Vehicle, user equipment, apparatus, computer program and method for mitigating interference to uwband application

Abstract

Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to a vehicle, user equipment, apparatus, computer program and method for mitigating interference to UWB applications. The method (100) comprises obtaining (110), using the UWB receiver, information about a radio signal adapted to interfere with the UWB application, and adjusting (120) the UWB application based on the information about the radio signal such that interference of the radio signal is at least mitigated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] Embodiments of the present disclosure relate to vehicles, user equipment, apparatus, computer programs and methods for mitigating interference to ultra-wideband (UWB) applications. In particular, the present disclosure relates to the concept of mitigating interference to UWB applications through communications in a wireless local area network. Background Art

[0002] In vehicles, communication plays an increasingly important role. For this purpose, vehicles can use several communication technologies. Therefore, vehicles can be equipped with various communication technologies, such as WLAN (Wireless Local Area Network) technology, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) and UWB. In particular, vehicles can use WLAN technology according to the Wi-Fi 6E (6 GHz) standard of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE), which is designed to operate in an unlicensed band between 1 and 7.125 GHz (including the 2.4 and 5 GHz bands and the much wider 6 GHz band). However, the use of Wi-Fi 6E may cause (in-band) interference to the vehicle's UWB applications. Interference may cause data loss and / or malfunctions. In practice, for example, interference may cause functions that use UWB (e.g. locking / unlocking the vehicle via a smartphone, UWB ranging and / or presence detection) to not work correctly or not work at all.

[0003] In some applications of WLAN technology, it is specified that the WLAN router applies the "Listen Before Talk" (LBT) technology, that is, the WLAN router checks whether the WLAN channel to be used is free of interference before using the WLAN channel. However, the transmission power of UWB signals and the sensitivity of WLAN devices are usually too low to detect potentially interfered UWB applications when LBT is applied. Therefore, the LBT of the WLAN device cannot detect the UWB application. Therefore, the LBT of the WLAN device does not help to mitigate interference to the UWB application.

[0004] Therefore, improved concepts for mitigating interference to UWB applications may be needed. Summary of the invention

[0005] This need is met by the subject matter of the accompanying independent and dependent claims.

[0006] Embodiments are based on the finding that, in contrast to WLAN routers, UWB receivers are sensitive enough to detect both WLAN and UWB signals. One basic idea of ​​the present disclosure is to apply the LBT principle to UWB devices in order to detect, for example, radio signals from WLAN devices that currently or potentially interfere with UWB applications (e.g., for ranging or presence detection). In practice, UWB applications may use multiple UWB channels, wherein one or some channels are interfered with and another or some channels are interference-free (i.e., not interfered with). In this case, a proposed solution for mitigating interference is to use a UWB receiver of the UWB device to determine whether the UWB channel is interfered with, and if so, to select or switch to another UWB channel for the UWB application. Another proposed solution is to reschedule the UWB application, for example, to switch to an alternative time slot or ranging round for the UWB application. In this way, for example, interference with WLAN applications in a vehicle can be avoided or at least mitigated.

[0007] An embodiment provides a method for mitigating interference to an ultra-wideband (UWB) application. The method includes obtaining information about a radio signal suitable for interfering with the UWB application using a UWB receiver. In addition, the method includes adjusting the UWB application based on the information about the radio signal so that at least the interference with the radio signal is mitigated. In this way, undesirable effects of the radio signal on the UWB application, such as malfunctions, errors and / or failures, can be avoided or at least reduced. In particular, this allows avoiding or mitigating interference from radio signals of external devices that cannot be controlled to coordinate with the UWB application so that interference is mitigated or avoided.

[0008] In some embodiments, obtaining information about the radio signal includes obtaining information about the radio signal before executing the UWB application. In this way, potential interference can be anticipated so that it can be adjusted before executing the UWB application. In some examples, this allows interference of the radio signal to be avoided completely.

[0009] Optionally, obtaining information about the radio signal includes obtaining information about the radio signal when executing the UWB application. For example, this allows the UWB application to be adjusted during execution to further avoid or mitigate interference with the radio signal.

[0010] In some embodiments, the UWB application includes a UWB communication session between the vehicle and the user device. In such embodiments, adjusting the UWB application may include configuring the UWB communication session based on the information about the radio signal. In this way, (potential) data or information loss in the UWB communication may be avoided or at least reduced.

[0011] In practice, the first and at least one second UWB channel may be used for the UWB communication session. In this case, the information about the radio signal may include information about interference of the radio signal to at least one of the first and second UWB channels. Then, configuring the UWB communication session may include selecting one of the first and second UWB channels for the UWB communication session based on the information about interference to at least one of the first and second UWB channels. For example, this allows avoiding interfered UWB channels and / or selecting interference-free or less interfered UWB channels to reduce data or information loss in the UWB communication session.

