Method for ultra-wideband positioning of electronic equipment and ultra-wideband terminal equipment

Abstract

The present application provides an ultra-wideband positioning method for a system including an initiating device, multiple relay devices, and an endpoint device. The method includes: the initiating device generates and sends a first UWB positioning request; multiple relay devices forward at least one second UWB positioning request to the endpoint device via at least one path; the endpoint device receives at least one second UWB positioning request, and based on the identifier of the relay device included in the at least one second UWB positioning request, selects a second UWB positioning request from the at least one second UWB positioning request as a valid UWB positioning request; and, based on the valid UWB positioning request, determines a positioning path between the initiating device and the endpoint device via the relay device; and generates and sends a UWB positioning response corresponding to the valid UWB positioning request; the initiating device receives the UWB positioning response, and determines the position of the endpoint device relative to the initiating device based on the UWB positioning response.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of terminal technology, and in particular to a method for ultra-wideband positioning of electronic devices, an ultra-wideband terminal device, and a computer-readable storage medium. Background Art

[0002] Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology is a high-throughput wireless transmission technology. Although it was popular more than a decade ago, it was gradually forgotten because it had many shortcomings compared to other technologies such as wired USB technology when used for file transmission. In recent years, other applications of UWB technology have been gradually opened up, and UWB technology has been increasingly used in smartphones, smart home products, cars and other products.

[0003] Unlike traditional wireless communication methods that use very narrow frequency bands for communication, UWB technology disperses signals over a wide frequency band, making communications based on UWB technology less susceptible to interference, and even low-energy signals can be correctly interpreted. In addition, UWB technology is also widely used in ranging and positioning between devices. Based on UWB communication, the distance can be accurately calculated by calculating the time difference between the signal sent by the transmitting device and the signal received by the receiving device. This is called the Time of Flight (ToF) function of UWB, and the ToF function can achieve an accuracy of less than a meter. In addition, the newly developed UWB technology also introduces the measurement function of the angle of arrival (AOA), which provides richer information for positioning between devices.

[0004] As a device with UWB communication capability, due to the UWB technology itself, the communication coverage range of a UWB device is about 100m. It can be seen that once this range is exceeded, direct communication between devices based on UWB will become impossible. The limited communication range has brought great obstacles to the application of UWB technology in object positioning and tracking. If you want to achieve positioning and tracking in a larger range, you must use other communication technologies to assist in achieving the purpose of communication. On the one hand, it will bring additional costs, and because of the need for additional communication equipment, it may also cause a poor user experience. Summary of the invention

[0005] Some embodiments of the present application provide a method for determining a target communication device, a communication terminal, and a computer-readable storage medium. The present application is introduced from multiple aspects below, and the embodiments and beneficial effects of the following aspects can be referenced to each other.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultra-wideband positioning method for a system including a starting device, multiple relay devices, and an endpoint device. The method includes: the starting device generates and sends a first UWB positioning request, wherein the first UWB positioning request indicates a request by the starting device to find an endpoint device; multiple relay devices forward at least one second UWB positioning request to the endpoint device via at least one path, each second UWB positioning request is generated based on the first UWB positioning request and includes a device identifier of the relay device through which the second UWB positioning request passes; and each second UWB positioning request in at least one second UWB positioning request corresponds to one of the at least one paths; the path includes the starting device, the relay device, and the endpoint device; the endpoint device receives at least one second UWB positioning request, and And based on the identifier of the relay device included in the at least one second UWB positioning request, select a second UWB positioning request from the at least one second UWB positioning request as a valid UWB positioning request; the endpoint device, based on the valid UWB positioning request, determines the positioning path between the starting device and the endpoint device via the relay device; and generates and sends a UWB positioning response corresponding to the valid UWB positioning request, wherein the UWB positioning response indicates the positioning path, and the relay device on the positioning path forwards the UWB positioning response from the endpoint device to the starting device; the starting device, receives the UWB positioning response, and determines the position of the endpoint device relative to the starting device based on the UWB positioning response.

[0007] According to the first aspect of the present application, the ultra-wideband positioning method for multiple UWB devices is provided, using UWB technology, using multiple UWB devices to form a network, while maintaining the accuracy of UWB technology in ranging and positioning, effectively expanding the scope of communication coverage. In some scenarios where the wide area network cannot cover, ranging and positioning can be completed using only UWB devices, without the need to use additional equipment.

[0008] In some embodiments, the endpoint device selects a second UWB positioning request from at least one second UWB positioning request as a valid UWB positioning request based on the device identification of the relay device included in at least one second UWB positioning request, including: the terminal device determines the number of relay devices passed by the second UWB positioning request according to the device identification of the relay device included in each second UWB positioning request, and determines the valid UWB positioning request at least in part based on the number.

[0009] According to some implementations of the present application, by judging whether to adopt the message according to the number of relay devices that the UWB positioning request has passed through, the adopted message can be determined more conveniently, thereby improving the efficiency of device processing.

[0010] In some embodiments, the endpoint device determines, at least in part, the number of valid UWB positioning requests based on the number of valid UWB positioning requests, including:

[0011] The endpoint device selects the second UWB positioning request with the smallest number as the valid UWB positioning request.

[0012] According to some embodiments of the present application, by determining whether to adopt the message based on the number of relay devices that the UWB positioning request passes through, the message that passes through the least intermediate relay nodes can be adopted, thereby improving the efficiency of communication between devices.

[0013] In some implementations, the endpoint device determines the valid UWB positioning request at least in part based on the number, including: the endpoint device selects the second UWB positioning request with the smallest number and arriving at the endpoint device first as the valid UWB positioning request.

[0014] According to some embodiments of the present application, by determining whether to adopt the message according to the number of relay devices that the UWB positioning request has passed through, the message that has passed through the least intermediate relay nodes can be adopted, thereby improving the efficiency of communication between devices. In addition, when there are multiple messages that meet the established selection criteria, the first message that arrives as the adopted message means that the communication distance is the shortest and / or the communication rate is the highest, so the communication efficiency can be maximized.

[0015] In some embodiments, each of the at least one relay device receives a plurality of UWB positioning requests, the plurality of UWB positioning requests including a first UWB positioning request from an initiating device and / or at least one second UWB positioning request from another relay device,

[0016] The endpoint device determines the number of relay devices passed by each UWB positioning request based on the device identification of the relay device included in each UWB positioning request, and selects the UWB positioning request forwarded to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices from each UWB positioning request at least partially based on the number.

[0017] According to some implementations of the present application, because the relay device adds the device identification of the device in the forwarded message, and the subsequent device counts according to the device identification to obtain the number of relay points experienced during the message forwarding process, the processing efficiency of the device is improved.

[0018] In some implementations, each relay device selects a UWB positioning request to forward to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices from each UWB positioning request at least partially based on quantity, including: forwarding the UWB positioning request with the smallest quantity to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices.

[0019] According to some embodiments of the present application, the communication range of the initiating device may include multiple relay devices, and messages may be forwarded between relay devices. By adding a judgment mechanism, each relay device only sends to the next communication node the message that has been forwarded through the smallest number of relay devices, which can reduce the excessive forwarding of useless messages between these relay devices, unnecessary occupation of communication resources, and affect the efficiency of the entire communication system.

[0020] In some embodiments, each relay device selects a UWB positioning request to forward to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices from each UWB positioning request at least partially based on quantity, including: forwarding the UWB positioning request with the smallest quantity and arriving first to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices.

[0021] According to some embodiments of the present application, the communication range of the starting device may include multiple relay devices, and messages may also be forwarded between relay devices. By adding a judgment mechanism, each relay device only sends a message to the next communication node through which the number of relay devices through which the message is forwarded is the smallest, which can reduce the excessive forwarding of useless messages between these relay devices, unnecessary occupation of communication resources, and affect the efficiency of the entire communication system. In addition, in the case where there are multiple messages that meet the established selection criteria, the first message to arrive as the forwarded message means that the time required for transmission between the various relay points is the shortest, which also means to a certain extent that the distance traversed by the communication is the shortest, thereby ensuring higher communication efficiency.

[0022] In some implementations, each relay device selects UWB positioning requests to forward to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices from each UWB positioning request at least partially based on quantity, including: each relay device does not forward UWB positioning requests with a quantity greater than a first threshold.

[0023] According to some embodiments of the present application, a message such as a UWB positioning request may need to be forwarded multiple times before reaching the end device. If the number of forwarding times is too many, it means that the communication efficiency is very low. By setting a threshold to limit the number of times a message is forwarded in the system, the communication resources of the system can be greatly saved.

[0024] In some implementations, the endpoint device generates and sends a UWB positioning response corresponding to a valid UWB positioning request, including: the terminal device sends the UWB positioning response to a relay device that is closest to the endpoint device among relay devices on the positioning path.

[0025] According to some embodiments of the present application, the UWB positioning response is returned along the path determined by the destination device, so that the positioning response corresponding to the positioning request is returned to the starting device along the path with the best communication efficiency.

[0026] In some embodiments, the starting device determines the position of the endpoint device relative to the starting device based on the UWB positioning response, including: the starting device determines the distance and angle between each device on the positioning path corresponding to the UWB positioning response, and determines the position of the endpoint device relative to the starting device based on the distance and angle between each device.

[0027] According to some embodiments of the present application, while maintaining the accuracy of UWB technology in ranging and positioning, the scope of communication coverage is effectively expanded. In some scenarios where the wide area network cannot cover, ranging and positioning can be completed using only UWB devices to obtain the relative coordinates of other UWB end devices relative to the UWB starting device, thereby further obtaining the distance and angle (azimuth) between the two, without the need to use additional equipment.

[0028] In some embodiments, the initiating device and the terminal device share a first key, the initiating device adds an authentication field encrypted using the first key to the UWB positioning request it sends, and the terminal device decrypts the authentication field in the received UWB positioning request using the first key to confirm the identity of the initiating device; and / or the initiating device decrypts the authentication field in the received UWB positioning response using the first key to confirm the identity of the terminal device.

[0029] According to some embodiments of the present application, the starting device and the end device held by the user have a shared key that can be used for identity authentication during positioning operations to prevent someone from maliciously returning incorrect positioning information during the relay process, thereby ensuring the security of the entire positioning process.

[0030] In some embodiments, the initiating device and the plurality of relay devices have a second key, and the second key is used by the plurality of relay devices and / or the end device to verify the received UWB positioning request. The end device may also include such a second key to verify the received UWB positioning request.

[0031] According to some embodiments of the present application, each UWB device included in such a communication system shares a key; for example, only UWB devices produced by the same manufacturer, or UWB devices produced based on the same standard, are allowed to build such a communication network to implement positioning. In this way, each device will verify the message after receiving it, avoiding messages from other manufacturers or other standards from intervening in the communication system and causing information flooding.

