Apparatus and method for UWB ranging in wireless communication network

Abstract

A station (110) is provided for performing an ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging procedure at another station (120) in a wireless communication network (100), in particular a wireless personal area network (WPAN). The station (110) comprises a communication interface (113) configured to transmit a segmented UWB chain-side pitch sounding packet and a segmented UWB ranging packet to the other station (120). Further, the station (110) comprises processing circuitry (111) configured to select a duration of a segment of the segmented UWB ranging packet based on feedback from the other station (120) in response to the segmented UWB link side pitch sounding packet and / or based on another segmented UWB link side pitch sounding packet received from the other station (120).

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to wireless communications and more particularly to an apparatus and method for performing an ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging process in a wireless communication network, especially a wireless personal area network (WPAN). Background Art

[0002] The IEEE 802.15.4 ultra-wideband (UWB) standard supports precise ranging between multiple UWB devices. There have been proposals for the next generation standard (IEEE 802.15.4ab) to provide a coupled UWB and narrowband (NB) ranging scheme that would allow for increased UWB-based ranging range and network utilization. These proposals include multi-millisecond schemes where transmissions are segmented and utilize a limited portion of each millisecond time window, allowing for increased transmit power. This scheme requires a link adaptation (LA) mechanism that adjusts the segment duration in an attempt to best adapt it to the wireless link conditions while meeting the overall constraints and requirements. Summary of the invention

[0003] The object is to provide an improved device and method for performing an ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging procedure in a wireless communication network, in particular a wireless personal area network (WPAN).

[0004] The above and other objects are achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Other implementations are apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0005] According to a first aspect, a station (also referred to as an initiator or UWB device) is provided for performing an ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging process with another station (also referred to as a responder or another UWB device) in a wireless communication network, particularly a wireless personal area network (WPAN). The station may be a smartphone, a sensor, an RF tag, or other type of UWB communication device, and the station includes a communication interface configured to send a segmented UWB link margin detection packet and a segmented UWB ranging packet to the other station. In addition, the station includes a processing circuit configured to select an initial duration of a segment of the segmented UWB ranging packet based on feedback from the other station in response to the segmented UWB link margin detection packet and / or based on another segmented UWB link margin detection packet received from the other station.

[0006] In a possible further implementation, the communication interface is also configured to: before sending the segmented UWB link margin detection packet to the other station, send a narrowband (NB) control packet to the other station, used to announce the segmented UWB link margin detection packet and synchronize the other station with the station; and before sending the segmented UWB ranging packet to the other station, send another NB control packet to the other station, used to announce the segmented UWB ranging packet.

[0007] In a possible further implementation, the NB control packet includes an indication, in particular a flag bit, for notifying the segmented UWB link margin detection packet.

[0008] In a possible further implementation, the communication interface is configured to send another segmented UWB ranging packet to the another station, and wherein the processing circuit is configured to select adaptive durations for segments of the another segmented UWB ranging packet. In other words, link adaptation may be performed.

[0009] In a possible further implementation, the communication interface is further configured to: before sending the another segmented UWB ranging packet to the another station, send another NB control packet to the another station to announce the another segmented UWB ranging packet, and if necessary, further synchronize the another station with the station.

[0010] In a possible further implementation, the feedback from the other station in response to the segmented UWB link margin detection packet includes information about the link margin determined by the other station based on the segmented UWB link margin detection packet. The feedback can be part of status data signaling exchanged between the station and the other station after transmitting the segmented UWB link margin detection packet.

[0011] In a possible further implementation, the total duration of the segments of the segmented UWB link margin detection packet is equal to or shorter than the total duration of the segments of the segmented UWB ranging packet. In other words, the duration of the UWB link margin detection packet before segmenting the UWB link margin detection packet into multiple segments (i.e., the segmented UWB link margin detection packet) is equal to or shorter than the duration of the UWB ranging packet before segmenting the UWB ranging packet into multiple segments (i.e., the segmented UWB detection packet).

[0012] In a possible further implementation, the segmented UWB ranging packet includes a preamble code and a ranging integrity field.

[0013] In a possible further implementation, the segmented UWB link margin detection packet includes a preamble code but does not include a ranging integrity field.