[0012] In some embodiments, adjusting the UWB application includes rescheduling the UWB application based on the information about the radio signal. In some applications, this provides even less radio signal interference.

[0013] In some embodiments, the method further includes obtaining information about a first time slot of the UWB communication session within a frame including the first time slot of the UWB communication session and at least one alternative second time slot. In this case, the method may also include obtaining information about interference of the radio signal to the first time slot based on the information about the radio signal and the first time slot. Then, configuring the UWB communication session may include selecting a first or second time slot for the UWB communication session based on the information about the interference to the first time slot. In this way, a time slot with less interference may be selected for UWB communication to avoid or further reduce data or information loss in the UWB communication session.

[0014] In some applications, a UWB communication session includes or corresponds to a UWB ranging session. In such applications, a frame may be a so-called "ranging block" and a time slot may be a so-called "ranging round". Thus, the method may also include obtaining information about a first ranging round of a UWB ranging session within a ranging block that includes a first and at least one alternative second ranging round of the UWB ranging session. The method may also include obtaining information about interference of the radio signal to the first ranging round based on the information about the radio signal and the first ranging round. Configuring the UWB communication session may then include selecting a first or second ranging round for the UWB ranging session based on the information about interference to the first ranging round.

[0015] In applications, the radio signal may be a wireless local area network (WLAN) signal.

[0016] In some embodiments, the information about the radio signal includes information about the interference level. In this case, adjusting the UWB application may include adjusting the UWB application based on the information about the interference level. In some cases, for example, the interference level is small enough that the interference of the radio signal is acceptable without making any adjustments to the UWB application. Therefore, in this way, unnecessary adjustments to the UWB application can be avoided.

[0017] In application, embodiments of the method are performed by a vehicle and / or a user device.

[0018] A further embodiment provides a computer program (product) having a program code for performing embodiments of the proposed method when the computer program is executed on a computer, a processor or a programmable hardware component.

[0019] Other embodiments provide an apparatus comprising one or more interfaces for communication and a data processing circuit configured to control the one or more interfaces and to perform embodiments of the proposed method using the one or more interfaces.

[0020] Further embodiments provide a user equipment or a vehicle comprising the proposed apparatus. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Some examples of apparatus, methods and / or computer programs will be described below, by way of example only, and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0022] Figure 1 A flow chart schematically illustrating an embodiment of the proposed method for mitigating interference to UWB applications is shown;

[0023] Figure 2 illustrates an exemplary use case of the proposed concept; and

[0024] Figure 3 Shown is a block diagram schematically illustrating an apparatus according to the proposed concept. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] Various example embodiments will now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which some example embodiments are illustrated. In the accompanying drawings, the thickness of lines, layers or regions may be exaggerated for clarity. Optional components may be illustrated using broken lines, dashed lines or dotted lines.

[0026] Thus, while the example embodiments are capable of various modifications and alternative forms, embodiments thereof are shown by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail herein. However, it should be understood that there is no intent to limit the example embodiments to the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, the example embodiments are intended to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives within the scope of the invention. Throughout the entire description of the drawings, the same reference numerals refer to similar or similar elements.

[0027] As used herein, the term "or" refers to a non-exclusive or, unless otherwise indicated (e.g., "otherwise" or "or alternatively"). In addition, as used herein, words used to describe relationships between elements should be broadly interpreted to include direct relationships or the presence of intermediate elements, unless otherwise indicated. For example, when an element is referred to as being "connected" or "coupled" to another element, the element may be directly connected or coupled to the other element, or there may be intermediate elements. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly connected" or "directly coupled" to another element, there are no intermediate elements. Similarly, words such as "between," "adjacent," etc. should be interpreted in a similar manner.

[0028] The terms used herein are only used for the purpose of describing specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the exemplary embodiments. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are also intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It will also be understood that when used herein, the terms "include" or "comprise" specify the presence of the features, integers, steps, operations, elements, or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, or groups thereof.

[0029] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the example embodiments belong. It will also be understood that terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the meaning of the terms in the context of the relevant art, and should not be interpreted as an idealized or overly formal meaning unless explicitly defined herein.

