Method, device, medium and equipment for interaction between UWB and NB radio

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to announcing UWB / NBA‑UWB‑MMS ranging rounds via narrowband-based announcements. A technique for providing a more efficient operating range and operating efficiency using a mix of ultra-wideband (UWB) and narrowband (NB) signaling is provided. In one example, a first subsystem of a first device may determine parameter data for a ranging round (e.g., UWB and / or NB assisted (NBA) UWB multi-millisecond (MMS) ranging) and transmit the parameter data to a second subsystem of the first device. The parameter data may indicate a first time associated with a first time domain for performing ranging. The second subsystem may determine a second time based on the first time, whereby the second time is associated with a second time domain for performing NB signaling (e.g., via a low-power Bluetooth (BLE) protocol). The first device may transmit an announcement packet indicating the second time via a NB signal. The first device may then initiate the ranging round at the first time.

Description

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority under 35 U.S.C. §119(e) to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 108862, filed on November 2, 2020, entitled “TECHNIQUESFOR HYBRIDIZED ULTRA-WIDEBAND AND NARROWBAND SIGNALING,” and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 233,598, filed on August 16, 2021, entitled “ANNOUNCING UWB / NBA-UWB-MMS RANGINGROUNDS VIA NARROWBAND BASED ADVERTISEMENTS,” the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. This application also relates to U.S. patent application No. 17 / 453,165, filed on November 1, 2021, entitled “SIGNALING TECHNIQUES USING FRAGMENTED AND MULTI-PARTITIONED UWB PACKETS” (which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 229,482, filed on August 4, 2021, entitled “SIGNALING TECHNIQUES USING FRAGMENTED AND MULTI-PARTITIONED UWB PACKETS”); and U.S. patent application No. 17 / 453,164, filed on November 1, 2021, entitled “SEQUENCES FOR ULTRA-WIDEBAND RANGING” (which claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63 / 229,482, filed on August 4, 2021, entitled “SEQUENCES FOR ULTRA-WIDEBAND RANGING” 63 / 233,109 entitled "RANGING"), the contents of all of which are incorporated herein by reference. Background Art

[0003] Wireless devices can perform many different tasks using short-range wireless applications. For example, a wireless device (e.g., a key fob) can be configured so that when the device comes within a certain proximity of a vehicle (e.g., a car), the vehicle's doors are automatically unlocked. In many cases, regulatory rules and / or other technical limitations may constrain the use of specific types of wireless signaling. These regulatory rules and / or technical limitations may vary between different types of wireless signaling. For example, regulatory rules governing ultra-wideband (UWB) signaling may be different from rules governing narrowband (NB) signaling, at least in part because they may utilize different frequency bands. In some cases, these conventional rules and / or technical limitations make it difficult for the system to achieve a desired operating range and / or desired operating efficiency. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0004] Figure 1 is a simplified block diagram of an exemplary UWB-equipped device in accordance with some embodiments.

[0005] Figure 2 is another simplified block diagram illustrating an exemplary technique for exchanging wireless messages between UWB-equipped devices, according to some embodiments.

[0006] Figure 3 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least some example techniques for calculating a channel impulse response (CIR), according to some embodiments.

[0007] Figure 4 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least some example techniques for formatting UWB packets, according to some embodiments.

[0008] Figure 5 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least some example techniques for determining time of flight (TOF), according to some embodiments.

[0009] Figure 6 is another simplified diagram showing an example of power spectral density associated with measurements of UWB signals, according to a certain embodiment.

[0010] Figure 7 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least some example techniques for transmitting data segments within a UWB framework, according to some embodiments.

[0011] Figure 8 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least some example techniques for transmitting data segments associated with a UWB packet type, according to some embodiments.

[0012] Fig. 9is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least some example techniques for transmitting data segments within multiple time intervals within a UWB framework, according to some embodiments.

[0013] Fig.10 is another simplified diagram illustrating potential advantages and disadvantages of at least some wireless systems utilizing UWB signaling and / or NB signaling, according to some embodiments.

[0014] Fig.11 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least some example techniques for utilizing a hybrid of UWB signaling and NB signaling, according to some embodiments.

[0015] Fig.12 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least some example techniques for utilizing a hybrid of UWB signaling and NB signaling, according to some embodiments.

[0016] Fig.13 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least some example techniques for utilizing NB signaling via a NB packet format, according to some embodiments.

[0017] Fig.14 is another simplified block diagram illustrating two devices each configured to communicate with each other utilizing a mix of UWB signaling and NB signaling, according to some embodiments.

[0018] Fig.15 is another simplified block diagram of a hybrid wireless transceiver illustrating a device configured to communicate with another device utilizing a mix of UWB signaling and NB signaling, according to some embodiments.

[0019] Fig.16 is a simplified flow diagram illustrating a signal exchange between two devices according to some embodiments.

[0020] Fig.17 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a signal exchange between two devices according to some embodiments.

[0021] Fig.18 is another simplified flow chart illustrating an exemplary process performed by an initiator device according to some embodiments.

[0022] Fig.19 is another simplified flow chart illustrating an exemplary process performed by a responder device according to some embodiments.

[0023] Fig. 20 is another simplified block diagram illustrating the use of NB signaling to transmit UWB payload data according to some embodiments.

[0024] Fig.21is another simplified block diagram illustrating example waveforms that may be included in one or more segments transmitted by a UWB signaling layer of a device, according to some embodiments.

[0025] Fig. 22 is another simplified block diagram illustrating a first portion of an exemplary process performed by an apparatus for hybrid signaling according to some embodiments.

[0026] Fig.23 According to some embodiments Fig. 22 Another simplified block diagram of the remainder of the exemplary process.

[0027] Fig.24 is another simplified flow chart illustrating signaling according to a bidirectional redundant packet switching protocol utilizing one or more NB channels, according to some embodiments.

[0028] Fig.25 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating message exchange between two devices according to a bidirectional redundant packet exchange protocol utilizing one or more NB channels, according to some embodiments.

[0029] Fig.26 is another simplified flow chart illustrating signal transmission according to a unidirectional redundant packet transmission protocol utilizing one or more NB channels, according to some embodiments.

[0030] Fig. 27 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating message exchange between two devices according to a unidirectional redundant packet transmission protocol utilizing one or more NB channels, according to some embodiments.

[0031] Fig.28 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating signal transmission for a non-staggered ranging protocol utilizing a known fixed turnaround time, according to some embodiments.

[0032] Fig.29 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating message exchanges based on known fixed turnaround times, according to some embodiments.

[0033] Fig.30 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a non-interleaved ranging protocol that includes an exchange of NB signals conveying a round trip time and / or turnaround time following a bidirectional exchange of UWB segments, according to some embodiments.

[0034] Fig.31 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating message exchanges utilizing NB signaling exchanges following a bidirectional exchange of UWB segments, according to some embodiments.

[0035] Fig.32is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a signal exchange according to one-way NB and non-interleaved UWB ranging protocols, according to some embodiments.

[0036] Fig.33 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating message exchanges according to one-way NB and non-interleaved UWB ranging protocols, according to some embodiments.

[0037] Fig.34 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating signal exchange according to the beacon protocol, according to some embodiments.

[0038] Fig.35 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating message exchanges according to the beacon protocol, according to some embodiments.

[0039] Fig.36 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a signal exchange according to the staggered ranging protocol, according to some embodiments.

[0040] Fig.37 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating message exchanges according to the staggered ranging protocol, according to some embodiments.

[0041] Fig.38 is another simplified block diagram illustrating the use of a separate wireless system for initial device discovery and connection setup, according to some embodiments.

[0042] Fig.39 is another simplified block diagram illustrating the use of a separate wireless system for initial device discovery and connection setup, according to some embodiments.

[0043] Fig.40 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a technique for announcing ranging rounds, such as UWB and / or Narrowband Assisted (NBA) UWB Multi-Millisecond (MMS) (NB-UWB-MMS) ranging rounds, via NB signals, according to some embodiments.

[0044] Fig.41 is a simplified flow chart illustrating a technique for announcing UWB / NBA-UWB-MMS ranging rounds via NB signals, according to some embodiments.

[0045] Fig.42 is a simplified block diagram illustrating techniques for operating a hybrid (UWB / NB) system within an environment including anchor stations and client stations, according to some embodiments.

[0046] Fig.43 is another simplified block diagram illustrating a technique for utilizing a mix of UWB signaling and NB signaling for ranging rounds, according to some embodiments.

[0047] Fig.44 is a simplified block diagram illustrating ranging session parameters according to some embodiments.

[0048] Fig.45 is a simplified block diagram illustrating ranging parameters that may be dynamically adjusted between ranging rounds, according to some embodiments.

[0049] Fig.46 is a simplified block diagram illustrating the use of random / adaptive channel hopping between ranging rounds, according to some embodiments.

[0050] Fig.47 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a situation in which synchronization data used in a previous ranging round may also be used in the next ranging round, according to some embodiments.

[0051] Fig.48 is a simplified block diagram illustrating adaptive asymmetric transmission of UWB segments within ranging rounds according to a non-staggered ranging protocol, according to some embodiments.

[0052] Fig.49 is another simplified block diagram illustrating adaptive asymmetric transmission of UWB segments within a ranging round according to a non-staggered ranging protocol, according to some embodiments.

[0053] Fig.50 is a simplified block diagram illustrating adaptive asymmetric transmission of UWB segments within ranging rounds according to a staggered ranging protocol, according to some embodiments.

[0054] Fig.51 is another simplified block diagram illustrating adaptive asymmetric transmission of UWB segments within ranging rounds according to a staggered ranging protocol, according to some embodiments. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] In the following description, various examples will be described. For the purpose of explanation, many specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples. However, it will also be apparent to those skilled in the art that some examples may be implemented without these specific details. In addition, well-known features may be omitted or simplified to prevent confusion with the examples described herein.

[0056] Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide techniques for providing improved operating range and / or operating efficiency by utilizing a mix of ultra-wideband (UWB) and narrowband (NB) signaling when performing wireless communications between devices. For example, the techniques disclosed herein may enable a first device to effectively determine the location (position) of a second device relative to a first device and / or effectively determine a distance estimate (e.g., a range estimate) between the two devices. For illustration, consider an example in which a first device and a second device are capable of wireless communication. In this example, hybrid signaling may be performed according to a ranging protocol involving bidirectional NB and UWB signaling between the first device and the second device. The two devices may first perform an initial phase, during which there may be initial device discovery and initial (e.g., "rough") synchronization between the two devices. In some examples, the initial phase may be performed by, for example, a wireless system of each device, equipped to transmit wireless signals using Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). During this initial phase, the wireless system of the first device may schedule a start time (e.g., discrete time) for transmitting at least one packet (e.g., a "NB polling" packet) to the second device via a NB signal. The first device may also schedule a window (eg, a time interval) for subsequent reception by the first device of a second packet from the second device (eg, a "NB response" packet transmitted via another NB signal).

[0057] After this initial phase, the first device may then transmit a scheduled NB polling packet to the second device via the NB signal at the scheduled start time, wherein the packet may convey (e.g., indicate) one or more types of synchronization data for a second (e.g., "fine") synchronization between the two devices. For example, the packet may include a synchronization ("sync") field and a data payload field. The data payload field may include scheduling data (e.g., which may also be referred to as "scheduling information"). The second device may extract one type of synchronization data from the sync field corresponding to time and frequency synchronization information (e.g., T / Fsync information) by using prior art synchronization and / or signal acquisition techniques. The second device may also extract another type of synchronization data from the data payload field corresponding to the scheduling data by using prior art demodulation and decoding techniques. The second device may use the synchronization data to schedule and facilitate the reception of multiple data fragments, which will then be transmitted to the second device by the first device via the UWB signal in the form of a short burst and distributed over multiple intervals. In this example, the scheduling data of the NB poll may also include scheduling information related to the NB response packet transmission start time, thereby enabling the second device to schedule the transmission of the NB response packet to the first device at the NB response start time. The second device may then transmit a NB response packet at the desired start time, wherein the NB response packet conveys second synchronization data, similar to that described above with respect to synchronization data from the first device to the second device. The first device may use the second synchronization data to schedule and assist in the reception of a second plurality of segments, which may then be transmitted by the second device to the first device via UWB signals distributed over a plurality of intervals. In this way, the NB signaling layer of each device may assist the corresponding UWB signaling layer with respect to synchronization and other functions. It should be noted that assisting in the reception of UWB signals derived from synchronization data conveyed via the NB signal may include configuring the UWB reception according to a carrier frequency offset and a sample frequency offset relative to a corresponding associated (second or first) device.

[0058] The first device may then schedule the plurality of UWB segments based on the synchronization data that the second device previously obtained from the first device and transmit the plurality of UWB segments to the second device for reception at the second device. In this example, the plurality of UWB data segments may collectively represent a channel impulse response training sequence (CIRTS) of a UWB formatted packet. Upon receiving the CIRTS from the first device (e.g., via aggregating the segments), the second device may use the CIRTS to estimate the channel impulse response (CIR) and / or determine other synchronization information (e.g., time and frequency information, scheduling data, etc.). After a turnaround time interval (which in this example may be a fixed time interval known to the first device), the second device may then schedule a second plurality of UWB segments accordingly based on the second synchronization data that the first device previously obtained from the NB transmission of the second device and transmit the second plurality of UWB segments to the first device for reception at the first device. The first device may then similarly calculate a CIR estimate and / or obtain other synchronization information. Thereafter, using the calculated CIR information and taking into account (e.g., subtracting) the turnaround time, the first device may determine a time of flight (TOF) associated with a line-of-sight (LOS) path between the two devices. Thus, the first device may then be able to determine the range and / or position of the first device relative to the second device. Thus, by utilizing a mix of NB and UWB signaling, embodiments improve operating range and / or efficiency when performing ranging and / or positioning via UWB signaling.

[0059] For further explanation, consider a scenario in which a first device (e.g., an "initiator" device) and a second device (e.g., a "responder" device) each include a hybrid wireless system (e.g., a hybrid wireless transceiver). When the first device is used as a representative exemplary device, the hybrid wireless system of the first device may include an ultra-wideband subsystem and a narrowband subsystem. Each subsystem may include wireless transmission and reception circuits and functions for NB and UWB signaling. In addition, the two subsystems may be tightly coupled together. For example, the hybrid wireless transceiver may include a shared time base unit, such as a crystal oscillator (XO) and / or a clock control and timing device. The shared time base unit ensures that the NB and UWB subsystems generate signals that are tightly synchronized in time and frequency. The subsystems for a given device may also share a medium access control (MAC) function. The MAC function may coordinate between subsystems on a given device using a common time base (e.g., based on a shared time base unit). In addition, the radio and physical layer (PHY) functions may also operate based on a common time base between the subsystems.

[0060] In addition, the hybrid wireless transceiver may include a hybrid system controller. The hybrid system controller may coordinate the transmission and reception activities of both the NB and UWB subsystems, as well as the information exchange between the NB and UWB subsystems. For example, the hybrid system controller may receive time and frequency synchronization information from the NB subsystem. In some embodiments, the hybrid system controller may also receive payload data information from the NB subsystem. The hybrid system controller may also schedule data transmission and reception by the NB subsystem. The hybrid system controller may also provide time and frequency configuration information to the UWB subsystem. This may enable the UWB subsystem receiver to be more accurately configured (e.g., synchronized) based on the time and frequency information extracted from the NB signaling. Since the time base unit (including any frequency offset relative to the associated device) is shared between the NB and UWB subsystems, the configuration information helps to customize UWB reception for incoming UWB signals (e.g., corresponding to CIRTS segments), thereby improving receiver efficiency and CIR estimation performance. The hybrid system controller may also use data received from the NB signal to schedule UWB transmission or reception activities based on certain transmission / reception parameters (e.g., carrier frequency, UWB bandwidth, etc.). In turn, the hybrid system controller may also receive UWB receive information, which includes synchronization data (e.g., time and frequency configuration information) and CIR information. Although the embodiments described herein may refer to individual components of the hybrid wireless transceiver as performing specific operations, the embodiments should not be construed as being so limited. For example, the hybrid system controller may reside within one of the subsystems described herein (e.g., NB or UWB). Any suitable division of operations between one or more software and / or hardware components may be suitable for implementing the embodiments described herein.

[0061] Continuing with the description introduced above, consider a scenario in which a first device and a second device perform a bidirectional exchange of data (e.g., CIRTS segments) between the two devices. As described herein, the two devices may perform "coarse" initial synchronization. In one example, where the first device operates as an "initiator" device and the second device operates as a "responder" device, the first device may schedule a start time (e.g., discrete time) for transmitting a packet to the second device via a NB signal that conveys synchronization data (e.g., including time and frequency synchronization information). The second device may also schedule a window for receiving a packet from the first device via the NB signal accordingly. It should be understood that in some embodiments, time may be associated with a specific start time (e.g., a discrete moment). In some embodiments, time may be associated with a time interval (e.g., a window and / or a time slot), depending on the context. In some embodiments, the information of the data exchanged during the initial phase may enable the two devices to be aligned (e.g., clock synchronization), with a deviation within an approximately required time increment (e.g., 1 millisecond (ms) increment) between the clock devices of the two devices (e.g., managed by a corresponding shared time base unit). In some embodiments, the initial phase may also be used to perform initial device discovery and other connection setup operations. In some embodiments, the initial phase may be performed for each device by a separate wireless system from the hybrid wireless transceiver. For example, the separate wireless system may utilize the Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol and / or reside on a separate system-on-chip (SOC) device from the hybrid wireless transceiver. In some embodiments, the initial phase, including operations such as service announcement / discovery, connection setup, or coarse synchronization, may be performed by the same system that performs the operations of the hybrid wireless transceiver described herein, and in some embodiments, specifically by the NB subsystem.

