending on the bandwidth.

[0077] Table 1

[0078] bandwidth 2.16GHz 4.32GHz 6.48GHz 8.64GHz Resolution 8.55cm 4.28cm 2.85cm 2.14cm

[0079] Although the 802.11ay standard defines a bandwidth up to 8.64 GHz as described above, a bandwidth up to 4.32 GHz is defined as a bandwidth that should be compulsorily supported, and a larger bandwidth is defined as an optional bandwidth. Because most available chipsets generally only support bandwidths that should be compulsorily supported, the radar function based on the 802.11ay wireless signal can basically be set to have a distance resolution of about 4.28 cm. However, some applications may require quite high resolution or accuracy, so as to estimate the position with an accurate unit of 1 cm and perform specific operations for each position.

[0080] As described above, because the 802.11ay wireless communication scheme using a wide bandwidth can generally provide a resolution of about 4.28 cm, it may not provide the performance required by applications requiring higher accuracy or resolution. Interpolation can be used to slightly improve the distance estimation accuracy.

[0081] Figure 5B 560 is a diagram for describing an interpolation method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0082] refer to Figure 5B , which illustrates the Figure 4 As described above, since the correlation calculation is performed on the Golay sequence delayed by the chip duration unit and the received Golay sequence, Figure 5B As shown, the chip duration T c Calculate the correlation for units. Figure 5B In the embodiment of the invention, the maximum peak value is obtained at the kth tap (delay) (561), and the distance to the object can be basically estimated as (V l *k*T c ) / 2. However, if Figure 5B As shown, interpolation can be performed using the values ​​at adjacent taps to improve the distance estimate accuracy. Figure 5B In the embodiment of the invention, after performing the interpolation method, the position of the corrected maximum peak value is changed to the corrected peak time T' (563), and the estimated distance to the object can be determined as (V l *T') / 2. Figure 5B As shown, the use of interpolation can slightly improve the distance estimation accuracy. However, because interpolation is also approximate, there is a limit to improving the distance estimation accuracy. In order to meet the requirements of various applications that require higher distance estimation accuracy, a technology that can further improve the distance estimation accuracy is needed.

[0083] Figure 6 is a block diagram 600 illustrating a functional configuration of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 6 Briefly illustrate the functional configuration required to implement the method presented here.

[0084] refer to Figure 6 , the electronic device 601 (eg, the electronic device 101) may include a processor 610 (eg, Figure 1 processor 120 in the embodiment of the present invention), wireless communication module 620 (for example, Figure 1 The wireless communication module 192 in the example), the interpolation module 630, the phase matching module 650 or the memory 640 (eg, Figure 1 1 . However, without limitation thereto, at least one of the above components may be omitted from the electronic device 601 , or other components may be added to the electronic device 601 .

[0085] In the following description, the functions of the wireless communication module 620, the interpolation module 630 or the phase matching module 650 are described as being performed in each module, but are not limited thereto. All or some functions of the wireless communication module 620, the interpolation module 630 or the phase matching module 650 may be implemented by at least one processor 610.

[0086] According to various embodiments, the memory 640 may store instructions to be executed by the processor 610 to implement operations suggested by the method of the present disclosure to be described below. In addition, by applying the method proposed here for improving distance measurement accuracy, the memory 640 may be used when executing an application requiring distance estimation accuracy.

[0087] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication module 620 may send and receive signals according to a wireless communication scheme, such as 802.11n, 802.11ac, 802.11ad, or 802.11ay. In an embodiment, the wireless communication module 620 may generate signals corresponding to the wireless communication scheme. Figure 3A or Figure 3B The PPDU 310 or 350 shown may correspond to a signal in order to estimate the distance to an object in the vicinity thereof, and the signal may be transmitted through at least one antenna. The wireless communication module 620 may transmit a signal in a specific direction using beamforming, or may transmit a signal omnidirectionally.

[0088] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication module 620 may include a Golay sequence or a Golay complementary sequence in a CEF (e.g., CEF 313, L-CEF 353, or EDMG-CEF 367) of a PPDU 310 or 350 generated to implement a radar function. Alternatively, the wireless communication module 620 may insert a sequence specifically designed to implement a radar function into a data field 317 or 357 of the PPDU 310 or 350.