[0030] Vehicles can be equipped with different technologies for communication and other functions. For example, according to the standards of the Car Connectivity Consortium (CCC-TS-101, version 1.0 / 1.1), vehicles can be equipped with BLE as well as UWB to enable digital vehicle access, i.e., access to the vehicle using a personal communication device (e.g., mobile phone, tablet, smartwatch, personal computer, etc.). Similarly, vehicles can be equipped with WLAN technology. However, WLAN technology operating according to the IEEE's Wi-Fi 6E (6 GHz) standard may interfere with UWB applications, such as for ranging or presence detection. In particular, Wi-Fi 6E may in practice interfere with UWB channel 5 with a center frequency of 6489.6 MHz and a bandwidth of 499.2 MHz. As a result, UWB applications of the vehicle (such as UWB ranging) may be interfered with by WLAN signals from wireless access points or routers on the (same) vehicle or other vehicles.

[0031] When communicating via WLAN, LBT is applied to mitigate interference. However, WLAN devices are not sensitive enough and the transmission power of UWB signals is too weak to mitigate the interference of WLAN signals to UWB applications using LBT in WLAN devices.

[0032] Therefore, there may be a need for improved concepts for mitigating interference of radio signals to UWB applications. This need may be met, at least in part, by the subject matter of the appended independent and dependent claims. The claimed subject matter will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0033] Figure 1 A flow chart schematically illustrating an embodiment of a method 100 for mitigating interference for UWB applications is shown.

[0034] In the context of the present disclosure, UWB may be understood as a technology for transmitting information over a wide bandwidth (greater than 500 MHz), or as an antenna transmission that transmits a signal bandwidth exceeding the smaller of 500 MHz or 20% of the arithmetic center frequency (as defined by the Federal Communications Commission and the International Telecommunication Union). A UWB application may be any function, service, or other application that uses UWB. In practice, the method 100 may be applied in a vehicle, and the UWB application may include a UWB communication session between a vehicle and a user device, as described in more detail below.

[0035] Interference is generated, for example, by the superposition of UWB signals for UWB applications with other signals from radio transmitters with similar frequencies. In practice, interference occurs, for example, as described above, when the Wi-Fi 6E signal of a radio transmitter (WLAN device) interferes with the UWB signal in UWB channel 5. Interference may cause UWB applications to fail. In practice, UWB ranging fails due to interference from WLAN signals.

[0036] Therefore, as can be seen from the flow chart, method 100 provides obtaining 100 information about radio signals suitable for interfering with UWB applications using a UWB receiver. To this end, the UWB receiver can check whether there are radio signals that may interfere with UWB applications by one or more measurements. The radio signal can be any electromagnetic wireless signal that can potentially affect the UWB application, that is, it may have an undesirable effect on the UWB application. In practice, the radio signal can be a WLAN signal (that is, a radio signal from a WLAN device or a wireless access point) or a UWB signal (not related to the UWB application). Thus, the information about the radio signal can include any of the following information about the radio signal, which indicates whether and / or to what extent the radio signal may interfere with the UWB application. In practice, the UWB receiver can also be used for UWB applications. Therefore, any radio signal that can be detected by the UWB receiver may potentially interfere with the UWB application. Therefore, in the simplest case, the information about the radio signal can indicate whether the UWB receiver detects any signal.

[0037] Due to its technical design, a UWB receiver may be more sensitive to electromagnetic signals than a WLAN device (e.g., a wireless access point or a WLAN router) and may therefore detect not only WLAN signals but also less intense interfering signals, such as (external) UWB signals that may interfere with UWB applications. A UWB receiver may be any UWB device that is configured to receive UWB signals. Thus, in some applications, a UWB receiver may be implemented as or correspond to a UWB transceiver that is also configured to transmit UWB signals.

[0038] The method 100 also includes adjusting 120 the UWB application based on the information about the radio signal so that at least the interference of the radio signal is mitigated. In doing so, for example, one or more parameters that have an impact on the interference of the radio signal can be adjusted so that the UWB application is less interfered by the radio signal than when no adjustment is made without considering the radio signal (i.e., when the UWB application is executed without considering the radio signal).

[0039] As explained in more detail below, adjusting the UWB application includes, for example, adjusting the UWB application in terms of the frequency, frequency band (channel) and / or time slot used for the UWB application. To this end, a UWB receiver or data processing circuit that processes information about the radio signal can perform a corresponding adjustment of the UWB application, for example, by transmitting a message indicating the adjustment to a data processing circuit that controls or executes the UWB application.