[0062] When the initial phase is completed, the first (initiator) device may transmit the packet to the second device via the NB signal at the scheduled start time. As described herein, the NB packet may include data that conveys synchronization data to the second device. For example, the packet may include data such as a preamble, a frame start delimiter, and / or other synchronization fields. In some embodiments, the second device may use the packet data to extract synchronization data corresponding to time and / or frequency synchronization information (e.g., from the sync field of the packet). In some embodiments, the packet data may be used to extract other synchronization data corresponding to scheduling information (e.g., from the payload data of the packet). In one example, the frequency synchronization information may correspond to a relative carrier frequency (which may also be referred to as "F sync" information), which may be used to synchronize the crystal oscillator (XO) offsets of the two devices further described herein. In some examples, the F sync information may be used to configure a UWB receiver of a device to optimize its frequency correction circuit to prepare for receiving a UWB signal from another device. In some examples, a device may use time synchronization information (which may also be referred to as "T sync" information) to "anchor" subsequent UWB exchanges based on a timing device of the device further described herein. In some embodiments, time and / or frequency information may be extracted based at least in part on a detected pattern (e.g., an expected signal pattern associated with a synchronization header of the packet). As described herein, in some embodiments, the synchronization data may also correspond to scheduling information extracted from the packet payload data. The scheduling information may be used in one example to schedule the reception of subsequent UWB packet (e.g., and / or fragment) transmissions by a device (e.g., a second device) from another device (e.g., a first device). It should be understood that the packet payload data may also include other types of information (e.g., non-synchronous data, such as status information, control information, etc.).

[0063] It should be understood that different types of synchronization data may be included in transmissions between devices, depending on the context. In one non-limiting example, a first device (e.g., operating as an initiator device) may transmit data that conveys (e.g., indicates and / or enables extraction of) time and frequency synchronization information and scheduling information. In this example, the second device may then transmit data that conveys only time and / or frequency information to the first device. In another example, the data transmitted to the first device may also include scheduling information. In yet another example, the data included in the NB packet may not only convey scheduling information for scheduling NB response packets to another device (e.g., a second (responder) device), but may also convey scheduling information for scheduling subsequent UWB response transmissions by the second device.

[0064] Continuing with the above description, the second device may then obtain and evaluate synchronization data from the packet. The second device may use the synchronization data to schedule subsequent reception of multiple fragments received from the first device via the corresponding UWB signal. As described herein, the packet may also include scheduling data, which the second device uses to schedule a second start time for transmitting the second packet to the first device via the second NB signal. Accordingly, the first device may also schedule a time (e.g., and / or a time window) for receiving a second packet, which is then transmitted from the second device to the first device at the second start time. The second device may then transmit the second packet to the first device via the second NB signal at the second start time. When the second packet is received during the scheduled window, the first device may obtain (e.g., extract) second synchronization data from the second packet. The first device may then utilize the second synchronization data extracted from the second packet to schedule and assist in the reception of a second plurality of fragments to be received from the second device.

[0065] Turning to the transmission and reception of UWB segments by each device, the first device may schedule the transmission of the plurality of segments to the second device. The scheduling of the transmission of the plurality of segments may be based on synchronization data communicated by the first device to the second device via the NB signal. The first device may then transmit the plurality of segments to the second device. As further described herein, each of the plurality of segments may be separated in time from the other segments of the plurality of segments by at least a predefined time interval (e.g., 1 ms). In one example, the plurality of segments may collectively correspond to (e.g., represent) a CIRTS that is operable to calculate a CIR estimate associated with a wireless propagation path between the first device and the second device. It should be understood that since the CIRTS may be divided into a plurality of segments (e.g., rather than transmitted within a single segment as part of a continuous UWB signal transmission), the total amount of energy that may be emitted by the first device for segmented UWB transmissions may be higher than the energy of a single UWB transmission while complying with certain regional regulatory constraints governing energy emissions in a given area. In addition, the operating range for the overall UWB transmission may be greater than the operating range that would otherwise be possible when the CIRTS is transmitted as a single data segment or a single UWB packet. This may be due in part to enabling the device to aggregate energy from multiple segments. In some embodiments, as further described herein, the multiple segments may correspond to a particular type of segment sequence (e.g., a pseudo-random sequence (STS), a periodic sequence, a Golay sequence). It is also noted that limiting UWB to a single segment (rather than multiple segments) representing CIRTS is already beneficial because in conventional UWB transmissions, the available transmit energy needs to be shared between the SHR (Sync Header) and the CIRTS, while in a hybrid system, the functionality of the SHR is at least partially delegated to the NB system, thereby relieving the UWB system of the burden of performing various synchronization tasks.

[0066] When the first device transmits the multiple fragments via the UWB signal, the second device may receive each fragment and then subsequently obtain aggregated information from the multiple fragments. For example, the second device may calculate an estimated CIR based on the CIRTS represented within the multiple fragments. In some embodiments, the second device may also obtain other data (e.g., synchronization data, scheduling data, etc.) from the multiple fragments. Similar to the first device, the second device may then schedule the transmission of the second multiple fragments. The transmission of the second multiple fragments (e.g., UWB fragments) may be scheduled based on the second synchronization data previously obtained by the first device from the second device (e.g., extracted based on the sync header information of the second packet transmitted by the second device to the first device via the second NB signal). In some embodiments, the scheduling may also (and / or alternatively) be based on synchronization data obtained from one or more fragments of the multiple fragments received from the first device. The second device may then transmit the second multiple fragments to the first device, which is similar to the description above with respect to the multiple fragments transmitted from the first device to the second device. Upon receiving the second multiple fragments, the first device may calculate an estimated CIR based on the CIRTS represented by the second multiple fragments. In some embodiments, the first device may also obtain synchronization data or other suitable data from the second plurality of fragments.

[0067] When the first device calculates the estimated CIR based on the second plurality of fragments, the first device may be further capable of calculating the flight time interval based in part on the CIR estimate. For example, the first device may determine a round trip time interval corresponding to a first time when the plurality of fragments (e.g., the first fragment of the plurality of fragments) is transmitted to the second device and a second time when the first device receives the second plurality of fragments (e.g., the last fragment of the second plurality of fragments) from the second device. The first device may also determine a turnaround time interval corresponding to a second time increment between a third time when the second device receives the plurality of fragments from the first device and a fourth time when the second device transmits the second plurality of fragments to the first device. The first device may then subtract the turnaround time interval at the second device from the round trip time interval to help determine the time of flight (TOF). In some embodiments, TOF may represent a distance (e.g., a distance traveled by a corresponding signal passing through a direct line-of-sight (LOS) path between the two devices) divided by the speed of light, which may be used to estimate the distance by TOF. In some embodiments, the turnaround time interval may be a fixed time interval known (e.g., in advance) by the first device (and / or the second device). In some embodiments, the second device may then transmit relevant information (e.g., timestamp information via another NB signal) to the first device, which can be used to determine the turnaround time at the second device and determine the TOF based thereon. Based on determining the TOF between the two devices, the first device can determine the range and / or relative positioning information between the two devices. In some embodiments, only the first device can decide to calculate the range / positioning information. In some embodiments, both the first device and the second device can decide to calculate the range / positioning information. For example, the second device may similarly receive information from the first device via the NB signal, which enables it to calculate or utilize the turnaround time interval at the first device, and then calculate the TOF / range information between the two devices. In some embodiments, if the second device needs to know the TOF, the second device may also obtain the TOF result calculated by the first device as a payload data NB transmission.

[0068] In some embodiments, the exchange of one or more signals (e.g., NB signals and / or UWB signals) may be based on one or more protocols. The use of a particular protocol may depend on, for example, the context and / or intended use for performing the signal exchange. For example, a protocol may correspond to a bidirectional exchange of NB signals (e.g., packets) and may include the combined use of redundant and / or repeated NB packet exchanges with pseudo-random channel hopping sequences. This may improve the reliability of interference and / or multipath fading phenomena when performing NB signaling to help coordinate UWB signaling. In some embodiments of the protocol, NB control information (which may correspond to what channel to use and / or how many hopping channels to use) may be predefined or exchanged via an out-of-band system (e.g., Bluetooth, BLE, etc.) during connection setup (e.g., during the initial phase, as described herein). In another example of the protocol, a unidirectional NB exchange (including redundant transmissions with channel hopping) may be used. This can be used, for example, in conjunction with the use of a beacon protocol to perform a unidirectional exchange of UWB fragments (e.g., transmitting multiple fragments from a first device to a second device, but not vice versa). For example, in a beacon protocol, the second (receiver) device can be one of several devices (e.g., an anchor device) that interact with the first (initiator) device according to the beacon protocol. In one example, the second device then performs ranging and / or positioning based on triangulation with one or more other devices based in part on the estimated CIR.

[0069] In some embodiments, as described herein, a protocol can be utilized by which a first device (e.g., an initiator device) can determine a flight time interval and / or range based on a fixed turnaround time interval known to the initiator device. In some embodiments, after the first device receives the plurality of segments from the responder device, the second device (e.g., the responder device) can transmit the turnaround time interval (e.g., including a timestamp and / or status information) to the initiator device via a NB signal.

[0070] In some embodiments, a protocol may be utilized in which a one-way NB exchange is followed by a UWB segment in the same direction. This may allow multiple responders to participate in ranging activities by having them respond in a known sequence or in a random order. In yet another protocol example, a staggered ranging protocol may be utilized by which an initiator device and a responder device may transmit separate segments using the same predetermined time interval. In this example, rather than having an initiator device transmit multiple segments to a responder device, followed by the responder device transmitting a second plurality of packets to the initiator device, the segments within the respective plurality of segments may be staggered. This may reduce the overall time used to perform ranging between the two devices.

[0071] In some embodiments, a device may include (e.g., within a separate integrated circuit (IC), a combo chip, etc.) at least two partitions, including a first partition, the first partition including a NB entity (e.g., a BLE entity); and a second partition, the second partition including a UWB or NB-UWB entity. In the case where the second partition includes a UWB entity, the UWB entity may perform a UWB ranging round. In the case where the second partition includes a NB-UWB entity, the NB-UWB entity may perform a narrowband assisted (NBA)-UWB-MMS ranging round, as described herein. In this example, and as further described herein, a technique may be performed in which a device (e.g., a client station) may utilize a BLE entity to receive a BLE advertising packet (e.g., from another device, such as an anchor station), which may announce a UWB / NBA-UWB-MMS ranging round (e.g., a UWB ranging round and / or a NBA-UWB-MMS ranging round) that will soon be initiated by the anchor station. At the same time, the BLE entity of the client station may communicate internally with the UWB / NB-UWB entity (e.g., via a data bus connecting the two partitions). For example, the BLE entity may provide the UWB / NB-UWB entity with timing information (e.g., time) that is operable to schedule the reception of packets and / or segments (e.g., NB packets, UWB packets, and / or UWB MMS segments) of a ranging round initiated by the anchor station. In some examples, the timing information may first be converted (e.g., translated) to another time domain (e.g., suitable for scheduling the reception of the UWB segments by the UWB / NB-UWB entity).

[0072] In another example, a device (e.g., an anchor station that may be similarly partitioned to include a BLE entity and a UWB / NB-UWB entity) may determine (e.g., via a UWB / NB-UWB entity) that a ranging round is about to take place. The UWB / NB-UWB entity may transmit (e.g., via a data bus) parameter information to the BLE entity, including the time at which the ranging round will begin. The BLE entity may convert (translate) the time into a new time domain (e.g., according to the BLE entity / protocol), and then transmit an announcement packet including the new time via BLE.

[0073] In some embodiments, this technique may enable a device to utilize a BLE entity to listen for (and / or transmit) announcements, and then only involve a UWB / NB-UWB entity when appropriate, such as when a device determines to participate in a particular ranging round. This mechanism may enable a device to use NB and / or UWB radios to avoid incurring additional discovery and / or acquisition cost penalties. The mechanism may also be scalable to a large number of devices, many of which may already be using BLE for various applications (e.g., indoor navigation, locating lost items, tracking inventory movement, entry / exit detection, etc.).

[0074] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide several technical advantages over the prior art. In one example, the embodiments of the present disclosure enable a hybrid wireless system to perform a hybrid signaling including closely coordinated UWB signaling and NB signaling. For example, as described herein, the NB subsystem (e.g., NB signaling layer) of the hybrid wireless system can be used to assist one or more functions of the UWB subsystem (e.g., UWB signaling layer). These subsystems can be tightly coupled based on a common (e.g., shared) time base and shared MAC function on a given physical device, as described herein. The one or more functions of the NB signaling layer may include, for example, coordinating the time and frequency synchronization between the UWB signaling layers of the corresponding devices, performing control, management and / or status signaling between these devices, etc. At the same time, the UWB signaling layer can perform short impulse radio pulse trains distributed in a certain time interval (e.g., many milliseconds (MMS)). The pulse train may represent (e.g., channel impulse response training sequence (CIRTS) / scrambled time sequence (STS)) segmented UWB transmission.

[0075] In some embodiments, the hybrid wireless system may enable the NB signaling layer to be responsible for conveying synchronization data such as time and frequency synchronization information, for example, via the sync header (SHR) of a conventional UWB packet, which may be more efficient than distributing the SHR in multiple SHR segments via the UWB signaling layer. For example, transmitting multiple SHR segments without knowing the arrival time of each segment in advance may require a large amount of memory for buffering and / or a large amount of processing power. Therefore, the amount of memory and / or processing power may be reduced by utilizing the NB signaling layer instead of the conventional UWB SHR. At the same time, the CIRTS / STS portion of the UWB packet may be segmented according to the UWB segmentation protocol. The receiver of the segmented packet may utilize the synchronization data transmitted via NB signaling so that the receiver may accurately schedule the reception (e.g., arrival time) of the subsequently received UWB segments. By implementing segmentation of UWB transmissions, the implementation scheme may enable the receiver of the UWB transmission to achieve higher performance when measuring the propagation channel for extracting geometric and / or positioning metrics such as distance (e.g., range) or angle. For example, the UWB waveform for a given measurement period may be segmented into short bursts (e.g., segmented multi-millisecond (MMS) signaling) and distributed over multiple regulatory (e.g., transmission) test intervals (e.g., according to regulatory rules for a particular region). The receiver device may utilize "aggregated" (e.g., aggregated) energy from various intervals (e.g., within each short burst) to achieve a more accurate CIR estimate. Based in part on the CIR estimate, a time of flight, range, location (positioning), and / or angle of arrival (AOA) estimate may be determined. Thus, by utilizing a hybrid wireless system capable of tightly coordinated NB and UWB signaling, embodiments achieve at least improved operating range and operating efficiency for UWB-based signaling.

[0076] Figure 1 is a simplified block diagram of an exemplary UWB-equipped device according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, various types of ultra-wideband (UWB) devices may be improved at least in terms of operating range, operating efficiency, and / or other feature enhancements. In some embodiments described herein, UWB transmissions are divided into short bursts of packet fragments distributed over multiple supervision / transmission measurement intervals in order to increase the energy radiated by the UWB transmitter on each transmission.

[0077] One beneficial use case of UWB is that of "ranging" due to its large bandwidth (BW) of 500 MHz or more. In some embodiments, ranging may correspond to the precise measurement of the time of flight (TOF) of radio waves between two UWB-equipped devices A and B and the estimation of the distance (e.g., "range") between these devices. This large BW can help resolve dense electromagnetic reflections that may exist in the vicinity of these devices, such as floors, ceilings, walls, furniture, cars, plants, appliances, or other man-made or natural objects in indoor or outdoor environments. Measuring ToF / range between devices such as mobile phones, wireless audio speakers, TVs, desktop or laptop computers, home or car door locks, or other consumer devices can be beneficial for achieving novel user experiences.

[0078] Figure 1 and Figure 2 (described further below) shows a scenario with a device equipped with UWB. Figure 1 In the schematic diagram 100, a handheld device 110 communicates with other handheld devices, fixed devices, or Internet of Things (IoT) devices to measure distance or other positioning metrics such as the apparent direction of the devices relative to each other. Devices participating in such communication include phones (e.g., mobile devices 120), tags (e.g., pet tags 160), wireless speakers (e.g., wireless speakers 170a, 170b, and 170c), televisions, monitors, doors (e.g., door lock devices 140), cars, home appliances (e.g., smart speakers 130), thermostats (e.g., thermostat control devices 150), desktop and laptop computers, tablet computers, etc.

[0079] Figure 2 is another simplified block diagram 200 illustrating an example technique for exchanging wireless messages between UWB-equipped devices (or "stations"), according to some embodiments. Figure 2 Schematic diagram 200 shows how UWB device A 202 and UWB device B 204 may exchange wireless messages between each other over time in the form of wireless packets 206a to 206c. In the case of impulse radio (IR) UWB, the waveforms exchanged between the devices contain Figure 2This may represent, for example, a series of pulses transmitted from device B 204 to device A 202 in response to a first set of pulses transmitted from A to B. In some embodiments, IR-UWB may be used to perform the techniques described in this disclosure.

