Communication method and apparatus, device

Abstract

This application discloses a communication method, apparatus, and device. The method includes: in a first communication, sending a first signal to a second device, the first signal being used to request distance information and a first duration, the distance information being used to represent the distance between the first device and the second device and / or the signal flight time, and the first duration being used to represent the duration between the second device's reception timestamp of receiving the second signal and its transmission timestamp in response to the second signal in the second communication; receiving a third signal from the second device in the first communication, the third signal carrying the distance information and the first duration; determining a second duration based on the distance information and the first duration, the second duration being used to represent the sleep duration required for the first device to go from ending the transmission state to starting the reception state in the second communication; after sending a fourth signal to the second device in the second communication, starting the sleep state, and then starting the reception state after the second duration ends, thereby saving power consumption.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of computer technology, specifically to a communication method, apparatus, and device. Background Technology

[0002] In wireless communication, after device A sends a signal to device B, it immediately switches from the transmit (TX) state to the receive (RX) state to wait for the response signal from device B.

[0003] If device A does not receive a signal from device B, it will remain in a receiving state until a timeout occurs and it is deemed unable to receive the signal. However, since device A remaining in a receiving state wastes power, further research is needed to meet the requirements of low-power design. Summary of the Invention

[0004] A first aspect is a communication method according to this application, applied to a first device, the method comprising:

[0005] In the first communication, a first signal is sent to the second device. The first signal is used to request distance information and a first duration. The distance information is used to represent the distance between the first device and the second device and / or the signal flight time. The first duration is used to represent the duration of time in the second communication between the second device from the timestamp of receiving the second signal to the timestamp of responding to the second signal.

[0006] Receive a third signal from the second device in the first communication, the third signal carrying the distance information and the first duration;

[0007] A second duration is determined based on the distance information and the first duration, wherein the second duration is used to represent the duration of sleep required for the first device to transition from the end of the sending state to the start of the receiving state in the second communication;

[0008] After sending the fourth signal to the second device in the second communication, a sleep state is initiated, and the receiving state is initiated again after the second duration ends.

[0009] It is evident that, in order to meet the requirements of low-power design, before executing the second communication, the distance information and the first duration are obtained through the signal interaction in the first communication. Then, the second duration is determined by the distance information and the first duration. This allows the first device to immediately enter the sleep state after sending the fourth signal in the second communication, and then start the receiving state after the second duration ends, thereby saving power consumption.

[0010] Secondly, a communication device according to this application includes:

[0011] A transmitting unit is configured to transmit a first signal to a second device in a first communication, the first signal being used to determine distance information between the communication device and the second device;

[0012] A receiving unit is configured to receive a second signal from the second device in the first communication, the second signal carrying the distance information and a first duration, the first duration being used to represent the duration of time between the second device receiving the third signal and the sending time of responding to the third signal in the second communication;

[0013] The determining unit is configured to determine a second duration based on the distance information and the first duration, wherein the second duration represents the duration of sleep required for the communication device to transition from the end of the sending state to the entry of the receiving state in the second communication.

[0014] The startup unit is used to initiate a sleep state for the second duration after sending a fourth signal to the second device in the second communication.

[0015] Thirdly, there is an apparatus according to this application, which is a first apparatus; the first apparatus includes a processor, a memory, and a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, wherein the processor executes the computer program or instructions to implement the steps in the method designed in the first aspect above.

[0016] Fourthly, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein a computer program or instructions are stored on the computer-readable storage medium, and when executed by a processor, the computer program or instructions implement the steps of the method designed in the first aspect above.

[0017] Fifthly, a computer program product of this application includes a computer program or instructions, wherein when the computer program or instructions are executed by a processor, they implement the steps of the method designed in the first aspect above. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application or the prior art, the accompanying drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly introduced below.

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the architecture of a wireless communication system according to an embodiment of this application;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a structural schematic diagram of a UWB communication scenario according to an embodiment of this application;

[0021] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of signal interaction for an SS-TWR positioning method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of signal interaction for a DS-TWR positioning method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the signal interaction of a TDOA positioning method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0024] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of an AOA / PDOA positioning method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an antenna array sampling signal according to an embodiment of this application;

[0026] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of a method for measuring an angle according to an embodiment of this application;

[0027] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of this application;

[0028] Figure 10 This is a functional unit block diagram of a communication device according to an embodiment of this application;

[0029] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device according to an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0030] To help those skilled in the art better understand the technical solutions of this application, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this application are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, not all, of the embodiments of this application. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort regarding the embodiments of this application are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0031] It should be understood that the terms "first," "second," etc., used in the embodiments of this application are used to distinguish different objects, rather than to describe a specific order. Furthermore, the terms "comprising" and "having," and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, software, product, or device that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the listed steps or units, but also includes steps or units not listed, or other steps or units inherent to these processes, methods, products, or devices.

[0032] The term "embodiment" as used in the embodiments of this application means that a specific feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with an embodiment may be included in at least one embodiment of this application. The appearance of this phrase in various places in the specification does not necessarily refer to the same embodiment, nor is it a mutually exclusive, independent, or alternative embodiment. It will be explicitly and implicitly understood by those skilled in the art that the embodiments described herein can be combined with other embodiments.

[0033] In the embodiments of this application, "at least one" refers to one or more, and "multiple" refers to two or more.

[0034] In this application's embodiments, "and / or" describes the association relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent the following three cases: A exists alone, A and B exist simultaneously, and B exists alone. Here, A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " can indicate that the preceding and following related objects are in an "or" relationship. Additionally, the symbol " / " can also represent a division sign, i.e., performing a division operation.

[0035] In the embodiments of this application, "at least one of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of a single item or a plurality of items. For example, at least one of a, b, or c can represent the following seven cases: a, b, c, a and b, a and c, b and c, a, b, and c. Each of a, b, and c can be an element or a set containing one or more elements.

[0036] In this application, "connection" refers to various connection methods, such as direct connection or indirect connection, to achieve communication between devices, and is not specifically limited thereto.

[0037] In wireless communication, after device A sends a signal to device B, it immediately enters the receiving state to wait for the response signal from device B. However, if device A remains in the RX state, it will waste power. Therefore, in order to meet the requirements of low power consumption design, this application introduces a sleep state, so that device A or device B immediately enters the sleep state after sending a signal, and then enters the receiving state after the sleep state ends, which helps to save power consumption.

[0038] The technical solutions and related concepts involved in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below.

[0039] 1. Wireless communication systems, electronic devices, and tag devices

[0040] The technical solutions of the embodiments of this application can be applied to wireless communication systems.

[0041] For example, such as Figure 1 As shown, the wireless communication system 10 includes device 110 and device 120, and device 110 and device 120 can exchange Bluetooth signals, Wi-Fi signals, light fidelity (Li-Fi) signals, ultra-wideband (UWB) signals, visible light signals, laser signals, ultrasonic signals, infrared signals, millimeter wave signals, Zigbee signals, near field communication (NFC) signals, or a series of commands.

[0042] It should be noted that device 110 can be an electronic device or a tag device, and device 120 can be an electronic device or a tag device.

[0043] in addition, Figure 1 This is merely one example of a wireless communication system in the embodiments of this application, and the wireless communication system 10 may also include other numbers of devices, without any specific limitation.

[0044] 2) Electronic devices

[0045] The electronic devices in the embodiments of this application may be handheld devices, vehicle-mounted devices, wearable devices, augmented reality (AR) devices, virtual reality (VR) devices, projection devices, projectors, or other devices connected to a wireless modem. They may also be various specific forms of user equipment (UE), terminal devices, terminals, mobile terminals, mobile phones, smart screens, smart TVs, smartwatches, laptops, smart speakers, cameras, game controllers, microphones, stations (STA), access points (AP), mobile stations (MS), personal digital assistants (PDAs), personal computers (PCs), or relay devices, etc.