[0040] In practice, method 100 may be implemented in a vehicle. Thus, the UWB application may include or correspond to an application of the vehicle. Examples of such applications include a (one-way or two-way) UWB communication session with a user device, which is used for ranging, presence detection, and / or accessing / starting / moving the vehicle using the user device. In the context of the present disclosure, a UWB communication session may be understood as any exchange ("communication") of one or more signals between a vehicle and a user device. Examples of such UWB communication sessions include, for example, one-way or two-way communication of one or more signals for ranging and / or presence detection. In UWB ranging applications, such signals may, for example, indicate the transmission time of the signal. In practice, such signals of a UWB communication session may interfere with radio signals, for example, causing the UWB ranging to fail.

[0041] Thus, adjusting the UWB application may include configuring the UWB communication session based on information about the radio signal. In a vehicle, the radio signal is, for example, a WLAN or UWB signal from the vehicle (ie, the same vehicle running the UWB application) or from another vehicle in the vicinity.

[0042] Other examples of UWB applications include UWB radar.

[0043] In some embodiments, information about radio signals can be obtained before executing a UWB application. To this end, the UWB receiver checks, for example, whether there are potentially interfering radio signals before initiating a UWB application (e.g., before establishing a UWB communication session). Thus, this can be understood as "UWB-based" LBT. For example, UWB-based LBT allows UWB applications to be adjusted in a way that does not interfere at all, i.e., avoids interference.

[0044] However, interference may also occur when executing UWB applications. Therefore, alternatively or additionally, information about radio signals is obtained when executing UWB applications. To this end, the UWB receiver checks whether there are interfering radio signals, for example, during a UWB communication session (i.e., after the UWB communication session is established and before the UWB communication session is disconnected). In this way, interference can be "dynamically" reduced during UWB applications.

[0045] In practice, there are sometimes multiple UWB channels (frequency bands) available for UWB applications. For example, in a vehicle, UWB channel 5 (center frequency: 6 489.6 MHz; bandwidth: 499.2 MHz) and UWB channel 9 (center frequency: 7 987.2 MHz; bandwidth: 499.2 MHz) can be used for UWB applications. UWB channel 5 may be more preferred than UWB channel 9 or other UWB channels due to better propagation characteristics of electromagnetic waves. Therefore, UWB channel 5 may be used by default. However, in some scenarios, UWB channel 5 may be interfered with by a WLAN signal according to the Wi-Fi 6E (6 GHz WLAN) standard (e.g., a WLAN signal in the 6 GHz frequency band (5 925 to 7125 MHz)), while UWB channel 9 is not interfered with. In these scenarios, the UWB receiver may detect the WLAN signal, and the information about the radio signal may indicate that the UWB receiver detects a potential interfering radio signal, that is, there is a potential interfering radio signal. In particular, the UWB receiver may also be configured to determine the frequency, band and / or type of the radio signal (here: WLAN signal in the 6 GHz band) to determine which (some) available UWB channels are affected / interfered. In practice, for example, WLAN signals in 6 GHz only interfere with UWB channel 5, while UWB channel 9 is not interfered with. Thus, the information about the radio signal may indicate whether there is a UWB channel and / or which UWB channel is interfered with. For example, the information about the radio signal indicates that UWB channel 5 is interfered with. Therefore, the UWB application may be adjusted so that UWB channel 5 is avoided, for example, by selecting and / or switching to UWB channel 9 or any other available UWB channel to avoid interference with the detected radio signal. In an embodiment, a specific UWB channel with less or no interference may be specifically selected based on the information about the radio signal. Therefore, in terms of the frequency used, the radio signal may "overlap" less or not at all with the transmission for the UWB application. In this way, interference is avoided or mitigated on the one hand, and on the other hand, this allows preferred but sometimes interfered UWB channels to still be used for UWB applications. For example, when no WLAN signal is present / detected in the 6 GHz band, UWB channel 5 may still be used. Note that persons skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure will appreciate that the concepts presented are not limited to certain UWB channels or a certain number of UWB channels, but may be applied to any UWB channel and any number of UWB channels.

[0046] In some applications, where the UWB channel cannot be "dynamically" switched during a UWB application (e.g., during a UWB communication session), switching the UWB communication channel may include terminating the UWB application (e.g., tearing down the UWB communication session) and restarting or continuing the UWB application using another UWB channel.

[0047] Alternatively or additionally, the UWB application may be rescheduled. In practice, for example, if the information about the radio signal indicates that there is a potential interfering radio signal, the transmission of the UWB application will be delayed until the radio signal disappears (which can be detected by several measurements). For example, in a UWB radar application, the UWB radar transmission is performed only when there is no longer a potential interfering radio signal.

[0048] In other embodiments, alternative predefined time slots for UWB applications may be selected and used. In this way, the execution of UWB applications may overlap less or not at all with radio signals in time, thus at least reducing or ideally avoiding interference with radio signals.