[0032] In some embodiments, multiple relay devices verify the content of the received UWB positioning request, including: at least one of the multiple relay devices uses a key to calculate a hash value for the plain text content in each received UWB positioning request; compares the hash value with a content verification field in each UWB positioning request, wherein the content verification field is a hash value calculated by the sending device of each UWB positioning request using a second key for the plain text content of each UWB positioning request; and, when the hash value is consistent with the content verification field, determines that the UWB positioning request is valid, and when the hash value is inconsistent with the content verification field, determines that the UWB positioning request is invalid.

[0033] According to some embodiments of the present application, the message is verified in a relatively efficient manner by using a key to perform a hash calculation on the plaintext content and then comparing the obtained hash value with a verification field in the received message that is also a hash value.

[0034] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning method for a first relay device, the method comprising: receiving at least one UWB positioning request, wherein the at least one UWB positioning request includes a first UWB positioning request from a starting device of the UWB positioning request, and / or a second UWB positioning request forwarded by other relay devices, the UWB positioning request indicating a request by the starting device to find an end device, wherein the UWB positioning request indicates a request by the starting device to find an end device; selecting one UWB positioning request from the at least one UWB positioning request, and generating a second UWB positioning request for the first relay device based on the selected UWB positioning request, and the second UWB positioning request for the first relay device also includes a device identification of the first relay device; and sending the second UWB positioning request for the first relay device.

[0035] According to the second aspect of the present application, the ultra-wideband positioning method for relay devices is provided, and multiple UWB devices are used to form a network, which effectively expands the range of communication coverage while maintaining the accuracy of UWB technology in ranging and positioning. In some scenarios where the wide area network cannot cover, ranging and positioning can be completed using only UWB devices without the need for additional equipment.

[0036] In some implementations, when the at least one UWB positioning request includes a plurality of UWB positioning requests, selecting a UWB positioning request from the at least one UWB positioning request further includes:

[0037] According to the device identification of the relay device included in each UWB positioning request in at least one UWB positioning request, the number of relay devices passed by each UWB positioning request is determined, and a UWB positioning request is selected at least partially according to the number.

[0038] According to some implementations of the present application, because the relay device adds the device identification of the device in the forwarded message, and the subsequent device counts according to the device identification to obtain the number of relay points experienced during the message forwarding process, the processing efficiency of the device is improved.

[0039] In some embodiments, selecting a UWB positioning request based at least in part on the quantity includes forwarding the UWB positioning request with the smallest quantity to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices.

[0040] According to some embodiments of the present application, the communication range of the initiating device may include multiple relay devices, and messages may be forwarded between relay devices. By adding a judgment mechanism, each relay device only sends to the next communication node the message that has been forwarded through the smallest number of relay devices, which can reduce the excessive forwarding of useless messages between these relay devices, unnecessary occupation of communication resources, and affect the efficiency of the entire communication system.

[0041] In some embodiments, selecting a UWB positioning request based at least in part on the number includes forwarding the UWB positioning request with the smallest number and arriving first to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices.

[0042] According to some embodiments of the present application, when there are multiple messages that meet the established selection criteria, the first message to arrive is the forwarded message, which means that the time required for transmission between the various relay points is the shortest, which to a certain extent means that the distance traversed by the communication is the shortest, thereby ensuring higher communication efficiency.

[0043] According to some embodiments of the present application, each UWB device included in such a communication system shares a key; for example, only UWB devices produced by the same manufacturer, or UWB devices produced based on the same standard, are allowed to build such a communication network to implement positioning. In this way, each device will verify the message after receiving it, avoiding messages from other manufacturers or other standards from intervening in the communication system and causing information flooding.

[0044] In some implementations, the method further includes: verifying the content of each UWB positioning request according to a preset key.

[0045] In some implementations, each UWB positioning request is verified, including:

[0046] Use the key to calculate the hash value of the plain text content in each UWB positioning request;

[0047] The hash value is compared with a content verification field in each UWB positioning request, wherein the content verification field is a hash value calculated by the sending device of each UWB positioning request on the plain text content of the UWB positioning request using a second key; and, when the hash value is consistent with the identity verification field, the UWB positioning request is determined to be valid, and when the hash value is inconsistent with the identity verification field, the UWB positioning request is determined to be invalid.

[0048] In some embodiments, the method further includes: receiving a first UWB positioning response from the endpoint device or other relay device, wherein the first UWB positioning response indicates a positioning path connecting the endpoint device and the originating device determined by the endpoint device;

[0049] Based on the first UWB positioning response, generating a second UWB positioning response, wherein the second UWB positioning response indicates a positioning path and includes a device identification of the first relay device;

[0050] A second UWB positioning response is sent to the starting device or other relay devices on the positioning path.

[0051] According to some embodiments of the present application, the UWB positioning response is returned along the path determined by the destination device, so that the positioning response corresponding to the positioning request is returned to the starting device along the path with the best communication efficiency.

[0052] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning method for an initiating device, comprising: sending a UWB positioning request, wherein the UWB positioning request indicates a request of the initiating device to find an endpoint device; receiving a UWB positioning response, wherein the UWB positioning response indicates a positioning path determined by the endpoint device connecting the initiating device and the endpoint device, wherein the positioning path includes a device identification of at least one relay device, wherein at least one device is used to relay the request of the initiating device to find the endpoint device from the initiating device to the endpoint device; and, based on the UWB positioning response, determining the position of the endpoint device relative to the initiating device.

[0053] According to the third aspect of the present application, the ultra-wideband positioning method for the starting device is provided, and multiple UWB devices are used to form a network, which effectively expands the range of communication coverage while maintaining the accuracy of UWB technology in ranging and positioning. In some scenarios where the wide area network cannot cover, ranging and positioning can be completed using only UWB devices without the need for additional equipment.

[0054] In a fourth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning method for an endpoint device, characterized in that it includes: receiving at least one UWB positioning request, wherein each UWB positioning request in the at least one positioning request indicates request information for an initiating device to search for an endpoint device; each UWB positioning request in the at least one UWB positioning request includes a device identification of a relay device passed through; determining the number of relay devices passed through by each UWB positioning request based on the device identification of the relay device included in each UWB positioning request, and selecting a UWB positioning request from at least one UWB positioning request as a valid UWB positioning request based at least in part on the number of relay devices included in each UWB positioning, wherein the relay device is used to relay the request information for the initiating device to search for the endpoint device to the endpoint device; determining a positioning path connecting the initiating device and the endpoint device based on the valid UWB positioning request; and generating and sending a UWB positioning response, wherein the UWB positioning response indicates the positioning path.

[0055] According to the fourth aspect of the present application, the ultra-wideband positioning method for the terminal device is provided by using multiple UWB devices to form a network, which effectively expands the communication coverage while maintaining the accuracy of UWB technology in ranging and positioning. In some scenarios where the wide area network cannot cover, ranging and positioning can be completed using only UWB devices without the need for additional equipment.

[0056] In some embodiments, selecting a UWB positioning request from at least one UWB positioning request as a valid UWB positioning request based at least in part on the number of relay devices included in each UWB positioning request includes: selecting the UWB positioning request with the smallest number as the valid UWB positioning request.

[0057] In some embodiments, based at least in part on the number of relay devices included in each UWB positioning, a UWB positioning request is selected from at least one UWB positioning request as a valid UWB positioning request, including selecting the UWB positioning request with the smallest number and arriving first as the valid UWB positioning request.

[0058] In some implementations, sending the UWB positioning response includes: sending the UWB positioning response to a relay device that is closest to the endpoint device among relay devices on the positioning path.

[0059] In some implementations, the method further includes: verifying each UWB positioning request according to a shared key shared by the endpoint device and the initiator device to determine the validity of each UWB positioning request.

[0060] In a fifth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a relay device supporting ultra-wideband positioning, the relay device comprising: a message receiving module, receiving at least one UWB positioning request, wherein at least one UWB positioning request includes a first UWB positioning request from a starting device of the UWB positioning request, and / or a second UWB positioning request forwarded by other relay devices, the UWB positioning request indicating a request for the starting device to find an end device, wherein the UWB positioning request indicates a request for the starting device to find an end device; a message generating module, selecting a UWB positioning request from at least one UWB positioning request, and generating a second UWB positioning request for a first relay device based on the selected UWB positioning request, and the second UWB positioning request for the first relay device also includes a device identifier of the first relay device; and a message sending module, sending the second UWB positioning request of the first relay device.

[0061] In a sixth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a starting device that supports ultra-wideband positioning, the starting device comprising: a message sending module, sending a UWB positioning request, wherein the UWB positioning request indicates a request for the starting device to find an endpoint device; a message receiving module, receiving a UWB positioning response, wherein the UWB positioning response indicates a positioning path determined by the endpoint device between the connecting starting device and the endpoint device, wherein the positioning path includes a device identification of at least one relay device, wherein at least one device is used to relay the request for the starting device to find the endpoint device from the starting device to the endpoint device; and a positioning module, determining the position of the endpoint device relative to the starting device based on the UWB positioning response.

[0062] In a seventh aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an endpoint device supporting ultra-wideband positioning, the endpoint device comprising: a message receiving module, receiving at least one UWB positioning request, wherein each UWB positioning request in the at least one positioning request indicates request information for an initiating device to find an endpoint device; each UWB positioning request in the at least one UWB positioning request includes a device identifier of a relay device passed through; a message generating module, determining the number of relay devices passed through by each UWB positioning request according to the device identifier of the relay device included in each UWB positioning request, and selecting a UWB positioning request from at least one UWB positioning request as a valid UWB positioning request based at least in part on the number of relay devices included in each UWB positioning, wherein the relay device is used to relay the request information for the initiating device to find the endpoint device to the endpoint device; based on the valid UWB positioning request, determining a positioning path connecting the initiating device and the endpoint device, and generating a UWB positioning response; and a message sending module, sending a UWB positioning response, wherein the UWB positioning response indicates the positioning path.

[0063] The UWB device provided according to the fifth, sixth, and seventh aspects of the present application can implement the ultra-wideband positioning method according to the present application. Multiple UWB devices are networked to implement inter-device positioning, which effectively expands the scope of communication coverage while maintaining the accuracy of UWB technology in ranging and positioning. In some scenarios where the wide area network cannot cover, ranging and positioning can be completed using only UWB devices without the need for additional equipment.

