Electronic devices and methods for performing communication using the electronic devices

Abstract

An electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure includes: a communication module; and a processor operatively connected to the communication module, wherein the processor is configured to: broadcast a first message for measuring distance in each of a plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals included in a first distance measurement interval via the communication module; receive, in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals, at least one second message in response to the first message from at least one external electronic device via the communication module; determine congestion-related information for each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals based on the number of the at least one second message received in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals; and broadcast, in the first distance measurement sub-interval of a plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals included in a second distance measurement interval via the communication module, a third message including the congestion-related information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to electronic devices and methods for performing communications using the electronic devices. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of wireless communication technology, electronic devices are widely used in daily life, and user demands are increasing. Various types of wireless communication technologies can be used to meet user requirements. For example, wireless communication technologies may include one or more of Ultra Wideband (UWB) communication, Wi-Fi communication, Long Term Evolution (LTE) communication, 5G communication (or New Radio (NR) communication), and Bluetooth communication. Specifically, an electronic device can use UWB communication to measure the position (or distance, angle) of at least one external electronic device. For example, the electronic device can broadcast a message for measuring distance and can receive a response message from at least one external electronic device that has received the message. The electronic device can measure the position (or distance, angle) of at least one external electronic device based on the distance measurement message and the response message. Summary of the Invention

[0003] Technical issues

[0004] When an electronic device receives response messages from more than a specified number of external electronic devices responding to distance measurement messages within a distance measurement interval, collisions between the external electronic devices may occur within that interval. Therefore, the electronic device may have difficulty measuring the distance to the external electronic devices.

[0005] Embodiments of this disclosure provide an electronic device that can identify the number of response messages received from at least one external electronic device within a distance measurement interval, and based thereon identify congestion-related information within the distance measurement interval.

[0006] Embodiments of this disclosure provide an electronic device that can broadcast congestion-related information in a message used for distance measurement. At least one external electronic device that has received a message including the congestion-related information can maintain or change the distance measurement interval for sending a response message based on the congestion-related information.

[0007] Solution to the problem

[0008] An electronic device according to various example embodiments of the present disclosure may include: a communication module; and a processor operatively coupled to the communication module, wherein the processor is configured to: broadcast a first message for measuring distance in each of a plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals included in a first distance measurement interval via the communication module; receive, in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals, at least one second message in response to the first message from at least one external electronic device via the communication module; determine congestion-related information for each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals based on the number of the at least one second message received in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals; and broadcast, in a first distance measurement sub-interval including the congestion-related information via the communication module, a third message including the congestion-related information in a first distance measurement sub-interval of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals included in a second distance measurement interval.

[0009] A method for communicating an electronic device according to various example embodiments of the present disclosure may include: broadcasting a first message for distance measurement in each of a plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals included in a first distance measurement interval via a communication module; receiving at least one second message in response to the first message from at least one external electronic device in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals; determining congestion-related information for each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals based on the number of the at least one second message received in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals; and broadcasting a third message including the congestion-related information in the first distance measurement sub-interval of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals included in a second distance measurement interval via the communication module.

[0010] An electronic device according to various example embodiments of the present disclosure may include: a communication module; and a processor operatively coupled to the communication module, wherein the processor is configured to: receive, via the communication module, a first message for distance measurement from an external electronic device in a first distance measurement sub-interval of a first distance measurement interval; send, via the communication module, a second message to the external electronic device in response to the first message; receive, via the communication module, a third message including congestion-related information from the external electronic device in a first distance measurement sub-interval of a second distance measurement interval; send, via the communication module, a fourth message to the external electronic device in response to the third message; and determine, based on the congestion-related information, a distance measurement sub-interval in a third distance measurement interval in which a fifth message will be sent.

[0011] Beneficial effects of the invention

[0012] Electronic devices according to various example embodiments of this disclosure can broadcast congestion-related information in messages used for distance measurement. At least one external electronic device that has received a message including congestion-related information can maintain or change the distance measurement interval from which a response message is sent based on the congestion-related information. Therefore, collisions between external electronic devices that may occur within the distance measurement interval can be prevented and / or reduced. Furthermore, since at least one external electronic device can send a response message in a distance measurement interval with low congestion based on congestion-related information, current consumption can be reduced compared to sending a response message in a distance measurement interval with high congestion. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating example electronic devices in a network environment according to various embodiments;

[0014] Figure 2a This is a diagram illustrating example configurations of electronic devices according to various embodiments;

[0015] Figure 2b This is a block diagram illustrating an example configuration of program modules for an electronic device supporting UWB functionality according to various embodiments;

[0016] Figure 3a This is a flowchart illustrating an example method of broadcasting a message for measuring distance using an operating electronic device according to various embodiments;

[0017] Figure 3b This is a flowchart illustrating an example method of an operating electronic device, according to various embodiments, sending a response message in response to a message for measuring distance;

[0018] Figure 4 This is a signal flow diagram illustrating an example method of controlling the activation of a UWB module using a Bluetooth Low Energy module according to various embodiments;

[0019] Figure 5 This is a diagram illustrating an example ranging block structure according to various embodiments;

[0020] Figure 6 This is a diagram illustrating example formats of messages used for measuring distance according to various embodiments;

[0021] Figure 7 This is a diagram illustrating example fields of congestion-related information for distance measurement sub-intervals included in the format of a distance measurement message according to various embodiments;

[0022] Figure 8This is a diagram illustrating examples of identifying congestion-related information in each of a plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals included in a distance measurement interval, according to various embodiments;

[0023] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating examples of identifying congestion-related information in each of a plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals included in a distance measurement interval, according to various embodiments;

[0024] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating example information related to congestion and an available ranging round index mask during the contention phase (CP) period according to various embodiments;

[0025] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating example information related to congestion and available ranging round index masks during CP periods according to various embodiments;

[0026] Figure 12a , Figure 12b and Figure 12c This is a diagram illustrating examples of changing the distance measurement sub-interval of at least one external electronic device according to various embodiments;

[0027] Figure 13 This is a flowchart illustrating an example method of operating an electronic device for broadcasting a message for measuring distance, according to various embodiments;

[0028] Figure 14a This is a diagram illustrating examples of adjusting the distance measurement interval according to various embodiments; and

[0029] Figure 14b This is a diagram illustrating examples of adjusting the CP interval according to various embodiments. Detailed Implementation

[0030] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating an example electronic device 101 in a network environment 100 according to various embodiments.

[0031] Reference Figure 1In network environment 100, electronic device 101 can communicate with electronic device 102 via a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or with at least one of electronic device 104 or server 108 via a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to an embodiment, electronic device 101 can communicate with electronic device 104 via server 108. According to an embodiment, electronic device 101 may include a processor 120, memory 130, input module 150, sound output module 155, display module 160, audio module 170, sensor module 176, interface 177, connection terminal 178, haptic module 179, camera module 180, power management module 188, battery 189, communication module 190, user identification module (SIM) 196, or antenna module 197. In various embodiments, at least one of the above components (e.g., connection terminal 178) may be omitted from electronic device 101, or one or more other components may be added to electronic device 101. In various embodiments, some of the components described above (e.g., sensor module 176, camera module 180, or antenna module 197) may be implemented as a single integrated component (e.g., display module 160).

[0032] Processor 120 may run software (e.g., program 140) to control at least one other component (e.g., hardware or software component) of electronic device 101 connected to processor 120, and may perform various data processing or calculations. According to an embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or calculation, processor 120 may store commands or data received from another component (e.g., sensor module 176 or communication module 190) in volatile memory 132, process the commands or data stored in volatile memory 132, and store the result data in non-volatile memory 134. According to an embodiment, processor 120 may include a main processor 121 (e.g., central processing unit (CPU) or application processor (AP)) or an auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., graphics processing unit (GPU), neural processing unit (NPU), image signal processor (ISP), sensor central processor, or communication processor (CP)) that is operationally independent of or combined with the main processor 121. For example, when electronic device 101 includes a main processor 121 and an auxiliary processor 123, the auxiliary processor 123 may be adapted to consume less power than the main processor 121, or to be dedicated to a specific function. The auxiliary processor 123 may be implemented separately from the main processor 121, or may be implemented as part of the main processor 121.

[0033] When the main processor 121 is inactive (e.g., in sleep mode), the auxiliary processor 123 (rather than the main processor 121) can control at least some of the functions or states associated with at least one component of the electronic device 101 (e.g., display module 160, sensor module 176, or communication module 190), or when the main processor 121 is active (e.g., running an application), the auxiliary processor 123 can work with the main processor 121 to control at least some of the functions or states associated with at least one component of the electronic device 101 (e.g., display module 160, sensor module 176, or communication module 190). According to embodiments, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component (e.g., camera module 180 or communication module 190) functionally associated with the auxiliary processor 123. According to embodiments, the auxiliary processor 123 (e.g., a neural processing unit) may include hardware architecture dedicated to artificial intelligence model processing. Artificial intelligence models can be generated through machine learning. For example, such learning can be performed via electronic device 101 where artificial intelligence is performed or via a separate server (e.g., server 108). The learning algorithm may include, but is not limited to, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning. The artificial intelligence model may include multiple layers of artificial neural networks. The artificial neural network may be a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), or a deep Q-network, or a combination of two or more thereof, but is not limited thereto. Additionally or optionally, the artificial intelligence model may include software structures in addition to hardware structures.

[0034] Memory 130 may store various data used by at least one component of electronic device 101 (e.g., processor 120 or sensor module 176). The various data may include, for example, software (e.g., program 140) and input or output data for commands associated with it. Memory 130 may include volatile memory 132 or non-volatile memory 134.

[0035] The program 140 may be stored as software in the memory 130, and the program 140 may include, for example, an operating system (OS) 142, middleware 144, or application 146.

[0036] Input module 150 can receive commands or data from outside electronic device 101 (e.g., a user) that will be used by other components of electronic device 101 (e.g., processor 120). Input module 150 may include, for example, a microphone, mouse, keyboard, keys (e.g., buttons), or digital pen (e.g., stylus).

[0037] The sound output module 155 can output sound signals to the outside of the electronic device 101. The sound output module 155 may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes such as playing multimedia or playing records. The receiver can be used to receive incoming calls. According to an embodiment, the receiver can be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

[0038] Display module 160 can visually provide information to the outside of electronic device 101 (e.g., to a user). Display device 160 may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector, and control circuitry for controlling a respective one of the display, holographic device, and projector. According to an embodiment, display module 160 may include a touch sensor adapted to detect touch or a pressure sensor adapted to measure the intensity of the force caused by touch.

[0039] The audio module 170 can convert sound into electrical signals and vice versa. According to an embodiment, the audio module 170 can obtain sound via the input module 150, or output sound via the sound output module 155 or headphones of an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102) that is directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly connected to the electronic device 101.

[0040] Sensor module 176 can detect the operating state of electronic device 101 (e.g., power or temperature) or the environmental state outside electronic device 101 (e.g., user state), and then generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to embodiments, sensor module 176 may include, for example, a gesture sensor, gyroscope sensor, atmospheric pressure sensor, magnetic sensor, accelerometer, grip sensor, proximity sensor, color sensor, infrared (IR) sensor, biometric sensor, temperature sensor, humidity sensor, or illuminance sensor.

[0041] Interface 177 may support one or more specific protocols used to enable electronic device 101 to connect directly (e.g., wired) or wirelessly to external electronic devices (e.g., electronic device 102). According to embodiments, interface 177 may include, for example, a High Definition Multimedia Interface (HDMI), a Universal Serial Bus (USB) interface, a Secure Digital Card (SD) interface, or an audio interface.

[0042] Connection end 178 may include a connector, through which electronic device 101 can be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device 102). According to embodiments, connection end 178 may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0043] The tactile module 179 can convert electrical signals into mechanical stimuli (e.g., vibration or motion) or electrical stimuli that can be recognized by a user through his touch or kinesthesia. According to embodiments, the tactile module 179 may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulator.

[0044] Camera module 180 can capture still or moving images. According to an embodiment, camera module 180 may include one or more lenses, an image sensor, an image signal processor, or a flash.