[0049] In practice, for example, a certain time slot is provided for UWB application within a frame comprising several time slots for UWB transmission / reception. However, the provided time slot may overlap at least partially with the presence of a radio signal. Therefore, if the provided time slot is used, interference may occur. As mentioned above, in a UWB ranging session, these time slots correspond to ranging rounds, for example, and the frame corresponds to a ranging block.

[0050] Thus, in a UWB ranging application, the method 100 may further include obtaining information about a first ranging round of the UWB ranging session within a ranging block that includes the first ranging round of the UWB ranging session and at least one alternative second ranging round, and the method 100 further includes obtaining information about interference of the radio signal with the first ranging round based on the information about the radio signal and the first ranging round.

[0051] In practice, a ranging block is one of a sequence of multiple ranging blocks that are partitioned into a predetermined number (usually twelve) of consecutive discrete ranging rounds with a predefined duration, and a UWB ranging session uses one ranging round for each ranging block for transmission and / or reception. In order to specify the ranging rounds, for example, the time from the start of each ranging block (i.e., the ranging block including each ranging round) to the start of each ranging round is specified. In some applications, ranging round hopping is also applied, which specifies that different ranging rounds are used in consecutive ranging blocks. Therefore, this time of the ranging round is also called a "hopping offset".

[0052] In an embodiment, the information about the first ranging round, for example, indicates a jump offset of the first ranging round that will be used (by default) for transmission / reception of the UWB ranging session. In an embodiment, the UWB receiver can then check whether there is a potential interfering radio signal at or before the start of the first ranging round (e.g., a few milliseconds before) (based on the jump offset). If the UWB receiver detects a potential interfering radio signal, it can be assumed that the first ranging round is or will be interfered with by the radio signal. Thus, the information about the interference of the first ranging round can indicate that the first ranging round is interfered with. Otherwise, if no potential interfering radio signal is detected, the information about the interference of the first ranging round can indicate that the first ranging round is not interfered with.

[0053] Then, a first or second ranging round is selected for the UWB ranging session based on the information about the interference of the first ranging round. If the first ranging round is not interfered, then the first ranging round is selected (and used) for the UWB communication session. Otherwise, in case the first ranging round is interfered, an alternative second ranging round in the same ranging block may be selected (and used) for the UWB communication session. In practice, the alternative second ranging round may be predetermined. For this purpose, for example, a so-called "alternative jump offset" of the second ranging round may be provided / specified.

[0054] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the second ranging round is later than the first ranging round. In practice, the ranging block, for example, includes twelve ranging rounds, from which one is selected for UWB ranging. In order to avoid interference, it is recommended that the first ranging round is one of the ranging rounds of the first part in time in the ranging block, and the second ranging round is one of the ranging rounds of the second part in time in the ranging block. In practice, the ranging block may include twelve ranging rounds, the first ranging round may be one of the first six ranging rounds in time, and the second ranging round may be one of the second six ranging rounds in time. Alternatively or additionally, a predefined time, for example, a predefined number of ranging rounds, is provided between the first and second ranging rounds.

[0055] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, adjustment of UWB applications can be avoided. In some scenarios, interference of radio signals may be acceptable, for example, when the expected interference will not cause a significant or unacceptable impact on the UWB application and / or when the interference can be corrected or filtered out. In practice, if the UWB application still serves its purpose, then the interference may be acceptable. For example, for UWB ranging, if the position and / or distance can still be determined (with a certain degree of accuracy), then this is the case. In these scenarios, adjustment of UWB applications can be omitted. Thus, a decision on whether to adjust the UWB application is made based on information about the radio signal.

[0056] To this end, the information about the radio signal may include information about the interference level. Interference strength may also be understood as the degree of interference or the intensity of interference. Information about the interference level may indicate whether the expected interference is acceptable, thereby indicating whether any adjustments need to be made to the UWB application. Information about the interference level may, for example, indicate a signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) or any other metric indicating the interference level.

[0057] The UWB application may be adjusted based on the information about the interference level. In practice, for example, the UWB application is adjusted only when the information about the interference indicates that the interference is unacceptable, for example, if the SIR exceeds a threshold indicating the maximum acceptable interference. Otherwise, if the interference is acceptable, the UWB application is not adjusted. In an embodiment, the threshold is equal to or greater than -25 dB.

[0058] In some embodiments, weak, medium, strong and very strong interference are distinguished, and interference can be determined separately for each device involved in the UWB application. In an embodiment of method 100, the UWB application involves, for example, a vehicle and a user device. Thus, the interference level can be determined separately for the vehicle and the user device. Then, the interference can be considered acceptable for various constellations in terms of the interference level at the vehicle and at the user device. For example, if the interference at the vehicle is less than or equal to medium, and if the interference at the user device is less than or equal to weak, then the interference is considered acceptable, and vice versa. In other embodiments, other constellations may also be considered acceptable / unacceptable.