[0046] For example, electronic devices can be wearable devices. These wearable devices, also known as smart wearable devices, are a general term for intelligent devices that utilize wearable technology to intelligently design and develop everyday wearables, such as smart glasses, smart gloves, smartwatches, various smart bracelets with specific feature monitoring, and smart jewelry. These wearable devices can be worn directly on the body or integrated into the user's clothing or accessories; they are portable devices. These wearable devices can not only utilize dedicated hardware architectures but also dedicated software architectures for data interaction, cloud interaction, and more. These wearable smart devices can achieve complete or partial functionality without relying on other smart devices.

[0047] 3) Labeling equipment

[0048] The tag device in this application embodiment can be a small-sized device with low power consumption. For example, keys, wallets, cameras, home appliances, office equipment, etc.

[0049] Because tag devices strive for miniaturization and have limited built-in battery capacity, they have high requirements for low-power design; otherwise, their battery life cannot be guaranteed.

[0050] 2. UWB technology

[0051] Ultra-Wide Broadband (UWB) technology is a wireless carrier communication technology characterized by transmitting pulse-modulated UWB signals over short distances with low power and a wide frequency band. According to the standards of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) of the United States, UWB operates in the 3.1 to 10.6 GHz frequency band, occupying a bandwidth of over 500 MHz, and utilizes non-sinusoidal narrow pulses in the nanosecond to microsecond range to transmit data. Traditional UWB technology is positioned for use in industrial locations such as mines and warehouses, primarily for monitoring the real-time location of employees and goods indoors. In these applications, base stations are pre-marked in indoor locations and interconnected via wired or Wi-Fi connections for synchronization.

[0052] In such Figure 2 In the example application scenario shown, A represents a base station that supports UWB technology. The central location engine personal computer (CLE PC) can manage the base station in a unified manner. Ethernet LAN-TCP / IP means that the base stations support the transmission control protocol / Internet Protocol over Ethernet LAN. Location monitoring of users wearing tag devices is achieved by setting up at least one base station in each area.

[0053] 3. Positioning Method

[0054] Positioning methods can include time of flight (TOF) method, time difference of arrival (TDOA) method, and angle of arrival (AOA) / phase difference of arrival (PDOA) method.

[0055] (1) TOF method

[0056] Time-of-flight (TOF) is a two-way ranging technology that calculates distance by measuring the time it takes for a signal to travel between devices. Depending on the signal transmission method, TOF positioning can be divided into one-way ranging and two-way ranging.

[0057] In unidirectional ranging, the signal propagates only in one direction. In order to obtain the flight time between devices, precise clock synchronization between devices is required, which makes the system complex and costly to implement.

[0058] Two-way ranging does not have strict requirements for clock synchronization between devices, and the system implementation complexity and cost are low. Two-way ranging can include single-sided two-way ranging (SS-TWR) and double-sided two-way ranging (DS-TWR).

[0059] ①SS-TWR method

[0060] In the SS-TWR mode, SS-TWR is a simple measurement of the round-trip time of a single signal, where one device actively sends a signal to another device, and the other device responds with a signal in response to the first device.

[0061] For example, such as Figure 3 As shown, Device A actively sends (TX) signal A and records the sending timestamp; Device B receives (RX) signal A and records the receiving timestamp, while RMARKER represents the time node when the signal transmission (reception or transmission) is completed; with a delay T... reply Then, device B sends signal B and records the sending timestamp; device A receives signal B and records the receiving timestamp. Because T round T represents the time interval / duration between when device A receives signal B and when it sends signal A. reply This represents the delay time between when device B receives signal A and when it sends signal B. Therefore, the signal flight time T between device A and device B can be calculated using the following formula. prop :

[0062]

[0063] T prop and T reply All calculations are based on the local synchronization clock, and local synchronization clock errors can be canceled out. However, there will be slight clock skew between different devices. Let's assume the clock skew of device A and device B are e respectively. A and e B Therefore, T prop Will follow T reply The distance measurement error increases with the increase of , and the equation for the distance measurement error is as follows:

[0064]

[0065] ②DS-TWR method

[0066] In the DS-TWR method, which is an extended ranging method of SS-TWR, the timestamps of two round-trip signals are recorded. Specifically, DS-TWR obtains the round-trip delay based on three signal transmissions between devices to measure the distance.

[0067] For example, such as Figure 4 As shown, during the signal interaction between device A and device B, the following four time differences can be obtained:

[0068] The time difference T between signal A sent by device A and signal B received by device A round1 ;

[0069] The time delay T between the received signal A and the transmitted signal B of device B reply1 ;

[0070] The time delay T between the received signal B and the transmitted signal C of device A reply2 ;

[0071] The time difference T between device B sending signal B and receiving signal C round2 ;

[0072] Finally, the signal flight time between device A and device B is calculated using the following formula:

[0073]

[0074] Furthermore, the error formula in the DS-TWR method is as follows:

[0075]

[0076] Where, k a and k bk is the ratio of the actual frequency to the nominal frequency of the crystal oscillator. a and k b Very close to 1.

[0077] (2) TDOA method

[0078] TDOA is an improvement on TOA. Instead of directly utilizing the signal's time of arrival (TOA), it calculates the tag's location by detecting the time difference between the signal's arrival at multiple strictly clock-synchronized base stations, without requiring the device and base stations to maintain clock synchronization. Clock synchronization can be divided into wired clock synchronization and wireless clock synchronization. Wired clock synchronization uses a dedicated wired clock synchronizer for clock distribution, but the deployment and maintenance costs of the clock network are relatively high. Wireless time synchronization does not require special synchronization equipment; its accuracy is lower than wired clock synchronization, but the system deployment, maintenance, and costs are relatively lower.

[0079] For example, such as Figure 5 As shown, with base stations A, B, C, and D fully synchronized, the tag device broadcasts a signal to each of them. The flight time of this signal to base station A is t1, to base station B is t2, to base station C is t3, and to base station D is t4. Then, the distance difference between the base stations is calculated using the following formula:

[0080]

[0081] Where, d 12 This is expressed as the distance difference between the tag device's distance to base station A and the tag device's distance to base station B; d 23 This is expressed as the distance difference between the tag device and base station B and base station C; d 34 This represents the distance difference between the tag device and base station C and base station D; d 14 denoted as the distance difference between the tag device and base station A and base station D, and c represents the transmission speed of electromagnetic waves, which can be considered as the speed of light.

[0082] Finally, the coordinates (x, y, z) of the tag device are obtained by calculating the following hyperbolic equations:

[0083]

[0084] (3) AOA / PDOA method

[0085] AOA / PDOA determines the angle and distance of an object from itself based on the phase difference of the same signal received by multiple antennas at different locations.

[0086] For example, such as Figure 6As shown. Since the distance r between antenna A and the object being identified is different from the distance rp between the antenna and the object being identified, the same signal sent by the object being identified arrives at antenna A and antenna B with a certain phase difference. The angle of arrival of the signal to antenna A is α, and the angle of arrival of the signal to antenna B is β.

[0087] 4. Low power consumption of the equipment

[0088] In the aforementioned "positioning method", after device A sends a signal to device B, it immediately enters the receiving state to wait for the signal in response from device B. Only after receiving the signal in response from device B is device A considered to have completed receiving. Otherwise, it will remain in the receiving state or stop waiting only when it times out and considers that it cannot receive the signal.

[0089] For tag devices, the pursuit of miniaturization often results in limited built-in battery capacity, thus requiring high-power-efficiency design; otherwise, their battery life cannot be guaranteed.

[0090] For electronic devices, if they use UWB for communication, the energy consumption during the receiving state and waiting for UWB signals is often the highest.