[0014] In a possible further implementation, the total duration of the segments of the preamble of the segmented UWB link margin detection packet is equal to or shorter than the total duration of the segments of the preamble of the segmented UWB ranging packet. In other words, the duration of the preamble of the UWB link margin detection packet before segmenting the UWB link margin detection packet into multiple segments of the preamble of the segmented UWB link margin detection packet is equal to or shorter than the duration of the preamble of the segmented UWB ranging packet before segmenting the UWB ranging packet into multiple segments of the preamble of the segmented UWB detection packet.

[0015] In a possible further implementation, the segments of the further segmented UWB link margin probe packet from the further station are time-interleaved with the segments of the segmented UWB link margin probe packet sent to the further station, which allows shortening the overall duration of the process.

[0016] In a possible further implementation, the communication interface is further configured to exchange status data, in particular, status data related to ranging, with the other station after sending the segmented UWB ranging packet to the other station and receiving the other segmented UWB ranging packet from the other station. Therefore, in one implementation, the communication interface is configured to receive status data providing information about the link margin of the other station from the other station after sending the segmented UWB link margin detection packet to the other station.

[0017] In a possible further implementation, the communication interface is further configured to receive status data providing information about ranging from the another station after sending the segmented UWB ranging packet to the another station and receiving the another segmented UWB ranging packet from the another station.

[0018] In a possible further implementation, the status data providing information about the link margin of the station is part of a link margin status data packet, and wherein the status data providing information about ranging is part of a ranging status data packet, and wherein the link margin status data packet is shorter than the ranging status data packet.

[0019] In a possible further implementation, the link margin status data packet is a segmented UWB link margin status data packet, a NB link margin status data packet or an out-of-band (OOB) link margin status data packet, and wherein the ranging status data packet is a segmented UWB ranging status data packet, a NB ranging status data packet or an OOB ranging status data packet.

[0020] Therefore, for the UWB link margin detection packet, the exchange of status data can be shortened compared with the UWB ranging packet based on eliminating ranging related information.

[0021] According to a second aspect, there is provided a method of operating a station, the station performing an ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging procedure with another station in a wireless communication network (particularly a WPAN). The method comprises:

[0022] sending a segmented UWB link margin detection packet to the another station; and

[0023] and sending a segmented UWB ranging packet to the other station, wherein an initial duration of a segment of the segmented UWB ranging packet is selected based on feedback from the other station in response to the segmented UWB link margin probe packet and / or based on another segmented UWB link margin probe packet received from the other station.

[0024] The method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure can be performed by the station according to the first aspect of the present disclosure. Therefore, other features of the method according to the second aspect of the present disclosure are directly derived from the station according to the first aspect of the present disclosure and its different implementations described above and below.

[0025] According to a third aspect, there is provided a computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium for storing program code, which, when executed by a computer or a processor, causes the computer or the processor to perform the method according to the second aspect.

[0026] The following drawings and description set forth the details of one or more embodiments. Other features, objects, and advantages are apparent from the description, drawings, and claims. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] The embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0028] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication network including a station performing ranging of another station according to an embodiment is shown.

[0029] Figure 2 is a signaling diagram illustrating signal exchange between a station and another station for performing ranging according to an embodiment.

[0030] Figure 3 is a flow chart illustrating a method of operating a station for performing ranging according to an embodiment.

[0031] In the following, identical reference numerals refer to identical or at least functionally equivalent features. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0032] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form part of the present disclosure and illustrate specific aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure or in which specific aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure may be used. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be used in other aspects and may include structural or logical changes not depicted in the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be understood in a restrictive sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

[0033] For example, it should be understood that disclosures related to the described method may also apply to a corresponding device or system configured to perform the method, and vice versa. For example, if one or more specific method steps are described, the corresponding device may include one or more units (e.g., functional units) to perform the described one or more method steps (e.g., one unit performs one or more steps, or multiple units perform one or more of the multiple steps respectively), even if such one or more units are not explicitly described or illustrated in the drawings. On the other hand, for example, if a specific device is described based on one or more units (e.g., functional units), the corresponding method may include a step to perform the function of one or more units (e.g., one step performs the function of one or more units, or multiple steps perform the function of one or more of the multiple units respectively), even if the one or more steps are not explicitly described or illustrated in the drawings. In addition, it should be understood that, unless otherwise stated, the features of the various exemplary embodiments and / or aspects described herein may be combined with each other.