[0080] Figure 3 300 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least some example techniques for calculating a channel impulse response (CIR) according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, to enable the mutual range or location of devices to be determined, a technique used by a wireless system such as UWB is to calculate a channel impulse response (CIR) 306. CIR 306 may represent an overview of direct and indirect (reflected) wireless propagation paths between two devices (such as station A 302 and station B 304), each path characterized by its propagation delay, magnitude, and radio frequency (RF) phase. Due to the large BW of UWB, CIR can be calculated at a high resolution level in UWB, which in turn enables more accurate extraction of line-of-sight (LOS) paths and therefore TOF / range corresponding to the first path in the CIR.

[0081] For example, Figure 3As shown in the schematic diagram 300 of FIG. 300 , at time t_A1, a pulse PT 308 is transmitted from station A 302. In some embodiments, in the context of IR-UWB, the pulse PT 308 can be viewed as representing a long series of pulse sequences. In this example of the schematic diagram 300 , the pulse PT 308 propagates to station B 304 via a series of propagation paths PP1 310a, PP2 310b, PP3 310c, and PP4 310d. PP1 310a is a direct line-of-sight path, while PP2 310b, PP3 310c, and PP4 310d are reflections from objects Ob2 312a, Ob3 312b, and Ob4 312c in the environment. The signal that traverses the direct (LOS) path PP1 310a arrives at receiving station B 304 as pulse PR1 314a at time t_B1 after an overall delay "TOF" (time of flight) 314 (representing distance divided by the speed of light). Pulses corresponding to reflected paths PP2 310b, PP3 310c, and PP4 310d arrive later than the direct path as PR2 314b, PR3 314c, and PR4 314d, and their arrival times will depend on the distance traveled from station A 302 to station B 304 via one or more reflectors experienced by each path. Note that PR1 314a, PR2 314b, PR3 314c, and PR4 314d are examples of channel impulse responses (CIRs) 306. In some embodiments, CIR 306 may enable a device to determine a metric such as distance d_AB based on TOF (which itself is derived from first arrival path PR1 314a).

[0082] Although UWB can also be used for more traditional wireless transmission purposes, such as data payload transmission, the estimation of CIR 306 for ToF / ranging / positioning is a particular advantage of UWB. In some embodiments, part of the reason for this advantage of UWB may be the large bandwidth of 500 MHz or more of UWB.

[0083] In some embodiments, to estimate the CIR 306 (e.g., sometimes referred to as "channel sounding"), wireless systems including UWB use what is known as a "channel impulse response training sequence" (CIRTS). The CIRTS can be a waveform in a link between two devices that is known to both the transmitter (e.g., device A 202) and the receiver (e.g., device B 204). If the transmitter sends out a waveform (CIRTS1_TX) containing a specific training sequence 1, the wireless propagation channel with its direct and reflected propagation paths can linearly distort the waveform so that a modified waveform CIRTS1_RX will arrive at the receiver. Since the receiver knows CIRTS1_TX in advance, it can compare the incoming signal CIRTS1_RX with the known sequence CIRTS1_TX. Subsequently, using mathematical algorithms such as corrections and other algorithms generally referred to as "channel estimation" in the prior art, the receiver can extract the CIR between the transmitter at device A 202 and the receiver at device B 204.

[0084] Figure 4 is a diagram showing a method for formatting a UWB packet (e.g. Figure 2 206). Another simplified block diagram 400 of at least some example techniques for grouping 206). Figure 4 An example of a type of UWB packet format with its constituent fields and their respective purposes is shown in accordance with the international standard defined for UWB in IEEE 802.15.4z. The Sync header (SHR) 402 at the beginning of the packet consists of a synchronization (SYNC) preamble 404 and a frame start delimiter (SFD) 406. The SHR 402 has multiple purposes, including automatic gain control, generally referred to as "acquisition" or "synchronization" (Sync), frequency deviation estimation (frequency Sync or F-Sync), timing estimation (T-Sync), initial channel estimation, etc. The SFD 406 terminates the SHR 402 and also participates in coordinating packet timing (e.g., frame timing estimation). The subsequent field shown as CIRTS / STS 408 refers to the channel impulse response training sequence, or in the case of 802.15.4z, refers to the scrambled time stamp sequence (STS). The STS refers to the CIRTS containing pseudo-random pulses known only to the transmitter and receiver of a given link to ensure secure channel estimation and secure distance measurement. In some embodiments, CIRTS / STS 408 may be used for accurate and / or secure channel estimation and / or timestamp verification. Figure 4Two additional packet fields are shown, namely a PHY header (PHR) 410 and payload data (e.g., a PHY service data unit (PSDU)) 412. The PHR 410 may contain the parameters of the PHY header, and the payload may contain appropriate data content. Note that other packet types are defined for UWB, such as consisting of only the SHR 402 and CIRTS / STS 408 (e.g., a "no data packet"), which may be used for channel sounding, but without any payload data transmission. There is also a payload-only packet format consisting of the SHR 402 and PHR 410 / payload 412 fields, in which case accurate and / or secure channel sounding is not required, and the primary purpose is data transmission.

[0085] Figure 5 5 is another simplified block diagram 500 illustrating at least some example techniques for determining time of flight (TOF) according to some embodiments. Figure 5 As depicted in the schematic diagram 500 of FIG. 5 , based on the determination of TOF, the distance between two stations, station A 502 and station B 504, can be determined. In some implementations, station A 502 is at time t A1 The "polling" message (A to B) 506a is transmitted at t. B1 Arrived at t A1 and t B1 The time increment between is called TOF. The turnaround time T at station B B,TO Afterwards, the station is at time t B2 The LOS path of the response message is at time t A2 arrives at t, so that TOF again changes to t on the schematic diagram 500. A2 and t B2 By measuring the “round trip” time T A,RT and subtract the turnaround time T B,TO , station A 502 may calculate TOF. In some embodiments, the technique shown in schematic 500 is in the form of a TOF measurement protocol (or "ranging protocol"). In some embodiments, there may be variations in which three or more packets (e.g., packet 206) are involved to improve robustness against real-life radio impairments, such as crystal oscillator (XO) offsets between station A 502 and station B 504. As further described herein, embodiments provide ranging protocols that exploit new hybrid wireless system environments.

[0086] Figure 6600 is another simplified diagram showing an example of a power spectral density associated with the measurement of a UWB signal according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the techniques described herein can improve the scenario where the CIRTS and associated CIR estimation steps at the receiver device are distributed across multiple segments covering multiple regulatory / transmission test intervals, which can increase the radiated energy used for the transmission of the CIRTS. The distribution can also achieve an improvement in the operating range.

[0087] use Figure 6 To further illustrate this context, schematic 600 shows a regulatory measured power spectral density (PSD) 602 for a UWB signal. While regulatory rules may vary between countries and regulatory regions, in some regions, an exemplary UWB emission limit may require a maximum PSD of -41.3 dB / MHz across the UWB signal bandwidth (e.g., 500 MHz in this example). The PSD 602 ​​shown in this example meets this requirement for all spectral components, some of which reach the limit of -41.3 dBm / MHz. In some embodiments, this measurement may be made using an averaging (spectrum analyzer sweep) time of 1 millisecond (1 ms). This means that for this scenario, the maximum amount of energy that can be emitted per ms by the UWB system corresponds to approximately 37e-9 joules = 37 nanojoules (nJ) per ms per 500 MHz bandwidth. This is shown by a graph 604 near the bottom of schematic 600. Available energy (up to 37 nJ) is transmitted in shorter ("dense", D) or longer ("flat", F) pulse trains. The power (shown via the y-axis) is correspondingly higher or lower because energy is calculated as duration times power. In some embodiments, there may be peak power constraints governed by UWB regulatory rules in different regions. Therefore, compression to shorter durations may work within certain limits and depends on the density of the IR pulses.

[0088] Figure 7 is another simplified block diagram 700 illustrating at least some example techniques for transmitting data segments within a UWB framework, according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, regulatory constraints are taken into account, at least in part, by defining a segmented UWB framework, such as Figure 7 As shown in schematic diagram 700.

[0089] In the diagram 700, a transmit frame (TXF) 702 is depicted as being divided into a plurality of fragments 704a through 704c that are distributed over a plurality of regulatory test intervals of duration T_test_reg 706. For example, a first fragment ("Frag1") 704a may be transmitted during a time interval of T_test_reg 706. Figure 6 and Figure 7, up to 37 nJ may be radiated on each segment 704a to 704c. Thus, if N segments 704 are used for a given UWB transmission, the total transmission may radiate up to N*37 nJ. It should be understood that the duration of T_test_reg 706 may be a predefined time interval of any suitable duration (e.g., 1 millisecond, 1.5 ms, 2 ms, etc.).

[0090] Figure 8 800 is another simplified block diagram illustrating at least some example techniques for transmitting data segments associated with a UWB packet type, according to some implementations. In some implementations, one example UWB packet format for performing UWB transmissions is a packet format of a no-data packet 801, as shown in diagram 800. See also above. Figure 4 In the example of diagram 800, a data-free packet 801 includes a Sync header (SHR) 802 and an STS / CIRTS 804. Note that the Sync header 802 may include a SYNC preamble and an SFD.

[0091] Fig. 9 9 is another simplified block diagram 900 illustrating at least some example techniques for transmitting data segments within multiple time intervals within a UWB framework, according to some embodiments. Fig. 9 In the schematic diagram 900 of FIG. 1 , there is shown no data packet 902 (e.g., similar to Figure 8 ), which may include an SHR field 904 and a CIRTS field 906. The no-data packet is divided into an SHR segment 908 and several (e.g., two in this example) CIRTS segments 910a to 910b. Each CIRTS segment 910 may be transmitted in a separate regulatory test interval to benefit from the full energy budget of its transmission. In some embodiments, it is beneficial to keep these segments short, at least because UWB signal processing can consume a lot of power due to the high bandwidth and sample rate in the radio and digital modem circuits. In addition, using shorter segment durations (e.g., and therefore longer silent periods between segments) can help minimize the chance of collisions between different links utilizing the same UWB spectrum.

[0092] As in Fig. 9In the example above, if the CIRTS 906 is distributed over multiple intervals, the receiver side (station B) of the UWB link will be able to achieve higher performance in estimating the CIR. This is at least because energy can be "gathered" from the various intervals of CIRTS segment 1 910a, CIRTS segment 2 910b, etc., which enables more accurate analysis of the segments and / or over longer distances. At the same time, in order to ensure that the CIR estimation works reliably, high performance of the Sync / Acquisition step may be desired. This may be because missynchronization during SHR 904 can degrade the CIRTS 906 processing. Because Fig. 9 In the Sync / acquisition step, SHR 904 only benefits from the energy of one interval, so there is an inherent imbalance between the energy available for SHR 904 and the energy available for CIRTS 906. One possible solution may be to distribute SHR 904 over multiple intervals and thereby improve operational performance. However, this may lead to a less efficient solution. In some embodiments, the arrival time of the packet (e.g., a fragment of a packet) cannot be known a priori with certainty. Therefore, processing multiple SHR fragments 908 in the Sync / acquisition step may require the use of a large amount of memory for buffering and / or a large amount of processing power. This inefficiency may be undesirable, particularly for handheld / portable devices or IoT devices. Therefore, embodiments of the present disclosure provide techniques for increasing operational efficiency and / or operating range, for example via a hybrid wireless system, as further described herein.

[0093] Fig.101000 is another simplified diagram illustrating potential advantages and disadvantages of at least some wireless systems utilizing UWB signaling 1002 and / or NB signaling 1004 according to some embodiments. In some embodiments described herein, a hybrid wireless system is utilized in which narrowband (NB) signaling 1004 and ultra-wideband (UWB) 1002 signaling are combined in a manner that addresses the potential challenges presented herein and improves the operating efficiency and / or operating range of the UWB system. In some embodiments, a system that performs narrowband signaling may include a wireless system having a bandwidth that is significantly smaller than that of UWB. In some embodiments, UWB may have a minimum bandwidth of 500 MHz, so NB may refer to a system that exhibits a small portion of this bandwidth, such as a few 100 kHz, 1 MHz, or 10 MHz to 20 MHz. Some non-limiting examples of NB systems would be narrowband GFSK (Gaussian frequency shift keying) or DPSK (differential phase shift keying) signaling as utilized in Bluetooth or IEEE 802.15.4 O-QPSK (Offset Quadrature Phase Shift Keying format) as used in industry standards such as ZigBee or Thread. Narrower modes in wireless local area networks (WLANs) such as IEEE 802.11 modes spanning 20MHz or 40MHz spectrum bandwidths may also be classified as NB signaling in the context of the present disclosure, as they have significantly lower bandwidth than UWB and tend to operate in a different spectrum. In some embodiments, they are also regulated by a different set of regulatory constraints than UWB.

[0094] In more detail go to Fig.10 Previously, and to provide another background related to regulatory constraints and bandwidth considerations, international regulatory rules governing UWB deployment and associated radiated emissions may define low emission limits for UWB devices, since the latter tend to operate in frequency bands below 10 GHz (primarily for commercial or military operations of point-to-point or satellite links, radar, or other protected applications). UWB transmissions may therefore be mandated to operate at spurious emission levels permitted for other electronic devices (e.g., mobile devices, home devices, etc.) so as not to interfere with such licensed uses. Transmit power for UWB may be limited to -14 dBm on average in many regions.

[0095] In contrast, there are a variety of narrower band systems and associated regulatory rules that have significantly more relaxed emission limits because they operate in frequency bands for such unlicensed use. The so-called ISM (Industrial, Scientific, Medical) bands of 2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz are the best examples of wireless local area networks (WLANs) that adapt to NB applications such as 1 MHz or 2 MHz wide Bluetooth (BT) or ZigBee / Thread transmissions or bandwidths in the 20 MHz or 40 MHz state. The 2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz band is an example of a band available in most regulatory regions around the world. There are other spectrums similar to ISM, which in many countries include the 5.725 GHz to 5.875 GHz band. Other spectrums (including most of the 5 GHz to 6 GHz band) are also usually open to various unlicensed, non-UWB uses under certain conditions. The transmission power (radiation level) of these more NB systems is usually in the 10 dBm, 20 dBm or even 30 dBm region.

[0096] UWB is particularly advantageous for advanced ranging and sensing applications due to its large bandwidth (500MHz, 1GHz or above), where accurate measurement of the propagation channel between associated devices allows the extraction of metrics such as time of flight (ToF) and corresponding distance between devices. However, the limited transmission poses a challenge to the operating range. In contrast, the higher transmit / transmit (Tx) power of NB systems allows for better operating range, but does not have sufficient potential for high-precision estimation due to its more limited bandwidth.

[0097] Now turn to the Fig.10 , schematic diagram 1000 shows a comparison of the advantages and disadvantages of UWB and narrowband (NB) wireless systems from the perspective of an implementer of the wireless system. UWB signaling 1002 benefits from a larger bandwidth of at least 500 MHz, which is very conducive to high-resolution CIR measurements, which in turn can be used for precise positioning and ranging, as outlined above. Wide bandwidth is also beneficial for high-rate data transmission. One of the challenges associated with larger UWB bandwidth is that it requires higher complexity, such as higher analog-to-digital converter (ADC) sample rates and associated signal processing work and increased analog and digital power consumption. As explained above, UWB regulatory rules also impose significant constraints on allowed emissions, which makes it more difficult to achieve the required operating range. In contrast, NB signaling 1004 tends to require relatively low complexity and power consumption, and can have higher resistance to interference, especially when operating in a frequency hopping manner. NB systems also benefit from significantly larger emission limits when operating in a spectrum designated for NB / ISM use. However, NB systems are not equally suitable for high-resolution CIR estimation (ranging / sensing), in part due to the inherently limited bandwidth and hence limited resolvability of multipath in the propagation channel.

[0098] Fig.11 is another simplified block diagram 1100 illustrating at least some example techniques for utilizing a hybrid of UWB signaling and NB signaling, according to some embodiments. Fig.11 In the schematic diagram 1100 of FIG. 1100 , a portion of a data-free packet 1102 is shown being transmitted via hybrid signaling. In this case, the Sync / acquisition portion (SHR) 1104 of the UWB packet is replaced by a NB packet 1108, while the CIRTS 1106 continues to use UWB signaling. The NB packet 1108 is transmitted in a frequency band suitable for NB operation, and the UWB CIRTS 1106 is transmitted in a frequency band suitable for UWB operation. Although in the diagram 1100 , the NB packet 1108 and the UWB CIRTS 1106 occur in a time series (continuously), they may also occur simultaneously in different embodiments. Note that each of these transmissions will be in accordance with regulatory rules governing NB and UWB transmissions, respectively.

[0099] In some embodiments, this NB / UWB hybrid structure has certain benefits that can be achieved by utilizing devices operating according to the embodiments described herein. In some embodiments, the hybrid packet structure enables these devices to address the challenges described above with respect to packet formats such as those with segmented CIRTS (see, for example, Fig. 9 ). Fig.12 Shown in.