[0064] In an eighth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultra-wideband (UWB) communication system, which includes an initiating device, a plurality of relay devices, and an endpoint device, wherein:

[0065] The initiating device generates and sends a first UWB positioning request, wherein the first UWB positioning request indicates a request by the initiating device to search for an end point device;

[0066] A plurality of relay devices forward at least one second UWB positioning request to an end device via at least one path, each second UWB positioning request is generated based on the first UWB positioning request and includes a device identifier of a relay device through which the second UWB positioning request passes; and each second UWB positioning request in the at least one second UWB positioning request corresponds to one of the at least one path; the path includes a starting device, a relay device, and an end device;

[0067] The endpoint device receives at least one second UWB positioning request, and selects a second UWB positioning request from the at least one second UWB positioning request as a valid UWB positioning request based on an identifier of the relay device included in the at least one second UWB positioning request;

[0068] The end device determines, based on the valid UWB positioning request, a positioning path between the starting device and the end device connected via the relay device; and generates and sends a UWB positioning response corresponding to the valid UWB positioning request, wherein the UWB positioning response indicates the positioning path,

[0069] The relay device on the positioning path forwards the UWB positioning response from the end device to the starting device;

[0070] The initiating device receives the UWB positioning response and determines the position of the destination device relative to the initiating device based on the UWB positioning response.

[0071] According to the UWB communication system provided in the eighth aspect of the present application, it can implement the ultra-wideband positioning method according to the present application. Multiple UWB devices are networked to implement inter-device positioning, which effectively expands the scope of communication coverage while maintaining the accuracy of UWB technology in ranging and positioning. In some scenarios where the wide area network cannot cover, ranging and positioning can be completed using only UWB devices without the need for additional equipment.

[0072] In the ninth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a machine-readable storage medium, characterized in that program code is stored on the machine-readable storage medium, and when the program code is executed on the machine, the machine can execute any method in the second to fourth aspects above.

[0073] In the tenth aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an ultra-wideband (UWB) device, characterized in that it includes: a processor and a storage medium, wherein the storage medium is coupled to the processor, and the storage medium is used to store program code, and when the processor reads the program code from the storage medium, the ultra-wideband device executes any one of the methods in the second to fourth aspects above.

[0074] In the eleventh aspect, according to some embodiments of the present application, a chip is provided, the chip including a processor and a data interface, the processor reads instructions stored in the memory through the data interface to execute any method in the second to fourth aspects above.

[0075] In a twelfth aspect, according to some embodiments of the present application, a computer program is provided, which, when executed on a computer, enables the computer to execute any method in the second to fourth aspects above.

[0076] According to the machine-readable storage medium, ultra-wideband (UWB) device, chip and computer program provided in the tenth, eleventh and twelfth aspects of the present application, it can be implemented as a UWB device to implement the ultra-wideband positioning method according to the present application. Multiple UWB devices are networked to implement inter-device positioning, which effectively expands the scope of communication coverage while maintaining the accuracy of UWB technology in ranging and positioning. In some scenarios where the wide area network cannot cover, ranging and positioning can be completed using only UWB devices without the need for additional equipment. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0077] Figure 1 A scenario of an ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning method for multiple electronic devices according to the present application is shown.

[0078] Figure 2 A structural schematic diagram of an electronic device according to the present application is shown.

[0079] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of a UWB device according to the present application is shown.

[0080] FIG. 4( a ) shows a process of using ToF ranging between two UWB devices according to the present application.

[0081] FIG. 4( b ) shows a process of measuring an angle between two UWB devices according to the present application.

[0082] FIG. 4( c ) shows the process of correcting the measured distance and angle according to the present application.

[0083] Figure 5(a) to Figure 5(d) A scene diagram of ultra-wideband positioning according to the present application is shown.

[0084] Figure 6 A flow chart of a positioning method based on UWB technology according to the present application is shown.

[0085] Figure 7 A schematic diagram showing a UWB device according to the present application calculating the location of another UWB device.

[0086] Figure 8 The diagram shows a forwarding process of a UWB request from an initiating device to an endpoint device and a forwarding process of a UWB positioning response message from an endpoint device to an initiating device according to the present application.

[0087] Fig. 9 It shows the number of levels at which a UWB positioning request is forwarded in an exemplary scenario according to the present application.

[0088] Fig.10 A block diagram of a UWB device serving as a relay device according to the present application is shown.

[0089] Fig.11 A block diagram of a UWB device as an initiating device according to the present application is shown.

[0090] Fig.12 A block diagram of a UWB device as an end point device according to the present application is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0091] The specific implementation of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0092] Figure 1 FIG. 2 shows a scenario of an ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning method for multiple electronic devices according to the present application. Figure 1 The application scenario of UWB in a parking lot is shown. The user of the mobile phone 100 needs to find his vehicle V4 in the parking lot. Assuming that the parking lot is underground, the communication conditions of wireless communication technologies such as 4G, 5G and WiFi are very unsatisfactory, and the user cannot use these wireless communication technologies to locate his vehicle.

[0093] At this time, the UWB positioning method for multiple electronic devices using UWB technology according to the present application can be used to enable the user to find a more accurate position of the vehicle V4 through the mobile phone 100.

[0094] The mobile phone 100 has UWB communication capability and serves as the starting device. The user's vehicle V4 has a UWB device 300 as the end device. The UWB device 300 may be a dedicated device integrated in the vehicle.

[0095] At the same time, there are also several vehicles in the parking lot that have UWB devices, such as Figure 1 The UWB device 200a integrated in the vehicle V1, the UWB device 200b integrated in the vehicle V2, and the UWB device 200c integrated in the vehicle V3 shown in FIG. 1 serve as relay devices.

[0096] Based on UWB communication technology, mobile phone 100 sends a positioning request to find UWB device 300 on vehicle V4. The request sent by mobile phone 100 is received by UWB device 200a as a relay device within the UWB communication range of mobile phone 100 in a broadcast manner. UWB device 200a is still a certain distance away from vehicle V4 and UWB device 300, so UWB device 200a further forwards the request to UWB device 200c on vehicle V3 within its own communication range. UWB device 200c forwards the request to UWB device 300 on vehicle V4 within its own communication range. UWB device 300 receives the positioning request forwarded by USB device 200c. Because the relay device will leave a record of the positioning request each time it is forwarded, UWB device 300 can determine the sending path of the positioning request from the request.

[0097] As an example, only three UWB devices are shown here as relay devices, but the present application is not limited thereto, and the number of UWB devices as relay devices can be greater. Therefore, there may be multiple such relay transmission paths. The UWB device 300 will receive multiple forwarded positioning requests.

[0098] The UWB device 300 analyzes the transmission paths included in the multiple positioning requests, selects one of the transmission paths, and uses its own information as the response information of the positioning request, and returns the original path through the relay device (e.g. Figure 1 The relay devices 200a and 200b shown in FIG. 1 return the received positioning request to the mobile phone 100. The mobile phone 100 can determine the positioning information such as the distance and angle of the UWB device 300, that is, the vehicle V4, according to the response information of the received positioning request.

[0099] According to the ultra-wideband positioning method for multiple UWB devices provided by the present application, UWB technology is used to form a network of multiple UWB devices, which effectively expands the scope of communication coverage while maintaining the accuracy of UWB technology in ranging and positioning. In some scenarios where the wide area network cannot cover, ranging and positioning can be completed using only UWB devices without the need for additional equipment.

[0100] According to some embodiments of the present application, if the mobile phone 100 has an application program (APP) supporting the UWB positioning technology, such positioning information can be displayed on the screen of the mobile phone, for example, "Vehicle V4 is 250 meters away from you and is in the northeast", or the distance and direction of the vehicle V4 relative to the mobile phone 100 can be displayed in the form of a radar map. The above presentation method is only an example, and the present application is not limited thereto.

[0101] In the prior art, the positioning of the target device can only be implemented with the support of at least a communication terminal with mobile communication capabilities (connected to a wide area network) (i.e., the combination of mobile communication and UWB). If the user does not have a mobile device at hand, or in some specific scenarios, there is no wide area network connection (such as the underground parking garage as mentioned above, where the mobile communication signal is not ideal), it is difficult to locate the target device. In other prior art solutions, the coverage of UWB devices is increased by deploying Anchor devices, but the deployment of such Anchor devices not only adds additional costs, but also has requirements for the site.

[0102] Different from the prior art, according to the positioning method based on UWB technology of the present application, in the whole process that the starting device only uses multiple relay UWB devices to find the end point UWB device as the positioning target, it is based only on UWB technology, and does not require other additional communication network support and equipment support. According to the technical solution of the present application, the precise positioning characteristics of UWB technology are fully utilized, and by connecting several UWB devices in series in the form of an ad hoc network, the coverage area is effectively increased, overcoming the deficiency of limited coverage range of a single UWB device when in use.

[0103] In the above description of the scenario, UWB devices 200a, 200b, 200c, etc., and UWB device 300 are devices integrated into the vehicle. In another implementation scenario, some or even all of these UWB devices can be integrated into the parking payment card of the parking lot. While being used to implement billing, if left on the vehicle, it can also be used as a tag for vehicle positioning, which will provide great convenience for users of the parking lot.

[0104] In the description of the above application scenario, the mobile phone 100 is provided as an example of the initiating device of the positioning request. According to the implementation mode of the present application, the electronic device may also be a terminal device with communication function such as a tablet computer, a notebook computer, an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a handheld computer, a netbook, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a wearable device, a virtual reality device, etc. with UWB communication capability, and the present application does not limit this.

[0105] In the description of the above application scenarios, the UWB devices 200a, 200b, 200c, etc. on vehicles V1, V2, and V3 as relay devices and the UWB device 300, etc. on vehicle V4 are examples of dedicated positioning devices with UWB communication capabilities. Such UWB devices can be integrated and set on objects with a certain volume, such as vehicles and smart home devices, or can be set to have a smaller volume, which is convenient to carry with you (for example, in the application scenario of item storage; in the application scenario of children preventing loss) or be carried by animals (for example, in the application scenario of pet prevention), or convenient to be attached to personal belongings (for example, in the application scenario of personal item prevention). This application does not limit this.

[0106] In the description of the above application scenario, although the mobile phone 100 is an example of the starting device of the positioning request, the UWB devices 200a, 200b, 200c, etc. are examples of relay devices, and the UWB device 300 is an example of the terminal device, the present application is not limited thereto, and the UWB device may also be used as the starting device, and the mobile phone may also be used as a relay device or an terminal device.

[0107] The specific structure of the electronic device 100 having UWB communication capability is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figure 2 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device 100 . The electronic device 100 is implemented as a mobile phone 100 in the above usage scenario.

[0108] The electronic device 100 may include a processor 110, an external memory interface 120, an internal memory 121, a universal serial bus (USB) connector 130, a charging management module 140, a power management module 141, a battery 142, an antenna 1, an antenna 2, a mobile communication module 150, a wireless communication module 160, an audio module 170, a speaker 170A, a receiver 170B, a microphone 170C, an earphone interface 170D, a sensor module 180, a button 190, a motor 191, an indicator 192, a camera 193, a display screen 194, and a subscriber identification module (SIM) card interface 195, etc. The sensor module 180 may include a pressure sensor 180A, a gyroscope sensor 180B, an air pressure sensor 180C, a magnetic sensor 180D, an acceleration sensor 180E, a distance sensor 180F, a proximity light sensor 180G, a fingerprint sensor 180H, a temperature sensor 180J, a touch sensor 180K, an ambient light sensor 180L, a bone conduction sensor 180M, etc.