[0091] To reduce power consumption, this embodiment of the application determines the distance information between the first and second devices and the delay time required for the second device to process signals in the second communication before performing the second communication, based on the signal interaction in the first communication. Then, it determines the sleep time required for the first device to sleep in the second communication based on the distance information and the delay time, so that after the first device finishes sending signals in the second communication, it immediately enters a sleep state from the sending state, and then enters the receiving state after the sleep time ends. This will be explained in detail below.

[0092] (1) First equipment, second equipment

[0093] Based on the above content in "1. Wireless communication system, electronic device, tag device", the "first device" in the embodiments of this application can be an electronic device or a tag device, and there is no specific limitation on this.

[0094] Alternatively, "first device" can also be described using other terms, such as transmitting device or device A.

[0095] Similarly, the "second device" in the embodiments of this application can be an electronic device or a tag device, and there is no specific limitation on the latter.

[0096] Alternatively, "second device" can also be described using other terms, such as receiving device or device B.

[0097] Meanwhile, the "sleep state" introduced in this application embodiment under the "sending state" and "receiving state" is applicable to both the first device and the second device.

[0098] (2) First communication, second communication

[0099] This application introduces the terms "first communication" and "second communication" in its embodiments. It should be noted that "first communication" and "second communication" may also use other terms, and there are no specific limitations on this.

[0100] ① Signals and duration in the first communication

[0101] In this embodiment of the application, at least one of the following can be achieved through signal interaction in the first communication:

[0102] • Request (confirmation / acknowledgment, etc.) distance information

[0103] This distance information can be used to represent the distance between the first device and the second device and / or the signal flight time.

[0104] Understandably, in the first communication, the first device sends a signal to the second device (for ease of distinction, this signal can also be called the "first signal"), which can be used to request distance information.

[0105] Correspondingly, after receiving the signal, the second device can send a response signal (which can also be called a "third signal" for easy distinction), which can carry the distance information.

[0106] It should be noted that the distance information may include at least one of the following: the distance between the first device and the second device (e.g., S0), the signal flight time (e.g., Treturn = S0 / c, where c represents the transmission speed of electromagnetic waves or the speed of light), and the signal round-trip flight time (e.g., 2*Treturn).

[0107] Furthermore, the method for determining distance information is described in detail below.

[0108] • Request the second device to provide feedback on the delay time required to process the signal in the second communication.

[0109] Understandably, in the first communication, the first device sends a signal to the second device (for ease of distinction, this signal may also be referred to as the "first signal"), which may be used to request the second device to process the signal for a delay duration required in the second communication (for ease of distinction, this delay duration may also be referred to as the "first duration").

[0110] Correspondingly, after receiving the signal, the second device can send a response signal (for ease of distinction, this response signal can also be called a "third signal"), which can carry the first duration.

[0111] It should be noted that this delay duration can be understood as the time (time interval / delay duration / delay time / latency, etc.) required for the second device to perform a series of processes from receiving the signal (for ease of distinction, this signal can also be called the "second signal") to responding to the signal in the second communication.

[0112] Alternatively, the delay duration can be used to represent the duration (time interval / delay duration / delay time / latency, etc.) between the receiving timestamp of the received signal and the sending timestamp of the response signal in the second communication.

[0113] For example, in Figure 3 In the diagram, the duration T between the timestamp of receiving signal A and the timestamp of sending signal B from device B is... reply .

[0114] In addition, the delay duration can be fixed or pre-configured. That is, the second device can pre-store the fixed delay duration.

[0115] • Instruct the second device to perform signal detection based on the signal to obtain the detection result of the signal.

[0116] Understandably, in the first communication, the first device sends a signal to the second device (for ease of distinction, this signal can also be called the "first signal"), which can be used to instruct the second device to perform signal detection based on the signal to obtain the detection result of the signal.

[0117] The detection result of the signal may include at least one of the following: the signal received power (SRP), the received signal strength indicator (RSSI), the received signal level (RSL), the signal to interference plus noise ratio (SINR), and the signal received quality (SRQ).

[0118] • Instruct the second device to perform an angle-of-arrival measurement based on the signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the signal.

[0119] Understandably, in the first communication, the first device sends a signal to the second device (for ease of distinction, this signal may also be referred to as the "first signal"), which can be used to instruct the second device to perform an angle of arrival measurement based on the signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the signal.

[0120] It should be noted that how to perform angle of arrival measurement based on the signal will be explained below.

[0121] • Wake up the second device

[0122] Understandably, in the first communication, the first device sends a signal to the second device (for ease of distinction, this signal can also be called the "first signal"), which can be used to wake up the second device.

[0123] It should be noted that before communication, the device usually shuts down the corresponding communication module, which helps to reduce power consumption.

[0124] Therefore, before the second communication needs to be executed, this application can first use the signals in the first communication to execute the discovery and wake-up process of the second device, so that the corresponding communication module in the second device is turned on, and a communication connection is established between the first device and the second device, which helps to ensure that the second communication can be executed quickly afterwards.

[0125] • Notify (instruct, etc.) the second device to prepare to perform a second communication after the first communication.

[0126] Understandably, in the first communication, the first device sends a signal to the second device (for ease of distinction, this signal can also be called the "first signal"), which can be used to notify the second device to prepare to perform the second communication after the first communication.

[0127] It should be noted that the signal in the first communication is used to notify the second device, so that the second device can start the corresponding communication module for executing the second communication in advance, which helps to ensure that the second communication can be executed quickly afterwards.

[0128] ②Signal in second communication

[0129] In this embodiment of the application, the following can be achieved through signal interaction in the second communication:

[0130] • Positioning the first and second devices

[0131] It should be noted that in the second communication, the embodiments of this application achieve mutual positioning through the method described in "3. Positioning Method" above.

[0132] ③ Types of first communication and types of second communication

[0133] In this embodiment, the first communication can be a short-range wireless communication. Therefore, the first communication can be at least one of the following: Bluetooth communication, Wi-Fi communication, Li-Fi communication, UWB communication, visible light communication, laser communication, ultrasonic communication, infrared communication, millimeter wave communication, Zigbee communication, or NFC communication.

[0134] Similarly, the second communication can be a short-range wireless communication different from the first communication. Therefore, the second communication can be at least one of the following: Bluetooth communication, Wi-Fi communication, Li-Fi communication, UWB communication, visible light communication, laser communication, ultrasonic communication, infrared communication, millimeter wave communication, Zigbee communication, or NFC communication.

[0135] For example, the first communication is Bluetooth or Wi-Fi, while the second communication is UWB.

[0136] (3) How to determine distance information

[0137] In the embodiments of this application, the distance information can be determined using the following "Method 1" and "Method 2".

[0138] ①Method 1

[0139] In “Method 1”, if the first signal is used to instruct the second device to perform signal detection based on the first signal to obtain the detection result of the first signal, then the distance information is determined by the detection result of the first signal.

[0140] Understandably, in the first communication, the second device receives a first signal from the first device, performs signal detection on the first signal to obtain the detection result of the first signal, and determines distance information based on the detection result of the first signal.

[0141] In this embodiment, the signal detection result corresponds to (is associated with) a distance. The correlation (or correlation table) between the signal detection result and the distance can be obtained through big data statistics. Therefore, in this embodiment, the detection result of the first signal can be compared with this correlation (or correlation table) to obtain a distance (e.g., S0), and this distance can be used as the distance between the first device and the second device.

[0142] In addition, embodiments of this application can calculate the signal flight time of the first signal (e.g., Treturn = S0 / c) and / or the round-trip flight time of the first signal (e.g., 2*Treturn) based on the distance.

[0143] It can be seen that the distance information is determined by the detection result of the first signal, and the distance information may include at least one of the following: the distance between the first device and the second device, the signal flight time of the first signal, and the signal round-trip flight time of the first signal.

[0144] ②Method 2

[0145] In “Method 2”, if the first signal is used to instruct the second device to perform an angle of arrival measurement based on the first signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the first signal, then the distance information is determined by the angle of arrival of the first signal.