[0100] Fig.12 is another simplified block diagram 1200 illustrating at least some example techniques for utilizing a hybrid of UWB signaling and NB signaling, according to some embodiments. Fig.12 In the schematic diagram 1200 of FIG. 1 , the functionality of the SHR 1202 is taken over by the NB packet 1204 (e.g., transmitted via the NB signal), and wherein the CIRTS 1206 is divided into a plurality of (here N) segments 1208a to 1208n. Although the segments 1208 may be transmitted at the beginning of a predetermined time interval, the embodiments should not be construed as being so limited. For example, in Fig.12 In the illustration of FIG. 1208 , the transmission of segment N 1208 n is slightly offset from a specific time interval (eg, T_test_reg interval, as for Fig. 9 In some embodiments, the initiator and responder devices may transmit configuration information so that the receiver device (e.g., the responder device) may know in advance when the parameters of the segment will be transmitted. The configuration information may be transmitted via NB signaling. In addition, although not described in Fig.12 However, it should be noted that the segmented UWB transmission occurring in the context of a hybrid NB / UWB system may carry more than just CIRTS data. Figure 4The "data field" (PHR and payload / PSDU) in the CIRTS segment 1208a to 1208n is allocated to packets containing data payload to replace some of the CIRTS segments 1208a to 1208n with data payload segments. It should also be noted that the hybrid system concept is beneficial for including a single UWB segment (N=1, see Fig.11 ) and is beneficial for UWB transmissions containing multiple UWB segments (N>1, see Fig.12 ) UWB transmission, and implementations with N=1 and N>1 are possible.

[0101] Fig.13 is another simplified block diagram 1300 illustrating at least some example techniques for utilizing NB signaling via a NB packet format 1302, according to some embodiments. Fig.13 Schematic diagram 1300 of 1304 shows two NB packet formats 1304a-1304b known in the prior art: the top NB packet format shows a Bluetooth format 1304a consisting of an access code, a header, and a payload portion. The bottom NB packet format shows an O-QPSK packet format 1304b from IEEE 802.15.4 (commonly used for ZigBee or Thread technology). It should be understood that other suitable NB packet formats 1302 may be used to implement embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0102] It should be understood that Fig.12 or Fig. 9 The segmentation of the grouped fields shown is for functional purposes. For example, the segments are not necessarily related to the original non-segmented fields. For example, it is not necessary to concatenate Fig.12 and / or Fig. 9 The CIRTS segments in the NB packet obtain the initial non-segmented CIRTS field. Therefore, the segmented fields represent a replacement for the initial packet field in terms of the desired functions (such as channel (CIR) estimation in terms of the CIRTS field segmented CIRTS packet structure). As described herein, in some embodiments, the NB packet may include a synchronization (sync) field (e.g., within the packet header) and / or a data payload field. In some embodiments, the sync field can be used to convey synchronization data. For example, a receiver device receiving a NB packet (e.g., during a scheduled window) may detect a known signal pattern between a transmitter device and a receiver device. In some embodiments, the signal pattern may be associated with a sync field (e.g., a sync header) of the NB packet. Upon detecting the pattern, the receiver device may be able to extract synchronization data in the form of time and frequency information, as described herein. In some embodiments, the receiver device may also extract synchronization data from the data payload field of the NB packet, for example in the form of scheduling information that can be used to schedule subsequent reception of one or more UWB segments.

[0103] Fig.14 is another simplified block diagram 1400 illustrating two devices each configured to communicate with each other utilizing a mix of UWB signaling and NB signaling, according to some embodiments. Fig.14 Schematic diagram 1400 of shows a view of two devices (device A 1402 and device B 1404) communicating with each other according to a hybrid wireless system approach in accordance with some embodiments. Specifically, each device (1402 and 1404) has a hybrid wireless transceiver (HWT) 1406a or 1406b, which includes a NB subsystem 1408a or 1408b and a UWB subsystem 1410a or 1410b tightly coupled to each other in each respective device, as further described herein. As part of the communication between devices A and B, in particular, an "artificial partition" between NB and UWB signaling is used, as previously described by Fig.11 and Fig.12 As shown, the NB subsystem 1408a of device A 1402 can communicate directly with the NB subsystem 1408b of device B 1404, and the UWB subsystem 1410a of device A 1402 can communicate directly with the UWB subsystem 1410b of device B 1404. Fig.14 , the NB subsystems 1408a to 1408b and the UWB subsystems 1410a to 1410b in each device are shown as having their own physical antennas 1412a to 1412b and 1414a to 1414b (e.g., including, for example, a first antenna 1412a for the narrowband system 1408a and a second antenna 1414a for the UWB subsystem 1410a), but it should be understood that a single shared antenna covering both NB and UWB operations may be a suitable implementation, and that multi-antenna solutions may be used for such advanced signal processing schemes as antenna diversity, spatial multiplexing, or transmit or receive beamforming.

[0104] Fig.15 is another simplified block diagram 1500 illustrating a hybrid wireless transceiver 1502 of a device configured to communicate with another device utilizing a mix of UWB signaling and NB signaling, according to some embodiments. Fig.15Schematic diagram 1500 of provides more details of the HWT 1502 in each device and shows the details and functional components of the above-mentioned tight coupling between the NB subsystem 1504 and the UWB subsystem 1506 in the HWT 1502. Each such transceiver includes a NB subsystem 1504 and a UWB subsystem 1506, each of which contains wireless transmission and reception circuit systems and functions for NB and UWB signaling. The HWT 1502 is also provided with a shared time base 1508 (e.g., a module or unit), which is composed of a crystal oscillator (XO) and any related clocking and timing devices. The shared time base 1508 enables the NB subsystem 1504 and the UWB subsystem 1506 to form signals that are tightly synchronized in time and frequency. That is, if the NB signal operates off a shared time base and has a certain clock frequency and / or carrier frequency defect (measured in parts per million [ppm] offset), then the UWB signal in the same HWT 1502 may exhibit the same reference defect in ppm. Since the transmit and receive elements of the NB subsystem 1504 and UWB subsystem 1506 of the device may operate off a same shared time base 1508, the clock / carrier offsets (in [ppm]) of the NB Tx (NB signal transmission), NBRx (NB signal reception), UWB Tx (UWB signal transmission), and UWB Rx (UWB reception) circuit systems may be substantially similar (e.g., the same).

[0105] In addition, if Fig.15, there is a point controller (hybrid system controller (or control)) 1510 that manages the transmission and reception activities of both the NB subsystem 1504 and the UWB subsystem 1506 and the information exchange between the NB system and the UWB system. In some embodiments, the hybrid system controller 1510 can be used to coordinate the transmission or reception activities between a subsystem of a first device and another subsystem of a second device of the same type as the subsystem of the first device. In some embodiments, the hybrid system controller 1510 can coordinate the information exchange between the narrowband subsystem of the first device and the ultra-wideband subsystem of the same (first) device. In some examples, the control block (e.g., the hybrid system controller 1510) can receive time and frequency synchronization ("T and F Sync" or "sync data") information from the NB subsystem. F Sync includes information related to the ppm offset estimated by the NB relative to the associated device. T Sync includes information associated with the timing of air packets as measured by the NB subsystem 1504. The control block can also receive payload data information (Rx data) from the NB subsystem 1504. T and F Sync and Rx data may be collectively referred to herein as “NB-Rx-Info.” The control block also schedules transmission and reception by the NB subsystem 1504, which may include certain Tx (transmit) / Rx (receive) parameters utilized by the NB subsystem 1504 and possible payload Tx data.

[0106] The control block also provides time and frequency (T and F) configuration information to the UWB subsystem 1506. This helps to more accurately set up the UWB receiver based on the T and F information extracted from the NB signaling. Since the time base 1508 (including any frequency offset relative to the associated device) is shared between the NB subsystem 1504 and the UWB subsystem 1506, this configuration helps to customize the UWB reception for the incoming UWB signal and maximize the performance of the CIR estimation based on the CIRTS segment. The control block also uses NB Rx-Info to schedule UWB Tx and Rx activities based on certain Tx / Rx parameters (such as carrier frequency or UWB bandwidth). Then, the control block also receives UWB-Rx-Info including synchronization (time / frequency Sync) and CIR information.

[0107] Fig.16 is a simplified flow diagram 1600 illustrating a signal exchange between two devices according to some embodiments. Fig.16 The schematic diagram 1600 shows the use of the general description herein (e.g., referring to the above Fig.14 and Fig.15) is a signal and control flow diagram of the exchanges between two associated HWTs of an HWT structure of a 1602 device. The dashed arrows represent the wireless exchanges between device A 1602 and device B 1604, while the solid arrows represent the signals exchanged within each HWT (in device A 1602 or device B 1604). It should be noted that for clarity of illustration, the control blocks are not explicitly shown in the schematic diagram 1600. The NB subsystem 1606 in device A 1602 transmits the NB packet "NB-A to B" 1610 to the NB subsystem 1612 in device B 1602. The latter extracts the T and F Sync information (e.g., which may be otherwise referred to as "synchronization data") and provides this information to the UWB subsystem 1614 for later use. For example, the synchronization data may be used to schedule, configure and / or receive subsequent UWB segments from device A 1602, as further described below. The NB subsystem 1612 of device B 1604 responds with its own NB packet "NB-B to A" 1616 back to device A 1602, which in turn extracts the T and F Sync information from the NB packet and provides the information to its local UWB subsystem 1618 for later use. The UWB subsystem 1618 in device A 1602 then sends a UWB transmission "UWB-A to B" 1620 (specifically a CIRTS or series of CIRTIS segments) to the UWB subsystem 1614 in device B 1604. As described above, device B 1604 may be able to effectively determine when to expect a UWB transmission from device A 1602 based in part on previously stored T and F sync extracted from NB packet reception; that is, the UWB subsystem 1614 in device B 1604 has a more accurate understanding of when to expect a UWB signal from device A 1602 and how much ppm offset it will have, which the UWB subsystem can use to minimize signaling processing work and maximize the performance of the receive algorithms and associated receive circuitry. Device B 1604 then transmits a UWB response "UWB-B to A" 1622, which device A 1602 may receive in a targeted manner with greater efficiency and accuracy based on the T and F Sync information obtained during reception of the "NB-B to A" 1616 packet. In some embodiments, in accordance with Figure 5 , exchanging “UWB-A to B” 1620 and “UWB-B to A” 1622 may be TOF measurements.

[0108] In some embodiments, the T and F synchronization information extracted from the corresponding NB signals can be of high quality because NB signaling can be subject to less stringent transmission emission rules. Therefore, the signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) at the receiver side of the NB transmission can be higher and allow more efficient and accurate acquisition. Compared with the UWB subsystem, the T and F processing in the NB subsystem is also low-complexity and low-power, at least because the sample rate is roughly lower than in the UWB subsystem. At the same time, the "NB-assisted" reception of the UWB CIRTS segments will be of high quality (and high SNR) due to the aggregation of energy from multiple segments, thus enabling high-precision CIR extraction and corresponding positioning / ranging functions. This "division of labor" between the NB and UWB subsystems achieves improved operating range and operating efficiency when compared to other UWB systems.

[0109] It should be understood that although various modules (e.g., components and / or associated functions) are described as being separate from other modules, the embodiments should not be interpreted as being so limited. Fig.15 The hybrid system controller is depicted as a module separate from the shared timing unit, each of which is separate from both the NB subsystem and the UWB subsystem. However, in some embodiments, the shared timing module and / or the hybrid system control module may reside in one of the subsystems (NB or UWB). In this case, the corresponding other subsystem may benefit from the control and timing functions as an auxiliary system or proxy system (e.g., a delegate system and / or a slave system). In any case, the different distribution and / or aggregation of features between different modules may enable hybrid signaling to be performed, as described in the embodiments herein. It should also be understood that Fig.16 and Fig.17 The signal exchange shown (described further below) illustrates a specific type of signal exchange for a hybrid wireless system consisting of NB and UWB subsystems. Other types of signal exchanges via other hybrid protocols are further described herein. These protocols correspond to different arrangements of NB and UWB transmissions while still employing a hybrid signaling method using devices (e.g., initiator and responder devices) that each include a HWT.

[0110] Fig.17 is another simplified flow diagram 1700 illustrating an exchange of signals between two devices according to some embodiments. Fig.17 Schematic diagram 1700 is a diagram of devices A and B (eg Fig.16 A more detailed diagram of example signal flows between and within HWTs in device A 1602 and device B 1604). Fig.18 and Fig.19Flowchart showing the processing steps performed by the respective devices, where device A 1602 is referred to as the "initiator" device (or "first device"), and device B 1604 is referred to as the "responder" device (or "second device"). Therefore, the description of the processing steps performed by each device can be referred to in Fig.17 It is to be understood that in some embodiments, an initiator device may alternatively operate as a responder device, and similarly, a responder device may alternatively operate as an initiator device, depending on the context.

[0111] For more details, go to Fig.18 In the processing steps of device A (e.g., device A1602) depicted in process 1800, at box 1802, the first device may schedule the NB-Tx start time and NB-Rx window. In some embodiments, the operation of this box may be performed by a wireless system of the first device that is separate from the HWT. For example, the wireless system may utilize the Bluetooth / BLE protocol. In some embodiments, the operation of this box may be performed within the initial stage of process 1800. The wireless system may be responsible for one or more operations in the initial stage, the one or more operations including processing announcements and / or scanning (e.g., device discovery), performing "coarse synchronization" with responder device B (e.g., device B 1604), and / or performing other connection setup steps with device B 1604 (e.g., second device). As further described herein, in some embodiments, a separate wireless system may be responsible for transmitting NB control information, including, for example, what channel and / or how many hopping channels will be used for NB signaling. In some embodiments, the start time (e.g., discrete time) for transmitting the NB polling packet to the second device may be scheduled, and the time window for receiving the NB response packet from the second device may be scheduled. In some embodiments, coarse synchronization may enable the respective timing devices of these devices to be synchronized to within approximately 1 ms increments of each other. This initial coarse synchronization may enable subsequent "fine" synchronization via the exchange of NB signals as described further below.

[0112] At block 1804, the first device may send the NB polling packet (at Fig.17 The polling packet may be transmitted by a second device (depicted as NB-Tx A to B 1702) to device B 1604. The polling packet may convey synchronization data (e.g., time and frequency synchronization data) that the second device may then use to schedule reception of the plurality of segments, respectively, via the ultra-wideband signal.

[0113] At block 1806, the first device may wait for a NB response packet, eg, which may be expected to be received by the first device from the second device during a scheduled window (eg, time interval).

[0114] At block 1808, the first device may receive a NB response packet (at Fig.17 For example, the first device may initiate reception of the NB response packet via a narrowband signal during a scheduled window.

[0115] At block 1810, the first device may obtain NB-Rx-Info from the NB response packet. As described herein, this may include second synchronization data (e.g., time and frequency synchronization data) that the first device may use to schedule reception of a second plurality of segments that are subsequently received by the first device from the second device.

[0116] At block 1812, the first device may schedule the transmission of the plurality of segments (UWB-Tx segments 1706a-1706n). In some implementations, this scheduling may be performed based on synchronization data communicated to the second device and obtained by the second device from the NB transmission from the first device to the second device (e.g., at block 1804), which in turn may be used by the second device to schedule and assist in the reception of the plurality of segments 1706a-1706n.

[0117] At block 1814, the first device may group the UWB poll into multiple segments (in Fig.17 . . UWB-Tx A to B-1 ... UWB-Tx A to BN 1706a to 1706n) are transmitted to a second device. As described herein, each of the plurality of segments 1706a to 1706n may be separated in time from other segments of the plurality of segments 1706a to 1706n by at least a predefined time interval. In some embodiments, the time interval may be determined based in part on regional regulatory rules governing signal transmission.

[0118] At block 1816 , the first device may schedule reception of the second plurality of segments based on the second synchronization data obtained at block 1810 (eg, from NB-Rx-Info).

[0119] At block 1818, the first device may receive a second plurality of segments from the second device (in Fig.17 8a to 1708n).

[0120] At block 1820, the first device may obtain aggregated UWB-Rx-Info from the second plurality of segments. In some embodiments, this may include synchronization data and / or other data that may be used to determine a CIR (e.g., a CIR estimate). As described herein (e.g., with respect to Figure 3), the CIR estimate can be associated with the LOS path between the first device and the second device. As described herein, the CIR can be used to determine the TOF interval, which in turn can enable ranging and / or positioning to be determined by the first device (e.g., relative to the second device). For example, the first device can determine a turnaround time interval that represents the time interval between the time when the second device receives the plurality of segments and the time when the second device transmits the second plurality of segments to the first device (see Figure 5 ). In some embodiments, the first device may know the turnaround time interval in advance (e.g., a fixed time interval). In some embodiments, the first device may not know the turnaround time interval in advance and may subsequently receive the NB signal from the second device transmitting the information. See, for example, further described herein Fig.30 In any case, the first device may calculate the TOF by taking into account (eg, subtracting) the turnaround time from the TOF flight, such as relative to Figure 5 described.

[0121] As mentioned above, Fig.19 is another simplified flow chart illustrating an exemplary process performed by a responder device according to some embodiments. Fig.18 The description of the initiator device is similar to that of Fig.19 For a description of the processing steps performed by the responder device, see Fig.17 (For example, device B 1604 operates as a responder device) to further illustrate the signal exchange process. Fig.19 The processing steps can correspond to Fig.18 The equivalent steps of the processing steps of (e.g., from the perspective of the responder device).