[0059] Interference with a SIR less than or equal to -50 dB is considered "weak", interference with a SIR less than or equal to -25 dB is considered "medium", interference with a SIR less than or equal to 0 dB is considered "strong", and interference with a SIR greater than 0 dB is considered "very strong".

[0060] To better assess radio signals and (potential) interference, the UWB receiver may monitor the environment continuously or frequently, and various measurements of the UWB receiver may be weighted differently depending on when they were measured relative to the execution of the UWB application. In some embodiments, for example, the latest measurement of the UWB receiver (right) before the UWB application is to be executed may be weighted higher than earlier measurements.

[0061] As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, method 100 may be applied to a variety of UWB applications. In an embodiment, method 100 may be applied to UWB applications involving a vehicle and a user device, for example, in a UWB ranging application for determining the presence, distance, and / or position of a user device relative to a vehicle. Likewise, a skilled person will appreciate that method 100 may be performed by any party, some, or all devices configured to adjust a UWB application. In a UWB application involving a vehicle and a user device, method 100 may be performed by the vehicle, the user device, or both the vehicle and the user device.

[0062] As will be appreciated by a person skilled in the art, the method 100 may also be implemented in a computer program (product) having a program code for performing embodiments of the proposed method when the computer program is executed on a computer, a processor or a programmable hardware component.

[0063] The following will refer to Figure 2 The exemplary use cases shown in explain the proposed concepts in more detail.

[0064] like Figure 2 As can be seen, in an exemplary use case, a user device 210 and a vehicle 220 should communicate in a UWB communication session (indicated by the double arrow numbered “230”), e.g., for UWB ranging or presence detection. However, a WLAN signal 242 of a WLAN device 240 may potentially interfere with the UWB communication session 230, which may have an undesired impact on the UWB communication session. For example, the WLAN device 240 is a WLAN router and may be installed in the vehicle 220. Alternatively, the WLAN device 240 belongs to another vehicle or to the surrounding infrastructure. In practice, interference may result in data / information loss and / or failure. In such a use case, the proposed concepts may be applied to reduce such data / information loss and / or failure.

[0065] For UWB communication, the user device 210 and the vehicle 220 may be equipped with appropriate UWB devices (not shown). In practice, at least one or both of the vehicle 220 and the user device 210 are equipped with a UWB receiver or UWB transceiver (not shown) and appropriate software for a UWB communication session 230 between the user device 210 and the vehicle 220. Likewise, the UWB communication session (i.e., UWB channel, UWB transmission and / or reception) may be controlled by one or both of the user device 210 and the vehicle 220. Thus, the user device 210 and / or the vehicle 220 may be configured to detect potential interfering signals and adjust UWB transmission and / or reception to mitigate interference according to the proposed concepts. Thus, as will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the proposed concepts may be applied by the user device 210, the vehicle 220, and / or both the user device 210 and the vehicle 220. Likewise, the user device 210 and the vehicle 220 may collaborate in a complementary manner.

[0066] In this use case, for example, the UWB communication session 230 is used for ranging, i.e., determining the distance and / or position of the user device 210 relative to the vehicle 220 to ensure that the user device 210 cannot be used to lock / unlock, start and / or move the vehicle 220 from too far away (i.e., exceeding a certain maximum distance). To this end, as will be appreciated by a skilled person having the benefit of this disclosure, the user device 210 and the vehicle 220 may transmit UWB signals in the UWB communication session 230 and determine the distance and / or relative position of the user device 210 based on the UWB signals. However, ranging may be interfered by the WLAN signal 242 of the WLAN device 240, for example, when the UWB signal and the WLAN signal 242 are transmitted simultaneously. In practice, for example, the WLAN signal 242 interferes with the UWB signal, causing ranging to fail. According to the proposed interference mitigation concept, this situation can be avoided.

[0067] To this end, information about potentially interfering radio signals is obtained. To this end, at least one of the UWB receivers or transceivers measures whether such a radio signal is present before or during the planned transmission or reception of the UWB signal of the UWB communication session 230. If so, the information indicates that the planned transmission or reception may be interfered with. In this example, for example, the WLAN signal 242 is detected before or after the UWB communication session 230 is established. Thus, the information about the radio signal may indicate that the WLAN signal 242 may interfere with the UWB communication session 230. Therefore, based on this information, one or more proposed interference mitigation measures may be taken. For example, in doing so, the UWB communication session 230 is configured and / or timed / rescheduled so that the WLAN signal 242 at least interferes less with the UWB communication session 230, as described in more detail above. In this way, interference can be reduced so that ranging is successful.