[0146] Understandably, in the first communication, the second device receives a first signal from the first device, performs an angle of arrival measurement on the first signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the first signal, and determines distance information based on the angle of arrival of the first signal.

[0147] a. Antenna array

[0148] In this embodiment of the application, both the first device and the second device may have the capability to measure the angle of arrival, so as to realize bidirectional / unidirectional measurement of the angle of arrival between the devices, realize the measurement of the angle of arrival, and improve the measurement accuracy of the angle of arrival between the devices.

[0149] Therefore, the first device in this application embodiment may have an antenna array, and the antenna array includes at least one array element (e.g., Y array elements, where Y is a positive integer). The first device can acquire signals through each array element in the antenna array to obtain the phase, and determine the angle of arrival of the signal based on the phase and a preset distance between the array elements.

[0150] Similarly, the second device may have an antenna array, and the antenna array includes at least one array element (e.g., X array elements, where X is a positive integer). The second device can acquire signals through each array element in the antenna array to obtain the phase, and determine the angle of arrival of the signal based on the phase and a preset distance between the array elements.

[0151] b. Each element in the antenna array acquires signals to obtain the phase.

[0152] The following example illustrates how a second device can acquire a first signal using X elements of an antenna array. It should be noted that the same logic applies to the first device acquiring a third signal using Y elements of the antenna array.

[0153] In the first communication, the first device sends a first signal to the second device. At this time, the second device samples the first signal P times through each of the X array elements to obtain the phase sampled by each of the X array elements, where P is a positive integer.

[0154] In a specific implementation, taking one of the X array elements as an example, the array element can sample the first signal at P sampling points to obtain P phases, and then perform a weighted average of the P phases to obtain the phase acquired by the array element.

[0155] Among these P sampling points, the sampling points can be equidistant from each other, or they can be equidistant from each other; there is no restriction on this.

[0156] The location of the first sampling point in the P sampling points can be the starting position where the array element first receives the first signal.

[0157] It should be noted that in the first communication, since the first signal sent by the first device has wave characteristics during propagation, and there are different delays between the first signals received by the X array elements in the antenna array of the second device, the phase corresponding to the starting position of the first signal received by each of the X array elements is different (i.e. there is a phase difference).

[0158] To ensure a more accurate phase difference, this embodiment considers setting P sampling points, and each of the X array elements samples the first signal it receives from its starting position at equal intervals (i.e., the sampling points in the P sampling points are equidistant from each other) to obtain P phases. Then, the P phases are weighted and averaged to obtain the phases collected by each of the X array elements, thereby ensuring a more accurate phase difference and improving the measurement accuracy of the angle of arrival between devices.

[0159] The following example illustrates the situation using the antenna array of the second device, which includes two array elements (X=2).

[0160] For example, such as Figure 7 As shown, the antenna array of the second device includes array elements 710 and 720, and both array elements 710 and 720 receive signal 730 in the first communication.

[0161] exist Figure 7 In (a), since the signal 730 has wave characteristics during propagation and there is a different delay between the signal 730 received by array element 710 and array element 720, the second device receives the signal 730 at frequency point f6 through array element 710 and takes frequency point f6 as the first sampling point in P (i.e. P=5) sampling points.

[0162] The sampling points in the P sampling points are equidistant from each other, and the P sampling points correspond to frequency points f1, f2, f3, f4, and f5 in sequence. The P sampling points constitute the sampling period of the array element 710.

[0163] The second device sequentially acquires signals at P sampling points to obtain 730 phases (i.e., ... and The second device calculates the five phases according to the following formula to obtain the phase sampled by array element 710.

[0164]

[0165] Where, α i (i∈{1,2,3,4,5}) represents the phase. The corresponding weighting, and When α i When = 1, it is equivalent to calculating the average value of the 5 phases.

[0166] Similarly, in Figure 7 In (b), since the signal 730 has wave characteristics during propagation and there is a different delay between the signal 730 received by array element 710 and array element 720, the second device receives the signal 730 at frequency point f1 through array element 720 and takes frequency point f1 as the first sampling point in P (i.e. P=5) sampling points.

[0167] The P sampling points are equidistant from each other, and the P sampling points correspond to frequency points f6, f7, f8, f9, f1, f2, f3, f4, f5, f6, f7, f8, f9, f1 ...1, f2, f3, f1, f1, f1, f2, f3 10 And the sampling period of the array element 720 composed of P sampling points.

[0168] The second device sequentially acquires signals at P sampling points to obtain 730 phases (i.e., ... and The second device calculates the five phases according to the following formula to obtain the phase sampled by array element 720.

[0169]

[0170] Where, β j (j∈{1,2,3,4,5}) represents the phase. The corresponding weighting, and When β j When = 1, it is equivalent to calculating the average value of the 5 phases.

[0171] c. Preset distance between each element of the antenna array

[0172] It should be noted that the preset distance between the elements of the antenna array (such as the antenna array of the first device or the antenna array of the second device) can be determined by the distribution between the elements of the antenna array, and this distribution between the elements is preset at the factory. Therefore, the distance between the elements of the antenna array is a fixed value.

[0173] The following explanation uses X elements in the antenna array of the second device as an example. It should be noted that the same logic applies to Y elements in the antenna array of the first device.

[0174] For example, the distribution of each element in X array elements can be such that all the elements of X array elements are arranged in a straight line through the signal feed point, and the distance between adjacent elements in X array elements is less than the wavelength of the first signal emitted by the first device (e.g., equal to or less than one-half / one-quarter / one-eighth of the wavelength of the first signal emitted by the first device, etc.).

[0175] For example, the distribution of each element in the X array elements can be such that all the elements of the X array elements are arranged in a square, rectangle, circle, ellipse or irregular shape through the signal feed point, and the distance between adjacent elements in the X array elements is less than the wavelength of the first signal emitted by the first device (such as equal to or less than one-half / one-quarter / one-eighth of the wavelength of the first signal emitted by the first device, etc.).

[0176] d. Calculate the phase difference

[0177] It should be noted that in the first communication, the phase position between the first device and the second device is constantly changing, which causes the relative direction between the antenna arrays of the first device and the antenna arrays of the second device to constantly change.

[0178] The following explanation uses X elements in the antenna array of the second device as an example. It should be noted that the same logic applies to Y elements in the antenna array of the first device.

[0179] Because the propagation direction of the first signal emitted by the first device is different (such as signal reflection causing a change in propagation direction), the array element that receives the first signal first among the X array elements is also different.

[0180] Based on this, in the embodiments of this application, the array element that receives the first signal first among the X array elements can be taken as the target array element, and then the difference between the phase collected by the target array element and the phase collected by each of the other array elements can be calculated to obtain X-1 phase differences.

[0181] For example, in Figure 7If array element 710 is the first array element to receive signal 730, then array element 710 is designated as the target array element, and the phase acquired by array element 710 is calculated. Phase collected by array element 720 The phase difference is used to obtain

[0182] e. Calculate the angle of arrival of the signal.

[0183] The following explanation uses X elements in the antenna array of the second device as an example. It should be noted that the same logic applies to Y elements in the antenna array of the first device.

[0184] The arrival angle of the first signal can be calculated by the distance between the target array element and other array elements, X-1 phase differences, and the wavelength of the first signal.

[0185] As can be seen, the angle of arrival measured in the embodiments of this application has higher accuracy and higher measurement efficiency.

[0186] The following example illustrates the second device's antenna array, which comprises three (X=3) elements.

[0187] For example, in Figure 8 In the second device 820, there is an antenna array 830, which includes array elements 8301, 8302 and 8303.

[0188] It should be noted that the first device 810 and the second device 820 also include other devices (such as processors, memory, modems, etc.), which are not specifically limited.