[0122] For more details, go to Fig.19 1900 of the process 1900 depicts the processing steps of device B 1602 (which may be referred to as a "second device"), at block 1902, the second device may schedule NB-Rx time. In some embodiments, the operation of block 1902 may be similar to the operation of block 1802. For example, the wireless system of the second device may perform a communication with the first device (e.g., Fig.17 and Fig.18 Coarse synchronization of the initiator device A1602).

[0123] At block 1904, the second device may wait for a NB polling packet from the first device. For example, the NB polling packet may have been transmitted at block 1804 of process 1800.

[0124] At block 1906, the second device may receive a NB polling packet from the first device (at Fig.17 1710).

[0125] At block 1908, the second device may obtain NB-Rx-Info from the NB polling packet. As described herein, this may include extracting synchronization data (e.g., time and frequency synchronization data and / or scheduling information) that the second device may use to schedule and / or facilitate reception of a plurality of segments via the UWB signal that are subsequently received by the second device from the first device. In some embodiments, NB-Rx-Info may also include data for scheduling transmission of a NB response packet (e.g., at a second start time). In some embodiments, data from NB-Rx-Info may be used for other purposes (e.g., status reporting, etc.).

[0126] At block 1910, the second device may schedule transmission of the NB response packet (e.g., at a second start time). As described above, in some embodiments, the scheduling may be based on the NB-Rx-Info obtained at block 1908. In some embodiments, the scheduling may be performed independently of the data in the NB-Rx-Info.

[0127] At block 1912, the second device may transmit a NB response packet to the first device (at a previously scheduled second start time, for example). Fig.17 Depicted as NB-Tx B to A 1712).

[0128] At block 1914, the second device may schedule and configure a UWB receiver (e.g., a UWB subsystem) for UWB-Rx reception of the plurality of segments based on the synchronization data received at block 1908. Here, NB-Rx-Info may also be used to configure the UWB receiver prior to and for reception of the UWB signal, particularly for one or more of corrections to carrier frequency offset, sampling frequency offset, carrier phase, and sample phase.

[0129] At block 1916, the second device may receive the UWB segment (at Fig.17 . . UWB-Rx A to B-1 ... UWB-Rx A to BN 1714a to 1714n). These UWB segments can be Fig.18 The UWB polling packet transmitted at box 1814.

[0130] At block 1918, the second device may obtain aggregated UWB-Rx-Info. In some embodiments, the operations of this block may be similar to the operations of block 1820. In this case, the second device may obtain synchronization data and / or other data that may be used to determine the CIR.

[0131] At block 1920, the second device may schedule, configure, and transmit a UWB-Tx response segment (in Fig.171716a to 1716n). In some embodiments, the response segment may correspond to a plurality of segments (e.g., the second plurality of segments of process 1800 received by the first device from the second device at box 1818). In some embodiments, scheduling transmission of the plurality of segments may be based in part on NB-Rx-Info (e.g., obtained at box 1908) and / or UWB-Rx-Info (e.g., obtained at box 1918, including UWB time / frequency synchronization data, CIR, etc.). In some embodiments, the second device may also be able to perform ranging and / or positioning, similar to that described with respect to the first device. For example, the second device may determine a turnaround time and / or timestamp information that enables it to determine TOF / range information (see further description herein). Fig.28 Option 2).

[0132] In some embodiments, relative to Fig.17 , Fig.18 and Fig.19 For embodiments, the number of UWB segments in the forward (A to B "polling") direction may be the same as the number of UWB segments in the reverse (B to A "response") direction, namely N. In some embodiments, the number of segments for the forward and reverse directions may be different and may be given as Nf and Nr for the forward and reverse directions, respectively.

[0133] Fig. 20 2000 is another simplified block diagram illustrating the use of NB signaling to transmit UWB payload data according to some embodiments. Diagram 2000 depicts a packet format as described in some standards-based UWB packets (e.g., see Figure 4 ) wherein the UWB payload data 2002 is coupled to the SHR 2004 when processed by the NB signaling layer. In some embodiments, the NB subsystem with its associated signaling can assist in coordinating devices A and B for various management and maintenance purposes such as mutual transmission of status information, as further described herein. In some embodiments, the payload data of the UWB packet 2006 can also be transmitted via multiple segments, similar to that described with reference to transmitting CIRTS via UWB segments.

[0134] Fig.21 is another simplified block diagram 2100 illustrating example waveforms that may be contained in one or more segments transmitted by a UWB signaling layer of a device, according to some embodiments. Fig.21Schematic diagram 2100 of FIG. 1 shows details of the IR waveform contained in each CIRTS segment 2102a to 2102n used in the UWB signaling layer. Specifically, the schematic diagram lists various types of sequences that can be used to determine the polarity of the UWB IR pulses in each CIRTS segment 2102. In a packet format compliant with 802.15.4z (see Figure 4 ), the pulse polarity sequence used to represent CIRTS is based on the cryptographically secure pseudo-random generator (CSPRNG) based sequence used for the STS portion of the packet. The same CSPRNG type sequence "R" is used for each segment (e.g., segment 2102) in Fig.21 1, which is shown as row 1 in the table. Row 2 shows an implementation scheme in which different CSPRNG polarity sequences ("R1", "R2" ...) determine the polarity of the IR pulses of each segment. Row 3 represents an implementation scheme in which a given CIRTS segment 2102 is composed of a periodically repeated short sequence, i.e., the concept of the traditional ternary Ipatov preamble sequence used in IEEE 802.15.4 UWB. Note that this periodic sequence "E" can use an Ipatov sequence or other periodic sequences in which each CIRTS segment 2102 is composed of a series (periodic repetition) of a given base sequence. In row 3 of the table, the same periodic sequence "E" is used for each CIRTS segment 2102, while in row 4, each CIRTS segment 2102 can use a different periodic sequence ("E1", "E2", ...). In rows 5 and 6, a Gray waveform is used for each segment. The Gray waveform consists of a pair of sequences transmitted continuously, which together have highly accurate autocorrelation characteristics. One or more Gray pairs (with sufficiently long guard (silent) intervals between them to cover the length of the expected CIR) can be used to represent the "G" in each segment 2102. Different choices of Gray pairs (one or more pairs per segment 2102) can be used across the N segments 2102, such as "G1", "G2", ... "GN". One specific embodiment using Gray sequences uses multiple Gray pairs per segment 2102, where all pairs in a given segment are based on the same pair, so that the segment 2102 contains a periodic sequence, each period of which is given by one and the same Gray pair. In this latter embodiment, similarly, the segments 2102a to 2102n can utilize the same periodic sequence or a Gray-based periodic sequence that varies from segment to segment.

[0135] As described herein, embodiments describe close coupling of NB and UWB subsystems to improve effective operating range. As further described herein, there may be several protocol variations that utilize hybrid signaling via close coupling of NB and UWB subsystems to achieve improved operating range and / or efficiency.

[0136] Fig. 22is another simplified flow chart illustrating a first portion of an exemplary process performed by an apparatus for hybrid signaling according to some embodiments. Fig. 22 and Fig.23 Process 2200 corresponds to a process for determining a CIR estimate by an initiator device. (Note that Fig.23 The frame is Fig. 22 ) In some embodiments, the process may be similar to the process performed by the initiator Fig.18 1800. Process 2200 (and other process flows described herein) are each illustrated as a logical flow diagram, each operation of which represents a series of operations that can be implemented in hardware, computer instructions, or a combination thereof. In the context of computer instructions, an operation represents a computer-executable instruction stored on one or more computer-readable storage media, which performs the operation when executed by one or more processors. Generally speaking, computer-executable instructions include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc. that perform specific functions or implement specific data types. The order in which the operations are described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the operations may be combined in any order and / or in parallel to implement the process. In some embodiments, any one or more of the flows described herein may be implemented by a hybrid wireless system that, for example, includes reference Fig.14 and / or Fig.15 A hybrid wireless transceiver is described.

[0137] In addition, some, any or all of these processes may be performed under the control of one or more computer systems configured with executable instructions, and may be implemented as code (e.g., executable instructions, one or more computer programs, or one or more applications) that is executed on one or more processors, by hardware, or a combination thereof. As described above, the code may be stored on a computer-readable storage medium, such as in the form of a computer program that includes multiple instructions that can be executed by one or more processors. Computer-readable storage media are non-transitory.

[0138] In some embodiments, process 2200 may be performed by an initiator device (e.g., a "first device") that exchanges one or more signals with a responder device (e.g., a "second device"). As described herein, it should be understood that, depending on the circumstances, a device may operate as an initiator (device) and / or a responder (device). Thus, for example, one or more operations of process 2200 may also be applicable to (e.g., similar to) a first device operating as a responder device.

[0139] Turning to process 2200 in more detail, at block 2202, a first device (initiator) may schedule a start time (e.g., a discrete time) for transmitting a packet to a second device (responder) via a narrowband (NB) signal. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2202 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1802.

[0140] At block 2204, the first device may schedule a window for reception of a second packet transmitted by the second device to the first device via the second narrowband signal. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2204 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1802.

[0141] At block 2206, the first device may transmit the packet to the second device via a narrowband signal at the start time. In some embodiments, the packet may include data indicating to the second device, for example, a time period for reception of the plurality of segments. For example, the packet may convey synchronization data that may be used by the second device to schedule and / or facilitate reception of the plurality of segments, respectively, via an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2206 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1804.

[0142] At block 2208, the first device may receive a second packet from the second device via a second narrowband signal during the window. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2208 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1808.

[0143] At block 2210, the first device may obtain (e.g., extract) second synchronization data based at least in part on the second packet (e.g., a sync header and / or a data payload of the second packet). In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2210 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1810.

[0144] At block 2212, the first device may schedule transmission of the plurality of segments via the ultra-wideband signal. In some embodiments, the scheduling may be performed based on synchronization data previously communicated to the second device (e.g., at block 2206, including scheduling information). In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2212 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1812.

[0145] continue Fig.23In block 2214 of the first device, the first device may transmit the plurality of segments to the second device via an ultra-wideband signal. In some embodiments, at least one segment of the plurality of segments may be separated in time from at least one other segment of the plurality of segments by at least a predetermined time interval. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2214 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1814.

[0146] At block 2216, the first device may schedule reception of the second plurality of segments based at least in part on the second synchronization data. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2216 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1816.

[0147] At block 2218, the first device may receive the second plurality of segments from the second device via the second ultra-wideband signal, respectively. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2218 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1818.

[0148] At block 2220, the first device may determine a channel impulse response (CIR) estimate based at least on the second plurality of segments. In some embodiments, the channel impulse response estimate may be associated with a line-of-sight (LOS) path between the first device and the second device. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2220 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1820.

[0149] Fig.24 is another simplified flow chart 2400 illustrating signal transmission according to a bidirectional redundant packet exchange protocol using one or more NB channels according to some embodiments. Fig.18 Box 1804 and / or Fig.19 Box 1912) and a pseudo-random channel hopping sequence can improve reliability against interference and / or multipath fading phenomena. Fig.24Schematic diagram 2400 depicts an example of this scheme with triply redundant transmissions using pseudo-random channels. The term "channel" herein refers to a specific wireless spectrum location when the NB is transmitted, such as a carrier frequency in GHz (such as, for example, 2.450 GHz or 5.806 GHz or 5.912 GHz) around which the NB signal is centered with its specific spectrum bandwidth (such as 1 MHz or 2 MHz or several hundred kHz). Certain channels may be congested by other wireless users or suffer from signal fading common in wireless communications in a multipath environment, and "hopping" on the channel helps reduce packet losses caused by these phenomena. An initiator 2402 (such as one of the initiator devices described herein) initiates a first message within an initiation packet, and a responder 2404 attempts to receive the first message. In some embodiments, this scheme can be further optimized to save power by using the following rules: (a) Initiator 2402 skips the rest of the NB exchange if it receives any of (2), (4), and (6); (b) Responder 2404 should always listen to (1), (3), and (5), but only transmit (2), (4), and / or (6) if its immediately preceding reception was successful. This scheme can be called a two-way NB exchange, since both sides exchange NB packets. If the subsequent tightly coupled UWB exchange also involves two-way messages / segments (e.g., Fig.17 As described herein, the NB redundancy and channel hopping configurations may be exchanged out-of-band (OOB) using a device radio frequency (RF) protocol. In some embodiments, a wireless system separate from the HWT on the device (e.g., OOB) may be used to coordinate NB control information (e.g., utilizing Bluetooth / BLE during connection setup).

[0150] Fig.25 is another simplified flow chart illustrating message exchange between two devices according to a bidirectional redundant packet exchange protocol using one or more NB channels according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, Fig.25 The message exchanges of process 2500 may correspond to reference Fig.24 It should be understood that some operations associated with process 2500 (e.g., scheduling transmission of NB signals, UWB segments, etc.) (and / or other processes further described herein) may be performed before, during, or after the operations of the blocks depicted in process 2500. Therefore, it should be understood that the simplified protocol shown in process 2500 (and / or other processes described herein) may also include other operations and / or protocol variations (e.g., full ranging protocol, beacon protocol, etc.) of the present disclosure (and / or included in other operations and / or protocol variations of the present disclosure).

[0151] Turning to process 2500, at block 2502, a first device (e.g., initiator 2402) may transmit a first initiation packet to a second device (e.g., responder 2404) via a first narrowband channel. As described above, and for example, it should be understood that prior to the operations of block 2502, one or more operations may be performed to schedule a start time for transmission of the first initiation packet (e.g., similar to Fig.18 One or more operations of box 1802).

[0152] At block 2504, the first device may transmit a second initiation packet to the second device via a second narrowband channel different from the first narrowband channel. The second initiation packet may be transmitted based at least in part on a determination that the first device did not receive a first response packet from the second device via the first narrowband channel in response to the first initiation packet. Note that if the second device has transmitted the first response packet, the first device may not have yet transmitted the second initiation packet to the second device. In some embodiments, the second initiation packet may be transmitted even if the first device receives the first response packet from the second device.

[0153] At block 2506, the first device may transmit a third initiation packet to the second device via a third narrowband channel different from the first narrowband channel and / or the second narrowband channel. The third initiation packet may be transmitted based at least in part on determining that the first device did not receive a second response packet from the second device via the second narrowband channel in response to the second initiation packet.

[0154] At block 2508, the first device may receive a third response packet from the second device via the third narrowband channel in response to the third initiation packet. Fig.24 The first device may then terminate the exchange of NB packets.

[0155] Fig.26 is another simplified flow chart 2600 illustrating signal transmission according to a unidirectional redundant packet transmission protocol utilizing one or more NB channels, according to some embodiments. Fig.26 and Fig.24 Similar, but in this case, only one side transmits the NB packet (e.g., initiator 2602 to responder 2604). Fig.34 As further described) can benefit from this approach. Fig.24 As described, in some embodiments, the OOB system may be used to coordinate the transmission of NB control information (eg, via Bluetooth / BLE).

[0156] Fig. 27 is another simplified flow chart illustrating message exchange between two devices according to a unidirectional redundant packet transmission protocol using one or more NB channels according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, Fig. 27 The message exchange may correspond to the reference Fig.26 Depicted protocol.

[0157] At block 2702, a first device (eg, initiator 2602) may transmit a first initiation packet to a second device (eg, responder 2604) via a first narrowband channel.

[0158] At block 2704, the first device may transmit a second initiation packet to the second device via a second narrowband channel, which may be different from the first narrowband channel.

[0159] At block 2706, the first device may transmit a third packet to the second device via a third narrowband channel that may be different from the first narrowband channel and the second narrowband channel.

[0160] Fig.28 is another simplified flow chart 2800 illustrating signal transmission for a non-staggered ranging protocol with a known fixed turnaround time, according to some embodiments. Fig.28 Schematic diagram 2800 depicts a full ranging protocol utilizing hybrid signaling as described herein. The bidirectional NB exchanges Fig.24 The same as shown. The initiator 2802a then sends the UWB fragments according to the information exchanged through the NB / OOB protocol. After receiving all UWB fragments, the responder 2804a performs ToA (time of arrival) extraction and sends its response UWB fragment starting from a fixed precise time. This may be referred to as a fixed turnaround time interval (e.g., a fixed time interval) and the granularity of such time may be tens of picoseconds. Since the fixed turnaround time itself implicitly transmits the precise time increment between the responder UWBRX and TX, it eliminates the need to transmit the precise time increment via the data packet / payload. The initiator 2802a may calculate the TOF after receiving the UWB fragment from the responder 2804a. Accordingly, if the responder 2804a determines to calculate the range, option 2 of Figure 2800 may be utilized. For example, the order of exchange of the UWB fragments may be reversed so that the responder 2804b first sends multiple fragments and then receives the response multiple fragments from the initiator 2802b. In this Option 2, a fixed turnaround time is still used.

[0161] Fig.29 is another simplified flow chart illustrating message exchanges based on known fixed turnaround times according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, Fig.29 The message exchange of process 2900 may correspond to reference Fig.28 Depicted protocol.

[0162] At block 2902 of process 2900, a first device (e.g., initiator 2802) may transmit a packet to a second device (e.g., responder 2804) via a narrowband signal. In some embodiments, the packet may convey synchronization data (e.g., time and frequency synchronization data and / or scheduling information). In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2902 may be similar to Fig.18 The operation of block 1804 of . As described herein, the second device can obtain (e.g., extract from the sync header and / or payload data of the packet) and utilize the synchronization data to schedule reception of multiple UWB segments from the first device. The first device can also schedule transmission of the multiple UWB segments based on the synchronization data.