[0109] It is to be understood that the structure illustrated in the embodiment of the present invention does not constitute a specific limitation on the electronic device 100. In other embodiments of the present application, the electronic device 100 may include more or fewer components than shown in the figure, or combine some components, or separate some components, or arrange the components differently. The components shown in the figure may be implemented in hardware, software, or a combination of software and hardware.

[0110] The processor 110 may include one or more processing units, for example, the processor 110 may include an application processor (AP), a modem processor, a graphics processor (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a controller, a video codec, a digital signal processor (DSP), a baseband processor, and / or a neural-network processing unit (NPU), etc. Different processing units may be independent devices or integrated into one or more processors.

[0111] The processor can generate operation control signals based on instruction opcodes and timing signals to complete the control of instruction fetching and execution.

[0112] The processor 110 may also be provided with a memory for storing instructions and data. In some embodiments, the memory in the processor 110 is a cache memory. The memory may store instructions or data that the processor 110 has just used or cyclically used. If the processor 110 needs to use the instruction or data again, it may be directly called from the memory. This avoids repeated access, reduces the waiting time of the processor 110, and thus improves the efficiency of the system.

[0113] In some embodiments, the processor 110 may include one or more interfaces. The interface may include an inter-integrated circuit (I2C) interface, an inter-integrated circuit sound (I2S) interface, a pulse code modulation (PCM) interface, a universal asynchronous receiver / transmitter (UART) interface, a mobile industry processor interface (MIPI), a general-purpose input / output (GPIO) interface, and a subscriber identity module (SIM) interface.

[0114] It is understandable that the interface connection relationship between the modules illustrated in the embodiment of the present invention is only a schematic illustration and does not constitute a structural limitation on the electronic device 100. In other embodiments of the present application, the electronic device 100 may also adopt different interface connection methods in the above embodiments, or a combination of multiple interface connection methods.

[0115] The wireless communication function of the electronic device 100 can be implemented through the antenna 1, the antenna 2, the mobile communication module 150, the wireless communication module 160, the modem processor and the baseband processor.

[0116] Antenna 1 and antenna 2 are used to transmit and receive electromagnetic wave signals. Each antenna in electronic device 100 can be used to cover a single or multiple communication frequency bands. Different antennas can also be reused to improve the utilization of antennas. For example, antenna 1 can be reused as a diversity antenna for a wireless local area network. In some other embodiments, the antenna can be used in combination with a tuning switch.

[0117] The mobile communication module 150 can provide solutions for wireless communications including 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G, etc., applied to the electronic device 100. The mobile communication module 150 may include at least one filter, a switch, a power amplifier, a low noise amplifier (LNA), etc. The mobile communication module 150 can receive electromagnetic waves from the antenna 1, and filter, amplify, and process the received electromagnetic waves, and transmit them to the modulation and demodulation processor for demodulation. The mobile communication module 150 can also amplify the signal modulated by the modulation and demodulation processor, and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation through the antenna 1. In some embodiments, at least some of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 can be set in the processor 110. In some embodiments, at least some of the functional modules of the mobile communication module 150 can be set in the same device as at least some of the modules of the processor 110.

[0118] The modem processor may include a modulator and a demodulator. Among them, the modulator is used to modulate the low-frequency baseband signal to be sent into a medium-high frequency signal. The demodulator is used to demodulate the received electromagnetic wave signal into a low-frequency baseband signal. The demodulator then transmits the demodulated low-frequency baseband signal to the baseband processor for processing. After the low-frequency baseband signal is processed by the baseband processor, it is passed to the application processor. The application processor outputs a sound signal through an audio device (not limited to a speaker 170A, a receiver 170B, etc.), or displays an image or video through a display screen 194. In some embodiments, the modem processor may be an independent device. In other embodiments, the modem processor may be independent of the processor 110 and be set in the same device as the mobile communication module 150 or other functional modules.

[0119] The wireless communication module 160 can provide wireless communication solutions including ultra-wideband (UWB), wireless local area networks (WLAN) (such as wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) network), Bluetooth (BT), global navigation satellite system (GNSS), frequency modulation (FM), nearfield communication technology (NFC), infrared technology (IR), etc., which are applied to the electronic device 100. The wireless communication module 160 can be one or more devices integrating at least one communication processing module. The wireless communication module 160 receives electromagnetic waves via the antenna 2, modulates the electromagnetic wave signal and filters it, and sends the processed signal to the processor 110. The wireless communication module 160 can also receive the signal to be sent from the processor 110, modulate the frequency, amplify it, and convert it into electromagnetic waves for radiation through the antenna 2.

[0120] In some embodiments, the antenna 1 of the electronic device 100 is coupled to the mobile communication module 150, and the antenna 2 is coupled to the wireless communication module 160, so that the electronic device 100 can communicate with the network and other devices through wireless communication technology. The wireless communication technology may include global system for mobile communications (GSM), general packet radio service (GPRS), code division multiple access (CDMA), wideband code division multiple access (WCDMA), time-division code division multiple access (TD-SCDMA), long term evolution (LTE), BT, GNSS, WLAN, NFC, FM, and / or IR technology. The GNSS may include a global positioning system (GPS), a global navigation satellite system (GLONASS), a Beidou navigation satellite system (BDS), a quasi-zenith satellite system (QZSS) and / or a satellite based augmentation system (SBAS).

[0121] The external memory interface 120 can be used to connect an external memory card, such as a Micro SD card, to expand the storage capacity of the electronic device 100. The external memory card communicates with the processor 110 through the external memory interface 120 to implement a data storage function, such as storing music, video and other files in the external memory card.

[0122] The internal memory 121 can be used to store computer executable program codes, which include instructions. The internal memory 121 may include a program storage area and a data storage area. Among them, the program storage area may store an operating system, an application required for at least one function (such as a sound playback function, an image playback function, etc.), etc. The data storage area may store data created during the use of the electronic device 100 (such as audio data, a phone book, etc.), etc. In addition, the internal memory 121 may include a high-speed random access memory, and may also include a non-volatile memory, such as at least one disk storage device, a flash memory device, a universal flash storage (UFS), etc. The processor 110 executes various functional applications and data processing of the electronic device 100 by running instructions stored in the internal memory 121, and / or instructions stored in a memory provided in the processor.

[0123] Figure 3 FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the structure of a UWB device 300. The same or similar structure of the UWB device 300 is implemented as UWB devices 200a, 200b, 200c, etc. in the above-mentioned usage scenarios. As an example, the UWB device 300 can be implemented as a UWB Tag. For example, in the example Figure 1 In the scenario shown, it can be attached to the vehicle or to a parking card.

[0124] like Figure 3 As shown, the UWB device 300 includes antennas 301a and 301b, a transceiver 302, and a processor 303. Antennas 301a and 301b are used to receive UWB signals sent from other UWB devices, or as transmitting antennas for the UWB device 300 to transmit UWB signals to the outside. After receiving the signals from antennas 301a and 301b, the transceiver 302 transmits them to the storage area ( Figure 3 (not shown). When the transmission signal of the UWB device 300 is generated under the instruction of the processor 303, the transceiver 302 also reads the corresponding signal from the storage area of ​​the processor 303 and transmits it to the antennas 301a and 301b for external transmission. The processor 303 is also used to parse the received signal, for example, according to the positioning request of the specific embodiment of the present application, to read out various information included in the positioning request, such as information of the relay device. The processor 303 is also used to perform various calculations based on the information included in the positioning request, such as calculating the distance between UWB devices and the angle (azimuth) between UWB devices. The processor 303 is also used to generate various information, such as response information to the positioning request, to indicate the transmission path of the relay device of the signal.

[0125] As mentioned above, Figure 1The UWB device 200a, UWB device 200b and UWB device 200c shown in the figure may also have the same structure as the UWB device 300, and each component thereof has the same function. Figure 3 The UWB device shown in FIG. 3 is implemented as a UWB device 200 a , 200 b , or 200 c serving as a relay device, and the processor 303 is further configured to generate a UWB positioning request for relay based on the positioning request. Figure 3 The UWB device shown in FIG. 1 may also be implemented as the UWB device 200 a , 200 b , or 200 c as an initiating device.

[0126] Figure 3 The UWB devices shown in the figure are only for illustration and only show the parts closely related to the specific implementation of the present application. Other devices supporting the operation of the UWB devices are not fully listed here, including but not limited to the power supply unit or the power supply interface. In addition, Figure 3 Only two UWB antennas 301a and 301b are shown in FIG. 1 , but the present application is not intended to limit the number of antennas in a UWB setup.

[0127] The following is a UWB device (including Figure 1 The UWB communication technology used by the mobile phone 100 and UWB devices 200a, 200b, 200c and 300, etc. shown in the figure, especially the ranging and directional features, are explained.

[0128] Based on UWB's point-to-point (P2P) positioning technology, two UWB devices can use the ToF and AoA characteristics of UWB to measure each other to determine the distance and relative orientation between each other. The following is combined with Figure 4 (a) to illustrate the process of using ToF ranging between two UWB devices. As shown in Figure 4 (a), the mobile phone 100 intends to use the ToF ranging method to measure the distance between the mobile phone 100 and the UWB device 200a. The distance between the two is measured by the flight time of the signal between the mobile phone 100 and the UWB device 200a. The time interval between the data packet sent by the mobile phone 100 and the response received from the UWB device 200a is recorded as T1, and the time interval between the UWB device 200a receiving the data packet and sending the response is recorded as T2. Then the time T for the data packet to fly one way in the air can be calculated as: T = (T1-T2) / 2. Multiplying T by the speed of light can calculate the distance between the two.

[0129] The following is combined with Figure 4(b) to illustrate the process of measuring the angle between two UWB devices. As shown in Figure 4(b), in a UWB device, two transmitting and receiving antennas are usually used for UWB communication, as shown in R1 and R2 in Figure 4(b). The distance d between antennas R1 and R2 in the UWB device is known. Using the ToF ranging method, the positions d1 and d2 of antennas R1 and R2 relative to the target UWB device can be obtained. As shown in Figure 4(b), the lines between antennas R1, R2 and the target UWB device T form a triangle. The acute angle formed by the extension line of the R2R1 line and R1T is counted as θ1, the acute angle formed by the R2R1 line and R2T is counted as θ2, and the acute angle formed by the median TM of the triangle and the R2R1 line is counted as θ. θ is considered to be the relative angle between the UWB devices. Therefore, when the lengths of d1 and d2 are obtained by ToF measurement, the value of θ1 or θ2 can be calculated by trigonometric function. Since the distance D of the center line TM is much larger than the distance between the antennas R1 and R2, an approximation can be made: θ1 = θ2 = θ. Thus, the relative angle θ between the UWB devices can be obtained.