[0189] In the first communication, the first device 810 transmits signal 840 to the second device 820 via an antenna array.

[0190] The second device 820 receives signal 840 through antenna array 830. Array element 8301 receives signal 840 first (i.e., array element 8301 is the target array element), and array elements 8301, 8302, and 8303 each acquire one phase, resulting in three phases. Therefore, the second device 820 calculates the phase difference Δφ1 between array elements 8301 and 8302 using these three phases.

[0191]

[0192] Where D1 represents the optical path difference between signal 840 and array elements 8301 and 8302; λ1 represents the wavelength of signal 840.

[0193] Similarly, the second device 820 calculates the phase difference Δφ2 between array element 8301 and array element 8303 using these three phases:

[0194]

[0195] Wherein, D2 represents the optical path difference between signal 840 and array elements 8301 and 8303.

[0196] The distance d1 between array element 8301 and array element 8302, and the distance d2 between array element 8301 and array element 8303. Wherein, distance d1 is less than wavelength λ1, and distance d2 is less than wavelength λ1.

[0197] The second device 820 calculates the angle of arrival θ1 using the phase difference Δφ1, distance d1, and wavelength λ1:

[0198]

[0199] Similarly, the second device 820 calculates the angle of arrival θ2 using the phase difference Δφ2, distance d2, and wavelength λ1:

[0200]

[0201] The second device 820 weighted averages the angles of arrival θ1 and θ2 to obtain the angle of arrival θ′ of signal 840:

[0202]

[0203] Where, γ k (k∈{1,2}) represents the weighted average of the arrival angles, and When γ k When =1, it is equivalent to calculating the average of the two reached angles.

[0204] f. Angle of arrival determines the distance between the first and second devices.

[0205] In this embodiment, the angle of arrival corresponds to (is associated with) a distance. The correlation (or correlation table) between the angle of arrival and the distance can be obtained through big data statistics. Therefore, in this embodiment, the angle of arrival of the first signal can be compared with this correlation (or correlation table) to obtain a distance (e.g., S0), and this distance can be used as the distance between the first device and the second device.

[0206] In addition, embodiments of this application can calculate the signal flight time of the first signal (e.g., Treturn = S0 / c) and / or the round-trip flight time of the first signal (e.g., 2*Treturn) based on the distance.

[0207] It can be seen that the distance information is determined by the angle of arrival of the first signal, and the distance information may include at least one of the following: the distance between the first device and the second device, the signal flight time of the first signal, and the signal round-trip flight time of the first signal.

[0208] (4) How to update distance information

[0209] In “Method 2” of “(3) How to determine distance information” above, the second device can perform signal detection on the first signal to obtain the detection result of the first signal, and determine the distance information based on the detection result of the first signal.

[0210] In the first communication, since the second device also sends a third signal to the first device, the first device can also perform an angle of arrival measurement on the third signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the third signal, and determine a new distance information based on the angle of arrival of the third signal, thereby realizing the update of the distance information.

[0211] It should be noted that the first device performs an angle of arrival measurement based on the third signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the third signal, and updates the distance information based on the angle of arrival of the third signal. This is similar to "method 2" in "(3) How to determine the distance information" above, and will not be repeated here.

[0212] (5) Feedback on distance information and first duration

[0213] Based on the above content in “(3) First Communication, Second Communication”, it can be seen that the first signal can be used to request distance information and the first duration.

[0214] Based on this, after receiving the first signal, the second device can send a response signal (for ease of distinction, this response signal can also be called the "third signal"), which can carry the distance information and the first duration.

[0215] (6) Determine the second duration

[0216] It should be noted that the second duration can be used to represent the duration of sleep required for the first device in the second communication from the end of the sending state to the start of the receiving state.

[0217] In other words, the second duration can be used to represent the duration the first device is in sleep mode.

[0218] As can be seen from the above, in order to reduce power consumption, before performing the second communication, this embodiment first determines the distance information and the first duration through the signal interaction in the first communication, and then determines the second duration through the distance information and the first duration, so that after the first device finishes sending the signal in the second communication (for ease of distinction, the signal is also called the "fourth signal"), it immediately enters the sleep state from the sending state, and then enters the receiving state after the second duration ends.

[0219] In specific implementation, if the distance information is used to represent the distance between the first device and the second device (e.g., S0), meaning the distance information includes this distance, then the first device determines the signal flight time based on this distance (e.g., Treturn = S0 / c) to obtain the signal round-trip flight time (e.g., 2*Treturn), and calculates the sum of the signal round-trip flight time and a first duration (e.g., Treply) to obtain a second duration (e.g., Tsleep = 2*Treturn + Treply). Alternatively,

[0220] If the distance information is used to represent the signal flight time between the first device and the second device, that is, the distance information includes the signal flight time (e.g., Treturn), then the first device determines the signal round-trip flight time (e.g., 2*Treturn, which is twice Treturn) based on the signal flight time, and calculates the sum of the signal round-trip flight time and the first duration (e.g., Treply) to obtain the second duration (e.g., Tsleep = 2*Treturn + Treply).

[0221] For example, in Figure 3 In the middle, T round This represents the time interval / duration between when device A receives signal B and when it sends signal A, while the second duration in this embodiment can be equal to T. round This helps to save power consumption of device A.

[0222] For example, in Figure 4 In the middle, T round1 This represents the time difference between signal A transmitted by device A and signal B received by device A, while the second duration in this embodiment can be equal to T. round1 This helps to save power consumption of device A.

[0223] Similarly, T round2 This represents the time difference between when device B sends signal B and when it receives signal C, while the second duration in this embodiment can be equal to T. round2 This helps save power consumption of device B.

[0224] (7) Start (enter) hibernation mode

[0225] It should be noted that after the first device sends a signal to the second device in the second communication (for ease of distinction, this signal can also be called the "fourth signal"), the first device starts a sleep state and starts a receiving state after the second duration ends, which helps to save power consumption.

[0226] (8) Enter the receiving state in advance

[0227] In the second communication, in order to avoid the first device being in a sleep state when the signal sent by the second device arrives, resulting in reception failure, this application embodiment also introduces an advance duration (for ease of distinction, this advance duration can also be called "third duration"), which can be used to indicate the duration for which the first device needs to start the receiving state in advance.

[0228] In response, the first device can determine the second duration based on the distance information, the first duration, and the third duration.

[0229] In specific implementation, if the distance information is used to represent the distance between the first device and the second device (e.g., S0), meaning the distance information includes this distance, then the first device determines the signal flight time based on this distance (e.g., Treturn = S0 / c) to obtain the signal round-trip flight time (e.g., 2*Treturn), calculates the sum of the signal round-trip flight time and the first duration (e.g., Treply), and subtracts the third duration (e.g., T0) to obtain the second duration (e.g., Tsleep = 2*Treturn + Treply - T0). Alternatively,

[0230] If the distance information is used to represent the signal flight time between the first device and the second device, that is, the distance information includes the signal flight time (e.g., Treturn), then the first device determines the signal round-trip flight time based on the signal flight time (e.g., 2*Treturn, which is twice Treturn), calculates the sum of the signal round-trip flight time and the first duration (e.g., Treply), and subtracts the third duration (e.g., T0) to obtain the second duration (e.g., Tsleep = 2*Treturn + Treply - T0).

[0231] (9) Exemplary Description

[0232] Based on the above, the following example illustrates the concept of the first device being an electronic device, the second device being a tag device, the first communication being Bluetooth communication, and the second communication being UWB communication.

[0233] 1) In normal mode, in crowded or non-open spaces, the communication distance of Bluetooth communication is longer than that of UWB communication.

[0234] 2) Before UWB communication is required between the electronic device and the tag device for mutual positioning (or obtaining location information), the electronic device turns on Bluetooth and sends Bluetooth signal 1 to the tag device in Bluetooth communication to establish a Bluetooth connection. The tag device is woken up by Bluetooth signal 1, the tag device is instructed to perform signal detection, and the tag device is notified that UWB communication is about to begin.