[0045] The power management module 188 manages the power supply to the electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, the power management module 188 may be implemented as at least part of, for example, a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0046] Battery 189 can power at least one component of electronic device 101. According to an embodiment, battery 189 may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable rechargeable battery, or a fuel cell.

[0047] Communication module 190 can support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) or wireless communication channel between electronic device 101 and external electronic devices (e.g., electronic device 102, electronic device 104, or server 108), and perform communication via the established communication channel. Communication module 190 may include one or more communication processors capable of operating independently of processor 120 (e.g., application processor (AP)) and support direct (e.g., wired) or wireless communication. According to embodiments, communication module 190 may include wireless communication module 192 (e.g., cellular communication module, short-range wireless communication module, or Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) communication module) or wired communication module 194 (e.g., local area network (LAN) communication module or power line communication (PLC) module). One of these communication modules can communicate with an external electronic device via a first network 198 (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi Direct, or Infrared Data Association (IrDA)) or a second network 199 (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a traditional cellular network, 5G network, next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or a wide area network (WAN))). These various types of communication modules can be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip) or as multiple components (e.g., multiple chips) that are separate from each other. The wireless communication module 192 can identify and verify the electronic device 101 in the communication network (such as the first network 198 or the second network 199) using user information (e.g., the International Mobile Subscriber Identity (IMSI)) stored in the user identification module 196.

[0048] Wireless communication module 192 can support 5G networks following 4G networks and next-generation communication technologies (such as new radio (NR) access technologies). NR access technologies can support enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), massive machine-type communication (mMTC), or ultra-reliable low-latency communication (URLLC). Wireless communication module 192 can support high-frequency bands (e.g., millimeter-wave bands) to achieve, for example, high data transmission rates. Wireless communication module 192 can support various technologies used to ensure performance in high-frequency bands, such as, for example, beamforming, massive MIMO, full-dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antennas, analog beamforming, or massive antennas. Wireless communication module 192 can support various requirements specified in electronic device 101, external electronic devices (e.g., electronic device 104), or network systems (e.g., second network 199). According to an embodiment, the wireless communication module 192 may support peak data rates (e.g., 20 Gbps or greater) for implementing eMBB, lost coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for implementing mMTC, or U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for each of the downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or 1 ms or less round trip) for implementing URLLC.

[0049] Antenna module 197 can transmit or receive signals or power to or from the exterior of electronic device 101 (e.g., external electronic device). According to an embodiment, antenna module 197 may include an antenna comprising a radiating element comprising conductive material or conductive patterns formed in or on a substrate (e.g., a printed circuit board (PCB)). According to an embodiment, antenna module 197 may include multiple antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication scheme used in a communication network (such as a first network 198 or a second network 199) can be selected from the multiple antennas by, for example, communication module 190 (e.g., wireless communication module 192). Signals or power can then be transmitted or received between communication module 190 and the external electronic device via the selected at least one antenna. According to an embodiment, additional components besides the radiating element (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally incorporated into antenna module 197.

[0050] According to various embodiments, antenna module 197 may form a millimeter-wave antenna module. According to embodiments, the millimeter-wave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC), and multiple antennas (e.g., an array antenna), wherein the RFIC is disposed on or adjacent to a first surface (e.g., a bottom surface) of the printed circuit board and is capable of supporting a specified high-frequency band (e.g., a millimeter-wave band), and the multiple antennas are disposed on or adjacent to a second surface (e.g., a top surface or a side surface) of the printed circuit board and are capable of transmitting or receiving signals in the specified high-frequency band.

[0051] At least some of the aforementioned components can be interconnected and communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) between them via an inter-peripheral communication scheme (e.g., bus, general purpose input / output (GPIO), serial peripheral interface (SPI), or mobile industrial processor interface (MIPI)).

[0052] According to an embodiment, commands or data can be sent or received between electronic device 101 and external electronic device 104 via server 108 connected to a second network 199. Each of electronic device 102 or electronic device 104 can be a device of the same type as electronic device 101, or a device of a different type. According to an embodiment, all or some operations that would be performed on electronic device 101 can be performed on one or more of external electronic devices 102, external electronic devices 104, or server 108. For example, if electronic device 101 is required to automatically perform a function or service, or is required to perform a function or service in response to a request from a user or another device, electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform at least a portion of the function or service, instead of running the function or service, or electronic device 101 may request the one or more external electronic devices to perform at least a portion of the function or service in addition to running the function or service. Upon receiving the request, one or more external electronic devices may perform at least a portion of the requested function or service, or perform additional functions or services related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to electronic device 101. Electronic device 101 may provide the result as at least a partial response to the request, with or without further processing of the result. For this purpose, technologies such as cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing may be used. Electronic device 101 may use, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing to provide ultra-low latency services. In an embodiment, external electronic device 104 may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. Server 108 may be an intelligent server using machine learning and / or neural networks. According to an embodiment, external electronic device 104 or server 108 may be included in a second network 199. Electronic device 101 may be applied to intelligent services based on 5G communication technology or IoT-related technologies (e.g., smart homes, smart cities, smart cars, or healthcare).

[0053] Figure 2a This is a block diagram 200 illustrating an example configuration of an electronic device 201 according to various embodiments.

[0054] Reference Figure 2a Electronic device 201 according to various embodiments (e.g., Figure 1The electronic device 101 may include a Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) module (e.g., including BLE circuitry) 205, a BLE antenna 206, an Ultra Wideband (UWB) module (e.g., including UWB circuitry) 210, a first UWB antenna 211, a second UWB antenna 212, an embedded secure element (eSE) module (e.g., including memory / storage device and / or circuitry) 215, and / or a processor (e.g., including processing circuitry) 220 (e.g., Figure 1 The processor 120).

[0055] According to various embodiments, in electronic device 201, one or more of the components included in FIG2 (e.g., the second UWB antenna 212) may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Bluetooth Low Energy module 205, UWB module 210, and / or eSE module 215 may be operatively connected to processor 220. Bluetooth Low Energy module 205 or UWB module 210 may be included... Figure 1 In the communication module (e.g., including communication circuitry) 190.

[0056] According to various embodiments, Bluetooth Low Energy module 205 can transmit / receive Bluetooth Low Energy signals under the control of processor 220. Bluetooth Low Energy module 205 can transmit / receive Bluetooth Low Energy signals via BLE antenna 206.

[0057] According to various embodiments, the UWB module 210 may include methods for transmitting data to external electronic devices (e.g., ...). Figure 1 The electronic device 102 or electronic device 104) has a TX module (transmitter module including transmitting circuitry) for distance measurement of UWB signals (e.g., polling, responding, or finally) and an RX module (receiver module including receiving circuitry) for receiving UWB signals. UWB signals can be transmitted / received via a first UWB antenna 211 and / or a second UWB antenna 212. Although already depicted in FIG. 2 with two UWB antennas 211 and 212, this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, more than two UWB antennas may be provided. For example, based on the control of UWB module 210 and / or processor 220, UWB signals may be switched to be transmitted and / or received via the first UWB antenna 211 and / or the second UWB antenna 212. UWB module 210 may operate under the control of processor 220 and may transmit received UWB signals to processor 220 or may form a communication path (e.g., a serial peripheral interface) for receiving control signals from processor 220.

[0058] According to various embodiments, eSE module 215 may be a module that generates or stores credential information as needed. eSE module 215 may send the generated credential information to UWB module 210. eSE module 215 may be connected to UWB module 210 via internal integrated circuit (I2C) communication. eSE module 215 may be included in UWB module 210 or located externally.

[0059] Figure 2b This is a block diagram 230 illustrating an example configuration of the program modules of an electronic device 201 supporting UWB functionality according to various embodiments.

[0060] Reference Figure 2b Electronic device 201 may include an operating system (OS) that controls resources associated with electronic device 201 and / or program modules 235 and hardware 240 that include various applications running on the operating system. For example, the operating system may include operating systems such as Android, iOS, Windows, Symbian, Tizen, or Bada. Figure 2b The program module 235 and hardware 240 supporting UWB functionality in the electronic device 201 operating on the Android operating system can be shown.

[0061] In an embodiment, program module 235 may include kernel 250, platform 260, application framework 270, and / or application 290. At least a portion of program module 235 may be pre-loaded onto electronic device 201 or downloaded from external electronic device (e.g., electronic devices 102 and 104 or server 108). Kernel 250 may include a device driver for driving hardware 240 (e.g., Bluetooth chip 241, UWB chip 242, NFC chip 243, or eSE chip 244) of electronic device 201. NFC chip 243 and eSE chip 244 may be configured as one. For example, the device driver may include one or more of Bluetooth driver 251, UWB driver 252, NFC driver 253, and eSE SPI driver 254. Platform 260 may include one or more of Bluetooth port 261, UWB port 262, NFC port 263, and eSE SPI port 264 for controlling the device driver of kernel 250.

[0062] In an embodiment, application framework 270 may provide the functionality typically required by application 290, or provide application 290 with various functions that enable application 290 to effectively utilize the limited system resources within electronic device 201. For example, application framework 270 may include Bluetooth framework 271, UWB framework 272, Open Multimedia Application Platform (OMAP) API 273, Bluetooth service 274, UWB service 281, and / or Secure Element service 283. UWB service 281 may include a connection manager 275, UWB adapter 276, security 277, distance measurement 278, positioning 279, and / or switching 280 for supporting UWB-related APIs. Electronic device 201 may use UWB adapter 276, distance measurement 278, and / or positioning 279 to measure the location of multiple external electronic devices.

[0063] In an embodiment, application 290 may include UWB payment / membership application 291, UWB location measurement application 292, and UWB smart key application 293.

[0064] Figure 3a This is a flowchart 300 illustrating an example method of operating an electronic device 201 for broadcasting a message for measuring distance, according to various embodiments.

[0065] In various embodiments according to this disclosure Figure 3a In this context, it is assumed that the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 201 in Figure 2) is an electronic device used as a master device (e.g., an initiator), and the external electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 The electronic device 102 or electronic device 104 is an electronic device used as a slave device (e.g., a responder). Figure 3a The operations shown can be performed by the processor of electronic device 201 (e.g., processor 230 of FIG2).

[0066] Reference Figure 3a In operation 305, electronic device 201 may broadcast a first message for distance measurement in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals (e.g., plurality of distance measurement rounds) included in the first distance measurement interval (e.g., the first distance measurement block). For example, the first message may include a polling message.

[0067] In an embodiment, a first distance measurement interval (e.g., a first ranging block) may refer to, for example, a period of time repeatedly used to measure the distance or direction to at least one external electronic device. The first distance measurement interval may include multiple distance measurement sub-intervals (e.g., multiple ranging cycles). A distance measurement sub-interval may refer to, for example, an interval where at least a portion of the distance to at least one external electronic device is measured based on a first message (e.g., a polling message) broadcast from electronic device 201, and a second message (e.g., a response message) received in response to the first message.

[0068] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may broadcast a first message (e.g., a polling message) for requesting location via designated communication. The designated communication may include ultra-wideband (UWB) communication. UWB communication may include communication for measuring the distance (or location) of each electronic device between electronic device 201 and an external electronic device using a two-way ranging (TWR) method. For example, the TWR method may include a one-sided TWR (SS-TWR) method or a two-sided TWR (DS-TWR) method. The SS-TWR method may include a method for measuring the distance between electronic devices while exchanging a first message (e.g., a polling message or polling frame) and a second message (e.g., a response message or response frame) between the electronic devices. The polling message may be sent in packets. In SS-TWR, electronic device 201 may measure (or calculate) the distance to the external electronic device based on the difference between the time the first message (e.g., a polling message) is sent and the time the second message (e.g., a response message) is received from the external electronic device. For distance measurement, electronic device 201, acting as the master device, can broadcast a first message (e.g., a polling message), and an external electronic device, acting as a slave device and receiving the first message, can send a second message (e.g., a response message) to electronic device 201. In the DS-TWR method, when the external electronic device sends the first message (e.g., a polling message), electronic device 201 can send a second message (e.g., a response message) to the external electronic device, and the external electronic device can send a third message (e.g., a final message) to electronic device 201, enabling the external electronic device to identify the distance to the electronic device.