[0068] Note that both the user device 210 and the vehicle 220 may be configured to take the proposed interference mitigation measures, for example, the user device 210 and the vehicle 220 may be able to select or change the UWB channel and / or time / reschedule the UWB communication session 230 .

[0069] Also note that Figure 2 The use case is just one of many exemplary use cases of the proposed concept. In practice, the proposed concept is not limited to vehicle-related UWB applications, but can be applied to any type of UWB application and any type of UWB device. Likewise, the proposed concept can be applied to any type of interference, in particular any radio signal that may interfere with UWB applications. Likewise, the proposed concept can be applied to mitigate interfering devices that cannot be adjusted with UWB applications in mind (e.g., external devices that are not installed in or controlled by the vehicle or user device (see Figure 2 )) interference.

[0070] As will be understood by those skilled in the art, the proposed concept can also be implemented in corresponding devices, as described below with reference to Figure 3 More detailed explanation.

[0071] Figure 3 Shown is a block diagram schematically illustrating an embodiment of an apparatus 300 implementing the proposed concept.

[0072] from Figure 3 It can be seen that the apparatus 300 includes one or more interfaces 310 for communication and a data processing circuit 320 configured to control the one or more interfaces 310. The data processing circuit 320 is also configured to control the one or more interfaces 310 and use the one or more interfaces 310 to perform an embodiment of the method 100.

[0073] In an embodiment, one or more interfaces 310 may include components for communicating with a vehicle or another server. To this end, one or more interfaces 310 may include or correspond to any components for obtaining, receiving, transmitting or providing analog or digital signals or information, for example, any connector, contact, pin, register, input port, output port, conductor, channel, etc. that allows providing or obtaining signals or information. The interface may be wireless or wired, and may be configured to communicate with other internal or external components, that is, to transmit or receive signals, information. One or more interfaces 310 may include other components to achieve corresponding communications, which may include transceiver (transmitter and / or receiver) components, such as one or more low noise amplifiers (LNA), one or more power amplifiers (PA), one or more duplexers, one or more diplexers, one or more filters or filtering circuit systems, one or more converters, one or more mixers, correspondingly adapted radio frequency components, etc. One or more interfaces 310 may be coupled to one or more antennas, which may correspond to any transmission and / or reception antennas, such as horn antennas, dipole antennas, patch antennas, sector antennas, etc. The antennas may be arranged in defined geometric configurations, such as uniform arrays, linear arrays, circular arrays, triangular arrays, uniform field antennas, field arrays, combinations thereof, and the like.

[0074] like Figure 3 As shown in , one or more interfaces 310 are coupled to a data processing circuit 320. In an embodiment, the data processing circuit 320 may include any component for processing information according to the proposed method. The data processing circuit 320 may be implemented using one or more processing units, one or more processing devices, any component for processing (such as a processor, a computer, or a programmable hardware component operating with corresponding adapted software). In other words, the functions of the data processing circuit 320 may also be implemented in software, which is then executed on one or more programmable hardware components. Such hardware components may include a general-purpose processor, a digital signal processor (DSP), a microcontroller, etc.

[0075] Those skilled in the art will readily recognize that the steps of the various methods described above can be performed by a programmed computer. In some embodiments, the apparatus may also include a program storage device, for example, a digital data storage medium, which is machine or computer readable and encodes a machine-executable or computer-executable instruction program, wherein the instructions perform some or all of the steps of the methods described herein. The program storage device may be, for example, a digital memory, a magnetic storage medium (such as a disk and tape), a hard drive, or an optically readable digital data storage medium. Embodiments are also intended to cover a computer programmed to perform the steps of the methods described herein or a (field) programmable logic array ((F) PLA) or a (field) programmable gate array ((F) PGA) programmed to perform the steps of the above methods.

[0076] The description and drawings merely illustrate the principles of the invention. It will therefore be appreciated that those skilled in the art will be able to design various arrangements that, although not explicitly described or shown herein, implement the principles of the invention and are included in its spirit and scope. In addition, all examples set forth herein are primarily intended to be used expressly only for teaching purposes to help the reader understand the principles of the invention and the concepts contributed by the inventor(s) to advance the technology, and should be interpreted as not being limited to these specifically stated examples and conditions. Moreover, all statements herein setting forth the principles, aspects, and embodiments of the invention and their specific examples are intended to encompass their equivalents.