[0034] Figure 1 An exemplary wireless communication network 100 is shown including a station 110 configured to communicate with another station 120 via a wireless communication channel. In one embodiment, the wireless communication network is a wireless personal area network (WPAN), in particular, a WPAN according to the IEEE 802.15.4 ultra-wideband (UWB) standard. Figure 1 As shown, the station 110 and / or another station 120 may be, for example, a smartphone, an RF tag, a sensor, or another type of UWB communication device. Figure 1 Only a single another site is shown, but it must be understood that in other embodiments, site 110 may be used to perform the processes described below with multiple another sites, including another site 120 .

[0035] like Figure 1As shown, the site 110 includes a processing circuit 111 and a communication interface 113, in particular a wireless communication interface 113 according to the IEEE802.15.4UWB standard. The processing circuit 111 can be implemented in hardware and / or software form, and can include only digital circuits, or include analog circuits and digital circuits. The digital circuit may include components such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP) or a general-purpose processor. The site 110 may also include a memory 115 for storing an executable program code, which, when executed by the processing circuit 111, enables the site 110 to perform the functions and methods described herein.

[0036] Similarly, Figure 1 The other site 120 shown includes a processing circuit 121 and a communication interface 123, in particular a wireless communication interface 123 according to the IEEE 802.15.4UWB standard. The processing circuit 121 can be implemented in hardware and / or software form, and can include only digital circuits, or include analog circuits and digital circuits. The digital circuit may include components such as an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC), a field-programmable gate array (FPGA), a digital signal processor (DSP) or a general-purpose processor. The other site 120 may also include a memory 125 for storing an executable program code, which, when executed by the processing circuit 121, enables the other site 120 to perform the functions and methods described herein.

[0037] As will be further referenced below Figure 2 In more detail, the station 110 is used to perform a UWB ranging process with another station 120, that is, to determine the distance of the other station 120 to the station 110. In the context of such a ranging process, the station 110 can be considered as an initiator, and the other station 120 can be considered as a responder of the ranging process. Although the ranging process will be described in the context of the station 110 below, it should be understood that the same type of ranging process can be initiated by another station 120 and performed together with the station 110.

[0038] Usually, if Figure 2As shown, the communication interface 113 of the station 110 is configured to send a segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a and a segmented UWB ranging packet 213a to the other station 120. Figure 2 As shown in block 207 of , the processing circuit 111 of the station 110 is configured to select an initial duration of a segment of the segmented UWB ranging packet 213a based on feedback from another station 120 in response to the segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a and / or based on another segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203b received from another station 120.

[0039] exist Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the protocol implemented by station 110 and another station 120 can be divided into two main stages or phases, namely, link margin detection stage 200 and ranging stage 210. Figure 2 The illustrated ranging phase 210 may be followed by other similar ranging phases.

[0040] More specifically, in Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the link margin detection phase 200 is initiated by exchanging control data 201 between the station 110 and another station. Figure 2 In the illustrated embodiment, the communication interface 113 of the station 110 is configured to exchange control data 201 with another station 120 before sending a segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a to the other station 120. In one embodiment, the control data can be exchanged to the other station 120 via a narrowband (NB) control packet for announcing the segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a and synchronizing the other station 120 with the station 110. To this end, in one embodiment, the NB control packet provided by the station 110 to the other station 120 may include an indication for announcing the segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a, in particular an identification bit; and / or other control data, such as a timestamp for station synchronization, information about the number and / or duration of segments of the segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a. Similar NB control packets can be sent by another station 120 to the station 110 as part of the exchange of control data 201. In another embodiment, the control data exchange 201 between the station 110 and the other station 120 may be implemented by segmenting UWB control packets.

[0041] After exchanging the control data 201, the communication interface 113 of the station 110 is configured to send segments of the segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a to another station 120. In one embodiment, the communication interface of the station 110 is configured to send segments of the segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a to another station 120 every 1 millisecond window. In one embodiment, such transmission can be boosted in power (by selecting a shorter segment duration) over the entire segment while maintaining the total transmission energy over the 1 millisecond window. It should be understood that the shorter the segment duration, the higher the transmission power boost, thereby allowing a higher link budget gain for data decoding and ranging. In one embodiment, the number of segments of the segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a can be derived from the segment duration and the non-segmented packet duration (i.e., the total duration of the UWB link margin detection packet 203a before the segmentation).