[0069] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may measure the distance to an external electronic device based on competition. Electronic device 201 may use a low-power communication module (such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy module 205 of FIG. 2)) to control the activation of the UWB module. For example, in order to receive a response message from at least one external electronic device, electronic device 201 may enable (or turn on) the RX module of the communication module (e.g., UWB module 210 of FIG. 2) during the distance measurement interval. When the RX module of the communication module (e.g., UWB module 210 of FIG. 2) is continuously enabled, the current consumption of electronic device 201 may be high; therefore, Bluetooth Low Energy module 205 may be used to control the activation of UWB module 210. This disclosure is not limited thereto, and electronic device 201 may use Wi-Fi or UWB in-band discovery schemes to control the activation of the UWB module.

[0070] The following will refer to Figure 4 The operation of using the Bluetooth Low Energy module 205 described above to control the activation of the UWB module 210 is described in more detail.

[0071] According to various embodiments, the first message (e.g., a polling message) may include one or more of the following: protocol type, service type, frame type, content phase duration, interval, transmission offset, response control, ranging round, load balancing bits, current ranging round index, and / or available ranging round index mask. (Refer to the description below.) Figure 6 and Figure 7 Used to describe the format of the first message (e.g., polling message).

[0072] In an embodiment, at least one external electronic device located near electronic device 201 and having a communication module (e.g., a UWB module) enabled can receive a first message broadcast from electronic device 201.

[0073] In an embodiment, during operation 310, electronic device 201 may receive at least one second message in response to a first message from at least one external electronic device in each of a plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals.

[0074] In an embodiment, the second message may include a response message to the first message (e.g., a polling message) sent by the electronic device 201. The second message may be sent unicast from at least one external electronic device to the electronic device 201 that has already sent the first message (e.g., a polling message).

[0075] In an embodiment, during operation 315, electronic device 201 may determine congestion-related information in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals based on the number of at least one second message (e.g., response message) received in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals.

[0076] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 can interpret at least one received second message to identify whether the reception of at least one second message was successful or failed. Electronic device 201 can calculate the number of at least one second message based on the number of response messages that have been successfully received, the number of response messages that have failed to be received, and the number of response messages corresponding to the number of response messages that have failed to be received.

[0077] Regarding the operation of calculating the number of the second message (e.g., response message) mentioned above, please refer to the following. Figure 8 Various embodiments are described in more detail.

[0078] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may determine the utilization rate of each distance measurement sub-interval based on the number of at least one second message received from at least one external electronic device in each of the multiple distance measurement sub-intervals. Electronic device 201 may determine the congestion level of each distance measurement sub-interval based on the utilization rate of each distance measurement sub-interval. Electronic device 201 may determine congestion-related information for each distance measurement sub-interval based on the determined congestion level of each distance measurement sub-interval. For example, electronic device 201 may configure a third message (e.g., a polling message) to be broadcast in operation 320 based on the determined congestion-related information for each distance measurement sub-interval, which will be described later.

[0079] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may configure a load balancing bit and an available ranging round index mask for each of a plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals based on congestion-related information in each of the sub-intervals. In another embodiment, the available ranging round index mask may be omitted based on the value of the load balancing bit. Electronic device 201 may configure the current ranging round index based on the distance measurement sub-interval in which the third message will be broadcast (e.g., the duration of the ranging round). According to the above embodiment, electronic device 201 may configure the load balancing bit, the current ranging round index, and / or the available ranging round index mask, and configure the third message accordingly.

[0080] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may map information related to each distance measurement sub-interval and congestion in each distance measurement sub-interval to store such information in a memory (e.g., Figure 1 In the memory 130).

[0081] In an embodiment, during operation 320, the electronic device 201 may broadcast a third message (e.g., a polling message) including congestion-related information in a first distance measurement sub-interval (e.g., a first ranging round) of a plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals (e.g., a plurality of ranging blocks) included in a second distance measurement interval (e.g., a second ranging block). In an embodiment, the electronic device 201 may repeatedly perform operation 320 in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals during the second distance measurement period.

[0082] Combining operations 315 and 320 above, the following will refer to... Figure 8 , Figure 9 , Figure 10 and Figure 11 Various embodiments are described in more detail.

[0083] In various embodiments, when electronic device 201 receives a response message from at least one external electronic device in response to a polling message broadcast, electronic device 201 may determine a distance (or direction, angle) relative to the at least one external electronic device. Electronic device 201 may perform a function (such as opening a door) based on the determined distance (or direction, or angle) relative to the at least one external electronic device.

[0084] Figure 3b This is a flowchart 350 illustrating an example method of an electronic device operating according to various embodiments for sending a response message in response to a message for measuring distance.

[0085] According to various embodiments Figure 3b In this context, it is assumed that an external electronic device (e.g., Figure 1 Electronic device 102 or electronic device 104) is an electronic device used as a slave device (e.g., a responder), and electronic device (e.g., electronic device 201 of FIG2) is an electronic device used as a master device (e.g., an initiator).

[0086] Reference Figure 3b In operation 355, the external electronic device may receive a first message (e.g., a polling message) for distance measurement from the electronic device 201 in a first distance measurement sub-interval of the first distance measurement interval (e.g., a first ranging cycle of the first ranging block). For example, the external electronic device may receive the first message for measuring the distance to the electronic device 201 via designated communication. The designated communication may include ultra-wideband (UWB) communication.

[0087] In an embodiment, during operation 360, an external electronic device may send a second message (e.g., a response message) to electronic device 201 in response to a first message (e.g., a polling message). For example, based on contention phase information included in the first message received from electronic device 201, the external electronic device may send the second message (e.g., a response message) to electronic device 201 during the contention phase.

[0088] In an embodiment, the second message (e.g., a response message) may include one or more of a protocol type, service type, frame type, response time information, and response addition information. For example, the protocol type may include information about the communication protocol used for UWB communication. The service type may include information about the application executed via UWB communication. The frame type may indicate the format of the message and may include, for example, information indicating the second message (e.g., the response message). The protocol type or service type of the second message (e.g., the response message) may be the same as the protocol type or service type of the first message (e.g., the polling message). The response time information may include the time information at which the external electronic device receives the first message (e.g., the polling message) from electronic device 201 and the time information at which it sends the second message (e.g., the response message). As another example, the response time information may include the processing time information required for the external electronic device to receive the first message (e.g., the polling message) and send the second message (e.g., the response message). The response addition information may include information required to calculate the angle of arrival (AOA) information of electronic device 201 in the external electronic device. For example, the information added in the response may include one or more of the following: horizontal angle (azimuth), horizontal angle reliability (azimuth FoM), vertical angle (elevation), vertical angle reliability (elevation FoM), SNR peak path information, SNR first path information, the difference between the highest point and the first point, and the index information of the first path.

[0089] In embodiments, the protocol type, service type, frame type, or reply addition information of the second message (e.g., a response message) may have a capacity of 1 byte or less or greater than 1 byte. The reply time information of the second message (e.g., a response message) may have a capacity of 4 bytes or less or greater than 4 bytes. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0090] In this embodiment, during operation 363, the external electronic device may enter a sleep state. The sleep state may include a state where the RX module of the external electronic device's communication module (e.g., a UWB module) is disabled (or turned off). After sending the second message, the external electronic device can reduce current consumption by disabling the RX module of the communication module.

[0091] In an embodiment, during operation 365, the external electronic device may receive a third message (e.g., a polling message) from the electronic device 201 in a first distance measurement sub-interval of the second distance measurement interval (e.g., the first distance measurement cycle of the second distance measurement block).

[0092] In an embodiment, during operation 370, an external electronic device may send a fourth message (e.g., a response message) to electronic device 201 in response to a third message (e.g., a polling message), and based on congestion-related information included in the third message, determine the distance measurement sub-interval (e.g., the ranging round) in which a fifth message will be sent within the third distance measurement interval (e.g., the third ranging block).

[0093] Combining the above operation 370, the following will refer to Figure 12a , Figure 12b and Figure 12c Various embodiments are described in more detail.

[0094] Figure 4 This is a signal flow diagram 400 illustrating an example method of controlling the activation of a UWB module using a Bluetooth Low Energy module 205 according to various embodiments.

[0095] Reference Figure 4 In operation 410, electronic device 401 (e.g., electronic device 201 of FIG2) may be prepared for communication, such as UWB communication. For example, operation 410 may include determining whether electronic device 401 supports communication (e.g., UWB communication).

[0096] In an embodiment, during operation 415, electronic device 401 may broadcast a message (e.g., a BLE announcement) including communication (e.g., UWB communication) support information. For example, the message including communication support information (e.g., a BLE announcement) may be 1 byte. The message (e.g., a BLE announcement) may include one or more of the following: communication support information (e.g., bit 7), communication status information (e.g., bit 6), channel information (e.g., bit 5), preamble index (e.g., bits 4-3), and RFU (e.g., bits 2-0). For example, when electronic device 401 supports UWB communication, the communication support information of the message (e.g., a BLE announcement) may be configured to 1, and the communication status information may be configured to 0. Electronic device 401 may broadcast the message including communication (e.g., UWB communication) support information via a Bluetooth Low Energy module (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy module 205 of FIG. 2).

[0097] In this embodiment, during operation 420, external electronic device 403 can scan messages. For example, external electronic device 403 can scan messages via Bluetooth Low Energy module 205.

[0098] In an embodiment, during operation 425, electronic device 401 may broadcast a message (e.g., a BLE announcement) that includes communication (e.g., UWB communication) support information. For example, electronic device 401 may periodically broadcast the same message as the one sent in operation 415.

[0099] In this embodiment, during operation 430, external electronic device 403 may prepare for communication, such as UWB communication. During operation 430, external electronic device 403 may scan messages sent in operations 415 and 425 (e.g., BLE announcements) to determine whether communication (i.e., UWB communication) is supported.

[0100] In an embodiment, during operation 435, external electronic device 403 may send a response message (e.g., BLE scan response) to electronic device 401 that includes communication (e.g., UWB communication) support information. For example, since the communication status information of the UWB module (e.g., UWB module 210 of FIG. 2) of electronic device 401 in a message (e.g., BLE notification) received from electronic device 401 is 0, external electronic device 403 may send a response message to electronic device 401 that includes either communication support information or communication status information. For example, in the response message sent in operation 435, both the communication support information and the communication status information may be configured to 1.

[0101] In an embodiment, during operation 440, electronic device 401 may initiate communication, such as UWB communication. For example, since the communication support information and communication status information included in the response message (e.g., BLE scan response) received from external electronic device 403 are both 1, electronic device 401 may change the communication status information 0 in operation 415 to 1 and enable (or turn on) the RX module of the communication module, such as the UWB communication module (e.g., UWB module 210 of FIG2).

[0102] In an embodiment, during operation 445, external electronic device 403 may initiate communication, for example, UWB communication. For instance, external electronic device 403 may send a response message (e.g., a BLE scan response) (e.g., during operation 435), and after a predetermined time has elapsed, initiate communication (i.e., UWB communication) during operation 445. In an embodiment, external electronic device 403 may initiate communication, for example, UWB communication, substantially simultaneously with sending a response message (e.g., a BLE scan response).

[0103] In an embodiment, during operation 450, electronic device 401 may send a communication preparation complete message to external electronic device 403 (e.g., at least one external electronic device that has sent a response message). Electronic device 401 may send a communication preparation complete message to external electronic device 403 in which both communication support information and communication status information are configured to 1.

[0104] Figure 5 Figure 500 illustrates an example ranging block structure according to various embodiments.

[0105] In various embodiments, the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 201 of FIG2) can perform measurements within the distance measurement range using external electronic devices (e.g., Figure 4 The operation of measuring the distance to the external electronic device 403. For example, the operation of measuring the distance to the external electronic device 403 may include obtaining distance information from the external electronic device 403, coordinate information of the external electronic device 403, and / or angle information relative to the external electronic device 403.

[0106] In various embodiments, a distance measurement interval may refer to, for example, a period of time used to measure the distance or orientation of at least one external electronic device. A distance measurement interval may include multiple distance measurement sub-intervals. A distance measurement sub-interval may refer to, for example, an interval in which distance measurements with at least some of the external electronic devices are completed based on response messages received from at least some of the at least one external electronic device in response to a polling message (e.g., a first message) broadcast from electronic device 201.