[0077] When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by multiple separate processors, some of which may be shared. Moreover, the explicit use of the term "processor" or "controller" should not be interpreted as referring only to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include, but not limited to, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), read-only memories (ROMs), random access memories (RAMs), and non-volatile storage devices for storing software. Other conventional or custom hardware may also be included. Their functions may be performed by the operation of program logic, by dedicated logic, by the interaction of program control and dedicated logic, or even manually, and specific techniques may be selected by the implementer based on a more specific understanding of the context.

[0078] It will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagram herein represents a conceptual view of an illustrative circuit system that implements the principles of the present invention. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, state transition diagrams, pseudocodes, etc. represent various processes that can be substantially represented in a computer-readable medium and thus executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such a computer or processor is explicitly shown.

[0079] In addition, the following claims are incorporated into the detailed description, where each claim can stand on its own as a separate embodiment. Although each claim can stand on its own as a separate embodiment, it should be noted that - although a dependent claim may refer to a specific combination with one or more other claims in a claim - other embodiments may also include a combination of a dependent claim with the subject matter of each other dependent claim. Unless it is stated that a specific combination is not intended, such a combination will be proposed herein. In addition, even if a claim is not directly dependent on an independent claim, it is intended to include features of this claim in any other independent claim.

[0080] It should also be noted that the methods disclosed in the specification or claims may be implemented by a device having means for performing each of the respective steps of these methods.

[0081] In practice, the apparatus 300 may be implemented in a user device (eg, the user device 210 ) or a vehicle (eg, the vehicle 220 ). Reference numerals

[0082] 100 Methods

[0083] 110 Obtain information about radio signals

[0084] 120 Adjust UWB application

[0085] 210 User equipment

[0086] 220 Vehicles

[0087] 230 UWB communication session

[0088] 240 WLAN devices

[0089] 242 WLAN signal

[0090] 300 Devices

[0091] 310 One or more interfaces

[0092] 320 Data Processing Circuit

Claims

1. A method (100) for mitigating interference to ultra-wideband (UWB) applications, the method (100) comprising: Using a UWB receiver, obtaining (110) information about a radio signal suitable for interfering with the UWB application; as well as The UWB application is adjusted (120) based on the information about the radio signal so that at least interference of the radio signal is mitigated.

2. The method (100) of claim 1, wherein: Obtaining (110) the information about the radio signal includes obtaining the information about the radio signal before executing the UWB application.

3. The method (100) according to claim 1 or 2, wherein: Obtaining (110) the information about the interference includes obtaining the information about the radio signal when executing a UWB application.

4. The method (100) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The UWB application includes a UWB communication session (230) between a vehicle (220) and a user device (210), and adjusting the UWB application includes configuring the UWB communication session (230) based on the information about the radio signal.

5. The method (100) of claim 4, wherein: The first and at least one second UWB channels are available for a UWB communication session (230), the information about the radio signal includes information about interference of the radio signal with at least one of the first and second UWB channels, and configuring the UWB communication session (230) includes selecting one of the first and second UWB channels for the UWB communication session (230) based on the information about interference with at least one of the first and second UWB channels.

6. The method (100) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein: Adjusting the UWB application includes rescheduling the UWB application based on the information about the radio signal.

7. The method (100) of claim 4, wherein: The UWB communication session (230) includes a UWB ranging session, and the method further includes obtaining information about a first ranging round of the UWB ranging session within a ranging block including a first and at least one alternative second ranging round of the UWB ranging session, the method (100) further includes obtaining information about interference of the radio signal with the first ranging round based on the information about the radio signal and the first ranging round, and configuring the UWB ranging session includes selecting the first or second ranging round of the UWB ranging session based on the information about the interference with the first ranging round.

8. The method (100) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The radio signal is a wireless local area network WLAN signal.

9. The method (100) as claimed in any one of the preceding claims, wherein: The information about the radio signal includes information about an interference level, and adjusting ( 120 ) the UWB application includes adjusting the UWB application based on the information about the interference level.

10. The method (100) of claim 4, wherein: The method is performed by a vehicle (220) and / or a user device (210).

11. A computer program having a program code for executing at least one embodiment of the method (100) as claimed in the preceding claim when the computer program is executed on a computer, a processor or a programmable hardware component.

12. An apparatus (300), comprising: One or more interfaces for communication (310); The data processing circuit (320) is configured to: controlling the one or more interfaces (310); and An embodiment of the method (100) according to claims 1 to 10 is performed using the one or more interfaces (310).

13. A user equipment (210), comprising the apparatus (300) according to claim 12.

14. A vehicle (220) comprising the device (300) according to claim 12.

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