[0042] In addition, the communication interface 113 of the station 110 may be configured to receive segments of another segmented UWB link margin probe packet 203b from another station 120. In one embodiment, the segments of another segmented UWB link margin probe packet 203b from another station 120 are temporally interleaved with the segments of the segmented UWB link margin probe packet 203a sent to another station 120.

[0043] Based on the segments of the segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a received by the communication interface 123 of the other station 120 from the station 110, the processing circuit 121 of the other station 120 can determine the link margin, for example, the difference between the received power of the segments of the segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a and the sensitivity of the communication interface 123 of the other station. Similarly, the processing circuit 111 of the station can determine the link margin based on the segments of another segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203b received by the communication interface 113 of the station 110 from the other station 110.

[0044] Once the other station 120 determines the link margin, the communication interface 123 of the other station 120 may feed back information about the link margin to the station 120. In one embodiment, the information about the link margin may be provided to the station 110 as part of the exchange status data 205, such as Figure 2As shown. In one embodiment, exchanging status data 205 may include exchanging link margin detection status data packets between site 110 and another site 120. In one embodiment, the link margin detection status data packets may be segmented UWB link margin detection status data packets, NB link margin detection status data packets, or out-of-band (OOB) link margin detection status data packets. In one embodiment, the information about the link margin may be based on the link budget IE content field format defined by the IEEE 802.15.4 UWB standard.

[0045] As mentioned above, Figure 2 As shown in block 207 of FIG. 1 , the processing circuit 111 of the station 110 is configured to select or determine the initial duration of the segments of the segmented UWB ranging packet 213 a based on feedback from the other station 120 regarding the link margin and / or based on the link margin determined by the station 110 based on another segmented UWB link margin probe packet 203 b received from the other station 120. In one embodiment, the processing circuit 111 of the station 110 may select the initial duration of the segments of the segmented UWB ranging packet 213 a to be the longest possible segment duration while satisfying the total power constraint and the transmit power is still large enough to keep the link margin of the other station 120 positive.

[0046] from Figure 2 It can be seen that the link margin detection phase 200 and the ranging phase 210 of the illustrated protocol can have the same or similar overall structure, that is, the two phases can include exchanging control data 201, 211, exchanging segmented UWB packets 203a, 203b, 213a, 213b, and exchanging status data. Therefore, the main differences between the link margin detection phase 200 and the ranging phase 210 will be mainly described below.

[0047] In one embodiment, the total duration of the segments of the segmented UWB link margin probe packet 203a is equal to or shorter than the total duration of the segments of the segmented UWB ranging packet 213a. Figure 2 Schematically illustrating a case where the total duration of the segments of the segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a is shorter than the total duration of the segments of the segmented UWB ranging packet 213a. In other words, the duration of the UWB link margin detection packet before segmenting the UWB link margin detection packet into multiple segments (i.e., the segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a) is equal to or shorter than the duration of the UWB ranging packet before segmenting the UWB ranging packet into multiple segments (i.e., the segmented UWB detection packet 213a).

[0048] In one embodiment, the different durations (or equivalent sizes or lengths) of the segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a and the segmented UWB ranging packet 213a may be due to the segmented UWB ranging packet 213a including a preamble and a ranging integrity field, while the segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a includes only a preamble (which may have the same duration, i.e., size, as the preamble of the segmented UWB ranging packet 213a), but does not include a ranging integrity field. In another embodiment, the total duration of the segments of the preamble of the segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a may be equal to or shorter than the total duration of the segments of the preamble of the segmented UWB ranging packet 213a.

[0049] Therefore, in one embodiment, during the link margin detection phase 200, the station 110 can send a shortened duration version of the segmented UWB ranging packet 213a as a segmented UWB link margin detection packet 203a, which is sufficient to support the link margin measurement of another station 120 (rather than the longer duration UWB ranging packet 213a required to support the secure ranging measurement). This can reduce the overall process duration and improve network efficiency. In one embodiment, the shortened UWB link margin detection packet 203a can be generated by omitting the ranging integrity field of the UWB ranging packet 213a and retaining only its preamble. As described above, the UWB link margin detection packet 203a can be further shortened by using a shortened version of the preamble of the UWB ranging packet 213a for the UWB link margin detection packet 203a.