[0235] 3) After the tag device establishes a Bluetooth connection with the electronic device, the tag device can determine the distance between itself and the electronic device (e.g., S0) through the RSSI of the Bluetooth signal 1, and calculate the signal flight time of the Bluetooth signal 1 according to the TOF method (e.g., Treturn = S0 / c, where c is the propagation speed of electromagnetic waves, or it can be the speed of light).

[0236] In UWB communication, if the time interval between the timestamp of the UWB signal received by the tag device and the timestamp of the UWB signal sent in response to the electronic device is a fixed value (e.g., Treply), the tag device returns Bluetooth signal 2 to the electronic device. Bluetooth signal 2 carries the duration (e.g., Treply) and the signal flight time (e.g., Treturn).

[0237] Therefore, through signal interaction in Bluetooth communication, the electronic device obtains the duration and the signal flight time, and calculates the sum of the duration and the signal flight time to obtain the sleep duration in UWB communication (e.g., Tsleep = Treply + Treturn).

[0238] 4) In UWB communication, after the electronic device sends UWB signal 1 to the tag device, it starts a sleep state, and after the sleep period ends, it starts a receiving state to receive UWB signal 2 fed back by the tag.

[0239] To prevent the UWB signal 2 sent by the target device from arriving at the electronic device while it is still in sleep mode, thus affecting the receiving device, the duration for which the electronic device needs to start receiving mode in advance (e.g., T0) should be set. This is because the RSSI estimation of Bluetooth signal 1 has a large error, leading to inaccurate distance, so it is necessary to start receiving mode in advance.

[0240] The more accurate the RSSI prediction of Bluetooth signal 1, the shorter the time (e.g., T0) required to start the receiving state earlier.

[0241] Based on this, after the electronic device emits UWB signal 1, the sleep time it can take is Tsleep = Treply + Treturn - T0.

[0242] It is evident that if it is in Figure 3 In the SS-TWR shown, after sending UWB signal 1, the electronic device can directly enter sleep mode instead of... Figure 3 The device directly enters the receiving state and wakes up from the sleep state to enter the receiving state before the UWB signal 2 returned by the tag device arrives, which helps to save power consumption of electronic devices.

[0243] If it is Figure 4 In the DS-TWR shown, in addition to the electronic devices being able to enter sleep mode, the tag devices can also enter sleep mode in the same way, which helps to save power consumption of the tag devices.

[0244] 5. An exemplary description of a communication method

[0245] Based on the above description, the following example illustrates a communication method according to an embodiment of this application, taking the first device starting a sleep state as an example.

[0246] like Figure 9 As shown, Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a communication method according to an embodiment of this application, which can be applied to a first device and may specifically include the following steps:

[0247] S910, In the first communication, a first signal is sent to the second device, the first signal being used to request distance information and a first duration.

[0248] The distance information is used to represent the distance between the first device and the second device and / or the signal flight time, and the first duration is used to represent the duration between the receiving timestamp of the second signal and the sending timestamp of the response to the second signal in the second communication.

[0249] In some possible implementations, if the first signal is also used to instruct the second device to perform signal detection based on the first signal to obtain a detection result of the first signal, then the distance information is determined by the detection result of the first signal, which includes at least one of the following:

[0250] The signal receiving power of the first signal, the received signal strength indication of the first signal, the received signal level of the first signal, the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the first signal, and the signal receiving quality of the first signal.

[0251] As can be seen, by performing signal detection on the first signal to obtain the detection result of the first signal, the distance information can be determined from the detection result of the first signal.

[0252] In some possible implementations, if the first signal is also used to instruct the second device to perform an angle of arrival measurement based on the first signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the first signal, then the distance information is determined by the angle of arrival of the first signal.

[0253] As can be seen, by performing an angle of arrival measurement on the first signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the first signal, the distance information can be determined from the angle of arrival of the first signal.

[0254] In some possible implementations, performing an angle of arrival measurement based on the first signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the first signal may include the following steps:

[0255] The first signal is sampled P times by each of the X array elements of the second device's antenna array to obtain the phase acquired by each of the X array elements, where X is a positive integer and P is a positive integer.

[0256] X-1 phase differences are obtained by calculating the difference between the phase acquired by the target element and the phase acquired by each of the other elements in the array (excluding the target element).

[0257] The angle of arrival of the first signal is calculated by taking the distance between the target element and each of the other elements, X-1 phase differences, and the wavelength of the first signal.

[0258] As can be seen, in order to ensure that the obtained phase difference is more accurate, this application embodiment considers setting P sampling points, and each of the X array elements performs phase sampling on the first signal it receives according to the P sampling points to obtain the phase collected by each of the X array elements, calculates X-1 phase differences, and calculates the angle of arrival of the first signal, which is beneficial to improving the measurement accuracy of the angle of arrival between devices.

[0259] In some possible implementations, the first signal is also used to wake up the second device and to notify the second device that it is ready to perform the second communication after the first communication.

[0260] As can be seen, before the second communication needs to be executed, this application can first use the first signal in the first communication to execute the discovery and wake-up process of the second device, so that the corresponding communication module in the second device is turned on, and the corresponding communication module for executing the second communication is turned on in advance, thereby establishing a communication connection between the first device and the second device, which is conducive to ensuring that the second communication can be executed quickly afterwards.

[0261] S920: Receive a third signal from the second device in the first communication, the third signal carrying distance information and a first duration.

[0262] In some possible implementations, after S920, the method may also include the following steps:

[0263] An angle of arrival measurement is performed based on the third signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the third signal;

[0264] The distance information is updated based on the angle of arrival of the third signal.

[0265] As can be seen, in the first communication, since the second device also sends a third signal to the first device, the first device can also perform an angle of arrival measurement on the third signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the third signal, and determine a new distance information based on the angle of arrival of the third signal, thereby realizing the update of the distance information, which in turn helps to improve the accuracy of the distance information and ensure the correctness of subsequent calculations.

[0266] In some possible implementations, after S920, the method may also include the following steps:

[0267] Obtain the third duration, which represents the duration during which the first device needs to start the receiving state in advance;

[0268] The second duration is determined based on distance information and the first duration, including:

[0269] The second duration is determined based on distance information, the first duration, and the third duration.

[0270] As can be seen, in order to avoid the first device being in a sleep state when the signal sent by the second device arrives, resulting in reception failure, this application embodiment also introduces a third duration, and determines the second duration based on the distance information, the first duration and the third duration, thereby ensuring that the first device successfully receives the signal.

[0271] S930. Determine a second duration based on the distance information and the first duration. The second duration is used to represent the duration of sleep required for the first device in the second communication from the end of the sending state to the start of the receiving state.

[0272] S940. After sending the fourth signal to the second device in the second communication, the sleep state is started, and the receiving state is started again after the second duration ends.

[0273] It is evident that, in order to meet the requirements of low-power design, before executing the second communication, the distance information and the first duration are obtained through the signal interaction in the first communication. Then, the second duration is determined by the distance information and the first duration. This allows the first device to immediately enter the sleep state after sending the fourth signal in the second communication, and then start the receiving state after the second duration ends, thereby saving power consumption.

[0274] 6. Exemplary Description of a Communication Device

[0275] The foregoing mainly describes the solutions of the embodiments of this application from the perspective of the method execution process. It is understood that, in order to achieve the above functions, the device includes hardware structures and / or software modules corresponding to the execution of each function. Those skilled in the art should recognize that the methods, functions, modules, units, or steps described in conjunction with the embodiments provided herein can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a method, function, module, unit, or step is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described methods, functions, modules, units, or steps for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0276] This application embodiment can divide the device into functional units / modules according to the above method examples. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional unit / module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one functional unit / module. The integrated functional unit / module can be implemented in hardware or software. It should be noted that the division of functional units / modules in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents a logical functional division; in actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0277] When using integrated units, Figure 10 This is a block diagram of the functional units of a communication device. The communication device 1000 includes: a transmitting unit 1010, a receiving unit 1020, a determining unit 1030, and a starting unit 1040.