[0130] After the distance and angle between the two UWB devices are obtained through the calculation as described above, taking into account a certain error, as shown in Figure 4(c), and making corresponding corrections, the distance and relative angle between the two UWB devices can be obtained, that is, one of the UWB devices will know the distance and angle of the other UWB device relative to itself.

[0131] The following continues to combine Figure 1 The shown scenario illustrates a UWB-based positioning method according to an embodiment of the present application.

[0132] In order to facilitate the explanation of the embodiments according to the present application, Figure 1 The scene shown is abstracted into Figure 5(a) to Figure 5(d) As shown in Figure 5(a), five points A, B1, B2, C, and D are shown respectively. Point A represents Figure 1 The mobile phone 100 in the embodiment is used as the starting device for implementing the positioning method. D represents Figure 1The UWB device 300 on vehicle V4 in the positioning method is used as the terminal device. B1, B2 and C correspond to the UWB device 200a on vehicle V1, the UWB device 200b on vehicle V2 and the UWB device 200c on vehicle V3, respectively, as relay devices. A dotted circle is drawn with each point as the center, and the range covered by the dotted circle represents the communication coverage range of the UWB device as its center. As shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(b), within the communication coverage range of A (i.e., mobile phone 100), B1 (relay device, located in vehicle V1) and B2 (relay device, located in vehicle V2), C (relay device, located in vehicle V3) and D (terminal device, located in vehicle V4) are outside the communication range of A. As shown in Figures 5(a) and 5(c), A and D (located in vehicle V4) can be found within the communication coverage range of B2 (located in vehicle V2), but C is outside the communication range. As shown in Figure 5(a) and Figure 5(d), A and C (located in vehicle V3) can be found within the communication coverage of B1 (located in vehicle V1), and D (located in vehicle V4) can be found within the communication range of C. In other words, based on the communication coverage of each UWB device, the starting device A can find the end device D through two different paths, one through the relay device B2, and the other through the relay device B1 and the relay device C.

[0133] Next, combine Figure 5(a) to Figure 5(d) and Figure 6 The process of the UWB-based positioning method according to the present application is further explained. Figure 6 The flowchart of the positioning method based on UWB technology according to the present application is shown. In step S601, the initiating device A sends a UWB positioning request to the relay devices (B1, B2). The UWB positioning request generated by the initiating device A indicates that the initiating device A is looking for the end device D.

[0134] Table 1 shows an exemplary data structure of a UWB positioning request sent by device A.

[0135] Preamble SFD PHR Load Cypher

[0136] Table 1: Example structure of a UWB positioning request

[0137] The UWB positioning request message shown in Table 1 includes the Preamble field, the SFD (Standard-of-Frame Delimiter) field, the PHR (PHY header) field, the Payload field, and the Cypher field in sequence. The Preamble field is used for the synchronization of the packet of the UWB positioning request message, and the starting point of the packet can be calculated by the Preamble field; the SFD field is used to accurately find the sequence of the data starting point and is used to read the data in the packet; the PHR field is used to indicate the data format used to display the payload, such as: the data transmission rate, the length of the packet data, etc.; the Cypher field is used to set the security mechanism in the message forwarding process. The specific details of the Cypher field will be explained in detail later.

[0138] The following is a detailed description of the Payload field in the message:

[0139] The payload field usually includes 1024 bytes. According to some embodiments of the present application, the payload field includes the device ID of the starting device A, the device ID of the end device D as the positioning target, and the path information. The device ID can be used to uniquely identify the UWB device in the communication system. It can be a string of letters, numbers, etc., and the present application does not limit its form.

[0140] Regarding the path information in the payload field, when the UWB positioning request message is forwarded by any relay device, the relay device will add the device identification of the relay device in the field corresponding to the path information in the payload. In this way, the device that receives the UWB positioning request message can interpret from the path information included in the payload field which device issued the UWB positioning request, which device is the object to be found, and which devices have been relayed.

[0141] For example, for a UWB message generated by the initiating device A, the original path field in the payload can be recorded as AD. This is because the initiating device A has not been forwarded by any relay device at this time, so the path field at this time only contains the device identifier A of the initiating device and the device identifier D of the end device. As mentioned above, the initiating device A can find the end device D through two different paths. One is through the relay device B2, that is, the initiating device A sends the message to the relay device B2, and then forwards it to the end device D through the relay device B2. When the relay device B2 receives the message and forwards it to the end device D, it will add its own device identifier to the field representing the path in the payload, that is, change the original field representing the path from AD to AB2D. The second is through the relay device B1 and the relay device C. For messages forwarded through the relay device B1, the field representing the path is generally changed from AD to AB1D. The message forwarded by the relay device B1 will be forwarded to the end device D through the relay device C. Relay device C will also add its own device identification to the received message, in which the field indicating the path is modified from AB1D to AB1CD.

[0142] In step S602, the relay device that receives the UWB positioning request from the initiating device A relays the UWB positioning request to the terminal device. In this process, as shown in FIG5(c), the positioning request from the initiating device A to the terminal device D only needs to pass through one relay device B2 to be completed, so only one relay device participates in this relay process. In the case shown in FIG5(d), the positioning request from the initiating device A to the terminal device D is completed after passing through two relay devices, relay device B1 and relay device C, so two relay devices participate in this relay process. The relay device closest to A relays the request information of the initiating device A to find the terminal device D to the terminal device via other relay devices (in other scenarios not shown, it may include two or more relay devices); in the process of the relay device forwarding the UWB positioning request, the relay device will add the identifier of the device to the forwarded UWB positioning request to indicate the path where the UWB positioning request is forwarded. The process of adding the device identification to the message is consistent with the explanation in conjunction with Table 1 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0143] When each relay device receives a message from the previous node, it can determine which devices the message has been forwarded through based on the field representing the path contained in the payload of the message. According to the field representing the path, it can be seen that the name of the relay node through which the message is forwarded, as well as the number of relay nodes experienced, that is, the number of times it has been forwarded. For example, according to the field AD representing the path, the device receiving the message can know that the message has not been forwarded by a relay device (0 relay devices). According to the field AB2D representing the path, the device receiving the message can know that the message has been forwarded by 1 relay device B2. According to the field AB1CD representing the path, the device receiving the message can know that the message has been forwarded by 2 relay devices B1 and C. According to some embodiments of the present application, in order to improve the efficiency of communication and save communication resources, when a relay device receives multiple messages, it will selectively forward them. Specifically, the relay device will select a message that has been forwarded less times to forward to the next node.

[0144] According to some embodiments of the present application, the relay device determines whether to adopt the message according to the number of relay devices that the UWB positioning request has passed through, so that the adopted message can be determined more conveniently, thereby improving the efficiency of device processing.

[0145] For example, for relay devices B1 and B2, both are within the communication range of the initiating device A. The UWB message generated by device A will be broadcast to both devices B1 and B2. Devices B1 and B2 can be considered to be devices of the same layer relative to device A. Specifically, in the process of processing the signal, device B1 will receive the signal sent from device A (path is AD), and will also receive the signal forwarded from device B2 (path is AB2D). Similarly, device B2 will receive the signal sent from device A (path is AD), and will also receive the signal forwarded from device B1 (path is AB1D). Device B1 receives the signal directly from A and the signal forwarded via device B2. By analyzing the path information contained in the signal, it is found that the message is also sent from device A to find device D, but the message from device B2 has gone through one more relay node. Therefore, device B1 will "discard" the message from device A forwarded by device B2, and only forward the message directly from device A to the next node (such as device C shown in Figure 5 (a)). Similarly, when device B1 receives a signal directly from A and a signal forwarded via device B2, device B2 will "discard" the message from device A forwarded by device B1 and only forward the message directly from device A to the next node (such as device D shown in Figure 5(a)).

[0146] By adding the judgment mechanism as described above, each relay device only sends a message with the minimum number of relay devices through which it is forwarded to the next communication node, thereby reducing excessive forwarding of useless messages between these relay devices, unnecessary occupation of communication resources, and affecting the efficiency of the entire communication system.

[0147] In step S603, the terminal device D receives at least one forwarded UWB positioning request from the relay device, each UWB positioning request forwarded to the terminal device D indicates the request information of the initiating device A to find the terminal device D, and also includes an identifier of the relay device through which the UWB positioning request passes when being forwarded to the terminal device;

[0148] In step S604, the endpoint device D determines the path through which the UWB positioning request is forwarded from the starting device A to the endpoint device D based on the path information contained in each UWB positioning request forwarded via the relay device, in other words, the identifier of the relay device contained in the positioning request, and selects one of the multiple forwarded UWB positioning requests as a valid UWB positioning request according to a preset standard.

[0149] According to some implementations of the present application, because the relay device adds the device identification of the device in the forwarded message, and the subsequent device counts according to the device identification to obtain the number of relay points experienced during the message forwarding process, the processing efficiency of the device is improved.

[0150] According to some embodiments of the present application, after receiving multiple UWB messages forwarded via different paths (through different relay devices), the endpoint device D can select the UWB message with the least relay nodes in the path as the above-mentioned valid UWB positioning request based on the path information in each UWB message.

[0151] By determining whether to adopt the message according to the number of relay devices that the UWB positioning request passes through, the message that passes through the least intermediate relay nodes can be adopted, thereby improving the efficiency of communication between devices.

[0152] According to some embodiments of the present application, after receiving multiple UWB messages forwarded via different paths (via different relay devices), the end device D selects multiple UWB messages with the least relay nodes in the path according to the path information in each UWB message, for example, two, and the end device D can use the UWB positioning request that first reaches the end device D among the two UWB messages as the above-mentioned valid UWB positioning request. As shown in Figure 5(a), the UWB positioning request forwarded to the device D via the device B2 is determined to be a valid UWB positioning request.

[0153] In the case where there are multiple messages that meet the given selection criteria, the message that arrives first is selected as the message to be adopted, which means that the communication distance is the shortest and / or the communication rate is the highest, so the maximum communication efficiency can be obtained.

[0154] According to some embodiments of the present application, after receiving multiple UWB messages forwarded via different paths (via different relay devices), the end device D selects multiple UWB messages with the least relay nodes in the path according to the path information in each UWB message, for example, two, and the end device D can use the UWB positioning request that first reaches the end device D among the two UWB messages as the above-mentioned valid UWB positioning request. Alternatively, the end device D calculates the distance that the UWB positioning request travels from the starting device A to the end device D via each relay node according to these paths, and then takes the UWB positioning request with the shortest propagation distance as the valid UWB positioning request.