[0107] According to various embodiments, in Figure 5 In this context, a distance measurement interval can be described as a distance measurement block, and multiple distance measurement sub-intervals can be described as multiple distance measurement cycles.

[0108] Reference Figure 5 Electronic device 201 can repeat ranging blocks (e.g., distance measurement periods) at each ranging interval and can perform ranging (e.g., distance measurement) with at least one external electronic device. In embodiments, the ranging interval can be a multiple of the number of intervals in which polling messages (e.g., a first message) are sent (e.g., the number of polls). Ranging blocks 515 and 565 may include multiple ranging rounds. Each ranging round may include multiple ranging time slots (not shown). Each ranging time slot (not shown) may indicate an interval for sending a ranging frame.

[0109] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the ranging interval is 300ms, the contention phase (CP) length is 40ms, and the number of polls is six.

[0110] In various embodiments, the length of the CP can be 67 ms or less. For example, the timestamp of the response time sent by at least one external electronic device (e.g., a responder) included in the response message can be 4 bytes, which can be represented as up to 67 ms. Therefore, the length of the CP can be 67 ms or less. In various embodiments, the length of the CP can be less than "(ranging interval / number of polling) - 1". For example, since the first time slot of a plurality of time slots in each ranging round is used for polling, time slots used for polling can be excluded, so the length of the CP can be less than "(ranging interval / number of polling) - (number of time slots used for polling (e.g., "1")").

[0111] For example, as shown in the attached figure. <510> As shown, the ranging block 515 (e.g., a distance measurement interval) may include multiple ranging cycles (e.g., multiple distance measurement sub-intervals), such as a first ranging cycle (ranging 1) 520, a second ranging cycle (ranging 2) 525, a third ranging cycle (ranging 3) 530, a fourth ranging cycle (ranging 4) 535, a fifth ranging cycle (ranging 5) 540, and a sixth ranging cycle (ranging 6) 545. Each of the multiple ranging cycles 520, 525, 530, 535, 540, and 545 may include multiple ranging time slots (not shown).

[0112] In an embodiment, each of the plurality of ranging rounds 520, 525, 530, 535, 540, 545 may include: a first interval (e.g., 521, 526, 531, 536, 541, 546, which are the first time slots of each ranging round) as an interval (e.g., a polling interval) from which a polling message (e.g., a first message) is broadcast from the electronic device 201; a second interval (e.g., 522, 527, 532, 537, 542, 547) (e.g., a CP (competition) interval) as an interval from which at least one response message (e.g., a second message) is randomly sent from at least one external electronic device (e.g., a responder) that has received the polling message; and / or a third interval (523, 528, 533, 538, 543, and 548) (e.g., an idle interval) as an interval from which the electronic device 201 enters a sleep state.

[0113] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may broadcast a polling message (e.g., a first message) within a first interval (e.g., a polling interval), for example, within a first time slot (e.g., 521, 526, 531, 536, 541, 546) of each ranging round (520, 525, 530, 535, 540, or 545). Electronic device 201 may enable RX40ms of a communication module (e.g., UWB module 210 of FIG. 2), which is a second interval (e.g., a CP interval) (e.g., 522, 527, 532, 537, 542, 547) awaiting at least one response message (e.g., a second message) from at least one external electronic device. In response to a polling message received from electronic device 201, at least one external electronic device may send a response message by randomly selecting a time slot within 40ms (which is the second interval (e.g., the CP interval) (e.g., 522, 527, 532, 537, 542, 547)). At least one external electronic device can enter a sleep state after sending a response message, and can resume ranging by waking up after a 300ms interval, which is the ranging interval. Electronic device 201 can receive at least one response message from at least one external electronic device in a second interval (e.g., CP interval) (e.g., 522, 527, 532, 537, 542, 547), and enter a sleep state (e.g., a third interval (idle interval)) (e.g., 523, 528, 533, 538, 543, 548) when more than 40ms (e.g., the length of the CP interval) has elapsed.

[0114] In an embodiment, at least one external electronic device (e.g., a responder) may perform ranging in one of the multiple ranging cycles 520, 525, 530, 535, 540, and 545 of ranging block 515. For example, at least one external electronic device may perform ranging in the same ranging cycle of the next ranging block (e.g., the second ranging block). At least one external electronic device may send a response message, enter a sleep state, and then wake up after a 300ms ranging interval to perform ranging again. For example, when an external electronic device sends a response message in the third ranging round 530 in response to a polling message broadcast from electronic device 201 during the first ranging round (ranging round 1) 520, second ranging round (ranging round 2) 525, third ranging round (ranging round 3) 530, fourth ranging round (ranging round 4) 535, fifth ranging round (ranging round 5) 540, and sixth ranging round (ranging round 6) 545 of the first distance measurement interval, the external electronic device can enter a sleep state after sending the response message. It wakes up after a 300ms ranging interval and sends a response message in the same ranging round of the second distance measurement interval (e.g., in the third ranging round 530).

[0115] According to various embodiments, the third intervals (e.g., free intervals) 523, 528, 533, 538, 543 and 548 may be omitted.

[0116] In the above embodiments, the ranging block 515 has been described as including six ranging wheels 520, 525, 530, 535, 540 and 545, but is not limited thereto.

[0117] In this embodiment, it is assumed that the ranging interval is 100ms, the CP length is 24ms, and the number of polls is four.

[0118] For example, as shown in the attached figure. <560> As shown, the ranging block 565 (e.g., a distance measurement period) may include, for example, four ranging rounds (e.g., four distance measurement sub-intervals), such as a first ranging round (ranging 1) 570, a second ranging round (ranging 2) 575, a third ranging round (ranging 3) 580, and a fourth ranging round (ranging 4) 585. In an embodiment, each of the plurality of ranging rounds 570, 575, 580, and 585 may include a first interval 571, 576, 581, 586 (e.g., a polling interval) and a second interval 572, 577, 582, 587 (e.g., a CP interval). In the first interval, a polling message (e.g., a first message) may be broadcast, and in the second interval, at least one response message (e.g., a second message) is randomly sent from at least one external electronic device (e.g., a responder) that has received the polling message (e.g., the first message).

[0119] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may broadcast polling messages (e.g., a first message) within a first interval (e.g., a polling interval), for example, within a first time slot (e.g., 571, 576, 581, 586) of each ranging round (570, 575, 580, or 585). Electronic device 201 may enable the RX 24ms of a communication module (e.g., UWB module 210 of FIG. 2), which is a second interval (e.g., a CP interval) (e.g., 572, 577, 582, 587) waiting for at least one response message (e.g., a second message) from at least one external electronic device. At least one external electronic device may send a response message by randomly selecting a time slot within 24ms, which is the second interval (e.g., a CP interval) (e.g., 572, 577, 582, 587) in response to the polling message received from electronic device 201.

[0120] Figure 6 Figure 600 illustrates an example format of a message for distance measurement according to various embodiments.

[0121] Reference Figure 6A polling message (e.g., a first message) for distance measurement broadcast to at least one external electronic device may include one or more of the following: protocol type 605, service type 610, frame type 615, contention phase (CP) 620, interval 625, transmission offset 630, or response control 635.

[0122] In an embodiment, protocol type 605 may include information about the communication protocol used for UWB communication. Service type 610 may include information about the application executed via UWB communication. Frame type 615 may include information indicating the format of the message. For example, in the case of the SS-TWR method, frame type 615 may include one or more of polling messages (e.g., a first message) and response messages (e.g., a second message). As another example, in the case of the DS-TWR method, frame type 615 may include one or more of polling messages (e.g., a first message), response messages (e.g., a second message), and final messages (e.g., a third message).

[0123] In an embodiment, the contention phase 620 may represent the time of the contention phase and may include information about the actual time used in a distance measurement sub-interval (e.g., a ranging round). For example, the contention phase 620 may include information about the time when the electronic device 201 sends a polling message (e.g., a first message) and enables the RX of the communication module (e.g., a UWB module (e.g., UWB module 210 of FIG. 2)) to receive a response message (e.g., a second message) from at least one external electronic device.

[0124] In an embodiment, interval 625 may refer to, for example, the interval in which electronic device 201 sends a polling message (e.g., a first message), and to the scheduled time period for broadcasting a polling message (e.g., the first message) in the next distance measurement interval (e.g., the next ranging block). For example, interval 625 may refer to, for example, the time between broadcasting the first polling message in the first distance measurement interval and broadcasting the second polling message in the second distance measurement interval. Interval 625 may vary according to at least one of the following: the transmission offset number used to send the first polling message, the number of transmission offsets included in transmission offset 630, and the transmission offset number.

[0125] In an embodiment, transmission offset 630 may refer to, for example, an offset value that will be used when sending the next polling message and the response message to the next polling message. Transmission offset 630 may include one or more of the number of transmission offsets, transmission offset number, and receive offset configuration information.

[0126] According to an embodiment, in addition to information for distance measurement to the external electronic device (e.g., response time information), the response control 635 may also include additional request information. For example, the response control 635 may be necessary for the electronic device 201 to measure the AOA information with the external electronic device and may include additional information measured by the external electronic device. The response control 635 may include one or more of the following: horizontal angle information, vertical angle information, signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) peak path information, SNR first path information, difference information between the highest point and the first point, index information of the first path, reservation for future use (RFU), and whether to request the reliability of the response time.

[0127] In embodiments, the protocol type 605, service type 610, frame type 615, contention phase 620, transmission offset 630, or response control 635 of the polling message may have a capacity of 1 byte or less or greater than 1 byte. The interval 625 of the polling message may have a capacity of 3 bytes or less or greater than 3 bytes. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0128] Figure 7 Figure 700 illustrates example fields for congestion-related information included in the format of a distance measurement message according to various embodiments.

[0129] Reference Figure 7 As shown above Figure 6 As described, a polling message (e.g., a first message) for distance measurement broadcast to at least one external electronic device may include protocol type 605, service type 610, frame type 615, contention phase (CP) 620, interval 625, transmission offset 630, response control 635, and may also include ranging round 710, load balancing bit 720, current ranging round index 730, and available ranging round index mask 740.

[0130] In an embodiment, the ranging rounds 710 may include the number of ranging rounds of the ranging block.

[0131] In an embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 201 of FIG. 2 (e.g., the initiator)) may broadcast polling messages (e.g., polling frames or first messages) in a first ranging round of the first ranging block (e.g., a first interval of the first ranging round (e.g., a polling interval)), and then may receive at least one response message from at least one external electronic device in a first ranging round (e.g., a second interval of the first ranging round (e.g., a CP interval)). Electronic device 201 may determine congestion-related information in the first ranging round based on the number of at least one response message received in the first ranging round. For example, electronic device 201 may, according to the details described below... Figure 8 and Figure 9 The implementation example determines congestion-related information for each ranging round.

[0132] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may configure the load balancing bit 720 of the polling message to be broadcast in the first ranging round of the second ranging block, which is the next ranging block, to be "0" or "1" based on congestion-related information in the first ranging round. For example, when the congestion-related information in the first ranging round is at a second level (e.g., normal) or a third level (e.g., busy), electronic device 201 may configure the load balancing bit 720 of the polling message to be broadcast in the first ranging round of the second ranging block, which is the next ranging block, to be "1". When the congestion-related information in the first ranging round is at a first level (e.g., quiet), electronic device 201 may configure the load balancing bit 720 of the polling message to be broadcast in the first ranging round of the second ranging block, which is the next ranging block, to be "0".

[0133] According to various embodiments, the level of congestion-related information used as a reference for configuring the value of the load balancing bit 720 is merely an example, and the criteria for configuring the value of the load balancing bit 720 may vary. For example, when the congestion-related information is at level three (e.g., busy), the value of the load balancing bit 720 for polling messages that will be broadcast in the same ranging round of the next ranging block may be configured to "1", and when the congestion-related information is at level one (quiet) or level two (normal), the value of the load balancing bit 720 may be configured to "0".