[0163] At block 2904, the first device may receive a second packet from the second device, the second packet conveying second synchronization data to the first device via a second narrowband signal. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 2904 may be similar to Fig.19 The first device may obtain and utilize the second synchronization data to schedule reception of a plurality of UWB segments from the second device as described herein. The second device may also schedule transmission of a second plurality of segments based on the second synchronization data.

[0164] In some embodiments, the Fig.24 and Fig.25 The described scheme repeats blocks 2902 and 2904.

[0165] At block 2906, the first device may transmit the plurality of segments to the second device via an ultra-wideband signal. In some embodiments, each segment in the plurality of segments may be separated in time from other segments in the plurality of segments by at least a predefined time interval (e.g., according to relevant regulatory rules for transmission standards).

[0166] At block 2908, the first device may receive the second plurality of segments from the second device, respectively, via the second ultra-wideband signal. In some embodiments, a first time at which a first segment in the second plurality of segments is transmitted to the first device is offset from a first time at which the first segment in the plurality of segments is transmitted from the first device to the second device by at least a fixed time interval known to the first device. In some embodiments, the fixed time interval may be used to calculate range or time of flight. For example, the first device may determine a turnaround time, which may then be used to determine the TOF.

[0167] At block 2910, the first device may determine a channel impulse response (CIR) estimate based at least on the second plurality of segments. In some implementations, the channel impulse response estimate may be associated with a line-of-sight (LOS) path between the first device and the second device.

[0168] Fig.30 is another simplified flow chart 3000 illustrating a non-interleaved ranging protocol that includes an exchange of NB signals conveying a round trip time and / or turnaround time following a bidirectional exchange of UWB segments, according to some embodiments. Fig.30 Schematic diagram of 3000 with Fig.28 Similarly, but after the exchange of UWB fragments between the initiator 3002 and the responder 3004, the round trip time and / or turnaround time and optional status report are transmitted using one-way / two-way NB packets. This may be useful if the devices do not have fixed turnaround time capabilities or both sides need to know the range / TOF. Note that one-way NB exchanges can be used when only one side needs to know the range, and two-way NB exchanges can enable both sides to calculate the range.

[0169] Fig.31 is another simplified flow diagram illustrating a message exchange utilizing NB signaling followed by a bidirectional exchange of UWB segments according to some embodiments. Fig.31 The message exchange of process 3100 may correspond to reference Fig.30 Depicted protocol.

[0170] At block 3102 of process 3100, a first device (e.g., initiator 3002) may transmit a packet to a second device (e.g., responder 3004) via a narrowband signal, the packet conveying synchronization data. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3102 may be similar to Fig.29 Operation of box 2902.

[0171] At block 3104, the first device may receive a second packet from the second device, the second packet conveying second synchronization data via a second narrowband signal. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3104 may be similar to Fig.29 Operation of box 2904.

[0172] In some embodiments, the Fig.24 and Fig.25 The described scheme repeats blocks 3102 and 3104.

[0173] At block 3106, the first device may transmit a plurality of segments to the second device via an ultra-wideband signal, each segment in the plurality of segments being separated in time from other segments in the plurality of segments by at least a predefined time interval. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3106 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1814.

[0174] At block 3108, the first device may receive the second plurality of segments from the second device via the second ultra-wideband signal, respectively. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3108 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1818.

[0175] At box 3110, the first device may receive a third packet from the second device via a third narrowband signal. In some embodiments, the third packet may include information that can be used to determine the range or flight time. In some embodiments, the information may include at least one of the following: (I) round-trip time, (II) turnaround time, or (III) status report. In some embodiments, as described herein, the first device may also transmit a fourth packet to the second device via a fourth narrowband signal. The fourth packet may transmit information of a type similar to that included in the third narrowband signal. The data may allow the second device to also calculate the range. As described above, if the device does not have a fixed turnaround time capability or both sides need to know the range / TOF, this technology may be useful.

[0176] In some embodiments, the Fig.24 and Fig.25 and / or Fig.26 and Fig. 27 The described scheme repeats box 3110.

[0177] Fig.32 is another simplified flow chart 3200 illustrating a signal exchange according to one-way NB and non-interleaved UWB ranging protocols, according to some embodiments. Fig.32 Schematic diagram 3200 of depicts another variation, where a one-way NB exchange between an initiator 3202 and a responder 3204 is followed by a UWB segment in the same direction. This scheme may allow multiple responders 3204 to participate in a ranging exercise by having them respond in a known sequence or in a random order. In some embodiments, the responses may either include a timestamp in the response NB packet or respond using a fixed turnaround time scheme (as described herein). The initiator 3202 may thereby calculate a corresponding range, as described herein.

[0178] Fig.33 is another simplified flow chart illustrating message exchanges according to the one-way NB and non-interleaved UWB ranging protocols according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, Fig.33 The message exchange of process 3300 may correspond to reference Fig.32 Depicted protocol.

[0179] At block 3302, a first device (e.g., initiator 3202) may transmit a packet to a second device (e.g., responder 3204) via a narrowband signal, the packet conveying synchronization data. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3302 may be similar to Fig.18 In some embodiments, the operation of block 1804 may be performed according to the reference Fig.26 and Fig. 27 The described scheme repeats box 3302.

[0180] At block 3304, the first device may transmit the plurality of segments to the second device via an ultra-wideband signal. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3304 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1814.

[0181] At block 3306, the first device may receive a second packet from the second device, the second packet conveying second synchronization data via a second narrowband signal. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3306 may be similar to Fig.18 Note that in this case, the first device may receive the second packet after the transmission of the plurality of fragments at block 3304. In some embodiments, the first device may receive the second packet after the transmission of the plurality of fragments at block 3304. Fig.26 and Fig. 27 The described scheme repeats box 3306.

[0182] At block 3308, the first device may receive the second plurality of segments from the second device via the second ultra-wideband signal, respectively. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3308 may be similar to Fig.18 The operation of block 1818. In some embodiments, the first device may then use this information to calculate ToF and / or AoA.

[0183] Fig.34 3400 is another simplified flow chart illustrating a signal exchange according to a beacon protocol according to some embodiments. As described above, in some embodiments, the beacon protocol may be employed when only one side (such as the initiator 3402) transmits NB signals (e.g., NB packets) and UWB signals (e.g., multiple segments). For example, this may be useful if the second (receiver) device is one of several devices of interest 3404 that interact with the first device according to the beacon protocol. In one example, the receiver device then performs ranging and / or positioning based on triangulation with one or more other devices based in part on the estimated CIR. In some embodiments, the initiator 3402 may send periodic beacon messages. Note that the beacon protocol still utilizes a hybrid signaling approach as described herein.

[0184] Fig.35is another simplified flow chart illustrating message exchanges according to the beacon protocol according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, Fig.35 The message exchange of process 3500 may correspond to reference Fig.34 Depicted protocol.

[0185] At block 3502, a first device (e.g., initiator 3402) may schedule a start time for transmitting a packet to one or more devices of interest 3404 via a narrowband (NB) signal. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3502 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1802.

[0186] At block 3504, the first device may transmit a packet to one or more devices of interest 3404 via a narrowband signal at the scheduled start time. In some embodiments, the packet may convey synchronization data used by the second device to schedule reception of multiple segments, respectively, via an ultra-wideband (UWB) signal. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3504 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1804.

[0187] In some embodiments, the Fig.26 and Fig. 27 The described scheme repeats blocks 3502 and 3504.

[0188] At block 3506, the first device may schedule transmission of the plurality of segments via the ultra-wideband signal based on the synchronization data. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3306 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1812.

[0189] At block 3508, the first device may transmit the plurality of segments to the second device via an ultra-wideband signal. In some embodiments, each segment in the plurality of segments may be separated in time from other segments in the plurality of segments by at least a predefined time interval. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3308 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1814.

[0190] Fig.36 is another simplified flow chart illustrating signal exchange according to the staggered ranging protocol according to some embodiments. Fig.36 In the interleaved ranging protocol shown in process 3600 of FIG. 36A , the protocol is implemented by having the initiator 3602 and the responder 3604 use the same T_test_reg (see Figure 7) to equally divide the UWB segment exchange time. In this case, the TX and RX UWB segments are interleaved. This interleaved UWB exchange is preceded by a two-way NB exchange and followed by a one-way or two-way timestamp / status NB exchange (see Fig.30 ). In some embodiments, by enabling both the initiator 3602 and the responder 3604 to use the same time interval to transmit the respective UWB segments, this protocol can enable the total ranging exchange time to be significantly reduced. It should be understood that the transmission and / or reception attempts of the UWB segments themselves can be conditioned on the successful reception of the NB packets. In some embodiments, this can help optimize power.

[0191] Fig.37 is another simplified flow chart illustrating message exchanges according to the staggered ranging protocol according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, Fig.37 The message exchange of process 3700 may correspond to reference Fig.36 Depicted protocol.

[0192] At block 3702 of process 3700, a first device (e.g., initiator 3602) may transmit a packet to a second device (e.g., responder 3604) via a narrowband signal, the packet conveying synchronization data. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3702 may be similar to Fig.29 Operation of box 2902.

[0193] At block 3704, the first device may receive a second packet from the second device, the second packet conveying second synchronization data via a second narrowband signal. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3704 may be similar to Fig.29 Operation of box 2904.

[0194] In some embodiments, the Fig.24 and Fig.25 The described scheme repeats blocks 3702 and 3704.

[0195] At block 3706, the first device may transmit the first segment of the plurality of segments to the second device via an ultra-wideband signal. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3706 may be similar to Fig.18 Operation of box 1814.

[0196] At block 3708, the first device may receive a first segment of the second plurality of segments from the second device. In some embodiments, the first segment of the second plurality of segments may be transmitted via a second ultra-wideband signal. In some embodiments, the first segment of the second plurality of segments is received by the first device within a predefined time interval, the predefined time interval defining a temporal spacing between the first segment and the second segment of the plurality of segments. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3708 may be similar to Fig.18 The operation of block 1818 of . Note that in this case, the individual respective segments from each plurality of segments are interleaved together when transmitted / received by the respective devices.

[0197] At block 3710 , the first device may transmit a second segment of the plurality of segments to the second device after completion of a predefined time interval.

[0198] At block 3712, the first device may receive a second segment of the second plurality of segments from the second device. It should be appreciated that multiple rounds of interleaved segments may be exchanged between the two devices (e.g., multiple rounds of operations including blocks 3710 and 3712) until the entire corresponding plurality of segments are exchanged between the devices.

[0199] At block 3714, the first device may receive a packet from the second device via a narrowband signal, the packet including information that can be used to determine range or flight time, the information including at least one of: (I) round trip time, (II) turnaround time, or (III) status report. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 3710 may be similar to Fig.31 Note that in some cases, the first device may also (and / or alternatively) enable the second device to determine the grouping of ranging information via narrowband signaling, depending on the context. In some embodiments, the first device may also (and / or alternatively) enable the second device to determine the grouping of ranging information via narrowband signaling, depending on the context. Fig.24 and Fig.25 and / or Fig.26 and Fig. 27 The described scheme repeats the operation of box 3714.

[0200] Fig.383800 is another simplified block diagram illustrating the use of a separate wireless system for initial device discovery and connection setup according to some embodiments. Schematic diagram 3800 depicts that the NB assistance concept is extended to include another wireless system that can assist in initial device discovery and connection setup as described herein. In this example, a wireless system (e.g., BLE 3802) can be used for initial coarse alignment of the device before handing control over to a hybrid NB+UWB transceiver 3804. In some embodiments, BLE 3802 can handle announcements / scanning, coarse synchronization, and / or connection setup. At the same time, the NB subsystem can handle fine synchronization to assist ("anchor") MMS-UWB (multi-millisecond) transmissions. In addition, the UWB subsystem can more efficiently "collect" multiple milliseconds of UWB energy from dedicated segments 3806a to 3806c for TOF / AOA estimation.

[0201] Fig.39 is another simplified block diagram 3900 illustrating the use of a separate wireless system for initial device discovery and connection setup according to some embodiments. Fig.39 Schematic diagram 3900 shows a specific implementation in which an additional wireless system (such as BLE 3802) and the HWT are located on separate systems on chips (SOCs 3906a-3906b and 3908a-3908b) on the same device (device A 3902 or device B 3904, respectively).

[0202] Fig.40 is a simplified block diagram 4000 illustrating a technique for announcing UWB / Narrowband Assisted (NBA)-UWB-MMS ranging rounds via NB signals, according to some embodiments. Specifically, Fig.40 Figure 4000 shows a mechanism that allows multiple UWB and / or NBA-UWB-MMS devices to utilize BLE advertisements to provide discovery and timing acquisition. For additional environments, BLE is available in many devices that can benefit from range measurements for a variety of use cases, such as indoor navigation, locating lost items, tracking inventory movements, entry / exit detection, etc. Ranging technology based on pure UWB pulse radio and / or NBA UWB MMS is applicable to many of these use cases. Therefore, these UWB and / or NBA-UWB-MMS devices can use the ubiquitous BLE technology to utilize device discovery and timing acquisition. In some devices, a BLE entity (e.g., BLE subsystem 4002) and a UWB / NBA-UWB entity (e.g., UWB / NBA-UWB subsystem 4004) are co-located on a printed circuit board (PCB) as separate integrated circuits (ICs) in a single package or combined chip. By using a transport / signaling conduit (e.g., between these two separate chips or partitions within the package / die) Fig.40In some embodiments, the NB-UWB-BT transport 4006 referred to in the specification, the technology herein enables over-the-air (OTA) activities between these technologies to be coordinated. In some embodiments, the NB-UWB-BT transport 4006 may include any suitable data bus, including, for example, a serial peripheral interface (SPI), a direct memory access (DMA) interface, or a peripheral component interconnect Express (PCIe) interface. In some embodiments, the two different technical entities (e.g., chips and / or partitions) can use various mature methods such as precise timing measurement (PTM) to establish a shared time concept through PCIe. In some embodiments, UWB / NBA-UWB beacon devices (e.g., associated with UWB / NBA-UWB entities) can share their beacon schedule or next beacon time (e.g., together with ranging metadata) through NB-UWB-BT transport 4006. The BLE entity can use this knowledge to announce this time (translated into the BT domain) through the BLE announcement packet 4008 to double its role as a BLE discovery / collection and UWB / NBA-UWB acquisition mechanism. In diagram 4000, the NB-UWB entity first transmits its ranging round start time (denoted as Tx) to the BLE entity. The BLE then converts the time to its own time domain (denoted as f(Tx)), possibly with reference to the announcement packet it is transmitting. Once ranging round X 4010 is completed, the NB-UWB entity then transmits the start time (Tx+1) of the next ranging round X+1 4012 to the BLE entity. The BLE entity sends two announcement packets 4014a-4014b with reference to the same ranging round X+1 4012, since the ranging round is the next ranging round in both cases. This mechanism allows devices receiving the BLE announcement packets 4014a-4014b to also connect to UWB / NBA-UWB-MMS ranging at any time using the time reference of the next ranging round, without incurring additional discovery or acquisition penalties using the NB and / or UWB radios. In some embodiments, this mechanism is scalable to a large number of devices and allows for a variety of ranging techniques, as further described herein. Fig.42 The ranging technology demonstrated in .

[0203] Fig.41 is a simplified flow chart illustrating a technique for announcing UWB / NBA-UWB-MMS ranging rounds via NB signals (e.g., BLE) according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, flow 4100 describes a process similar to that described in reference Fig.40 The operation described.

[0204] At block 4102, a first subsystem (eg, a client station or an anchor station) of a first device (eg, a client station or an anchor station) Fig.40The NB-UWB entity 4004 of the embodiment determines parameter data of a UWB / NBA-UWB-MMS ranging round, wherein the parameter data indicates a first time (eg, Fig.40 In some embodiments, the first time is associated with a first time domain (e.g., a UWB physical time domain) for performing UWB ranging. In some embodiments, the parameter data also includes metadata associated with the UWB / NBA-UWB-MMS ranging round 4010, the metadata indicating at least one of: (I) packet type, (II) number of segments to be transmitted, (III) channel type, (IV) channel hopping mode, (V) security parameters, or (VI) timestamp exchange method. It should be understood that these are representative examples of metadata that can be transmitted and used to indicate parameters for participating in the UWB / NBA-UWB-MMS ranging round.

[0205] At block 4104, the first subsystem transmits parameter data to a second subsystem (eg, Fig.40 BLE entity 4002), whereby the first subsystem communicates with the second subsystem via the data bus of the first device (eg Fig.40 In some embodiments, the first subsystem and the second subsystem are partitioned in the same IC or different ICs, as shown in FIG. Fig.40 Described. In some embodiments, the data bus connects different partitions. In some embodiments, the second subsystem includes a NB subsystem that performs wireless signaling via a low-power Bluetooth (BLE) protocol. In some embodiments, as described herein, the data bus includes at least one of the following: (I) a serial peripheral interface (SPI), (II) a direct memory access (DMA) interface, or (III) a peripheral component interconnect Express (PCIe) interface. In some embodiments, the first subsystem includes a UWB subsystem. In some embodiments, the first subsystem also includes a NB subsystem, whereby the UWB and NB subsystems are coupled together in a hybrid wireless transceiver of the first subsystem (e.g., for performing NBA-UWB-MMS ranging), as described herein.