[0278] It should be noted that the transmitting unit 1010 can be a module unit used to process signals, data, information, etc., and there are no specific restrictions on it.

[0279] The receiving unit 1020 can be a module unit for processing signals, data, information, etc., and there are no specific limitations on it.

[0280] The determination unit 1030 can be a module unit used to process signals, data, information, etc., and there are no specific restrictions on it.

[0281] The startup unit 1040 can be a module unit for processing signals, data, information, etc., and there are no specific limitations on it.

[0282] In some possible implementations, the transmitting unit 1010, receiving unit 1020, determining unit 1030 and starting unit 1040 may be separate from each other or integrated into the same unit.

[0283] In some possible implementations, the determining unit 1030 and the starting unit 1040 may be integrated into the processing unit. The processing unit may be a processor or controller, such as a central processing unit (CPU), a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, transistor logic devices, hardware components, or any combination thereof. It may implement or execute the various exemplary logic blocks, modules, and circuits described in conjunction with the disclosure of this application. The processing unit may also be a combination that implements computational functions, such as including one or more microprocessor combinations, a combination of a DSP and a microprocessor, etc.

[0284] In some possible implementations, the transmitting unit 1010 and the receiving unit 1020 can be integrated into a communication unit. This communication unit can be a communication interface, transceiver, transceiver circuit, etc.

[0285] In some possible implementations, the communication device 1000 may further include a storage unit for storing computer programs or instructions executed by the data communication device 1000. This storage unit may be a memory.

[0286] In some possible implementations, the communication device 1000 may be a chip / chip module / processor / device / operating system.

[0287] In specific implementation, the sending unit 1010, receiving unit 1020, determining unit 1030, and starting unit 1040 are used to execute the steps described in the above method embodiments. A detailed description follows.

[0288] The transmitting unit 1010 is used to send a first signal to the second device in the first communication, the first signal being used to determine distance information between the communication device and the second device;

[0289] The receiving unit 1020 is used to receive a second signal from the second device in the first communication. The second signal carries distance information and a first duration. The first duration is used to represent the duration between the receiving timestamp of the second device receiving the third signal and the sending timestamp of the response to the third signal in the second communication.

[0290] The determining unit 1030 is used to determine a second duration based on the distance information and the first duration. The second duration is used to represent the sleep duration required for the communication device to go from the end of the transmission state to the entry into the reception state in the second communication.

[0291] The startup unit 1040 is used to start a sleep state for a second duration after sending a fourth signal to the second device in the second communication.

[0292] It should be noted that the specific implementation of each operation performed by the communication device 1000 can be found in the corresponding description of the above method embodiments, and will not be repeated here.

[0293] It is evident that, in order to meet the requirements of low-power design, before executing the second communication, the distance information and the first duration are obtained through the signal interaction in the first communication. Then, the second duration is determined by the distance information and the first duration. This allows the first device to immediately enter the sleep state after sending the fourth signal in the second communication, and then start the receiving state after the second duration ends, thereby saving power consumption.

[0294] In some possible implementations, if the first signal is also used to instruct the second device to perform signal detection based on the first signal to obtain a detection result of the first signal, then the distance information is determined by the detection result of the first signal, which includes at least one of the following:

[0295] The signal receiving power of the first signal, the received signal strength indication of the first signal, the received signal level of the first signal, the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the first signal, and the signal receiving quality of the first signal.

[0296] In some possible implementations, if the first signal is also used to instruct the second device to perform an angle of arrival measurement based on the first signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the first signal, then the distance information is determined by the angle of arrival of the first signal.

[0297] In some possible implementations, an angle of arrival measurement is performed based on the first signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the first signal, including:

[0298] The first signal is sampled P times by each of the X array elements of the second device's antenna array to obtain the phase acquired by each of the X array elements, where X is a positive integer and P is a positive integer.

[0299] X-1 phase differences are obtained by calculating the difference between the phase acquired by the target element and the phase acquired by each of the other elements in the array (excluding the target element).

[0300] The angle of arrival of the first signal is calculated by taking the distance between the target element and each of the other elements, X-1 phase differences, and the wavelength of the first signal.

[0301] In some possible implementations, the first signal is also used to wake up the second device and to notify the second device that it is ready to perform the second communication after the first communication.

[0302] In some possible implementations, after receiving a third signal from the second device in the first communication, the communication device 1000 further includes an update unit, which is used to:

[0303] An angle of arrival measurement is performed based on the third signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the third signal;

[0304] The distance information is updated based on the angle of arrival of the third signal.

[0305] In some possible implementations, after receiving a third signal from the second device in the first communication, the communication device 1000 further includes:

[0306] The acquisition unit is used to acquire the third duration, which represents the duration for which the first device needs to start the receiving state in advance;

[0307] In determining the second duration based on distance information and the first duration, the determining unit 1030 is used for:

[0308] The second duration is determined based on distance information, the first duration, and the third duration.

[0309] 7. An exemplary description of a device

[0310] The following is a schematic diagram of the structure of a device provided in an embodiment of this application, such as... Figure 11 As shown. The device 1100 includes a processor 1110, a memory 1120, and at least one communication bus for connecting the processor 1110 and the memory 1120.

[0311] Processor 1110 may be one or more central processing units (CPUs). When processor 1110 is a CPU, the CPU may be a single-core CPU or a multi-core CPU. Memory 2220 includes, but is not limited to, random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), or compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM), and memory 1120 is used to store computer programs or instructions.

[0312] Device 1100 also includes a communication interface for receiving and sending data.

[0313] The processor 1110 in device 1100 is used to execute computer programs or instructions 1121 stored in memory 1120 to perform the following steps:

[0314] In the first communication, a first signal is sent to the second device. The first signal is used to request distance information and a first duration. The distance information is used to represent the distance between the first device and the second device and / or the signal flight time. The first duration is used to represent the duration between the second device in the second communication from the timestamp of receiving the second signal to the timestamp of sending the second signal in response.

[0315] Receive a third signal from the second device in the first communication, the third signal carrying distance information and a first duration;

[0316] The second duration is determined based on the distance information and the first duration. The second duration is used to represent the duration of sleep required for the first device in the second communication from the end of the sending state to the start of the receiving state.

[0317] After sending the fourth signal to the second device in the second communication, the device enters a sleep state and then enters a receiving state after the second duration has ended.

[0318] It is evident that, in order to meet the requirements of low-power design, before executing the second communication, the distance information and the first duration are obtained through the signal interaction in the first communication. Then, the second duration is determined by the distance information and the first duration. This allows the first device to immediately enter the sleep state after sending the fourth signal in the second communication, and then start the receiving state after the second duration ends, thereby saving power consumption.

[0319] It should be noted that the specific implementation of each operation performed by the electronic device 1100 can be found in the corresponding description of the above-described method embodiment, and will not be repeated here.

[0320] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium storing a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps described in the above embodiments.

[0321] This application also provides a computer program product, including a computer program or instructions, wherein the computer program or instructions, when executed by a processor, implement the steps described in the above embodiments. For example, the computer program product may be a software installation package.

[0322] It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the above embodiments are all described as a series of actions. Those skilled in the art should understand that this application is not limited to the described order of actions, as some steps in the embodiments of this application can be performed in other orders or simultaneously. Furthermore, those skilled in the art should also understand that the embodiments described in the specification are preferred embodiments, and the actions, steps, modules, or units involved are not necessarily essential to the embodiments of this application.