[0155] According to some embodiments of the present application, when determining a valid UWB request, the endpoint device D may not consider the number of relay nodes, but directly use the positioning request that arrives at the endpoint device D first as the valid positioning request based on the time sequence of the UWB messages arriving at the endpoint device D.

[0156] According to some embodiments of the present application, after receiving multiple UWB messages forwarded via different paths (through different relay devices), the endpoint device D may not consider the number of relay nodes when determining a valid UWB request, but instead calculate the distance traveled by the UWB positioning request from the starting device A via each relay node to the endpoint device D based on these paths, and then take the UWB positioning request with the shortest propagation distance as the valid UWB positioning request.

[0157] When a unique valid UWB positioning request cannot be determined according to the arrival time of the UWB positioning request or the propagation distance of the UWB positioning request, for example, there are more than two UWB positioning requests that meet the preset criteria, a unique valid UWB positioning request can be further determined according to the number of intermediate nodes traversed by the UWB positioning request.

[0158] The standard for selecting a valid UWB positioning request can be flexibly set according to different scenarios and devices. For example, if the communication time is more important, the fastest arriving UWB request can be selected as the valid UWB request. If the actual communication distance is more important, the UWB positioning request with the shortest propagation distance after calculation can be selected as the valid positioning request.

[0159] When the end point device D cannot determine a unique UWB positioning request based on the number of relay nodes, the order of arrival time, and the propagation distance, the end point device D can randomly select one of them as a valid UWB positioning request.

[0160] In step S605, the endpoint device D determines a positioning path between the connection starting device and the endpoint device via at least one relay device based on the determined valid UWB positioning request; and generates a UWB positioning response and sends the positioning response to the relay device closest to the endpoint device among the relay devices on the determined positioning path, wherein the UWB positioning response indicates the positioning path.

[0161] In the scenario shown in Figure 5(a), based on the UWB positioning request forwarded to the end device D via the relay device B2, the end device D can determine that the propagation path of the selected UWB positioning request is A-B2-D. The end device D generates a response message for the UWB positioning request, which is called a UWB positioning response. The format of the UWB positioning response message is basically the same as that shown in Table 1. In the path field of the UWB positioning response message, opposite to the path of the UWB positioning request, it is D-B2-A. According to the returned path D-B2-A, the UWB positioning response will be passed from the end device D back to the starting device A.

[0162] In step S606, the relay device on the determined positioning path is used to relay the UWB positioning response generated by the end device D from the end device to the starting device A. Based on the path D-B2-A, the UWB positioning response generated by the end device D is forwarded to the starting device A via the relay device B2.

[0163] The UWB positioning response is returned along the path determined by the destination device, so that the positioning response corresponding to the positioning request is returned to the starting device along the path with the best communication efficiency.

[0164] In step S607, the initiating device A receives the UWB positioning response and determines the position of the end point device D relative to the initiating device A based on the UWB positioning response.

[0165] The following takes the positioning response returned from the end device D via the path D-B2-A as an example to explain the exemplary process of the initiating device A determining the positioning of the end device D relative to the initiating device A based on the UWB positioning response. Figure 7 The schematic diagram shows the principle of the starting device A calculating the position of the end device D. To calculate the position of the device D relative to the device A, it is assumed that the device A, the device B2 and the device D are all in the same plane.

[0166] First, a two-dimensional coordinate system is established for device A and device B2, where point A in the coordinate system corresponds to device A, and the location of point A is used as the origin of the coordinate system; point B corresponds to device B2. According to the characteristics of UWB communication technology, device A and device B2 can determine the distance and relative angle between the two UWB devices based on ToF and AoA. Figure 7 As shown, the distance between A and B is D1, and the angle θ1 between the line between AB and the X-axis of the coordinate system is taken as the angle between AB, that is, the relative angle between device A and device B2. Figure 7 The θ1 shown is located in the fourth quadrant of the coordinate system, so sinθ1 is negative and cosθ1 is positive. Relative to the origin A(0,0), the coordinates of point B should be (D1cosθ1, D1sinθ1).

[0167] After determining the coordinates of device B2 relative to device A, i.e., the coordinates of point B, we further determine the coordinates of device D relative to device B2, i.e., the coordinates of D relative to B. At this time, we need to establish a new coordinate system with point B as the origin, such as Figure 7 The coordinate system drawn with dotted lines in the figure, where point D corresponds to device D. The new coordinate system with point B as the origin is actually obtained by translating the coordinate system established with point A as the origin. The X-axis and Y-axis of the two coordinate systems are parallel. The distance between B and D is D2, and the angle θ2 between the line between BD and the X' axis of the coordinate system is taken as the angle between BD, that is, the relative angle between device B and device D. Figure 7 The θ2 shown is located in the first quadrant of the coordinate system, so sinθ1 is positive and cosθ1 is positive. Relative to the origin B(0,0), the coordinates of point D should be (D2cosθ2, D2sinθ2).

[0168] Finally, based on the coordinates of D relative to B, and the coordinates of B relative to A, we can calculate that in the coordinate system with A as the origin, the coordinates of A are (0, 0) and the coordinates of D are (D1cosθ1+D2cosθ2, D1sinθ1+D2sinθ2).

[0169] When the coordinates of point A and point D are determined, the straight-line distance D3 between AD is [(D1cosθ1+D2cosθ2) 2 +(D1sinθ1+D2sinθ2) 2 ] 1 / 2 The angle between them is θ3 = arcsin((D1sinθ1+D2sinθ2) / D3).

[0170] In the implementation of the present application, the method of calculating the coordinates of D relative to A explained above is only an exemplary description, and the present application is not limited thereto, and other calculation methods based on trigonometric functions may also be used.

[0171] The following is combined with Figure 8 The process of the positioning method based on UWB technology is further explained. Figure 8 The forwarding process of the UWB request from the initiating device to the terminal device and the forwarding process of the UWB positioning response message from the terminal device to the initiating device in the scenario shown in FIG. 5( a ) are shown.

[0172] The initiating device A first generates a UWB message, which is a UWB positioning request for requesting the location of device D. The message is recorded as TAD, indicating that the initiating device of the message is A and the end device to be positioned is D. As shown in Figure 5(b), the UWB devices that can be found within the communication range of the initiating device A are relay devices B1 and B2. The initiating device A broadcasts the positioning request message TAD to the relay device D. AD The data are sent to relay device B1 (S801) and relay device B2 (S802) respectively.

[0173] For relay device B1, after receiving the UWB positioning request from the initiating device A, it will forward the received message to the UWB devices it can discover. As shown in Figure 5(c), the UWB devices that can be discovered within the communication range of relay device B1 are device A, device B2, and device C. The UWB message forwarded by relay device B1 will be sent to device B2 and device C respectively (S804 and S803).

[0174] After receiving the UWB request, device B1 will add the device identifier to the UWB request and then forward it to device B2 (S803), so that the subsequent devices that receive the request can determine that the UWB request is forwarded by device B1. The process of device B1 adding the device identifier to the UWB positioning request is consistent with the above description and will not be repeated here. The UWB positioning request TAD is represented as T after being forwarded by device B1. AB1D Device B1 sends message T AB1D Sent to device C (S803) and device B2 (S804).

[0175] For relay device B2, since it is within the communication range of device A and device B1, device B2 can receive the UWB positioning request T sent by device A. AD and the UWB positioning request T forwarded by device B1 AB1D Both. Relay device B2 receives the positioning request T AD and T AB1D After that, by parsing the path information in the message, it can be confirmed that the two positioning requests are both issued by device A and are used to locate the end device D. And, by comparing the message T AD and message TAB1D It can be seen that the message T AD The number of intermediate nodes in the transmission path is 0, and the message T AB1D The number of intermediate nodes in the transmission path is 1. The larger the number of intermediate nodes in the transmission path, the more times the message is forwarded. Device B2 will forward the message T with a larger number of forwarding times according to the comparison result. AB1D Discard (S805), and forward the message TAD with the least number of forwarding times to the next node (S806 and S808).

[0176] Device B2 receives the message T AD , generate the UWB positioning message T to be forwarded AB2D As shown in Figure 5(d), the devices that device B2 can discover include device A, device B1, and device D. Because device B1 is within the communication range of device B2, message TAB2D will also be sent to B1 (S806). In this way, device B1 will also receive both message TAD from device A and message TAB2D from device B2. Based on the same mechanism as described above when describing device B2, device B1 will forward the message TAB2D with the largest number of forwarding times. AB1D Discard (S807), and discard the message T with the least number of forwarding times. AD , forwarded to the next node. According to the message T AD It can identify that the source is device A, so device B2 will not send T AB1D Sent back to device A.

[0177] Message T forwarded by device B2 AB2D is sent to device D (S808). Upon receiving the message T AB2D Afterwards, by parsing the message, it is learned that the message is a location request initiated by device A for finding itself.

[0178] On the other hand, for device C, since device C is also within the communication range of device B1, after device B2 sends message TAB1D to device C (S803), device C responds based on message TAB1D. AB1D , add its own device identification to the message, and generate the UWB positioning message T to be forwarded AB1CD As shown in Figure 5(c), the only device that device C can discover besides B1 is device D. Therefore, device C sends message T AB1CD Send to device D (S809). According to message T AB1D It can be identified that the source is device B1, so device C will not send T AB1CD Sent back to device B1.

[0179] Device D will receive UWB positioning requests forwarded from two paths, one of which is T forwarded via A-B1-C. AB1CD , and the other is T forwarded via A-B2 AB2D Based on the above principle, device D will select a UWB positioning request as a valid UWB positioning request and generate a UWB positioning response message for the valid UWB positioning request. AB2D and message T AB1CD It can be seen that the message T AB2D The number of intermediate nodes in the transmission path is 1, and the message T AB1CD The number of intermediate nodes in the transmission path is 2. The larger the number of intermediate nodes in the transmission path, the more times the message is forwarded. Device D will select the message with fewer intermediate nodes as the valid UWB positioning request, that is, select T AB2D .

[0180] like Figure 8 As shown, in determining T AB2D If it is a valid UWB positioning request, device D will generate a UWB positioning response message T DB2A The message T DB2A This means that the message is sent from device D and will be forwarded to device A via device B2.

[0181] Message DB2A The message is forwarded from device D to device B2 (S810). Device B2 then forwards the message T DB2A Forward to device A (S811). Device A receives message T DB2A Afterwards, according to the message T DB2A Perform positioning processing for device D. The principle and process of device A positioning device D according to the corresponding UWB positioning message are as described above and will not be repeated here.