[0206] At block 4106, the second subsystem determines a second time (eg, Fig.40 , whereby the second time is associated with a second time domain (e.g., a BLE entity time domain) for performing NB signaling via BLE. In some embodiments, the second time may correspond to a time offset from when an announcement packet (described further below) is scheduled for transmission by the first device.

[0207] At block 4108, the first device transmits an announcement packet 4008 indicating a second time via a NB signal (e.g., via BLE). In some embodiments, the announcement packet 4008 may also indicate one or more metadata (e.g., including ranging round parameters) in the metadata described with reference to block 4102. In some embodiments, the announcement packet 4008 includes second parameter data associated with the ranging round 4010. In some embodiments, the second parameter data may include metadata and / or other suitable information, similar to as described with reference to block 4102. In some embodiments, the announcement packet is received by a second device (e.g., another client station or an anchor station). In some embodiments, the second device determines the first time using the second time. For example, a third subsystem of the second device (e.g., a BLE subsystem) may determine the first time based on the second time. In some embodiments, if the second device determines to participate in the UWB / NBA-UWB-MMS ranging round, the third subsystem may transmit data (e.g., indicating the first time and / or other ranging round parameters included in the announcement packet) to a fourth subsystem (e.g., a UWB / NB-UWB entity) of the second device via a data bus (e.g., similar to as described with reference to the first device). In some embodiments, the fourth subsystem may then schedule the second device to receive one or more ranging packets / segments transmitted during the UWB / NBA-UWB-MMS ranging round from the first device based at least in part on the data indicating the first time (e.g., Tx) and / or second parameter data included in the announcement packet. In some embodiments, as Fig.40 As depicted, a first device (e.g., an anchor station) may broadcast periodic announcements for conducting UWB ranging rounds. In some embodiments, a second device (e.g., a client station) is one of a plurality of client stations configured to receive NB signals from an anchor station, as described below with reference to Fig.42 Further described. In some embodiments, the second device may determine not to participate in the UWB / NBA-UWB-MMS ranging round. It should be understood that the first device and the second device may have similar (or different) architectures as described herein. In some embodiments, the device may be enabled to perform the initiator device (e.g., transmit an announcement packet for conducting and ranging rounds, such as Fig.40 ) or the role of either / both of a responding device (e.g., receiving an announcement packet and then using the information to schedule participation in a ranging round).

[0208] At block 4110, the first device initiates a UWB / NBA-UWB-MMS ranging round 4010 at a first time. In some embodiments, one or more operations of block 4110 may be similar to those of reference Fig.23 Box 2214 or Fig. 22 as described in box 2206.

[0209] Fig.42 is a simplified block diagram illustrating techniques for operating a hybrid (UWB / NB) system (eg, including a hybrid wireless transceiver, as described herein) within an environment including an anchor station and client stations, according to some embodiments. Fig.42 Schematic diagram 4200 of shows an embodiment of a hybrid system in which multiple stations in two device categories - anchor stations 4202a to 4202n and client stations 4204a to 4204n - are located. In some embodiments, anchor stations A1, A2, ... A10 4202a to 4202n represent devices with synthetic system capabilities, which can be fixed devices, possibly mounted on a wall or ceiling, and connected to a permanent power source (such as a conventional 110V or 220V main system). In some embodiments, client stations C1, C2, ... to C100 4204a to 4204n can be mobile battery-operated devices, such as mobile phones or wrist-worn smart watches. Anchor stations 4202a to 4202n, which can be installed in homes, shopping malls, or warehouses, can provide positioning services to client stations 4204a to 4204n that may be in local areas indoors or outdoors. In this infrastructure type implementation of the present invention, the anchor stations 4202a to 4202n may transmit hybrid signals consisting of NB and fragmented UWB packets in accordance with the present invention in a synchronized manner at certain time instances offset from each other. This allows the client stations 4204a to 4204n to use NB signals to assist in effectively receiving fragmented UWB transmissions in a listen-only mode, and to determine their own positions in a local geographic image using three-point positioning techniques, assuming that the positions of the anchor stations 4202a to 4202n are known. Alternatively, also using NB-assisted fragmented UWB signaling, the anchor stations 4202a to 4202n may actively and bidirectionally communicate with each other in a point-to-point or point-to-multipoint manner. In this case, the client stations 4204a to 4204n may listen to these anchor-to-anchor communications and deduce their respective positions based on the anchor-to-anchor communications. In some embodiments, as described above with reference to Fig.40As described, a station (e.g., anchor station 4202) may include a BLE entity that may transmit periodic announcement packets, whereby nearby stations (e.g., client stations 4204a to 4204n) may include their own corresponding BLE entities that listen for the announcement packets. In the event that a particular client station 4204 determines to participate in a ranging round using a particular anchor station 4202, the client station 4204 may use the information included in the announcement packet to schedule the reception of a UWB packet (e.g., including a UWB fragment) for the next ranging round. In some embodiments, the anchor station 4202 is one of a plurality of anchor stations 4202a to 4202n located within a local area, and the local area also includes the client station 4204. In this case, the client station 4204 may determine a location within the local area based at least in part on measuring a corresponding range between the client station 4204 and at least two of the plurality of anchor stations 4202a to 4202n.

[0210] Fig.43 is another simplified block diagram 4300 illustrating a technique for utilizing a mix of UWB signaling and NB signaling for ranging rounds, according to some embodiments. Fig.43 Schematic diagram 4300 of shows the overall structure of a single ranging round. In some embodiments, during a ranging round, a single ranging measurement is performed between two devices. In some embodiments, a ranging round has three parts: NB preamble exchange 4306, UWB MMS exchange 4308, and NB conclusion exchange 4310. In some embodiments, NB preamble exchange 4306 and / or NB conclusion exchange 4310 may optionally be used only when beneficial. For example, either / both exchanges may be performed based on pre-negotiated session parameters and / or dynamic conditions / states of the ranging itself. In some embodiments, all NB exchanges within a ranging round may use a single channel to maximize the collective success of all exchanges. In some embodiments, the responder 4302 obtains time (T) and frequency (F) synchronization data by receiving NB_POLL, and the initiator 4304 performs the same operation when it receives NB_RSP. In some embodiments, as described above, depending on various pre-negotiated session parameters and / or dynamic conditions, NB_DATA may optionally transmit status, configuration, and timestamp parameters. In some embodiments, the UWB MMS exchange 4308 is the only mandatory part of the ranging round, and it may use either the staggered ranging protocol or the non-staggered ranging protocol. In some embodiments, if the initiator 4304 attempts to determine the range between the initiator 4304 and the responder 4302 (e.g., via pre-negotiation of session parameters), the responder 4302 may send data (NB_DATA_RI, such as Fig.43 ) is transmitted to the initiator 4304, thereby indicating the turnaround time (see, for example, Figure 5In some embodiments, if the responder 4302 attempts to determine the range, the initiator 4304 may send the data (NB_DATA_IR, such as Fig.43 4302), indicating the round trip time. In some embodiments, if the two devices negotiate a fixed turnaround time, the NB Preamble exchange 4310 may not be performed (e.g., because the range may be performed by the device of interest based in part on the fixed turnaround time). In some embodiments, if the devices do not negotiate a fixed turnaround time, the devices may "fall back" the data for the next ranging round via NB_POLL and / or NB_RSP packets (depending on the device transmitting the packet) instead of transmitting the data via the NB Preamble exchange 4310. For example, in the case where only the responder 4302 wishes to calculate the range, the initiator 4304 may transmit the round trip time to the responder 4302 within a subsequent NB_POLL transmitted to initiate the next ranging round. In some embodiments, as described herein, for example, if the environmental conditions (e.g., SNR) between the devices are such that the NB Preamble exchange 4306 is not required, the NB Preamble exchange 4306 may not be performed.

[0211] Fig.44 is a simplified block diagram 4400 illustrating ranging session parameters according to some embodiments. Fig.44 Schematic diagram 4400 lists various parameters (non-exhaustive), such as NB parameters 4402 that control ranging rounds and UWB MMS parameters 4404. These parameters may be exchanged out-of-band (OOB) via another radio protocol such as Bluetooth (e.g., BLE), in-band via NB packets, and / or some parameters via OOB and other parameters via NB.

[0212] Fig.45 is a simplified block diagram 4500 illustrating ranging parameters that may be dynamically adjusted between ranging rounds, according to some embodiments. Fig.45 Schematic diagram 4500 lists example state, configuration, and timestamp information (e.g., parameters 4502) that may be exchanged between devices. In some embodiments, these parameters 4502 may change dynamically (e.g., between ranging rounds). In some embodiments, these parameters 4502 may be exchanged via a NB system (e.g., a NB subsystem of a hybrid wireless transceiver, as described herein). In some embodiments, these parameters 4502 may be exchanged via a BT / BLE companion link.

[0213] Fig.46 is a simplified block diagram 4600 illustrating the use of random / adaptive channel hopping between ranging rounds according to some embodiments. Fig.46Schematic diagram 4600 shows an embodiment of random or adaptive channel hopping. In some embodiments, NB packets (e.g., for transmitting NB_POLL, NB_RSP and / or NB_DATA) use different channels in different ranging rounds. For example, Fig.46 , ranging round X 4602 may use channel A 4606, and the subsequent ranging round Y 4604 may use channel B 4608. The channel selection scheme for each ranging round may be purely random or adaptive based on channel conditions. The UWB MMS exchange 4610 may hop channels independently of the NB.

[0214] Fig.47 4700 is a simplified block diagram illustrating a situation in which synchronization data used in a previous ranging round may also be used in the next ranging round according to some embodiments. Fig.47 In the schematic diagram 4700 of FIG. 4700 , the NB preamble exchange including NB_POLL and NB_RSP may be skipped in the ranging round (e.g., as shown in FIG. 4701 ). Fig.43 For example, Fig.47 4702, NB_POLL 4704 and NB_RSP 4706 are skipped for ranging round Y 4702. In some embodiments, the decision to skip the NB Preamble in the current (e.g., and / or next) ranging round may be based on whether the time (T) and frequency (F) Sync obtained in the previous successful ranging round is available. The criteria for the usefulness of the previous T and F Sync depends on various factors that may affect the tolerance of clock drift and UWB MMS reception on both devices.

[0215] Fig.48 is a simplified block diagram 4800 illustrating adaptive asymmetric transmission of UWB segments within ranging rounds according to a non-staggered ranging protocol, according to some embodiments. Fig.48Schematic 4800 of shows an example of the concept where the number of UWB MMS fragments exchanged between devices does not have to be the same. This asymmetry technique allows an inefficient front end to receive more fragments to compensate for its losses, while an efficient front end can achieve the same performance level with a fewer number of fragments. The number of fragments in each direction may be determined once during ranging session establishment based on estimated range, received signal strength (first path / rule), signal-to-noise ratio (first path / rule), etc., using knowledge of each ranging round of participating device front end efficiencies and / or dynamic selection. This information may be exchanged in-band by the NB on any / all of NB_POLL 4812, NB_RSP 4814, and NB_DATA, or out-of-band, such as Bluetooth. Schematic 4800 shows a responder 4804 needing to receive only two UWB MMS fragments 4806a-4806b, while an initiator requires four fragments 4810a-4810d to achieve the same / similar performance level.

[0216] Fig.49 is another simplified block diagram 4900 illustrating adaptive asymmetric transmission of UWB segments within a ranging round according to a non-interleaved ranging protocol, according to some embodiments. Fig.48 Similar concept, but with the orientation reversed. Note that the number of segments shown in these figures is for representation only, and the actual number may be any suitable number. Fig.48 and Fig.49 All show ranging rounds using a non-staggered MMS exchange protocol with a fixed turnaround option. However, it is also applicable to non-fixed turnaround situations. In some embodiments, this method improves playout time and power efficiency because only the required number of segments are exchanged in either direction.

[0217] Fig.50 and Fig.51 is a simplified block diagram illustrating adaptive asymmetric transmission of UWB segments within ranging rounds according to an interleaved ranging protocol, respectively, according to some embodiments. In some embodiments, the interleaved ranging protocol may be similar to that described herein (e.g., for Fig.36 and / or Fig.37 ). In this case, there may be asymmetric transmission of segments between the initiator and responder devices when utilizing an interleaved ranging protocol. In some implementations, while the total duration of ranging exchanges in this approach may not be significantly reduced, it may provide better coexistence and power performance. This may help with coexistence because a smaller number of segments may result in lower overall interference. Avoiding segmented transmission / reception may also save power. Fig.50As depicted in the schematic diagram 5000 of FIG. 5100 , the initiator 5002 transmits two UWB MMS fragments 5006a to 5006b, and the responder 5004 transmits four UWB MMS fragments 5008a to 5008d. Fig.50 Similar concept, but switched directions.

[0218] The above describes exemplary techniques for transmitting a mixture of NB and UWB wireless signals. Some or all of these systems and methods may be implemented, at least in part, by, for example, at least in the above Figures 1 to 51 The present invention may be implemented by the architectures shown in one or more of the embodiments, but it is not necessary to implement by the architectures. It should be understood that any suitable device can perform the technology disclosed herein. In addition, various non-limiting examples are described in the foregoing description. For the purpose of explanation, many specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the examples. However, it should also be obvious to those skilled in the art that some examples can be implemented without these specific details. In addition, well-known features are sometimes omitted or simplified to prevent confusion with the examples described herein.

[0219] Although there may be many implementations of the concepts presented herein, one beneficial option for NB and UWB implementations may be to arrange the radio frequency (RF) operating frequencies for UWB and NB signals close to each other. For example, a suitable frequency range for NB signaling may be the unlicensed National Information Infrastructure (UNII) bands in the 5 GHz and 6 GHz range, including the UNII-3 band from 5.725 GHz to 5.850 GHz or the UNII-5 band from 5.925 GHz to 6.425 GHz. These bands often allow NB transmissions at power levels up to 10 dBm or 20 dBm or more. For a UWB subsystem, typical RF operating frequencies would be so-called UWB channels 5 and 9 at center frequencies of approximately 6.5 GHz and 8.0 GHz, respectively. The benefit of using NB and UWB frequencies that are close to each other is that it is easier to share antenna hardware between NB and UWB. However, note that another suitable operating range for the NB subsystem is within the 2.4 GHz to 2.5 GHz ISM band (commonly used for ZigBee and Bluetooth and other consumer wireless systems), and a variety of UWB center frequencies from 1 GHz to 10 GHz and above may be used for hybrid system concepts.

[0220] In terms of hardware implementation of the hybrid system concept, it should be noted that the NB and UWB subsystems may reside on the same system on a chip (SOC), which may also be referred to as an integrated circuit (e.g., including suitable processor circuits). They may also be embodied as separate SOCs, NB SOC and UWB SOC, with tight coupling and joint MAC control processing accomplished through direct control signals exchanged between the two SOCs.

[0221] Other preferred and non-limiting embodiments or aspects are set forth in the following numbered clauses:

[0222] Clause 1: A computer-implemented method, comprising: determining, by a first subsystem of a first device, parameter data for a ranging round, the parameter data indicating a first time for initiating the ranging round, and the first time being associated with a first time domain for performing ranging; transmitting, by the first subsystem, the parameter data to a second subsystem of the first device, the first subsystem and the second subsystem being communicatively connected via a data bus of the first device; determining, by the second subsystem, a second time based at least in part on the first time, the second time being associated with a second time domain for performing narrowband (NB) signaling; transmitting, by the first device, a notification packet indicating the second time via a narrowband signal; and initiating, by the first device, the ranging round at the first time.

[0223] Clause 2: The computer-implemented method of clause 1, wherein the ranging round corresponds to an ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging round or a narrowband-assisted (NBA) ultra-wideband multi-millisecond (MMS) ranging round.

[0224] Clause 3: A computer-implemented method according to any one of clauses 1 to 2, wherein the announcement packet is received by a second device, wherein a third subsystem of the second device uses the second time to determine the first time, wherein a fourth subsystem of the second device receives data indicating the first time from the third subsystem, and wherein the fourth subsystem schedules reception by the second device of one or more segments transmitted during the ranging round from the first device based at least in part on the data indicating the first time.

[0225] Clause 4: A computer-implemented method according to any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein the parameter data includes metadata associated with performing the ranging round, and wherein the fourth subsystem schedules reception of the one or more segments transmitted during the ranging round based at least in part on the metadata.

[0226] Clause 5: A computer-implemented method according to any one of clauses 1 to 4, wherein the third subsystem of the second device is configured to manage narrowband signaling of the second device using a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol, and wherein the fourth subsystem of the second device is configured to manage at least one of ultra-wideband signaling or narrowband-assisted ultra-wideband multi-millisecond signaling of the second device.

[0227] Clause 6: The computer-implemented method of any one of clauses 1 to 5, wherein the first subsystem and the second subsystem are partitioned within the same integrated circuit (IC) or different integrated circuits, and wherein the data bus connects the different partitions.

[0228] Clause 7: A computer-implemented method according to any one of clauses 1 to 6, wherein the second subsystem includes a narrowband subsystem that performs wireless signaling via a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol, and wherein the notification packet corresponds to a Bluetooth Low Energy notification transmitted via the narrowband signal.

[0229] Clause 8: A computer-implemented method as recited in any one of clauses 1 to 7, wherein the first subsystem comprises an ultra-wideband subsystem operable to perform ultra-wideband signaling.