[0323] In the above embodiments, the descriptions of each embodiment in this application have different focuses. For parts not described in detail in a certain embodiment, please refer to the relevant descriptions in other embodiments.

[0324] Those skilled in the art should understand that the functions of the methods, steps, or related modules / units described in the embodiments of this application can be implemented, in whole or in part, by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, it can be implemented, in whole or in part, as a computer program product, or by a processor executing computer program instructions. The computer program product includes at least one computer program instruction, which can be composed of corresponding software modules. These software modules can be stored in RAM, flash memory, ROM, EPROM, EEPROM, registers, hard disk, portable hard disk, read-only optical disc (CD-ROM), or any other form of storage medium well known in the art. The computer program instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer program instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired or wireless means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium accessible to a computer or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available media can be magnetic media (e.g., floppy disks, hard disks, magnetic tapes), optical media, or semiconductor media (e.g., SSDs).

[0325] The modules / units included in the various devices or products described in the above embodiments can be software modules / units, hardware modules / units, or a combination of software and hardware modules / units. For example, for devices or products applied to or integrated into a chip, all of their modules / units can be implemented using hardware methods such as circuits; or, some of their modules / units can be implemented using software programs that run on a processor integrated within the chip, while other (if any) modules / units can be implemented using hardware methods such as circuits. The same principle applies to devices or products applied to or integrated into chip modules, or devices or products applied to or integrated into terminals.

[0326] The specific embodiments described above further illustrate the purpose, technical solution, and beneficial effects of the embodiments of this application. It should be understood that the above descriptions are merely specific embodiments of the embodiments of this application and are not intended to limit the protection scope of the embodiments of this application. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made based on the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application should be included within the protection scope of the embodiments of this application.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a first device, the method includes: In the first communication, a first signal is sent to the second device. The first signal is used to request distance information and a first duration. The distance information is used to represent the distance and / or signal flight time between the first device and the second device. The first duration is used to represent the duration between the second device in the second communication from the timestamp of receiving the second signal to the timestamp of responding to the second signal. The first communication is Bluetooth communication or Wi-Fi communication, and the second communication is UWB communication. Receive a third signal from the second device in the first communication, the third signal carrying the distance information and the first duration; A second duration is determined based on the distance information and the first duration, wherein the second duration is used to represent the duration of sleep required for the first device to transition from the end of the sending state to the start of the receiving state in the second communication; After sending the fourth signal to the second device in the second communication, a sleep state is initiated, and the receiving state is initiated again after the second duration ends.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, If the first signal is further used to instruct the second device to perform signal detection based on the first signal to obtain a detection result of the first signal, then the distance information is determined by the detection result of the first signal, and the detection result of the first signal includes at least one of the following: The signal receiving power of the first signal, the received signal strength indication of the first signal, the received signal level of the first signal, the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the first signal, and the signal receiving quality of the first signal.

3. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, If the first signal is also used to instruct the second device to perform an angle of arrival measurement based on the first signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the first signal, then the distance information is determined by the angle of arrival of the first signal.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The step of performing an angle-of-arrival measurement based on the first signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the first signal includes: The first signal is sampled P times by each of the X array elements of the antenna array of the second device to obtain the phase collected by each of the X array elements, where X is a positive integer and P is a positive integer. X-1 phase differences are obtained by calculating the difference between the phase acquired by the target array element and the phase acquired by each of the other array elements excluding the target array element. The angle of arrival of the first signal is calculated using the distance between the target element and each of the other elements, the X-1 phase differences, and the wavelength of the first signal.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1-4, characterized in that, The first signal is also used to wake up the second device and to notify the second device that it is ready to perform the second communication after the first communication.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1-5, characterized in that, After receiving the third signal from the second device in the first communication, the method further includes: An angle of arrival measurement is performed based on the third signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the third signal; The distance information is updated based on the angle of arrival of the third signal.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1-6, characterized in that, After receiving the third signal from the second device in the first communication, the method further includes: Obtain a third duration, which represents the duration for which the first device needs to initiate the receiving state in advance; Determining the second duration based on the distance information and the first duration includes: The second duration is determined based on the distance information, the first duration, and the third duration.

8. A communication method, characterized in that, Applied to a second device, the method includes: In the first communication, a first signal sent by a first device is received. The first signal is used to request distance information and a first duration. The distance information is used to represent the distance and / or signal flight time between the first device and the second device. The first duration is used to represent the duration between the second device in the second communication from the timestamp of receiving the second signal to the timestamp of responding to the second signal. The first communication is Bluetooth communication or Wi-Fi communication, and the second communication is UWB communication. Perform signal detection on the first signal to obtain the detection result of the first signal, determine the distance information based on the detection result of the first signal, and send a third signal to the first device, wherein the third signal carries the distance information and the first duration; In the second communication, a fourth signal sent by the first device is received. After sending the fourth signal, the first device starts a sleep state and starts a receiving state after a second duration ends. The second duration is determined by the first device based on the distance information and the first duration. The second duration is used to represent the sleep time required for the first device to go from the end of the sending state to the start of the receiving state in the second communication.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, If the first signal is further used to instruct the second device to perform signal detection based on the first signal to obtain a detection result of the first signal, then the distance information is determined by the detection result of the first signal, and the detection result of the first signal includes at least one of the following: The signal receiving power of the first signal, the received signal strength indication of the first signal, the received signal level of the first signal, the signal-to-interference-plus-noise ratio of the first signal, and the signal receiving quality of the first signal.

10. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, If the first signal is also used to instruct the second device to perform an angle of arrival measurement based on the first signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the first signal, then the distance information is determined by the angle of arrival of the first signal.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that, The step of performing an angle-of-arrival measurement based on the first signal to obtain the angle of arrival of the first signal includes: The first signal is sampled P times by each of the X array elements of the antenna array to obtain the phase collected by each of the X array elements, where X is a positive integer and P is a positive integer; X-1 phase differences are obtained by calculating the difference between the phase acquired by the target array element and the phase acquired by each of the other array elements excluding the target array element. The angle of arrival of the first signal is calculated using the distance between the target element and each of the other elements, the X-1 phase differences, and the wavelength of the first signal.

12. The method according to any one of claims 8-11, characterized in that, The first signal is also used to wake up the second device and to notify the second device that it is ready to perform the second communication after the first communication.

13. The method according to any one of claims 8-11, characterized in that, The third signal is used to instruct the first device to perform an angle of arrival measurement to obtain the angle of arrival of the third signal, and to update the distance information based on the angle of arrival of the third signal.

14. The method according to any one of claims 8-11, characterized in that, The second duration is determined by the first device after receiving the third signal from the second device in the first communication, based on the distance information, the first duration, and the third duration. The third duration is obtained by the first device and is used to indicate the duration for which the first device needs to start the receiving state in advance.

15. A communication device, characterized in that, include: A transmitting unit is configured to transmit a first signal to a second device in a first communication, the first signal being used to determine distance information between the communication device and the second device; A receiving unit is configured to receive a second signal from the second device in the first communication, the second signal carrying the distance information and a first duration, the first duration being used to represent the duration of the second device in the second communication from the receiving timestamp of receiving the third signal to the sending timestamp of responding to the third signal, the first communication being Bluetooth communication or Wi-Fi communication, and the second communication being UWB communication; The determining unit is configured to determine a second duration based on the distance information and the first duration, wherein the second duration represents the duration of sleep required for the communication device to transition from the end of the sending state to the entry of the receiving state in the second communication. The startup unit is used to initiate a sleep state for the second duration after sending a fourth signal to the second device in the second communication.

16. A device, characterized in that, The device is a first device; the first device includes a processor, a memory, and a computer program or instructions stored in the memory, the processor executing the computer program or instructions to implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1-7.

17. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores a computer program or instructions that, when executed by a processor, implement the steps of the method according to any one of claims 1-7.

Images