[0089] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication module 620 may be configured to receive a Golay sequence or a Golay complementary sequence included in the PPDU 310 or 350 by: Figure 4 The correlation calculation shown obtains the delay time at which the correlation value becomes a peak. Alternatively, the wireless communication module 620 may calculate and store the correlation value (k*T c (k is a positive integer)), and when at each delay time (k*T c ) When there are two or more correlation values ​​having a predetermined value or more, the communication module 620 may control the interpolation module 630 to use the interpolation method. The processor 610 may also perform control so that the interpolation method is performed.

[0090] According to various embodiments, the interpolation module 630 may estimate the delay time or distance with improved accuracy by applying an interpolation method based on the correlation value at each delay time acquired from the wireless communication module 620. Figure 5B When at least two consecutive correlation values ​​obtained by the method shown in the figure are equal to or greater than the preset value, the interpolation module 630 can perform the following steps under the control of the processor 610 or the wireless communication module 620: Figure 5B The interpolation method shown is used to improve the accuracy of the estimated delay time or estimated distance.

[0091] Figure 7 700 is a diagram for describing an operation of acquiring a phase of a received signal by the wireless communication module 620 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0092] According to an embodiment, if the wavelength of an electromagnetic wave is λ in a medium, the phase of the electromagnetic wave changes by 2πL / λ radians when the electromagnetic wave propagates a distance L through the medium.

[0093] refer to Figure 7 , assuming that in the slave electronic device 601 (eg, Figure 1 The transmission phase 710 of the transmission signal 720 at the transmission time point when the electronic device 101 in FIG. 1 transmits the transmission signal 720 is θ T , the reception phase 740 of the reflection signal 730 reflected from the object 220 at the reception time point when the reflection signal 730 is received is θ R , and the distance 750 between the electronic device 601 and the object 220 is L, the total distance that the electromagnetic wave propagates in the medium becomes 2L, and therefore a total phase change of 2π*2L / λ radians occurs during the propagation of the electromagnetic wave in the medium. In addition, even if the electromagnetic wave is reflected from the object, a phase change occurs. The phase change may have a value of π or 0 depending on the difference in refractive index between the medium and the object 220. When the electronic device 601 radiates a wireless signal, the medium is air, and the air has a refractive index that is smaller than that of most objects 220. Therefore, in normal use, the transmission signal 720 is reflected while undergoing a phase change of π when reflected from the object 220.

[0094] Therefore, in Figure 7 In the embodiment, the relationship Here, because the wavelengths (λ) of the transmission signal 720 and the reflection signal 730 propagating in the medium have theoretically given values, if the phase 710 when the transmission signal 720 is transmitted and the phase 740 when the reflection signal 730 is received are known, the relationship between the two signals is only affected by the distance L between the electronic device 601 and the object 220. In addition, the phase 710 at the transmission time point can be fixed and used (e.g., 0 radians) according to the setting of the electronic device 601. Therefore, when the phase at the reception time point of the reflection signal 730 is obtained, the distance L between the electronic device 601 and the object 220 can be determined.

[0095] According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 620 may acquire the phase of the reception signal by dividing the reception signal into an I (In-Phase) signal and a Q (Quadrature-Phase) signal and performing modulation.

[0096] According to various embodiments, the phase matching module 650 may further improve the accuracy of the estimated distance to the object 220 based on the phases of the transmission signal and the reception signal. To this end, the phase matching module 650 may use the phases of the transmission signal and the reception signal that have been obtained by the wireless communication module 620. According to another embodiment, the phase of the transmission signal may be preset without being acquired by the wireless communication module 620.

[0097] Figure 8 800 is a diagram illustrating an example of determining an estimated distance by reflecting a distance estimated by the phase matching module 650 based on phases of a transmission signal and a reception signal according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0098] refer to Figure 8 If the corrected peak time (563) T' is obtained by performing correlation calculation by the wireless communication module 620 and additionally performing interpolation by the interpolation module 630, the first estimated distance (810) at which the object is located can be obtained by L1=(V l *T') / 2 is determined.

[0099] According to various embodiments, the phase matching module 650 may be based on the phase (θ T ), the phase of the received signal (θ R ) and the wavelength (λ) of the signal acquired by the wireless communication module 620 to obtain the estimated distance based on the phase Here, the reason for adding 2nπ (where n is an integer) is that the phase repeats and returns to its original value for every 2π. According to another embodiment, the phase of the transmitted signal can be set to a fixed value (e.g., 0), which makes it easier to calculate the estimated distance 820 based on the phase.