[0134] Although the description describes the operation of determining congestion-related information for the first ranging round of the first ranging block according to various embodiments, and configuring polling messages to be broadcast in the first ranging round of the second ranging block, it can be done in multiple ranging rounds of the first ranging block (e.g., Figure 5 It is executed in each of the ranging rounds (520, 525, 530, 535, 540, 545 or 570, 575, 580, 585) of the second ranging block, and the polling messages to be broadcast in each of the multiple ranging rounds of the second ranging block can be configured accordingly.

[0135] In an embodiment, the current ranging round index 730 may include the index of the ranging round in which the current polling message was sent, and may start from "0".

[0136] In this embodiment, when the load balancing bit 720 is "1", an available ranging round index mask 740 can be added. When the load balancing bit 720 is "0", the available ranging round index mask 740 can be omitted.

[0137] In an embodiment, based on at least one response message (e.g., a second message) received from at least one external electronic device in each ranging round, whenever each ranging round (e.g., distance measurement sub-interval) (e.g., Figure 5 At the end of 520, 525, 530, 535, 540, 545, the electronic device 201 can update the congestion-related information for each ranging round.

[0138] According to various embodiments, the following will refer to Figure 10 and Figure 11 This describes in more detail various embodiments of congestion-related information and available ranging round index masks in the CP interval.

[0139] Figure 8 Figure 800 illustrates an example of congestion-related information in each of a plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals included in a distance measurement interval, according to various embodiments. Figure 9 Figure 900 illustrates an example of congestion-related information in each of a plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals included in a distance measurement interval, according to various embodiments.

[0140] Electronic devices according to various embodiments (e.g., electronic device 201 of FIG2) can determine distance measurement intervals (e.g., ranging blocks (e.g., ...)). Figure 5 The range measuring block 515 or 565 includes multiple distance measurement sub-intervals (e.g., Figure 5 Information related to congestion in each distance measurement sub-interval in the ranging rounds 520, 525, 530, 535, 540, 545 or 570, 575, 580, 585.

[0141] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may calculate CP utilization 810 based on the length of the contention phase (CP) and at least one response message (e.g., a second message) received from at least one external electronic device during the CP period. For example, electronic device 201 may interpret the response message to identify whether the reception of the response message was successful or failed. For example, failure to receive a response message may include decoding (or parsing) errors in the response message. Electronic device 201 may determine that a conflict has occurred between response messages based on the failure to receive a response message.

[0142] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 can calculate the number of response messages received from at least one external electronic device during the CP period based on the number of successfully received response messages, the number of unreceived response messages, and the number of response messages increased by the number of failed response messages. For example, assuming the number of successfully received response messages is two and the number of unreceived response messages is one, electronic device 201 can calculate the final number of response messages (e.g., 4) based on "the number of successfully received response messages (e.g., 2) + the number of failed response messages (e.g., 1) + the number of response messages corresponding to the number of failed response messages (e.g., 1)". As another example, when the number of successfully received response messages is two and the number of unreceived response messages is two, electronic device 201 can calculate the final number of response messages (e.g., six) based on "the number of successfully received response messages (e.g., 2) + the number of failed response messages (e.g., 2) + the number of response messages corresponding to the number of failed response messages (e.g., 2)".

[0143] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may determine CP utilization 810 based on a value calculated by "CP length / number of final response messages".

[0144] In an embodiment, the congestion level 820 of each distance measurement sub-interval (e.g., each ranging round) can be determined based on the CP utilization 810. For example, refer to Figure 8 When the CP utilization rate 810, calculated based on the CP length and response messages received from at least one external electronic device within the CP interval, falls within a first range (e.g., 0% to 10%), the electronic device 201 can determine the CP congestion level 820 as a first level (e.g., quiet) 830. When the CP utilization rate 810 falls within a second range (e.g., 11% to 25%), the electronic device 201 can determine the CP congestion level 820 as a second level (e.g., normal) 840. When the CP utilization rate 810 falls within a third range (e.g., 26% to 100%), the electronic device 201 can determine the CP congestion level 820 as a third level (e.g., busy) 850.

[0145] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may broadcast a polling message including the congestion level of the CP. In this case, when the congestion level 820 of the CP in the interval broadcasting the current polling message in multiple distance measurement sub-intervals is level three (e.g., busy) 850, electronic device 201 may only check the distance measurement sub-intervals where the congestion level 820 of the CP is level one (e.g., quiet) 830 as available distance measurement sub-intervals and broadcast them to at least one external electronic device. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0146] According to various embodiments Figure 8 The previous description already depicted the congestion level of a CP (Constant Component) 820 being divided into three levels based on CP utilization 810, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. For example, refer to... Figure 9 When the CP utilization rate 910, calculated based on the length of the CP and the number of at least one response message received from at least one external electronic device within the CP interval, falls within a first range (e.g., 0% to 10%), the electronic device 201 may determine the CP congestion level 920 as a first level (e.g., quiet) 930. When the CP utilization rate 910 is included in a second range (e.g., 11% to 25%), the electronic device 201 may determine the CP congestion level 920 as a second level (e.g., normal) 940. When the CP utilization rate 910 is included in a third range (e.g., 26% to 40%), the electronic device 201 may determine the CP congestion level 920 as a third level (e.g., busy) 950. When the CP utilization rate 910 is included in a fourth range (e.g., 41% to 100%), the electronic device 201 may define the CP congestion level 920 as a fourth level (e.g., overcrowded) 960.

[0147] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may broadcast a polling message including the congestion level of the CP. In this case, when the congestion level 920 of the CP is at level four (e.g., overcrowded) 960 in the interval where the current polling message is broadcast among multiple distance measurement sub-intervals, electronic device 201 may only check the distance measurement sub-intervals where the congestion level 920 of the CP is at level one (e.g., quiet) 930 and level two (e.g., normal) 940 as available distance measurement sub-intervals to broadcast to at least one external electronic device. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0148] The following will refer to Figure 10 , Figure 11 , Figure 12a , Figure 12b and Figure 12c Various embodiments of the operation of the polling messages for the above-mentioned congestion levels 820 and 920 of the broadcast CP are described in more detail.

[0149] and Figure 8 Compared to the embodiments described above, the embodiments according to various embodiments Figure 9 The congestion levels of CP can be further subdivided (e.g., Level 1 930 to Level 4 960).

[0150] Because the congestion level of the CP is subdivided according to various embodiments, an external electronic device that sends a response message in a distance measurement sub-interval with a high congestion level can be further subdivided into a distance measurement sub-interval with a low congestion level among multiple distance measurement sub-intervals in the next distance measurement interval. Therefore, collisions between external electronic devices that may occur in distance measurement sub-intervals with high congestion levels can be prevented and / or reduced.

[0151] According to various embodiments Figure 8 and Figure 9 The present disclosure has described calculating CP utilization rates 810 and 910 based on the length of the CP and the number of at least one response message received from at least one external electronic device within the CP interval, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. The thresholds used to calculate CP utilization rates 810 and 910 may be varied.

[0152] Figure 10 Figure 1000 illustrates example information related to congestion and an available ranging round index mask in a contention phase (CP) interval according to various embodiments.

[0153] According to various embodiments, such as Figure 9 As shown, the electronic device (e.g., electronic device 201 of FIG2) can be based on each of the multiple distance measurement sub-intervals included in the distance measurement interval (e.g., Figure 5 Each ranging round in (e.g., Figure 5 The congestion-related information in bits 520, 525, 530, 535, 540, and 545 in the configuration will be used to configure the load balancing bits of the polling messages to be broadcast in each ranging round of the next ranging block (e.g., ...). Figure 7 The value of the load balancing bit 720 in the data (e.g., "0" or "1").

[0154] Electronic device 201 can configure the available ranging round index mask of the polling message based on the value of the load balancing bit in the polling message (e.g., "0" or "1"). Figure 7 The value of the available ranging round index mask (740).

[0155] Reference Figure 10 Assume that the ranging block (e.g., the distance measurement interval) comprises seven ranging rounds (e.g., ranging round indices 1010 0 to 6).

[0156] In the embodiments, according to Figure 8 and Figure 9In the above embodiments, when congestion-related information 1015 in intervals where ranging round (e.g., distance measurement sub-interval) index 1010 is 0 and 6 is identified as a first level (e.g., quiet) (830, 930), and the load balancing bit 720 is configured to "0", the electronic device 201 can configure the value of the available ranging round index mask 1020 to "1" (1030, 1060). When congestion-related information 1015 in intervals where ranging round (e.g., distance measurement sub-interval) index 1010 is 1, 2, 3, and 4 is identified as a second level (e.g., normal) (840, 940) and / or a third level (busy) (850, 950), and the load balancing bit 720 is configured to "1", the electronic device 201 can configure the default value of the available ranging round index mask 1020 to "0" (1035, 1040, 1045, 1050).

[0157] In an embodiment, the electronic device 201 can configure (1055) the value of the available ranging round index mask 1020 for the current ranging round (e.g., the current distance measurement sub-interval) (e.g., the ranging round broadcasting the current polling message) to "1". For example, when the index 1010 of the ranging round (e.g., the distance measurement sub-interval) broadcasting the polling message is 5, the value of the available ranging round index mask 1020 in the interval where the ranging round index 1010 is 5 can be configured to "1" (1055). When the congestion-related information 1015 in the interval with ranging round index 1010 of 5 is identified as level 3 (e.g., busy), and the load balancing bit 720 is configured to "1", the available ranging round index mask 1020 should be configured to "0". However, since the interval with ranging round index 1010 of 5 is the ranging round broadcasting the current polling message, the available ranging round index mask 1020 can be configured to "1". When the available ranging round index mask 1020 is configured to "0" in the interval with ranging round index 1010 of 5, all external electronic devices sending response messages in the interval with ranging round index 1010 of 5 can change the distance measurement sub-interval in the next distance measurement interval (e.g., the second distance measurement interval). To prevent and / or reduce this situation, the electronic device 201 may be in the following state: the congestion-related information in the interval where the ranging round index 1010 is 5 is level 3 congestion (e.g., busy), but in the current ranging round (e.g., the interval where the current round index 1010 is 5) when the polling message will be broadcast, the value of the available ranging round index mask 1020 may be configured to "1".

[0158] In an embodiment, the value of the available ranging round index mask 1020 can refer to, for example, a value used to determine whether the congestion level in the corresponding CP interval is high or low. For example, when the value of the available ranging round index mask 1020 is configured as "1", it can be identified as having a low congestion level. At least one external electronic device that sends a response message in a ranging round with high congestion can consider a ranging round with a value of "1" in the available ranging round index mask 1020 as a available ranging round in the next ranging block (e.g., the next distance measurement interval). When the value of the available ranging round index mask 1020 is configured as "0", it can be identified as having a high congestion level. At least one external electronic device that sends a response message in a ranging round with high congestion can not consider a ranging round with a value of "0" in the available ranging round index mask 1020 as a available ranging round in the next ranging block (e.g., the next distance measurement interval).

[0159] Combining Figure 7 The above example is described using fields of the polling message shown (e.g., load balancing bit 720, current ranging round index 730, and available ranging round index mask 740). For example, when a polling message is broadcast in the sixth ranging round of the second ranging block, the value of the load balancing bit 720 in the polling message of the sixth ranging round can be configured to "1", the current ranging round index 730 can be configured to "5", and the available ranging round index mask 740 can be configured to "0x61 (01100001)". In an embodiment, since the available ranging round index mask 740 is a byte unit, it can be padded with 0s when bits are remaining.

[0160] In an embodiment, the electronic device 201 may broadcast a polling message in which the value of the load balancing bit 720 in the sixth ranging round is configured as "1", the current ranging round index 730 is configured as "5", and the available ranging round index mask 740 is configured as "0x61(01100001)".

[0161] In an embodiment, at least one external electronic device receiving the polling message can identify congestion-related information of the current ranging round index 730 based on the value of the load balancing bit 720. The at least one external electronic device receiving the polling message can maintain or change the ranging round in the next ranging block based on congestion-related information (e.g., the value of the load balancing bit 720).