[0182] According to some implementations of the present application, in the process of implementing a positioning method based on UWB technology, in order to suppress messages from being forwarded without restriction, thereby wasting system resources, a mechanism for suppressing the number of messages may be added during the implementation of the positioning method. Fig. 9 FIG. 5( a ) and FIG. 5( b ) show the number of stages at which a UWB positioning request is forwarded in an exemplary scenario. Figure 8 In the message forwarding process explained above, the message initiated by device A is forwarded at multiple levels, that is, it is forwarded multiple times. Fig. 9As shown, the forwarding of device B1 and device B2 can be regarded as the first layer, and the forwarding of device C can be regarded as the second layer. As explained above, the message transmitted between devices as a UWB positioning request retains the path field, and the number of times the message is forwarded and the name of the relay device passed through can be automatically determined according to the path, thereby determining Fig. 9 The forwarding level shown. In the process of the relay device determining the object to be forwarded and device D determining the final positioning request to be adopted, the judgment can be made according to the number of nodes that forward the message. In some embodiments of the present application, in the process of implementing the positioning method based on UWB technology, it is not desirable for the UWB positioning request to be forwarded too much in the system. Therefore, an upper limit can be set for the number of forwarding times in the communication system, for example 4. When any relay device finds in the received message that the number of relay nodes contained in the path is already equal to 4, the relay device will give up forwarding this message.

[0183] According to some embodiments of the present application, in order to prevent UWB positioning from being initiated frequently and save the communication resources of the system, the system can make a restriction. If any UWB device as the starting device does not receive any response after issuing a UWB positioning request within the first time threshold, such as 60 seconds, then it is restricted from frequently issuing UWB positioning requests again. The device can only initiate the second UWB positioning request after the second time threshold, such as 120 seconds. In addition, the second time threshold can be proportional to the first time threshold, and the ratio of the two can be the number of consecutive UWB positioning requests. For example, after device A initiates the first UWB positioning request, it does not receive any response after 60 seconds, and it is determined that the positioning fails. The system will allow it to initiate a second UWB positioning request 120 seconds after the positioning failure is determined. If the second UWB positioning request still fails, the system will allow it to initiate a third UWB positioning request 180 seconds after the positioning failure is determined.

[0184] There are some security considerations in the implementation of UWB-based positioning, such as the possibility that the communication system may be attacked, and incorrect messages may be maliciously inserted to interfere with the positioning results.

[0185] According to some embodiments of the present application, in the scenario described above where a user uses a mobile phone (starting UWB device) to find a vehicle (end point UWB device), a shared key Ks can be set in advance for the mobile phone and the UWB device on the vehicle. When the mobile phone sends a UWB positioning request to find the vehicle, the shared key Ks is used.

[0186] According to some embodiments of the present application, a security mechanism can be set in the positioning process of UWB technology to avoid malicious attacks during the implementation of UWB positioning. For various types of UWB devices applied to embodiments of the present application, such as mobile phones, UWB tags, etc., this positioning method can only be performed between UWB devices manufactured by specific manufacturers (for example, the same device manufacturer or software manufacturer, or multiple hardware / software manufacturers that are compatible with each other under the same standard category). The manufacturer writes a unique key (hereinafter referred to as Kt) into the firmware of the UWB device, and the UWB device uses the key to encrypt part or all of the fields of the message when transmitting the message, such as encrypting the device name of the starting device. The Cypher field in the exemplary data structure of the UWB message shown in Table 1 contains the necessary information to ensure communication security. The encrypted field is written into the Cypher field. After receiving the UWB positioning request, the UWB device on the vehicle will use the key Ks to decrypt the encrypted information in the Cypher field to determine the authenticity of the source of the positioning request.

[0187] In some embodiments, the endpoint UWB device will also confirm the timestamp of the received positioning request message when performing security confirmation. For example, in some cases, the timestamp of the positioning request message can be used as a criterion for determining whether the message is received repeatedly. If it is found that the timestamp of the newly received positioning request message is the same as the timestamp of the positioning request message that has been processed, then it can be determined that the message is received repeatedly and can be discarded. In some other cases, it can be determined based on the timestamp of the positioning request message whether the generation time of the positioning request message exceeds a certain time length from the current time when the message is received, such as 15 minutes. If it exceeds this time length, it means that the message is too old and may have been tampered with, which will affect security. For positioning request messages that are too old, the endpoint UWB device can also choose to discard the message to ensure the security of communication.

[0188] In addition, if in certain usage scenarios, there are too many UWB devices of different types and brands, resulting in message flooding, it will cause some interference to communications.

[0189] According to some embodiments of the present application, a security mechanism can be set up in the positioning process of UWB technology to prevent unauthorized UWB devices from sending messages to mix into the communication system. In the UWB message transmitted between UWB devices, as shown in the exemplary data structure in Table 1, the payload as an example of its content is a plain text message. Each UWB device can use the above-mentioned key Kt to encrypt the plain text message, for example, perform a hash calculation to obtain a verification value, namely a MAC value. The MAC value can be included in the cypher field. For example, B1, as a relay device, will use the key Kt to perform a hash calculation on the plain text message of the payload to obtain MAC (B1). When device B1 forwards the message to device C, for the received message, device C will also use the key Kt it has to perform a hash calculation on the payload in the message to obtain the corresponding MAC value. If the calculated MAC value is consistent with the MAC value in the received message, device C confirms the correctness of the message, otherwise the received message will be discarded. Through such a setting, in the implementation of the UWB positioning method according to the present application, it is possible to prevent messages sent by other unauthorized devices from being mixed into the communication system, causing message flooding and affecting communication efficiency.

[0190] The following combination Figures 10 to 12 An ultra-wideband (UWB) device provided according to an embodiment of the present application is described.

[0191] like Fig.10 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides a relay device supporting ultra-wideband positioning, and the relay device includes a message receiving module 1001, a message generating module 1002 and a message sending module 1003.

[0192] The message receiving module 1001 receives at least one UWB positioning request, wherein the at least one UWB positioning request includes a first UWB positioning request from an initiating device of the UWB positioning request, and / or a second UWB positioning request forwarded by other relay devices, and the UWB positioning request indicates a request from an initiating device to search for an endpoint device, wherein the UWB positioning request indicates a request from an initiating device to search for an endpoint device.

[0193] The message generating module 1002 selects a UWB positioning request from at least one UWB positioning request, and generates a second UWB positioning request of the first relay device based on the selected UWB positioning request, and the second UWB positioning request of the first relay device also includes a device identification of the first relay device.

[0194] The message sending module 1003 sends a second UWB positioning request of the first relay device.

[0195] like Fig.11As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides an initiating device supporting ultra-wideband positioning, and the initiating device includes a message sending module 1101 , a message receiving module 1102 and a positioning module 1103 .

[0196] The message sending module 1101 sends a UWB positioning request, wherein the UWB positioning request indicates a request for an initiating device to find an end device.

[0197] The message receiving module 1102 receives a UWB positioning response, wherein the UWB positioning response indicates a positioning path between a connection starting device and an end device determined by an end device, wherein the positioning path includes a device identifier of at least one relay device, wherein at least one device is used to relay a request from the starting device to search for the end device from the starting device to the end device.

[0198] The positioning module 1103 determines the position of the destination device relative to the originating device based on the UWB positioning response.

[0199] like Fig.12 As shown, an embodiment of the present application provides an endpoint device supporting ultra-wideband positioning, and the endpoint device includes a message receiving module 1201 , a message generating module 1202 and a message sending module 1203 .

[0200] The message receiving module 1201 receives at least one UWB positioning request, wherein each of the at least one UWB positioning request indicates request information for an initiating device to find an end device; each of the at least one UWB positioning request includes a device identifier of a relay device passed through;

[0201] The message generation module 1202 determines the number of relay devices passed by each UWB positioning request according to the device identification of the relay device included in each UWB positioning request, and selects a UWB positioning request from at least one UWB positioning request as a valid UWB positioning request based at least in part on the number of relay devices included in each UWB positioning request, wherein the relay device is used to relay the request information of the starting device to find the end device to the end device; based on the valid UWB positioning request, determines the positioning path connecting the starting device and the end device, and generates a UWB positioning response.

[0202] The message sending module 1203 sends a UWB positioning response, wherein the UWB positioning response indicates a positioning path.

[0203] It should be noted that, in this article, "A and / or B" means that there may be three situations, namely, A exists alone, B exists alone, and A and B exist at the same time.

[0204] Each method implementation mode of the present application can be implemented in the form of software, magnetic components, firmware, etc.

[0205] Program code can be applied to input instructions to perform the functions described herein and generate output information. The output information can be applied to one or more output devices in a known manner. For purposes of this application, a processing system includes any system having a processor such as, for example, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller, an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or a microprocessor.

[0206] Program code can be implemented with high-level programming language or object-oriented programming language to communicate with the processing system. When necessary, program code can also be implemented with assembly language or machine language. In fact, the mechanism described herein is not limited to the scope of any specific programming language. In either case, the language can be a compiled language or an interpreted language.

[0207] One or more aspects of at least one embodiment may be implemented by representative instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium, which represent various logics in a processor, and when the instructions are read by a machine, the machine makes logic for performing the techniques described herein. These representations, known as "IP cores," may be stored on a tangible computer-readable storage medium and provided to multiple customers or production facilities to be loaded into a manufacturing machine that actually manufactures the logic or processor.

[0208] In some cases, the instruction converter can be used to convert instructions from a source instruction set to a target instruction set. For example, the instruction converter can transform (e.g., using static binary transformation, dynamic binary transformation including dynamic compilation), deform, simulate or otherwise convert instructions into one or more other instructions that will be processed by the IP core. The instruction converter can be implemented with software, hardware, firmware, or a combination thereof. The instruction converter can be on a processor, outside a processor, or partly on a processor and partly outside a processor.