[0050] In one embodiment, exchanging status data 215 may include exchanging ranging status data packets between station 110 and another station 120. In one embodiment, the ranging status data packets may be segmented UWB ranging status data packets, NB ranging status data packets, or OOB ranging status data packets. In one embodiment, the link margin detection packets used when exchanging status data 205 during the link margin detection phase 200 are shorter in time and therefore in length than the ranging status data packets. Therefore, for the link margin detection phase 200, by providing only ranging related information in the ranging status data packets and not providing ranging related information in the link margin detection status data packets, the exchange of status data 205 may be shortened compared to the exchange of status data 215 in the ranging phase 210.

[0051] Based on the fragmentation of the fragmented UWB packet 213 b received by the communication interface 113 of the station 110 from the other station 120 and / or based on the status data exchange 215 between the station 110 and the other station 120, the processing circuit 111 of the station 110 can determine the distance to the other station 120, that is, perform ranging of the other station 120.

[0052] Furthermore, based on the segmentation of the segmented UWB packet 213 b received by the communication interface 113 of the station 110 from the other station 120 and / or based on the status data exchange 215 between the station 110 and the other station 120, the processing circuit 111 of the station 110 may also adapt the initial duration selected for the segmentation of the segmented UWB ranging packet 213 a (see step 207 of FIG. 7 ) to the initial duration selected for the segmentation of the segmented UWB ranging packet 213 a. Figure 2 In other words, the processing circuit 111 of the station 110 may implement a link adaptation mechanism for adapting the duration of the segments of the segmented UWB ranging packet to the changing channel conditions. In one embodiment, the link adaptation mechanism implemented by the processing circuit 111 of the station 110 may be configured to reduce the ranging process talk time and maximize the network throughput, i.e., select the optimal segment duration based on the wireless channel conditions that consumes the least talk time while still allowing a reliable UWB ranging connection.

[0053] Figure 3 3 is a flow chart showing a method 300 of a station (e.g., the above-described station 110) operating in a wireless communication network (e.g., the above-described WPAN 100) to perform a UWB ranging procedure with another station (e.g., the above-described another station 120). The method 300 includes a step 301 of sending a segmented UWB link margin probe packet 203a to the other station 120. In addition, the method 300 includes a step 303 of sending a segmented UWB ranging packet 213a to the other station 120, wherein the duration of the segments of the segmented UWB ranging packet 213a is selected based on the feedback 205 from the other station 120 in response to the segmented UWB link margin probe packet 203a and / or based on another segmented UWB link margin probe packet 203b received from the other station 120.

[0054] Since the method 300 may be implemented by the station 110 , other features of the method 300 derive directly from the functionality of the station 110 and its various embodiments described above and below.

[0055] It should be understood that the initial segment duration selected by the site 110 according to the embodiments disclosed herein is a substantial improvement over initiating link adaptation based on the shortest segment duration. Although selecting the shortest segment duration will ensure a reliable UWB ranging connection (as long as the wireless conditions are within the link budget range), it may temporarily consume longer talk time than necessary, and therefore may be inefficient because it will result in slow convergence of link adaptation and reduced network utilization. This is solved by the embodiments of the site 110 disclosed herein by providing means for link adaptation, which enables it to converge faster by defining configurable changes to the ranging process so that it can be used as a link margin detection process. As a result of this link margin detection, the link adaptation will be able to select the best initial segment duration as a starting point and further adapt according to the wireless link conditions. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein allow the reduction of talk time consumption of the initial ranging process and prevent unnecessary network load.

[0056] Those skilled in the art will understand that the "boxes" ("units") of the various figures (methods and devices) represent or describe the functions of the embodiments of the present disclosure (not necessarily separate "units" of hardware or software), and therefore equally describe the functions or features of the device embodiments and the method embodiments (unit = step).

[0057] In the several embodiments provided in the present application, it should be understood that the disclosed systems, devices and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the described device embodiments are merely exemplary. For example, the unit division is only a logical function division, which can be another division in the actual implementation. For example, multiple units or components can be merged or integrated into another system, or some features can be ignored or not performed. In addition, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed can be implemented by using some interfaces. The indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units can be implemented in electronic, mechanical or other forms.

[0058] Units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and components shown as units may or may not be physical units, may be located in one location, or may be distributed over multiple network units. Some or all of the units may be selected according to actual needs to achieve the purpose of the embodiment.