[0100] According to various embodiments, all or some functions performed in the phase matching module 650, the interpolation module 630 or the wireless communication module 620 may be performed by the processor 610. Alternatively, functions may be performed in various modules under the control of the processor 610.

[0101] The electronic device 601 can more accurately obtain the final estimated distance 830 to the object by comparing the distance to the object obtained using the time delay of the transmitted signal and the reflected signal and the additional interpolation method with the distance to the object obtained based on the phase of the transmitted signal and the received signal. Based on this, the electronic device 601 can apply the distance obtained by applying the above method to applications that require relatively high ranging accuracy.

[0102] According to various embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 The electronic device 101 or Figure 6The electronic device 601 in the embodiment may include: a wireless communication module (eg, Figure 1 The wireless communication module 192 or Figure 6 The wireless communication module 620 in the embodiment is configured to send wireless communication signals to an external object and receive signals reflected from the external object; a phase matching module (e.g., Figure 6 A phase matching module 650 in the embodiment of the present invention is configured to estimate the distance to the external object based on the phase of the transmitted signal and the received signal; at least one processor (e.g., Figure 1 The processor 120 or Figure 6 610 in the processor), operatively connected to the phase matching module and the wireless communication module; and at least one memory (e.g., Figure 1 Memory 130 or Figure 6 The at least one memory may store instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to: control the wireless communication module to send a wireless communication signal to an external object; control the wireless communication module to receive a signal returned when the sent wireless signal is reflected from an external object; obtain a first distance to the external object based on a sending time point of the sent signal and a receiving time point of the received signal; obtain a second distance to the external object based on a phase of the sent signal and the received signal by controlling the phase matching module; and estimate the distance to the external object based on the first distance and the second distance.

[0103] According to various embodiments, the instructions may cause at least one processor to: calculate a correlation value between a delayed signal and a received signal in units of code chip duration starting from a transmission time point of the transmitted signal; obtain a delay time based on a time point having a peak value in the correlation value; and obtain a first distance based on the delay time.

[0104] According to various embodiments, the instructions may cause at least one processor to: acquire the delay time by applying an interpolation method when there are correlation values ​​equal to or greater than a preset threshold at two or more time points.

[0105] According to various embodiments, the instructions may cause at least one processor to: control the wireless communication module to separate an I (in-phase) signal and a Q (quadrature-phase) signal from a received signal; and acquire phase information of the received signal based on the I signal and the Q signal.

[0106] According to various embodiments, the instructions may cause at least one processor to determine the phase (θ) of the transmitted signal based on the phase (θ) of the transmitted signal. T ), the phase of the received signal (θ R ) and the wavelength (λ) of the transmitted and received signals and use the formula (where n is an integer), to obtain multiple second distances to external objects.

[0107] According to various embodiments, the instructions may cause at least one processor to estimate a second distance closest to the first distance among the acquired plurality of second distances as the distance to the external object.

[0108] According to various embodiments, the instructions may cause at least one processor to preset the phase (θ T ); controlling the wireless communication module to send a wireless communication signal having a preset phase; and using the preset phase (θ T )Get multiple second distances.

[0109] According to various embodiments, the wireless communication module may be operated according to the wireless communication scheme of 802.11ad or 802.11ay, the signal may include a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) of 802.11ad or 802.11ay, and the PPDU may include a Golay sequence or a Golay complementary sequence to help obtain a channel impulse response.

[0110] According to various embodiments, an electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 The electronic device 101 or Figure 6 The electronic device 601 in the embodiment may include: a wireless communication module configured to send a wireless communication signal and receive a signal returned when the sent wireless communication signal is reflected from an external object; a phase matching module configured to estimate a second distance to the external object based on the phase of the sent communication signal and the received signal; at least one processor operatively connected to the phase matching module and the wireless communication module; and at least one memory operatively connected to the at least one processor. The at least one memory may store instructions that, when executed, cause the at least one processor to: acquire a first distance to the external object based on a sending time point of the sent signal and a receiving time point of the received signal; and estimate the distance to the external object based on the first distance and the second distance.

[0111] According to various embodiments, the phase matching module may be configured to separate an I (in-phase) signal and a Q (quadrature-phase) signal from a reception signal; and acquire phase information of the reception signal based on the I signal and the Q signal.