[0162] For example, at least one external electronic device can identify the value of the load balancing bit 720 of the polling message broadcast from electronic device 201 in the sixth ranging round of the second ranging block, and as a result of the identification, when the value of the load balancing bit 720 is "1", the electronic device can identify the value of the available ranging round index mask 740. At least one external electronic device can determine one of the ranging rounds in which the value of the available ranging round index mask 740 is configured to be "1" (e.g., the ranging round index 730 is in the range of 0, 5, and 6) as the ranging round to be performed in the third ranging block. The range measurement rounds for which the value of the available range measurement round index mask 740 is configured as "1" are the ranges where the range measurement round index 730 is 0, 5, and 6. And since the range measurement rounds include the range in which the current range measurement is performed (e.g., the sixth range measurement round (e.g., the range where the range measurement round index is 5), at least one external electronic device can maintain the sixth range measurement round as the range measurement round in which the range measurement is performed in the third range measurement block, or can change it to another range measurement round (e.g., the first range measurement round or the seventh range measurement round).

[0163] According to an embodiment, assuming the ranging interval (e.g., distance measurement period) is 350ms, and the external electronic device selects a period with ranging round index 730 of 6, the next ranging measurement by the external electronic device can be performed after 400ms. For example, since the ranging interval is 350ms and the number of polls is 7 (e.g., ranging round index 730 0 to 6), the duration of each ranging round (RR duration) can be 50ms. When the ranging interval changes from ranging round 5 to ranging round 6, the next ranging measurement by the external electronic device can be "(ranging interval + (ranging duration * 1)) = 400ms".

[0164] As another example, when a polling message is broadcast in the first ranging round of the second ranging block, the value of the load balancing bit 720 of the polling message in the first ranging round can be configured to "0", and the current ranging round index 730 can be configured to "0". Since the value of the load balancing bit 720 is "0", the available ranging round index mask 740 can be omitted. The electronic device 201 can broadcast a polling message in which the value of the load balancing bit 720 in the first ranging round is configured to "0", and the current ranging round index 730 is configured to "0". At least one external electronic device can identify the value of the load balancing bit 720 of the polling message broadcast from the electronic device 201 in the first ranging round of the second ranging block, and when the value of the load balancing bit 720 as a result of identification is "0", the ranging round in which ranging is performed in the third ranging block can be maintained as the first ranging round.

[0165] Figure 11Figure 1100 illustrates example information related to congestion and an available ranging round index mask during a CP period, according to various embodiments.

[0166] Reference Figure 11 Assume that the ranging block (e.g., the distance measurement interval) consists of six ranging rounds (e.g., ranging round indices 1110 0 to 5).

[0167] In an embodiment, when the index in the ranging round (e.g., distance measurement sub-interval) is based on... Figure 8 and Figure 9 In the intervals 0, 1, 3, and 4 of the above embodiments, since information related to congestion 1115 is identified as first level (e.g., quiet) 830, 930, load balancing bits (e.g., Figure 7 When the load balancing bit 720 is configured to "0", the electronic device 201 can configure the value of the available ranging round index mask 1120 to "1" (1130, 1140, 1160, 1170). When the load balancing bit 720 is configured to "1" in the interval where the ranging round (e.g., distance measurement sub-interval) index 1110 is 2, and the congestion-related information 1115 is identified as second level (e.g., normal) 840 and 940, the electronic device 201 can configure the value of the available ranging round index mask 1120 to "0" (1150), which is the default value.

[0168] In an embodiment, the electronic device 201 can configure (1080) the value of the available ranging round index mask 1120 for the current ranging round (e.g., the current distance measurement sub-interval) (e.g., the ranging round broadcasting the current polling message) to "1". For example, when the index 1110 of the ranging round (e.g., the distance measurement sub-interval) broadcasting the polling message is 5, the value of the available ranging round index mask 1120 in the interval where the ranging round index 1110 is 5 can be configured to "1" (1080).

[0169] The above embodiments will be about Figure 7 The fields of the polling message shown (e.g., load balancing bit 720, current ranging round index 730, and available ranging round index mask 740) are described. For example, when a polling message including congestion-related information is broadcast in the sixth ranging round of the second ranging block (e.g., the ranging round broadcasting the current polling message), the load balancing bit 720 of the polling message can be configured to "1", the current ranging round index 730 can be configured to "5", and the available ranging round index mask 740 can be configured to "0x3B (00111011b)".

[0170] In an embodiment, the electronic device 201 may broadcast a polling message in which the value of the load balancing bit 720 in the sixth ranging round of the second ranging block is configured as "1", the current ranging round index 730 is configured as "5", and the available ranging round index mask 740 is configured as "0x3B(00111011b)".

[0171] In an embodiment, at least one external electronic device can identify the value of the load balancing bit 720 of the polling message broadcast from electronic device 201 in the sixth ranging round of the second ranging block, and can identify the value of the available ranging round index mask 740 when the value of the load balancing bit 720 as a result of the identification is "1". At least one external electronic device can determine any ranging round in which the value of the available ranging round index mask 740 is configured to be "1" (e.g., ranging round index 730 is a range of 0, 1, 3, 4, and 5) as the ranging round to be performed in the third ranging block. The range measurement rounds for which the value of the available range measurement round index mask 740 is configured as "1" are the ranges where the range measurement round index 730 is 0, 1, 3, 4, and 5. Since the current range measurement interval (e.g., the sixth range measurement round (e.g., the interval with a range measurement round index of 5)) is included, at least one external electronic device can maintain the sixth range measurement round as the range measurement round performed in the third range measurement block, or can change it to another range measurement round (e.g., the first range measurement round, the second range measurement round, the fourth range measurement round, or the fifth range measurement round).

[0172] Figure 12a , Figure 12b and Figure 12c Figure 1200 illustrates a method for changing a distance measurement sub-interval of at least one external electronic device according to various embodiments.

[0173] Reference Figure 12a and Figure 12b The ranging block (e.g., a distance measurement period) may include multiple ranging rounds (e.g., multiple distance measurement sub-intervals), such as the first ranging round (ranging 1) 1211, the second ranging round (ranging 2) 1212, the third ranging round (ranging 3) 1213, the fourth ranging round (ranging 4) 1214, the fifth ranging round (ranging 5) 1215, and the sixth ranging round (ranging 6) 1216.

[0174] In an embodiment, the timing at which ranging begins according to the BLE scan cycle (e.g., using UWB to measure distance) can be different for each external electronic device. Therefore, the number of ranging rounds in which each external electronic device sends a response message to electronic device 201 in response to the first polling message broadcast from electronic device 201 can also be different.

[0175] For example, the first external electronic device 1221 may begin ranging in the second ranging cycle 1212 of the first ranging block 1205, and therefore, the first external electronic device 1221 may enable the RX of the communication module and wait for the first polling message broadcast from the electronic device 201. Figure 12b As shown, when the first external electronic device 1221 receives the first polling message broadcast from the electronic device 201 in time slot 100 of the third ranging round 1213 via the RX of the communication module enabled, the first external electronic device 1221, which has already started ranging in the second ranging round 1212, can send a response message to the electronic device 201 in any of time slots 101 to 140, and then enter a sleep state until time slot 100 of the next ranging block (e.g., the second ranging block).

[0176] As another example, the second external electronic device 1223 may begin ranging in the fourth ranging cycle 1214 of the first ranging block 1205, and therefore, the second external electronic device 1223 may enable the RX of the communication module and wait for the first polling message broadcast from the electronic device 201. Figure 12b As shown, when the RX with the communication module enabled receives the first polling message broadcast from the electronic device 201 in time slot 200 of the fifth ranging round 1215, the second external electronic device 1223, which has already started ranging in the fourth ranging round 1214, sends a response message to the electronic device 201 in any of time slots 201 to 240, and then enters a sleep state until time slot 200 of the next ranging block (e.g., the second ranging block).

[0177] As another example, the third external electronic device 1225 may begin ranging in the fifth ranging cycle 1215 of the first ranging block 1205, and therefore, the third external electronic device 1225 may enable the RX of the communication module and wait for the first polling message broadcast from the electronic device 201. Figure 12b As shown, when the RX with the communication module enabled receives the first polling message broadcast from the electronic device 201 in time slot 250 of the sixth ranging round 1216, the third external electronic device 1225, which has already started ranging in the fifth ranging round 1215, can send a response message to the electronic device 201 in any of time slots 251 to 290, and then enter a sleep state until time slot 250 of the next ranging block (e.g., the second ranging block).

[0178] As another example, the fourth external electronic device 1227 may begin ranging in the sixth ranging round 1216 of the first ranging block, and therefore, the fourth external electronic device 1227 may enable the RX of the communication module and wait for the first polling message broadcast from the electronic device 201. Figure 12bAs shown, when the RX with the communication module enabled receives the first polling message broadcast from the electronic device 201 in time slot 0 of the first ranging round 1211, the fourth external electronic device 1227, which starts ranging in the sixth ranging round 1216, can send a response message to the electronic device 201 in any of time slots 1 to 40, and then enter a sleep state until time slot 0 of the next ranging block (e.g., the second ranging block).

[0179] According to various embodiments, due to different ranging start times, electronic device 201 may receive multiple response messages from multiple external electronic devices in a specific ranging round. For example, in the first ranging block 1205, for instance, 20 external electronic devices 1221, 1223, 1225, and 1227 may perform ranging, and since 10 third external electronic devices 1225 randomly send response messages in 40 time slots (e.g., 215 to 290) in the sixth ranging round 1216 of the multiple ranging rounds in the first ranging block 1205, there is a probability of collisions (e.g., 1231 and 1233). Therefore, some of the multiple external electronic devices may fail to perform ranging. Conversely, in the second ranging round 1212 and the fourth ranging round 1214, no response message may be received from at least one external electronic device.

[0180] In an embodiment, the electronic device 201 may be based on... Figure 12b The utilization rate of each ranging round is determined by the number of at least one ranging round and the number of at least one response message received from at least one external electronic device in each ranging round. The electronic device 201 can determine whether the utilization rate of each ranging round is within a specified range and can determine congestion-related information for each ranging round based on this.

[0181] In an embodiment, in the second ranging block, the electronic device 201 may broadcast a second polling message, which includes load balancing bits configured based on congestion-related information in each of a plurality of ranging rounds (e.g., ...). Figure 7 The load balancing bits 720), the current ranging round index (e.g., Figure 7 The current ranging round index 730) and the available ranging round index mask (e.g., Figure 7 Available ranging round index mask 740).

[0182] In an embodiment, after broadcasting a second polling message in each of the plurality of polling rounds of the second polling block, the electronic device 201 may update congestion-related information in each polling round. For example, when broadcasting a polling message at the start of a polling round, the electronic device 201 may send a polling message including updated congestion-related information. For example, when the current polling round (e.g., the second polling round) is 5 (e.g., the last polling round), the electronic device 201 may configure the load balancing bit 720 and the available polling round index mask 740 based on congestion-related information from polling round 5 of a previous polling block (e.g., the first polling block) to polling round 4 of the current polling block (e.g., the second polling block). In the current ranging round 5, when the ranging round 5 of the previous ranging block (e.g., the first ranging block) is "busy", the electronic device 201 can configure the load balancing bit to "1", and can configure the available ranging round index mask 740 based on the congestion-related update information from the ranging rounds 0 to 4 of the current ranging block (e.g., the second ranging block) and the congestion-related information from the ranging round 5 of the previous ranging block (e.g., the first ranging block), and broadcast a polling message including the ranging round index mask 740.

[0183] In an embodiment, at least one external electronic device that receives the broadcast second polling message may send a response message to electronic device 201 in response to the second polling message, and may determine the ranging round in which the response message is sent in the third ranging block.

[0184] According to various embodiments, it is assumed that the second polling message is broadcast in the sixth ranging round 1216 of the current second ranging block (not shown), and the congestion-related information in the sixth ranging round 1216 of the previous ranging block (e.g., the first ranging block 1205) is at level three (e.g., busy). Figure 8 The third level 850 Figure 9 Level 3 (950) (or Level 4 (e.g., overcrowding) (e.g., Figure 9 The fourth level (960).

[0185] In an embodiment, the electronic device 201 may, based on the identification that the congestion-related information of the sixth ranging round 1216 broadcasting the current second polling message is classified as Level 3 (e.g., busy), configure the load balancing bit 720 of the second polling message to "1", configure the current ranging round index 730 to "5", and configure the available ranging round index mask 740 to "111110".