[0230] Clause 9: A computer-implemented method according to any one of clauses 1 to 8, wherein the first subsystem further comprises a narrowband subsystem, the ultra-wideband subsystem is coupled to the narrowband subsystem within a hybrid wireless transceiver of the first subsystem, and the hybrid wireless transceiver is operable to perform narrowband-assisted ultra-wideband multi-millisecond signaling.

[0231] Clause 10: A computer-implemented method according to any one of clauses 1 to 9, wherein the parameter data also includes metadata associated with the ranging round, the metadata indicating at least one of the following: (I) packet type, (II) number of segments to be transmitted, (III) channel type, (IV) channel hopping mode, (V) security parameters or (VI) timestamp exchange method, and wherein the metadata is also included in the announcement packet.

[0232] Clause 11: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1 to 10, wherein the first device corresponds to an anchor station that broadcasts periodic advertisements for conducting ranging rounds, and wherein the second device corresponds to a client station.

[0233] Clause 12: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1 to 11, wherein the client station is one of a plurality of client stations configured to receive narrowband signals from the anchor station, and wherein the client station determines not to participate in the ranging round.

[0234] Clause 13: A computer-implemented method according to any one of clauses 1 to 12, wherein the anchor station is one of a plurality of anchor stations located within a local area, the local area also including the client station, and wherein the client station determines a position within the local area based at least in part on measuring a corresponding range between the client station and at least two of the plurality of anchor stations.

[0235] Clause 14: The computer-implemented method of any of clauses 1 to 13, wherein the second time corresponds to a time offset from when the announcement packet is scheduled for transmission by the first device.

[0236] Clause 15: A computer-implemented method according to any one of clauses 1 to 14, wherein the data bus comprises at least one of: (I) a serial peripheral interface (SPI), (II) a direct memory access (DMA) interface, or (III) a peripheral component interconnect Express (PCIe) interface.

[0237] Clause 16: A computer-implemented method according to any one of clauses 1 to 15, the computer-implemented method further comprising: receiving, by the second subsystem of the first device, a second announcement packet including second parameter data, the second parameter data indicating a third time for initiating a second ranging round by the second device and including metadata corresponding to the ranging parameters of the second ranging round, and the third time is associated with the second time domain for performing narrowband signaling; determining, by the first device, to participate in the second ranging round indicated by the second announcement packet; determining, by the second subsystem, a fourth time based at least in part on the third time, the fourth time being associated with the first time domain for performing ranging; transmitting, by the second subsystem, data to the first subsystem, the data indicating the fourth time and including the metadata corresponding to the ranging parameters; and scheduling, by the first subsystem, receiving one or more segments transmitted during the second ranging round based at least in part on the fourth time and the metadata.

[0238] Clause 17: A computer-implemented method according to any one of clauses 1 to 16, wherein the announcement packet includes second parameter data associated with the ranging round, the second parameter data indicating the second time and including metadata associated with scheduling reception of the one or more segments transmitted during the ranging round.

[0239] Other embodiments of the present disclosure may be directed to a device comprising: a memory comprising computer-executable instructions; and one or more processors, the one or more processors communicating with the memory and configured to access the memory and execute the computer-executable instructions to perform a method according to any one of clauses 1 to 17.

[0240] Other embodiments of the present disclosure may be directed to one or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform a method according to any one of clauses 1 to 17.

[0241] Other embodiments of the present disclosure may relate to an apparatus comprising: a processor circuit system configured to perform a method according to any one of clauses 1 to 17.

[0242] Various embodiments may also be implemented in a variety of operating environments, which in some cases may include one or more user computers, computing devices, or processing devices that can be used to operate any of a plurality of applications. User devices or client devices may include any of a number of general-purpose personal computers, such as desktop computers or laptop computers running standard operating systems, and cellular devices, wireless devices, and handheld devices running mobile software and capable of supporting a plurality of networking protocols and instant messaging protocols. This system may also include multiple workstations running a variety of commercially available operating systems and any of other known applications for purposes such as development and database management. These devices may also include other electronic devices, such as virtual terminals, thin clients, gaming systems, and other devices capable of communicating via a network.

[0243] Most embodiments utilize at least one network familiar to those skilled in the art to support communications using any of a variety of commercial protocols such as TCP / IP, OSI, FTP, UPnP, NFS, CIFS, and AppleTalk. The network can be, for example, a local area network, a wide area network, a virtual private network, the Internet, an intranet, an extranet, a public switched telephone network, an infrared network, a wireless network, and any combination thereof.

[0244] In embodiments utilizing a web server, the web server may run any of a variety of server or middle-tier applications, including HTTP servers, FTP servers, CGI servers, data servers, Java servers, and business application servers. One or more servers may also be capable of executing programs or scripts in response to requests from user devices, such as by executing one or more applications, which may be implemented in any programming language such as One or more scripts or programs written in C, C# or C++ or any scripting language such as Perl, Python or TCL and their combinations. The one or more servers may also include a database server, including but not limited to and Those obtained commercially.

[0245] Environment may include various data repositories and other memory and storage media, as described above. These may reside in various locations, such as on a storage medium local to one or more computers or away from the storage medium of any or all computers on the network (and / or reside in one or more computers). In a specific set of embodiments, information may reside in a storage area network (SAN) familiar to those skilled in the art. Similarly, any necessary files for performing functions belonging to a computer, server or other network device may be stored locally and / or remotely as required. When the system includes a computerized device, each such device may include a hardware element electrically coupled via a bus, the element including, for example, at least one central processing unit (CPU), at least one input device (e.g., mouse, keyboard, controller, touch screen or keypad), and at least one output device (e.g., display device, printer or speaker). Such systems may also include one or more storage devices, such as disk drives, optical storage devices and solid-state storage devices such as RAM or ROM, and removable media devices, memory cards, flash memory cards, etc.

[0246] Such devices may also include a computer-readable storage medium reader, a communication device (e.g., a modem, a network card (wireless or wired), an infrared communication device, etc.) and a working memory as described above. A computer-readable storage medium reader may be connected to or configured to receive a non-transient computer-readable storage medium representing a remote, local, fixed and / or removable storage device, and a storage medium for temporarily and / or more permanently containing, storing, transmitting and retrieving computer-readable information. Systems and various devices will also typically include a plurality of software applications, modules, services or other elements located in at least one working memory device, including an operating system and an application, such as a client application or a browser. It should be understood that alternative embodiments may have many variations according to those described above. For example, custom hardware may also be used, and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets), or both. In addition, connections with other computing devices such as network input / output devices may be used.

[0247] Non-transitory storage media and computer-readable storage media for containing code or parts of code may include any suitable media known or used in the art, such as, but not limited to, volatile and non-volatile, removable and non-removable media implemented by any method or technology for storing information (such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data), including RAM, ROM, electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, DVD or other optical storage, cassettes, tapes, disk storage devices or other magnetic storage devices, or any other medium that can be used to store the required information and can be accessed by system devices. Based at least in part on the disclosure and teachings provided herein, a person of ordinary skill in the art will recognize other ways and / or methods of implementing various embodiments. However, computer-readable storage media do not include transient media such as carrier waves.

[0248] Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be regarded in an illustrative rather than a restrictive sense. It will, however, be evident that various modifications and changes may be made thereto without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the claims.

[0249] Other variations are within the spirit of the present disclosure. Thus, while the disclosed technology is susceptible to various modifications and alternative constructions, certain illustrative embodiments thereof are shown in the drawings and have been described in detail above. However, it should be understood that it is not intended to limit the present disclosure to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, it is intended to cover all modifications, alternative constructions, and equivalent forms that fall within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims.

[0250] The use of the terms "one", "an" and "the" and similar indicators in the context of describing the disclosed embodiments (particularly in the context of the claims below) will be interpreted as covering the singular and plural, unless otherwise stated or clearly contradicted by the context. Unless otherwise stated, the terms "comprise", "have", "include" and "contain" should be interpreted as open terms (i.e., meaning "including but not limited to"). The term "connected" is interpreted as being partially or completely included, attached or joined together even if there are intervening things. The phrase "at least in part based on" should be understood as open, and is not limited in any way, and is intended to be interpreted or otherwise understood as "at least in part based on" where appropriate. Unless otherwise stated herein, the description of the numerical range herein is intended only to be used as a simple method of referring to each individual value falling within the range individually, and each individual value is incorporated into the specification as quoted individually in this article. All methods described herein can be performed in any suitable order, unless otherwise stated herein or otherwise clearly contradicted by the context. Unless otherwise stated, the use of any and all examples or exemplary language (e.g., "such as") provided herein is intended only to better illustrate the embodiments of the present disclosure and will not limit the scope of the present disclosure. No language in the specification should be construed as indicating that any unclaimed element is essential to the practice of the present disclosure.

[0251] Unless otherwise specifically stated, disjunctive language such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, or Z" is understood in context as generally used to present an item, term, etc., which can be X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and / or Z). Thus, such disjunctive language is generally not intended to, and should not, imply that certain embodiments require that at least one of X, at least one of Y, or at least one of Z each be present. Additionally, conjunctive language such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, and Z" is also understood to mean X, Y, Z, or any combination thereof, including "X, Y, and / or Z," unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0252] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known for carrying out the present disclosure. After reading the foregoing description, variations of those preferred embodiments may become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art. It is expected that the skilled person will appropriately adopt such variations, and is intended to practice these technologies in a manner different from that specifically described herein. Therefore, as permitted by applicable law, the present disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recorded in the appended claims. In addition, unless otherwise noted herein or clearly contradictory to the context, the present disclosure includes any combination of all possible variations of the above-mentioned elements.

[0253] All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents, cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and were set forth in its entirety herein.

[0254] As described above, one aspect of the present technology is to collect and use data to wirelessly transmit a security framework for authentication. The present disclosure contemplates that, in some instances, these collected data may include personally identifiable information (PII) data that uniquely identifies or can be used to contact or locate a specific person. Such personal information data may include demographic data, location-based data (e.g., GPS coordinates), phone numbers, email addresses, Twitter IDs, home addresses, or any other identifying or personal information.

[0255] The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data in the present invention technology can be used to benefit the user.For example, the personal information data can be used to obtain access to resources controlled by the access control system.

[0256] This disclosure envisions that entities responsible for collecting, analyzing, disclosing, transmitting, storing or otherwise using such personal information data will comply with established privacy policies and / or privacy practices. Specifically, such entities should implement and adhere to privacy policies and practices that are recognized as meeting or exceeding industry or government requirements for maintaining the privacy and security of personal information data. Such policies should be easily accessible to users and should be updated as the collection and / or use of data changes. Personal information from users should be collected for legitimate and reasonable purposes of the entity and not shared or sold outside of these legitimate uses. In addition, such collection / sharing should be performed after receiving informed consent from the user. In addition, such entities should consider taking any necessary steps to safeguard and protect access to such personal information data and ensure that others who have access to personal information data comply with their privacy policies and processes. In addition, such entities may subject themselves to third-party assessments to demonstrate their compliance with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. In addition, policies and practices should be adjusted to specific types of personal information data collected and / or accessed, and to applicable laws and standards including specific considerations of jurisdiction. For example, in the United States, the collection or access of certain health data may be governed by federal and / or state laws, such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), while health data in other countries may be subject to other regulations and policies and should be handled accordingly. Therefore, different privacy practices should be maintained in each country for different types of personal data.

[0257] Regardless of the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates implementation schemes in which users selectively block the use or access of personal information data. That is, the present disclosure contemplates that hardware elements and / or software elements may be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, with respect to services related to tracking a user's location (e.g., via a user's mobile device), the technology of the present invention may be configured to allow a user to choose to "opt in" or "opt out" to participate in the collection of personal information data at any time during or after registration for the service. In addition to providing "opt-in" and "opt-out" options, the present disclosure contemplates providing notifications related to access or use of personal information. For example, a user may be notified that their personal information data will be accessed when downloading an application, and then be reminded again just before the personal information data is accessed by the application.

[0258] In addition, it is an object of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed to minimize the risk of unintentional or unauthorized access or use. Risks can be minimized by limiting data collection and deleting data once it is no longer needed. In addition, and when applicable, including in certain health-related applications, data de-identification can be used to protect the privacy of users. De-identification can be facilitated by removing specific identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of stored data (e.g., collecting location data at the city level rather than at the address level), controlling how data is stored (e.g., aggregating data between users), and / or other methods when appropriate.

[0259] Therefore, while the present disclosure broadly covers the use of personal information data to implement one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, the present disclosure also contemplates that various embodiments may be implemented without access to such personal information data. That is, various embodiments of the present technology will not fail to function properly due to the lack of all or part of such personal information data.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising: Determining, by a first subsystem of a first device, parameter data for a ranging round, the parameter data indicating a first time for initiating the ranging round, and the first time being associated with a first time domain for performing ranging; The parameter data is transmitted by the first subsystem to a second subsystem of the first device, the first subsystem and the second subsystem being communicatively connected via a data bus of the first device; determining, by the second subsystem, a second time based at least in part on the first time, the second time being associated with a second time domain for performing narrowband (NB) signaling; transmitting, by the first device via a narrowband signal, an announcement packet indicating the second time; and The ranging round is initiated by the first device at the first time.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the ranging round corresponds to an ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging round or a narrowband-assisted (NBA) ultra-wideband multi-millisecond (MMS) ranging round.

3. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the announcement packet is received by a second device, wherein a third subsystem of the second device determines the first time using the second time, wherein a fourth subsystem of the second device receives data indicating the first time from the third subsystem, and wherein the fourth subsystem schedules reception by the second device of one or more segments transmitted during the ranging round from the first device based at least in part on the data indicating the first time.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the parameter data comprises metadata associated with performing the ranging round, and wherein the fourth subsystem schedules reception of the one or more segments transmitted during the ranging round based at least in part on the metadata.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 3 , wherein the third subsystem of the second device is configured to manage narrowband signaling by the second device using a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol, and wherein the fourth subsystem of the second device is configured to manage at least one of ultra-wideband signaling or narrowband-assisted ultra-wideband multi-millisecond signaling by the second device.

6. The computer-implemented method of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the first subsystem and the second subsystem are partitioned within the same integrated circuit (IC) or different integrated circuits, and wherein the data bus connects different partitions.

7. A computer-implemented method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the second subsystem includes a narrowband subsystem that performs wireless signaling via a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) protocol, and wherein the announcement packet corresponds to a Bluetooth Low Energy announcement transmitted via the narrowband signal.

8. The computer-implemented method of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the first subsystem comprises an ultra-wideband subsystem operable to perform ultra-wideband signaling.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the first subsystem further comprises a narrowband subsystem, the ultra-wideband subsystem being coupled to the narrowband subsystem within a hybrid wireless transceiver of the first subsystem, the hybrid wireless transceiver being operable to perform narrowband-assisted ultra-wideband multi-millisecond signaling.

10. The computer-implemented method of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the parameter data further comprises metadata associated with the ranging round, the metadata indicating at least one of: (I) a packet type, (II) a number of segments to be transmitted, (III) channel type, (IV) channel hopping mode, (V) security parameters or (VI) timestamp exchange method, and wherein the metadata is also included in the announcement packet.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the first device corresponds to an anchor station that broadcasts periodic advertisements for conducting ranging rounds, and wherein the second device corresponds to a client station.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the client station is one of a plurality of client stations configured to receive narrowband signals from the anchor station, and wherein the client station determines not to participate in the ranging round.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 11, wherein the anchor station is one of a plurality of anchor stations located within a local area, the local area also including the client station, and wherein the client station determines a location within the local area based at least in part on measuring respective ranges between the client station and at least two of the plurality of anchor stations.

14. The computer-implemented method of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the second time corresponds to a time offset from when the announcement packet is scheduled for transmission by the first device.

15. The computer-implemented method of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the data bus comprises at least one of: (I) a serial peripheral interface (SPI), (II) a direct memory access (DMA) interface, or (III) a peripheral component interconnect Express (PCIe) interface.

16. The computer-implemented method of any one of claims 1 to 2, further comprising: receiving, by the second subsystem of the first device, a second advertising packet including second parameter data, the second parameter data indicating a third time for initiating a second ranging round by the second device, the second parameter data including metadata corresponding to ranging parameters of the second ranging round, and the third time being associated with the second time domain for performing narrowband signaling; Determining, by the first device, to participate in the second ranging round indicated by the second announcement group; determining, by the second subsystem, a fourth time based at least in part on the third time, the fourth time being associated with the first time domain for performing ranging; transmitting, by the second subsystem to the first subsystem, data indicating the fourth time and including the metadata corresponding to the ranging parameter; as well as Reception of one or more segments transmitted during the second ranging round is scheduled by the first subsystem based at least in part on the fourth time and the metadata.

17. The computer-implemented method of claim 3, wherein the announcement packet includes second parameter data associated with the ranging round, the second parameter data indicating the second time, and the second parameter data includes metadata associated with scheduling reception of the one or more segments transmitted during the ranging round.

18. An electronic device comprising: a memory including computer executable instructions; and One or more processors in communication with the memory and configured to access the memory and execute the computer executable instructions to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

19. One or more computer-readable storage media comprising computer-executable instructions which, when executed by one or more processors, cause the one or more processors to perform the method of any one of claims 1 to 17.

20. An electronic device, comprising: A processor circuit configured to perform a method according to any one of claims 1 to 17.

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