[0112] According to various embodiments, the phase matching module may be configured to T ), the phase of the received signal (θ R ) and the wavelength (λ) of the transmitted and received signals and using the equation (where n is an integer) to obtain multiple second distances to external objects.

[0113] According to various embodiments, the instructions may cause at least one processor to: preset the phase (θ T); Control the wireless communication module to send a wireless communication signal with a preset phase, and the phase matching module uses the preset phase (θ T )Get multiple second distances.

[0114] Hereinafter, a method for using the above-mentioned electronic device (eg, Figure 1 The electronic device 101 or Figure 6 A method for accurately measuring the distance from the electronic device 101 or 601 to an object using the electronic device 601 in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0115] Fig. 9 FIG. 9 is a flowchart 900 illustrating an operation of measuring a distance to an object by an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. It can be understood that Fig. 9 The operation subject of the flowchart 900 shown is an electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 The electronic device 101 or Figure 6 601 in the electronic device) or a processor of the electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 The processor 120 or Figure 6 Processor 610 in.

[0116] refer to Fig. 9 In operation 901, the electronic device 101 or 601 can communicate with the user through a wireless communication module (eg, Figure 4 The wireless communication module 620 in the embodiment sends a wireless communication signal (for example, Figure 6 The signal sent from the electronic device 101 or 601 may include a signal including a sequence X sent at a sending time point 410 in the sequence to detect the distance of the object. Figure 3A PPDU 310 of the 802.11ad wireless communication scheme shown in FIG. Figure 3B PPDU 350 of the 802.11ay wireless communication scheme shown, or may include a physical layer packet according to another wireless communication scheme. Figure 3A The CEF 313 included in the PPDU 310 of the 802.11ad wireless communication scheme shown in FIG. Figure 3B The L-CEF 353 or EDMG-CEF 367 included in the PPDU 350 of the 802.11ay wireless communication scheme shown can be transmitted with a Golay sequence or a Golay complementary sequence for channel estimation loaded therein. When another wireless communication scheme is used, the electronic device 101 or 601 can enable channel estimation by loading a Golay sequence or a sequence that can be used for another channel estimation in the data field of the physical layer packet.

[0117] According to various embodiments, in operation 903, the electronic device 101 or 601 may receive, through the wireless communication module 620, a signal transmitted in operation 901 from an object (eg, Figure 2 After the transmitted signal experiences a delay of twice depending on the distance between the electronic device 101 or 601 and the object 220, the signal reflected from the object 220 may be received by the electronic device 101 or 601.

[0118] According to various embodiments, in operation 905, the electronic device 101 or 601 may calculate the received signal (eg, Figure 4 Y in ) and by delaying the transmitted signal by a chip duration (e.g., Figure 4 The correlation value between the signal (e.g., X(k)) obtained by k times the chip duration 430 in the code, and the correlation value can be calculated to be the peak value (e.g., Figure 4 k = 4), the delay time is determined to be k*chip duration (T c According to an embodiment, the electronic device 101 or 601 may c (k is a positive integer)) calculates and stores the relevant value, and when at each delay time (k*T c ) When there are two or more correlation values ​​having a predetermined value or greater, the electronic device 101 or 601 can estimate the delay time more accurately by applying an interpolation method.

[0119] According to various embodiments, in operation 907, the electronic device 101 or 601 may acquire phase information of the transmission signal and the reception signal. In an embodiment, the electronic device 101 or 601 may acquire phase information of each signal by separating and processing an I (in-phase) signal and a Q (quadrature phase) signal of each of the transmission signal and the reception signal. According to another embodiment, since the transmission signal is generated by the electronic device 101 or 601, the phase of the transmission signal may be preset (e.g., 0 radians).

[0120] The above operations 905 and 907 may be performed simultaneously, or when the operations are performed sequentially, any one of them may be performed first.

[0121] According to various embodiments, in operation 909, the electronic device 101 or 601 may calculate the phase information (θ) of the transmission signal and the reception signal obtained in operation 907 based on the phase information (θ) of the transmission signal and the reception signal obtained in operation 907. T ,θ R ) and the wavelengths (λ) of the transmitted and received signals, and using the equation Here, the reason for adding 2nπ (where n is an integer) is that the phase repeats every 2π and returns to its original value. According to another embodiment, the phase of the transmitted signal can be set to a fixed value (e.g., θ T = 0 or -π), which makes it easier to calculate the estimated distance based on the phase (e.g., Figure 8 According to this, the second distance information may have a plurality of values ​​depending on n.