[0186] In an embodiment, when broadcasting the second polling message in the sixth ranging round 1216, the available ranging round index mask 740 can be configured based on the congestion-related information of the first to fifth ranging rounds 1211, 1212, 1213, 1214 and 1215 of the second ranging block (not shown) and the congestion-related information of the sixth ranging round 1215 of the first ranging block 1205.

[0187] For example, the congestion-related information in the first to fifth ranging rounds 1211, 1212, 1213, 1214, and 1215 of the second ranging block (not shown) may include congestion-related update information. When each ranging round of the second ranging block (not shown) ends, the electronic device 201 may update the congestion-related information in each ranging round (e.g., updating the congestion-related information in each ranging round of the first ranging block to the congestion-related information determined in each ranging round of the second ranging block). The electronic device 201 may store the congestion-related update information for each ranging round. When broadcasting the second polling message in the sixth ranging round 1216, the electronic device 201 can configure an available ranging round index mask 930 based on the congestion-related update information of the first to fifth ranging rounds 1211, 1212, 1213, 1214, and 1215 and the congestion-related information of the sixth ranging round 1215 of the first ranging block 1205.

[0188] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may broadcast a second polling message including congestion-related information in time slot 250 of the sixth polling round 1216 of the second polling block (not shown). In the second polling message, the value of load balancing bit 720 is configured as "1", the current polling round index 730 is configured as "5", and the available polling round index mask 740 is configured as "00111110".

[0189] In an embodiment, a third external electronic device 1225 may receive a second polling message broadcast in the sixth ranging round 1216 of a second ranging block (not shown), the second polling message including congestion-related information of the sixth ranging round 1216. The third external electronic device 1225 may identify the value of the load balancing bit 720 included in the second polling message. As a result of identification, when the value of the load balancing bit 720 is "1", the third external electronic device 1225 may identify the value of the available ranging round index mask 740 included in the second polling message. At least one of the external electronic devices in the third external electronic device 1225 may determine one of the ranging rounds in which the value of the available ranging round index mask 740 is configured to be "1" as the ranging round to be performed.

[0190] For example, refer to Figure 12cAt least one third external electronic device (1225) performing ranging in the sixth ranging round 1216 of the first ranging block 1205 and the second ranging block (not shown) can determine any one of the ranging rounds (e.g., the first ranging round 1211, the second ranging round 1212, the third ranging round 1213, the fourth ranging round 1214, and the fifth ranging round 1215) whose value of the available ranging round index mask 740 is configured as "1" as the ranging round to perform ranging in the third ranging block 1250 (e.g., changing from the sixth ranging round 1216 to another ranging round (one of 1211, 1212, 1213, 1214, 1215)). Optionally, at least one fourth external electronic device 1217 that has performed ranging in the sixth ranging round 1216 of the first ranging block 1205 and the second ranging block (not shown) can maintain the third ranging block 1250 also performing ranging in the sixth ranging round 1216.

[0191] According to the above embodiment, when the value of the load balancing bit 720 included in the polling message is identified, the ranging round in which ranging is performed in the third ranging block 1250 can be maintained or changed based on the value of the available ranging round index mask 740. When the value of the load balancing bit 720 is configured to "1", multiple electronic devices 1251, 1253, 1255, 1257, 1259 and 1261 can be distributed in each ranging round of the ranging block to perform ranging. For example, the first external electronic device 1251 can start measuring distance in the first measuring cycle 1211 of the first measuring block, the second external electronic device 1253 can start measuring distance in the second measuring cycle 1212, the third external electronic device 1255 can start measuring distance in the third measuring cycle 1213, the fourth external electronic device 1257 can start measuring distance in the fourth measuring cycle 1214, the fifth external electronic device 1259 can start measuring distance in the fifth measuring cycle 1215, and the sixth external electronic device 1261 can start measuring distance in the sixth measuring cycle 1216.

[0192] Figure 13 This is a flowchart 1300 illustrating an example method of operating an electronic device for broadcasting a message for measuring distance, according to various embodiments.

[0193] Due to various embodiments Figure 13 Operations 1305, 1310, and 1315 are the same as those mentioned above. Figure 3a Operations 305, 310, and 315 are the same, therefore their detailed descriptions are available for use with... Figure 3a Related description replacement.

[0194] Reference Figure 13In operation 1305, an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 201 of FIG. 2) may broadcast a first message for distance measurement in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals included in the first distance measurement interval. In operation 1310, electronic device 201 may receive at least one second message in response to the first message from at least one external electronic device in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals. In operation 1315, electronic device 201 may determine congestion-related information in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals based on the number of at least one second message received in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals.

[0195] In an embodiment, during operation 1320, electronic device 201 may adjust a first distance measurement interval to a second distance measurement interval based on congestion-related information in each of a plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals.

[0196] In this embodiment, a distance measurement interval (e.g., a distance measurement interval) can be predefined. When multiple external electronic devices send response messages in a specific distance measurement sub-interval among the multiple distance measurement sub-intervals included in the distance measurement interval, the electronic device 201 can temporarily adjust the distance measurement interval, for example, by increasing the distance measurement interval.

[0197] In an embodiment, during operation 1325, electronic device 201 may broadcast a third message including congestion-related information in a first distance measurement sub-interval among a plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals included in the adjusted second distance measurement interval.

[0198] Combining operations 1320 and 1325 above, the following will refer to... Figure 14a Various embodiments are described in more detail.

[0199] Despite Figure 13 The adjustment of a first distance measurement interval to a second distance measurement interval based on congestion-related information in each of a plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals has already been described, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. Electronic device 201 can adjust the second interval (e.g., CP interval) of each distance measurement sub-interval based on congestion-related information in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals. The configuration for adjusting the second interval of each distance measurement sub-interval will be described later. Figure 14b Various embodiments are described.

[0200] Figure 14a Figure 1400 illustrates examples of adjusting the distance measurement interval according to various embodiments.

[0201] Reference Figure 14aThe first ranging block 1405 may include six ranging wheels, such as the first ranging wheel (ranging 1) 1410, the second ranging wheel (ranging 2) 1415, the third ranging wheel (ranging 3) 1420, the fourth ranging wheel (ranging 4) 1425, the fifth ranging wheel (ranging 5) 1430 and the sixth ranging wheel (ranging 6) 1435.

[0202] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may broadcast a first message (e.g., a polling message) for distance measurement in each of a plurality of ranging cycles of the first ranging block 1405. At least one external electronic device that has received the first message may send a second message (e.g., a response message) to electronic device 201 in a specific interval (e.g., a CP interval) in response to the first message.

[0203] According to various embodiments, in each of the plurality of ranging rounds included in the first ranging block 1405, a plurality of external electronic devices may randomly send response messages. Electronic device 201 may determine congestion-related information in each ranging round based on the number of response messages received in each ranging round. When the congestion-related information in each ranging round is identified as being at level three (e.g., busy) (e.g., ...), ... Figure 8 The third level, 850. Figure 9 Level 3 (950) or Level 4 (e.g., overcrowding) (e.g., Figure 9 When the fourth level (960) is reached, the electronic device 201 can add the seventh ranging round (ranging 7) 1440 and the eighth ranging round (ranging 8) 1445 to the first ranging block 1405 (e.g., the distance measurement interval) to increase the first ranging block 1405 (e.g., the distance measurement interval) from 300ms to 400ms (1450).

[0204] In an embodiment, as the first ranging block 1405 increases, the ranging round of the polling message broadcast in the next ranging block (e.g., Figure 7 The value of the distance measurement cycle 710 can be changed from "6" to "8".

[0205] In an embodiment, when a first ranging block 1405 (e.g., a distance measurement interval) is added, the electronic device 201 can load balance bits of a third message (e.g., a polling message) broadcast in ranging rounds with high congestion (e.g., ranging rounds where congestion-related information is at level three and / or four). Figure 7 The load balancing bit 720 in the data is configured to "1", and new additions to the available ranging round index mask (e.g., Figure 7The available ranging round index mask 740 for the ranging rounds (e.g., the seventh ranging round 1440 and the eighth ranging round 1445) is configured to "1".

[0206] In an embodiment, the electronic device 201 may broadcast a third message (e.g., a polling message) in each ranging round of the next ranging block (not shown), the third message including load balancing bits configured as the first ranging block 1405 (e.g., distance measurement interval) increases from 300ms to 400ms (1450). Figure 7 The load balancing bit 720 in the current ranging round index (e.g., Figure 7 The current ranging round index 730) and the available ranging round index mask (e.g., Figure 7 Available ranging round index mask 740).

[0207] In an embodiment, at least one external electronic device that has received a third message (e.g., a polling message) in each ranging round of a second ranging block (not shown) can identify congestion-related information of the current ranging round index 730 based on the value of the load balancing bit 720 included in the third message. When the congestion-related information (e.g., the value of the load balancing bit 720) is configured to "1", the at least one external electronic device receiving the third message can identify the value of the available ranging round index mask 740, and based on this, can maintain or change the ranging round in which ranging is performed in the next ranging block (e.g., the third ranging block).

[0208] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may determine congestion-related information in each ranging round based on the number of response messages received in each ranging round of the second ranging block (not shown). When the congestion-related information in each ranging round is identified as being at a first level (e.g., quiet) (e.g., ... Figure 8 The first level 830 Figure 9 The first level (930) or the second level (e.g., normal) (e.g., Figure 8 The second level 840 Figure 9 In the second level (940), the electronic device 201 can reduce the ranging block from 400ms (1450) to the existing 300ms (1405) by excluding the seventh ranging round (ranging 7) 1440 and the eighth ranging round (ranging 8) 1445.

[0209] In an embodiment, as the first ranging block decreases, the ranging round of the polling message broadcast in the next ranging block (e.g., Figure 7 The value of the distance measurement cycle 710 can be changed from "8" to "6".

[0210] In an embodiment, when the ranging block is reduced from 400ms to 300ms, the electronic device 201 can configure the load balancing bit 720 of the seventh ranging round 1440 and the eighth ranging round 1445, which will broadcast polling messages in each ranging round of the next ranging block, to "0", and can configure the available ranging round index mask 740 of the seventh ranging round 1440 and the eighth ranging round 1445 to "0".

[0211] In an embodiment, the electronic device 201 may broadcast a fourth message (polling message) which includes a load balancing bit 720 configured by reducing the ranging block from 400ms to 300ms, a current ranging round index 730, and an available ranging round index mask 740.

[0212] In an embodiment, at least one external electronic device receiving the fourth message can identify congestion-related information of the current ranging round index 730 based on the value of the load balancing bit 720 included in the fourth message. When the congestion-related information (e.g., the value of the load balancing bit 720) is configured to "1", the at least one external electronic device receiving the fourth message can maintain or change the ranging round in which ranging is performed in the next ranging block (e.g., the fourth ranging block) based on the value of the available ranging round index mask 740.

[0213] In various embodiments according to this disclosure Figure 14a In this system, since the distance measurement interval can be increased or decreased based on the number of response messages in a specific distance measurement sub-interval, conflicts between multiple external electronic devices can be reduced, and the success rate of distance measurement can also be increased.

[0214] Figure 14b Figure 1460 illustrates examples of adjusting the CP interval according to various embodiments.

[0215] Reference Figure 14b The first ranging block 1405 may include a first ranging wheel (ranging wheel 1) 1410, a second ranging wheel (ranging wheel 2) 1415, a third ranging wheel (ranging wheel 3) 1420, a fourth ranging wheel (ranging wheel 4) 1425, a fifth ranging wheel (ranging wheel 5) 1430 and a sixth ranging wheel (ranging wheel 6) 1435.

[0216] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may broadcast a first message (e.g., a polling message) for distance measurement at each of a plurality of ranging cycles of the first ranging block 1405. At least one external electronic device receiving the first message will receive the message within a specific interval (e.g., a CP interval). Figure 5The first message is responded to in 522, 527, 532, 537, 542, 547) to send a second message (e.g., a response message) to electronic device 201.