Claims

1. An ultra-wideband positioning method, used in a system including an initial device, multiple relay devices, and an endpoint device, characterized in that: The initiating device generates and sends a first UWB positioning request, wherein the first UWB positioning request indicates a request by the initiating device to find the end point device; The multiple relay devices forward at least one second UWB positioning request to the end device via at least one path, each second UWB positioning request is generated based on the first UWB positioning request and includes a device identifier of the relay device through which the second UWB positioning request passes; and each of the at least one second UWB positioning request corresponds to one of the at least one path; the path includes a starting device, a relay device and an end device; Each relay device in at least one relay device receives a plurality of UWB positioning requests, wherein the plurality of UWB positioning requests include a first UWB positioning request from the initiating device and / or at least one second UWB positioning request from other relay devices; Each of the relay devices selects a UWB positioning request with the shortest propagation distance between each of the relay devices and the starting device according to the device identifier of the relay device included in each of the UWB positioning requests, or determines the number of relay devices through which each of the UWB positioning requests passes, and selects a UWB positioning request to be forwarded to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices from the various UWB positioning requests at least partially according to the number; wherein, selecting a UWB positioning request at least partially according to the number includes: forwarding the UWB positioning request with the smallest number to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices, or forwarding the UWB positioning request with the smallest number and arriving first to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices; The endpoint device receives the at least one second UWB positioning request, and the endpoint device determines the number of relay devices through which the second UWB positioning request passes according to the device identifier of the relay device included in each of the second UWB positioning requests, and determines a valid UWB positioning request at least in part according to the number, or takes the second UWB positioning request with the shortest propagation distance between the starting device and the endpoint device as the valid UWB positioning request, wherein the valid UWB positioning request is determined at least in part according to the number, including: The endpoint device selects the second UWB positioning request with the smallest number as the valid UWB positioning request, or selects the second UWB positioning request with the smallest number and arriving at the endpoint device first as the valid UWB positioning request, or selects the second UWB positioning request that arrives at the endpoint device first as the valid UWB positioning request; The end point device determines, based on the valid UWB positioning request, a positioning path connecting the starting device and the end point device via a relay device; and generates and sends a UWB positioning response corresponding to the valid UWB positioning request, wherein the UWB positioning response indicates the positioning path, The relay device on the positioning path forwards the UWB positioning response from the end point device to the starting device; The initiating device receives the UWB positioning response and determines a position of the end point device relative to the initiating device based on the UWB positioning response.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The respective relay devices select, at least in part according to the number, from the respective UWB positioning requests to forward to the end point device and / or other relay devices, including: Each relay device does not forward the UWB positioning requests whose number is greater than the first threshold.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The endpoint device generates and sends a UWB positioning response corresponding to the valid UWB positioning request, including: The end point device sends a UWB positioning response to a relay device that is closest to the end point device among the relay devices on the positioning path.

4. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The initiating device determines the position of the endpoint device relative to the initiating device based on the UWB positioning response, including: The starting device determines the distance and angle between each device on the positioning path according to the positioning path corresponding to the UWB positioning response, and determines the position of the terminal device relative to the starting device according to the distance and angle between the each device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein The initiating device and the terminal device share a first key, the initiating device adds an identity authentication field encrypted by the first key to the UWB positioning request sent, and The end point device uses the first key to decrypt the identity authentication field in the received UWB positioning request to confirm the identity of the initiating device, and / or The initiating device uses the first key to decrypt the identity authentication field in the received UWB positioning response to confirm the identity of the endpoint device.

6. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The initiating device and the plurality of relay devices have a second key, and the second key is used by the plurality of relay devices and / or the end point device to verify the content of the received UWB positioning request.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The plurality of relay devices verify the content of the received UWB positioning request, including: at least one relay device among the plurality of relay devices Calculate a hash value for the plain text content in each received UWB positioning request using the second key; Comparing the hash value with a content verification field in each UWB positioning request, wherein the content verification field is a hash value calculated by the sending device of each UWB positioning request using the second key on the plain text content of each UWB positioning request; and In a case where the hash value is consistent with the content verification field, it is determined that the UWB positioning request is valid; and in a case where the hash value is inconsistent with the content verification field, it is determined that the UWB positioning request is invalid.

8. An ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning method for a first relay device, characterized in that: include: Receiving at least one UWB positioning request, wherein the at least one UWB positioning request includes a first UWB positioning request from an initiating device of the UWB positioning request, and / or a second UWB positioning request forwarded by another relay device, wherein the UWB positioning request indicates a request by the initiating device to find an end point device; According to the device identification of the relay device included in each UWB positioning request in the at least one UWB positioning request, determine the number of relay devices through which each UWB positioning request passes, and select a UWB positioning request at least in part according to the number, or select a UWB positioning request with the shortest propagation distance between the first relay device and the starting device, and the second UWB positioning request of the first relay device also includes the device identification of the first relay device, wherein selecting a UWB positioning request at least in part according to the number includes: forwarding the UWB positioning request with the smallest number to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices, or forwarding the UWB positioning request with the smallest number and arriving first to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices, or forwarding the UWB positioning request that arrives first to the endpoint device to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices; and Send a second UWB positioning request of the first relay device.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising: The content of each UWB positioning request is verified according to the preset key.

10. The method according to claim 9, characterized in that Verifying the content of each UWB positioning request, including: Calculate a hash value for the plain text content in each UWB positioning request using the key; Comparing the hash value with a content verification field in each UWB positioning request, wherein the content verification field is a hash value calculated by the sending device of each UWB positioning request using the key on the plain text content of the UWB positioning request; and When the hash value is consistent with the content verification field, it is determined that the UWB positioning request is valid; and when the hash value is inconsistent with the content verification field, it is determined that the UWB positioning request is invalid.

11. The method according to any one of claims 8 to 10, characterized in that: Also includes: Receiving a first UWB positioning response from the end point device or other relay device, wherein the first UWB positioning response indicates a positioning path connecting the end point device and the start point device determined by the end point device; Based on the first UWB positioning response, generating a second UWB positioning response, wherein the second UWB positioning response indicates the positioning path and includes a device identification of the first relay device; The second UWB positioning response is sent to the starting device or other relay devices on the positioning path.

12. An ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning method for an initiating device, characterized in that: include: Sending a UWB positioning request, wherein the UWB positioning request indicates a request by the initiating device to search for an endpoint device; Receive a UWB positioning response, wherein the UWB positioning response indicates a positioning path determined by the endpoint device to connect the starting device and the endpoint device, wherein the positioning path includes a device identifier of at least one relay device, wherein the at least one relay device is used to relay the request of the starting device to find the endpoint device from the starting device to the endpoint device, and the positioning path is determined according to a valid UWB positioning request, wherein the selection method of the valid UWB positioning request includes: determining the valid UWB positioning request at least partially according to the number of device identifiers of at least one relay device, or taking the UWB positioning request with the shortest propagation distance between the starting device and the endpoint device as the valid UWB positioning request, wherein the valid UWB positioning request is determined at least partially according to the number, including: Selecting the UWB positioning request with the smallest number as the valid UWB positioning request, or selecting the UWB positioning request with the smallest number and arriving first as the valid UWB positioning request, or selecting the UWB positioning request that arrives at the endpoint device first as the valid UWB positioning request; and Based on the UWB positioning response, a position of the destination device relative to the originating device is determined.

13. An ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning method for an endpoint device, characterized in that: include: Receive at least one UWB positioning request, wherein each of the at least one UWB positioning request indicates request information for an initiating device to find the end device; each of the at least one UWB positioning request includes a device identifier of a relay device passed through; According to the device identifier of the relay device included in each UWB positioning request, the number of relay devices passed by each UWB positioning request is determined, and at least partially based on the number of relay devices included in each UWB positioning request, a UWB positioning request is selected from the at least one UWB positioning request as a valid UWB positioning request, or a UWB positioning request with the shortest propagation distance between the starting device and the end device is taken as the valid UWB positioning request, wherein the relay device is used to relay the request information of the starting device to find the end device to the end device, and the selecting a UWB positioning request from the at least one UWB positioning request as a valid UWB positioning request based at least partially on the number of relay devices included in each UWB positioning request includes: Selecting the UWB positioning request with the smallest number as the valid UWB positioning request, or selecting the UWB positioning request with the smallest number and arriving first as the valid UWB positioning request, or selecting the UWB positioning request that arrives first as the valid UWB positioning request; Based on the valid UWB positioning request, determining a positioning path connecting the starting device and the end device; and A UWB positioning response is generated and sent, wherein the UWB positioning response indicates the positioning path.

14. The method according to claim 13, characterized in that The sending the UWB positioning response includes: A UWB positioning response is sent to a relay device that is closest to the endpoint device among the relay devices on the positioning path.

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, characterized in that Also includes: Each UWB positioning request is verified according to a shared key shared by the end point device and the start point device to determine the validity of each UWB positioning request.

16. An ultra-wideband (UWB) communication system, characterized in that: It includes a starting device, multiple relay devices, and an end device, among which: The initiating device generates and sends a first UWB positioning request, wherein the first UWB positioning request indicates a request by the initiating device to search for the endpoint device; The multiple relay devices forward at least one second UWB positioning request to the end device via at least one path, each second UWB positioning request is generated based on the first UWB positioning request and includes a device identifier of the relay device through which the second UWB positioning request passes; and each of the at least one second UWB positioning request corresponds to one of the at least one path; the path includes a starting device, a relay device and an end device; Each relay device in at least one relay device receives a plurality of UWB positioning requests, wherein the plurality of UWB positioning requests include a first UWB positioning request from the initiating device and / or at least one second UWB positioning request from other relay devices; Each of the relay devices selects a UWB positioning request with the shortest propagation distance between each of the relay devices and the starting device according to the device identifier of the relay device included in each of the UWB positioning requests, or determines the number of relay devices through which each of the UWB positioning requests passes, and selects a UWB positioning request to be forwarded to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices from the various UWB positioning requests at least partially according to the number; wherein, selecting a UWB positioning request at least partially according to the number includes: forwarding the UWB positioning request with the smallest number to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices, or forwarding the UWB positioning request with the smallest number and arriving first to the endpoint device and / or other relay devices; The endpoint device receives the at least one second UWB positioning request, and the endpoint device determines the number of relay devices through which the second UWB positioning request passes according to the device identifier of the relay device included in each of the second UWB positioning requests, and determines a valid UWB positioning request at least in part according to the number, or takes the second UWB positioning request with the shortest propagation distance between the starting device and the endpoint device as the valid UWB positioning request, wherein determining the valid UWB positioning request at least in part according to the number includes: The endpoint device selects the second UWB positioning request with the smallest number as the valid UWB positioning request, or selects the second UWB positioning request with the smallest number and arriving at the endpoint device first as the valid UWB positioning request, or selects the second UWB positioning request that arrives at the endpoint device first as the valid UWB positioning request; The end point device determines, based on the valid UWB positioning request, a positioning path connecting the starting device and the end point device via a relay device; and generates and sends a UWB positioning response corresponding to the valid UWB positioning request, wherein the UWB positioning response indicates the positioning path, The relay device on the positioning path forwards the UWB positioning response from the end device to the starting device; The initiating device receives the UWB positioning response and determines a position of the end point device relative to the initiating device based on the UWB positioning response.

17. A machine-readable storage medium, characterized in that: The machine-readable storage medium stores program codes, and when the program codes are executed on a machine, the machine can execute the ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning method according to any one of claims 8 to 15.

18. An ultra-wideband (UWB) device, characterized in that: include: A processor and a storage medium, wherein The storage medium is coupled to the processor, and the storage medium is used to store program codes. When the processor reads the program codes from the storage medium, the ultra-wideband device executes the ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning method as claimed in any one of claims 8 to 15.

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