[0122] According to various embodiments, in operation 911, the electronic devices 101 and 601 may estimate the distance to the object by comparing the first distance information acquired in operation 905 with the second distance information acquired in operation 909. In this case, the second distance closest to the first distance in the first information among the plurality of second distances in the second distance information may be estimated as the distance to the object.

[0123] Fig.10 1000 is a flowchart illustrating an operation of acquiring first distance information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0124] refer to Fig.10 , it can be understood as Fig.10 The operation subject of the flowchart 1000 shown is an electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 The electronic device 101 or Figure 6 601 in the electronic device) or a processor of the electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 The processor 120 or Figure 6 Processor 610 in. Fig.10 The operation can be Fig. 9 An embodiment of an operation of obtaining first distance information in operation 905.

[0125] According to various embodiments, in operation 1001, the electronic device 101 or 601 may calculate a received signal (eg, Figure 4 Y in ) and by delaying the transmitted signal by a chip duration (e.g., Figure 4 The correlation value between the signals (e.g., X(k)) obtained by increasing the chip duration 430 in FIG.

[0126] According to various embodiments, in operation 1003, the electronic device 101 or 601 may determine k (eg, Figure 4 k=4), the delay time at this time is determined to be k and the chip duration (T c According to this embodiment, the delay time may be k*T c .

[0127] According to various embodiments, in operation 1005, the electronic device 101 or 601 may acquire first distance information based on the acquired delay time. If the delay time acquired in operation 1003 is k*T c , then the first distance information can be V 1 *k*T c / 2. Here, V 1 It is the propagation speed of electromagnetic waves.

[0128] According to the above Fig. 9 According to flowchart 900 , the electronic device 101 or 601 can measure the distance more accurately than the prior art solution.

[0129] According to various embodiments, operating an electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 The electronic device 101 or Figure 6 The method of the electronic device 601 in the embodiment may include: controlling the wireless communication module (for example, Figure 1 The wireless communication module 192 or Figure 6 an operation of sending a wireless communication signal by controlling the wireless communication module; an operation of receiving a signal returned when the sent wireless communication signal is reflected from an external object by controlling the wireless communication module; an operation of acquiring a first distance to the external object based on a sending time point of the sent signal and a receiving time point of the received signal; an operation of controlling the phase matching module (e.g., Figure 6 The phase matching module 650 in the embodiment includes an operation of acquiring a second distance to the external object based on the phase of the transmitted signal and the received signal; and an operation of estimating the distance to the external object based on the first distance and the second distance.

[0130] According to various embodiments, the operation of obtaining the first distance may include: an operation of calculating the correlation value between the delayed signal and the received signal in units of code chip duration starting from the sending time point of the sending signal; an operation of obtaining the delay time based on the time point with a peak value among the calculated correlation values; and an operation of obtaining the first distance based on the obtained delay time.

[0131] According to various embodiments, the operation of acquiring the delay time may include acquiring the delay time by applying an interpolation method when there are calculated correlation values ​​equal to or greater than a preset threshold value at two or more time points.

[0132] According to various embodiments, the operation of acquiring a second distance to an external object based on the phase of a transmitted signal and a received signal may include: an operation of separating an I (in-phase) signal and a Q (quadrature-phase) signal from a received signal; and an operation of acquiring phase information of the received signal based on the I signal and the Q signal.

[0133] According to various embodiments, the operation of acquiring the second distance may include determining the phase (θT ), the phase of the received signal (θ R ) and the wavelength (λ) of the transmitted and received signals and use the formula (where n is an integer) to obtain multiple second distances to external objects.

[0134] According to various embodiments, the operation of estimating the distance to the external object by comparing the first distance and the second distance includes estimating a second distance closest to the first distance among the acquired plurality of second distances as the distance to the external object.

[0135] According to various embodiments, the method may further include: presetting the phase (θ T ), and the operation of sending a wireless communication signal to an external object may include an operation of sending a wireless communication signal with a preset phase, and the operation of acquiring a plurality of second distances may include using the preset phase (θ T )Operation of obtaining multiple second distances.