[0059] Furthermore, the functional units in the embodiments disclosed herein may be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit may exist physically separately, or two or more units may be integrated into one unit.

Claims

1. A station (110) for performing an ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging process with another station (120) in a wireless communication network (100), wherein: The site (110) comprises: a communication interface (113) configured to send a segmented UWB link margin detection packet (203a) and a segmented UWB ranging packet (213a) to the other station (120); and The processing circuit (111) is configured to select the duration of the segments of the segmented UWB ranging packet (213a) based on feedback from the other station (120) in response to the segmented UWB link margin probe packet (203a) and / or based on another segmented UWB link margin probe packet (203b) received from the other station (120).

2. The station (110) according to claim 1, wherein The communication interface (113) is further configured to: before sending the segmented UWB link margin detection packet (203a) to the other station (120), send a narrowband NB control packet (201) to the other station (120) for announcing the segmented UWB link margin detection packet (203a); and before sending the segmented UWB ranging packet (213a) to the other station (120), send another NB control packet (211) to the other station (120) for announcing the segmented UWB ranging packet (213a).

3. The station (110) according to claim 2, wherein The NB control packet (201) includes an indication for announcing the segmented UWB link margin detection packet (203a).

4. The station (110) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The communication interface (113) is configured to send another segmented UWB ranging packet to the another station (120), and wherein the processing circuit (111) is configured to select adaptive durations for segments of the another segmented UWB ranging packet.

5. The station (110) according to claim 4, wherein The communication interface (113) is further configured to: before sending the another segmented UWB ranging packet to the another station, send another NB control packet to the another station for announcing the another segmented UWB ranging packet.

6. The station (110) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The feedback (205) from the other station (120) in response to the segmented UWB link margin probe packet (203a) includes information about a link margin determined by the other station (120) based on the segmented UWB link margin probe packet (203a).

7. The station (110) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The total duration of the segments of the segmented UWB link margin detection packet (203a) is equal to or shorter than the total duration of the segments of the segmented UWB ranging packet (213a).

8. The station (110) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein The segmented UWB ranging packet (213a) includes a preamble and a ranging integrity field.

9. The station (110) according to claim 8, wherein The segmented UWB link margin detection packet (203a) includes a preamble.

10. The station (110) according to claim 9, wherein The total duration of the segments of the preamble of the segmented UWB link margin detection packet (203a) is equal to or shorter than the total duration of the segments of the preamble of the segmented UWB ranging packet (213a).

11. The station (110) according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein Segments of the another segmented UWB link margin probe packet (203b) from the another station (120) are interleaved with segments of the segmented UWB link margin probe packet (203a) sent to the another station (120).

12. The station (110) according to claim 11, wherein The communication interface (113) is configured to receive status data (205) about the link margin of the other station (120) from the other station (120) after sending the segmented UWB link margin detection packet (203a) to the other station (120).

13. The station (110) according to claim 12, wherein The communication interface (113) is further configured to receive status data (211) on ranging from the other station (120) after sending the segmented UWB ranging packet (209a) to the other station.

14. The station (110) of claim 13, wherein: The status data (205) regarding the link margin of the other station (120) is part of a link margin status data packet, and wherein the status data regarding ranging is part of a ranging status data packet, and wherein the link margin status data packet is shorter than the ranging status data packet.

15. The station (110) of claim 14, wherein: The link margin status data packet is a segmented UWB link margin status data packet, a NB link margin status data packet, or an out-of-band OOB link margin status data packet, and wherein the ranging status data packet is a segmented UWB ranging status data packet, a NB ranging status data packet, or an OOB ranging status data packet.

16. A method (300) of operating a station (110) for performing an ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging procedure with another station (120) in a wireless communication network (100), wherein: The method (300) comprises: sending (301) a segmented UWB link margin detection packet (203a) to the other station (120); and A segmented UWB ranging packet (213a) is sent (303) to the other station, wherein the duration of the segments of the segmented UWB ranging packet (213a) is selected based on feedback (205) from the other station (120) in response to the segmented UWB link margin probe packet (203a) and / or based on another segmented UWB link margin probe packet (203b) received from the other station (120).

17. A computer program product comprising a computer-readable storage medium for storing program code, which, when executed by a computer or a processor, causes the computer or the processor to perform the method (300) according to claim 16.

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