[0217] According to various embodiments, in each of the plurality of ranging rounds included in the first ranging block 1405, a plurality of external electronic devices may randomly send response messages. Electronic device 201 may determine congestion-related information in each ranging round based on the number of response messages received in each ranging round. When the congestion-related information in each ranging round is identified as being at level three (e.g., busy) (e.g., ...), ... Figure 8 The third level, 850. Figure 9 Level 3 (950) or Level 4 (e.g., overcrowding) (e.g., Figure 9 When the fourth level (960) is reached, the electronic device 201 can adjust the second interval (e.g., 522, 527, 532, 537, 542, 547) of each ranging cycle, for example, the CP interval. For example, when the CP interval is configured as "40ms", the electronic device 201 can change it to "45ms". As the CP interval changes, the second interval (e.g., 960) of each ranging cycle can also be adjusted. Figure 5 The third time period (e.g., the idle interval) of 523, 528, 533, 538, 543, 548).

[0218] In the embodiment, as the CP interval changes in each ranging round, the contention phase of the polling message broadcast in the next ranging block (e.g., Figure 6 The competition phase 620 can be changed from "40ms" to "45ms".

[0219] In an embodiment, electronic device 201 may determine congestion-related information in each ranging round based on the number of response messages received in each ranging round of the second ranging block (not shown). When the congestion-related information in each ranging round is identified as being at a first level (e.g., quiet) (e.g., ... Figure 8 The first level 830 Figure 9 Level 1 (930) or Level 2 (e.g., normal) (e.g., Figure 8 Level 2 840 Figure 9 When the second level (940) is reached, the electronic device 201 can adjust the CP interval. For example, the electronic device 201 can change the modified CP interval "45ms" to a predetermined value, such as "40ms". As the CP interval changes, the third interval (e.g., the idle interval) for each ranging cycle can also be adjusted.

[0220] In this embodiment, as the CP interval changes in each ranging round, the contention phase 620 of the polling message broadcast in the next ranging block can be changed from "45ms" to "40ms".

[0221] According to various embodiments Figure 14b In this system, the contention phase time can be configured to be longer than a specified time or the long configuration time can be reduced to a specified time based on the number of response messages in a specific distance measurement sub-interval. This can prevent and / or reduce conflicts between multiple external electronic devices and increase the success rate of distance measurement.

[0222] Referring to Figures 3 to 4 according to various embodiments Figure 14b The scenarios illustrated and described can be applied to contactless security access services. For example, even if a user does not take a photo of the passage, an electronic device (e.g., a contactless access control system) can identify an electronic device (e.g., an external electronic device) provided by the user via a communication module (e.g., a UWB communication module). When multiple users approach a specific entrance in a distance measurement sub-section, the electronic device (e.g., the contactless access control system) may not be able to identify all of the multiple electronic devices (e.g., multiple external electronic devices). According to the various embodiments described above, the electronic device (e.g., the contactless access control system) can broadcast a distance measurement message (e.g., a polling message) including congestion-related information to multiple electronic devices (e.g., multiple external electronic devices), such that multiple electronic devices (e.g., multiple external electronic devices) sending response messages in a distance measurement sub-section with high congestion can also send response messages in another distance measurement sub-section. Therefore, collisions between multiple electronic devices (e.g., multiple external electronic devices) that may occur in a specific distance measurement sub-section can be prevented and / or reduced. In addition, electronic devices (e.g., contactless access control systems) can accurately measure the distance (or angle) to multiple electronic devices (e.g., multiple external electronic devices).

[0223] The electronic device according to various embodiments can be one of a variety of types of electronic devices. Electronic devices may include, for example, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, wearable devices, or home appliances. According to embodiments of this disclosure, the electronic device is not limited to those described above.

[0224] It should be understood that the various embodiments of this disclosure and the terminology used therein are not intended to limit the technical features set forth herein to the specific embodiments, but rather to include various changes, equivalents, or substitutions to the respective embodiments. In the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used to refer to similar or related elements. It will be understood that nouns in the singular form corresponding to terms may include one or more things unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. As used herein, each of the phrases such as “A or B,” “at least one of A and B,” “at least one of A or B,” “A, B, or C,” “at least one of A, B, and C,” and “at least one of A, B, or C” may include any one or all possible combinations of the items enumerated together with the corresponding phrase among the plurality of phrases. As used herein, terms such as “first” and “second” or “first” and “second” may be used to simply distinguish the respective component from another component and do not limit the component in other respects (e.g., importance or order). It will be understood that, whether the terms “operably” or “communically” are used or not, if an element (e.g., a first element) is referred to as “combined with another element (e.g., a second element),” “combined to another element (e.g., a second element),” “connected to another element (e.g., a second element),” or “attached to another element (e.g., a second element)”, then the element may be directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly connected to, or connected to the other element via a third element.

[0225] As used in connection with various embodiments of this disclosure, the term "module" may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, or any combination thereof, and may be used interchangeably with other terms (e.g., "logic," "logic block," "part," or "circuit"). A module may be a single integrated component adapted to perform one or more functions, or the smallest unit or part of such a single integrated component. For example, according to embodiments, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0226] The various embodiments set forth herein can be implemented as software (e.g., program 140) containing one or more instructions readable by a machine (e.g., electronic device 101) stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory 136 or external memory 138). For example, under the control of a processor, the processor (e.g., processor 120) of the machine (e.g., electronic device 101) can invoke and execute at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium, with or without the use of one or more other components. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the invoked at least one instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. Machine-readable storage media may be provided in the form of non-transitory storage media. "Non-transitory" storage media refers to tangible means and may not include signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), but this term does not distinguish between data being stored semi-permanently in the storage medium and data being temporarily stored in the storage medium.

[0227] According to embodiments, methods according to various embodiments of this disclosure may be included and provided in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded as a product between a seller and a buyer. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., a compact disk read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or may be distributed online (e.g., downloaded or uploaded) via an app store (e.g., the Play Store™), or may be distributed directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones) (e.g., downloaded or uploaded). If distributed online, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily generated, or at least a portion of the computer program product may be stored at least temporarily in a machine-readable storage medium (such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an app store's server, or a forwarding server).

[0228] According to various embodiments, each of the above-described components (e.g., a module or program) may include a single entity or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separately disposed in different components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the above-described components may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Optionally or additionally, multiple components (e.g., modules or programs) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may still perform the one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as the corresponding component of the multiple components performed one or more functions before integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be performed sequentially, in parallel, repeatedly, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be run in a different order or omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising: Communication module; as well as The processor is operatively coupled to the communication module. The processor is configured as follows: The communication module broadcasts a first message for measuring distance in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals included in the first distance measurement interval. Via the communication module, at least one second message in response to the first message is received from at least one external electronic device in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals; Based on the number of the at least one second message received in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals, congestion-related information for each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals is determined; and The communication module broadcasts a third message containing congestion-related information in the first distance measurement sub-interval, which is one of the multiple distance measurement sub-intervals included in the second distance measurement interval.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The first distance measurement interval includes a time period for measuring the distance and / or orientation of the at least one external electronic device, and Each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals includes an interval in which a first message is broadcast and a distance measurement of at least a portion of the at least one external electronic device is performed based on a second message received in response to the first message.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is also configured to: Analyze the at least one second message to determine whether the reception was successful or failed; The number of second messages is calculated based on the number of successfully received second messages, the number of second messages that failed to be received, or the number corresponding to the number of second messages that failed to be received. The utilization rate of each distance measurement sub-interval is determined based on each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals and the number of the at least one second message received in each distance measurement sub-interval; as well as The congestion level of each distance measurement sub-interval is determined based on its utilization rate.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3, wherein, The processor is also configured to: Based on the congestion level of each distance measurement sub-interval, configure the load balancing bits of the third message; Configure the distance measurement sub-interval index of the third message based on the current distance measurement sub-interval of the broadcast third message; and Based on the configured load balancing bit value, an available distance measurement sub-interval index mask is configured for each distance measurement sub-interval in the distance measurement sub-interval.

5. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The processor is further configured to: adjust the second distance measurement interval or adjust the competition phase interval of each of the multiple distance measurement sub-intervals of the second distance measurement interval, based on congestion-related information of each of the multiple distance measurement sub-intervals of the second distance measurement interval being included in a specified first range; as well as Congestion-related information for each of the multiple distance measurement sub-intervals in the second distance measurement interval is included in the designated first range. At least one distance measurement sub-interval is added to the multiple distance measurement sub-intervals included in the second distance measurement interval, and a third distance measurement interval is configured based on the multiple distance measurement sub-intervals and the added at least one distance measurement sub-interval.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein, The processor is further configured to: include congestion-related information of each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals in the third distance measurement interval within a specified second range, exclude the added at least one distance measurement sub-interval, and configure a fourth distance measurement interval based on the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals and the excluded at least one distance measurement sub-interval. Wherein, the congestion level of the specified first range is greater than the congestion level of the specified second range.

7. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein, The processor is further configured to: include congestion-related information of each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals of the second distance measurement interval within the specified first range, and configure the contention phase of each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals to be longer than a specified time to configure the third distance measurement interval.

8. The electronic device according to claim 5, wherein, The processor is further configured to: include congestion-related information for each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals of the third distance measurement interval within a specified second range, configure the contention phase for a specified time to configure the fourth distance measurement interval, and Wherein, the congestion level of the specified first range is greater than the congestion level of the specified second range.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein, The communication module includes an ultra-wideband (UWB) communication module.

10. A method for performing communication of an electronic device, the method comprising: The communication module broadcasts a first message for distance measurement in each of the multiple distance measurement sub-intervals included in the first distance measurement interval. In each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals, at least one second message in response to the first message is received from at least one external electronic device; Based on the number of the at least one second message received in each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals, congestion-related information for each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals is determined; as well as The communication module broadcasts a third message containing congestion-related information in the first distance measurement sub-interval, which is one of the multiple distance measurement sub-intervals included in the second distance measurement interval.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The first distance measurement interval includes a time period for measuring the distance or direction of the at least one external electronic device, and Each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals includes an interval in which a first message is broadcast and a distance measurement of at least a portion of the at least one external electronic device is performed based on a second message received in response to the first message.

12. The method according to claim 10, wherein, The congestion-related information for determining each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals includes: The utilization rate of each distance measurement sub-interval is determined based on each of the plurality of distance measurement sub-intervals and the number of the at least one second message received in each distance measurement sub-interval; and Based on the utilization of each distance measurement sub-interval, the congestion level of each determined distance measurement sub-interval is configured, and The broadcast includes third messages containing congestion-related information, including: Based on the congestion level of each distance measurement sub-interval, configure the load balancing bits of the third message; Configure the distance measurement sub-interval index of the third message based on the current distance measurement sub-interval of the broadcast third message; and Based on the configured load balancing bit value, configure an available distance measurement sub-interval index mask for each distance measurement sub-interval in the distance measurement sub-interval.

13. An electronic device comprising: Communication module; as well as The processor is operatively coupled to the communication module. The processor is configured as follows: The first message for measuring distance is received from an external electronic device via the communication module in the first distance measurement sub-interval included in the first distance measurement interval; The second message, responding to the first message, is sent to the external electronic device via the communication module. Via the communication module, a third message including congestion-related information is received from the external electronic device within the first distance measurement sub-interval included in the second distance measurement interval; and The communication module sends a fourth message in response to the third message to the external electronic device, and determines the distance measurement sub-interval in the third distance measurement interval where a fifth message will be sent based on congestion-related information.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13, wherein, The third message includes at least one of the following: a load balancing bit in the first distance measurement sub-interval included in the second distance measurement interval, an index of the current distance measurement sub-interval, or an index mask of the available distance measurement sub-intervals.

15. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein, The processor is also configured to: Identify the value of the load balancing bit included in the third message; When the load balancing bit value is set to the first value, the index mask for identifying available distance measurement sub-intervals is used. as well as Based on the index mask of the available distance measurement sub-intervals, the distance measurement sub-interval in which the fifth message is sent in the third distance measurement interval will remain the first distance measurement sub-interval, or the distance measurement sub-interval in which the fifth message is sent in the third distance measurement interval will be changed to a distance measurement sub-interval different from the first distance measurement sub-interval.

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