[0136] According to various embodiments, the operation of sending a wireless communication signal to an external object may include the operation of sending a wireless communication signal according to a wireless communication scheme of 802.11ad or 802.11ay, and the wireless communication signal may include a physical layer protocol data unit (PPDU) of 802.11ad or 802.11ay, and the PPDU may include a Golay sequence or a Golay complementary sequence to help obtain a channel impulse response.

[0137] The electronic device according to various embodiments may be one of various types of electronic devices. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smart phone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a household appliance. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the electronic device is not limited to those electronic devices described above.

[0138] It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present disclosure and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features set forth herein to specific embodiments, but include various changes, equivalent forms or alternative forms for corresponding embodiments. For the description of the accompanying drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It will be understood that the nouns in the singular form corresponding to the term may include one or more things unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of the phrases such as "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B or C", "at least one of A, B and C" and "at least one of A, B or C" may include any one or all possible combinations of the items listed together with the corresponding one of the multiple phrases. As used herein, terms such as "1st" and "2nd" or "first" and "second" may be used to simply distinguish the corresponding component from another component, and do not limit the component in other aspects (e.g., importance or order). It will be understood that if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as being “combined with another element (e.g., the second element)”, “combined to another element (e.g., the second element)”, “connected with another element (e.g., the second element)”, or “connected to another element (e.g., the second element)” when the terms “operably” or “communicatively” are used or when the terms “operably” or “communicatively” are not used, it means that the element may be directly (e.g., wired) connected to the other element, wirelessly connected to the other element, or connected to the other element via a third element.

[0139] As used herein, the term "module" may include units implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with other terms (e.g., "logic," "logic block," "portion," or "circuit"). A module may be a single integrated component adapted to perform one or more functions or a minimum unit or portion of the single integrated component. For example, according to an embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0140] The various embodiments described herein may be implemented as software (e.g., program 140) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory 138) that can be read by a machine (e.g., electronic device 101). For example, under the control of a processor, a processor (e.g., processor 120) of the machine (e.g., electronic device 101) may call at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium and execute the at least one instruction with or without the use of one or more other components. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one instruction called. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code that can be run by an interpreter. A machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Among them, the term "non-transitory" only means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not include a signal (e.g., an electromagnetic wave), but the term does not distinguish between data being semi-permanently stored in a storage medium and data being temporarily stored in a storage medium.

[0141] According to an embodiment, the method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a product. The computer program product may be published in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be published online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an application store (e.g., Play StoreTM), or may be distributed (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones). If published online, at least part of the computer program product may be temporarily generated, or at least part of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored in a machine-readable storage medium (such as a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a memory of a forwarding server).

[0142] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., module or program) in the above-mentioned components may include a single entity or multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more components in the above-mentioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Alternatively or additionally, multiple components (e.g., module or program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform the one or more functions of each component in the multiple components in the same or similar manner as a corresponding component in the multiple components before integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program or another component may be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly or in a heuristic manner, or one or more operations in the operations may be run or omitted in different orders, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0143] While the present disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the following claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. An electronic device, include: Wireless communication module; Phase matching module; at least one processor operatively connected to the phase matching module and the wireless communication module; and at least one memory operatively connected to said at least one processor, Wherein, the at least one memory stores instructions which, when executed, cause the at least one processor to: controlling the wireless communication module to send a wireless communication signal to an external object, controlling the wireless communication module to receive a signal returned based on the transmitted wireless communication signal reflected from an external object, acquiring a first distance to an external object based on a sending time point of the sent wireless communication signal and a receiving time point of the received signal, separating an in-phase I signal and a quadrature-phase Q signal from the received signal, Acquire phase information of the received signal based on the I signal and the Q signal, identifying phase information of the transmitted wireless communication signal preset by the electronic device, acquiring a plurality of second distances to external objects based on the phase information of the transmitted wireless communication signal and the phase information of the received signal, and A second distance closest to the first distance among the plurality of second distances is determined as a distance to the external object.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, in, The instructions cause the at least one processor to: calculating a correlation value between a delayed signal and the received signal in units of chip duration from a transmission time point of the transmitted wireless communication signal, The delay time is obtained based on the time point having a peak value among the correlation values, and A first distance is obtained based on the delay time.

3. The electronic device as claimed in claim 2, in, The instructions cause the at least one processor to acquire the delay time by applying an interpolation method based on the presence of correlation values ​​equal to or greater than a preset threshold at two or more time points.

4. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, in, The instructions cause the at least one processor to determine a phase θ of the transmitted wireless communication signal based on the phase θ of the transmitted wireless communication signal. T , the phase θ of the received signal R and the wavelengths λ of the transmitted wireless communication signal and the received signal, and use the formula to obtain multiple second distances to external objects, where n is an integer.

5. The electronic device as claimed in claim 4, in, The instructions cause the at least one processor to: The phase θ of the wireless communication signal sent is preset T ,and The phase θ of the wireless communication signal transmitted is preset T Get multiple second distances.

6. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, in, The wireless communication module operates according to the wireless communication scheme of 802.11ad or 802.11ay, The wireless communication signal sent includes a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU of 802.11ad or 802.11ay, and The PPDU includes a Golay sequence or a Golay complementary sequence to help obtain a channel impulse response.

7. A method for operating an electronic device, the method include: Sending wireless communication signals to external objects by controlling the wireless communication module; receiving, by controlling the wireless communication module, a signal returned based on the transmitted wireless communication signal reflected from an external object; Acquire a first distance to the external object based on a sending time point of the sent wireless communication signal and a receiving time point of the received signal; Separating an in-phase I signal and a quadrature-phase Q signal from the received signal; Acquire phase information of the received signal based on the I signal and the Q signal; identifying phase information of the transmitted wireless communication signal preset by the electronic device; acquiring a plurality of second distances to external objects based on the phase information of the transmitted wireless communication signal and the phase information of the received signal; and A second distance closest to the first distance among the plurality of second distances is determined as a distance to the external object.

8. The method according to claim 7, in, Obtaining the first distance includes: Calculating a correlation value between a delayed signal and the received signal in units of chip duration from a transmission time point of the transmitted wireless communication signal; Acquire the delay time based on a time point having a peak value among the calculated correlation values; and A first distance is obtained based on the delay time.

9. The method according to claim 8, in, Acquiring the delay time includes acquiring the delay time by applying an interpolation method based on the presence of calculated correlation values ​​equal to or greater than a preset threshold value at two or more time points.

10. The method according to claim 7, in, Acquiring the second distance includes determining the phase θ of the transmitted wireless communication signal based on the phase θ of the transmitted wireless communication signal. T , the phase θ of the received signal R and the wavelengths λ of the transmitted wireless communication signal and the received signal, and use the formula to obtain multiple second distances to external objects, where n is an integer.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising: include: The phase θ of the wireless communication signal sent is preset T , Wherein, obtaining a plurality of second distances includes using a preset phase θ of the transmitted wireless communication signal T Get multiple second distances.

12. The method according to claim 7, in, Sending a wireless communication signal to an external object includes sending a wireless communication signal according to a wireless communication scheme of 802.11ad or 802.11ay, The wireless communication signal sent includes a physical layer protocol data unit PPDU of 802.11ad or 802.11ay, and The PPDU includes a Golay sequence or a Golay complementary sequence to help obtain a channel impulse response.

13. An electronic device, include: a wireless communication module configured to transmit a wireless communication signal and receive a signal returned based on the transmitted wireless communication signal reflected from an external object; a phase matching module configured to separate an in-phase I signal and a quadrature-phase Q signal from the received signal, obtain phase information of the received signal based on the I signal and the Q signal, identify phase information of the transmitted wireless communication signal preset by the electronic device, and estimate a plurality of second distances to external objects based on the phase information of the transmitted wireless communication signal and the phase information of the received signal; at least one processor operatively connected to the phase matching module and the wireless communication module; and at least one memory operatively connected to said at least one processor, Wherein, the at least one memory stores instructions which, when executed, cause the at least one processor to: acquiring a first distance to an external object based on a sending time point of the sent wireless communication signal and a receiving time point of the received signal, and A second distance closest to the first distance among the plurality of second distances is determined as a distance to the external object.

14. The electronic device as claimed in claim 13, in, The phase matching module is configured to be based on the phase θ of the transmitted wireless communication signal T , the phase θ of the received signal R and the wavelengths λ of the transmitted wireless communication signal and the received signal, and use the formula to obtain multiple second distances to external objects, where n is an integer.

15. The electronic device as claimed in claim 14, in, The instructions cause the at least one processor to: The phase θ of the wireless communication signal sent is preset T ,and The phase matching module uses the preset phase θ of the transmitted wireless communication signal. T Get multiple second distances.

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