Scalable and distributed inter-cluster coordination in UWB

Abstract

An ultra wide band (UWB) device includes a global anchor point of a network of UWB anchor points having a plurality of clusters and an initiator anchor point (Init anchor point). The global anchor point obtains metric information including a centrality metric value for each Init anchor point from information communicated to the global anchor point in the first control phase. The global anchor then determines a slot schedule for a second control phase, wherein: determining the slot schedule is based on the centrality metric of the plurality of Init anchors; the time slot scheduling comprises allocation of time slots of the second control phase among the plurality of Init anchor points for wireless radio frequency (RF) communication; and the allocation of time slots comprises a first set of time slots for upstream communication followed by a second set of time slots for downstream communication. The global anchor point transmits the time slot schedule to an Init anchor point of the plurality of Init anchor points.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. application No. 17 / 806,809, filed on June 14, 2022, entitled “SCALABLE AND DISTRIBUTED INTER-CLUSTER COORDINATION IN UWB,” which is assigned to the assignee of this application and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Background Art 1. Technical Field

[0003] The present disclosure generally relates to the field of radio frequency (RF) based position determination (or positioning) of electronic wireless devices. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to ultra-wideband (UWB) based positioning.

[0004] 2. Related technologies

[0005] The positioning of devices can have a wide range of consumer, industrial, commercial, military and other applications. Compared to other RF-based positioning technologies for wireless electronic devices, UWB-based positioning provides a high-accuracy, low-power positioning solution. Summary of the invention

[0006] According to the present disclosure, an example method for inter-cluster coordination in ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning may include: obtaining metric information at a global anchor point of a network of UWB anchor points including multiple clusters and multiple initiator anchor points (Init anchor points), wherein each cluster includes a corresponding Init anchor point, the metric information includes a centrality metric value of each Init anchor point in the multiple Init anchor points, the centrality metric value of the corresponding Init anchor point indicates the number of hops from the corresponding Init anchor point to other UWB anchor points in the network, and the metric information is included in or derived from information communicated from the multiple Init anchor points to the global anchor point in a first control phase of the network of UWB anchor points. The method may also include: determining a time slot schedule for a second control phase of the network of UWB anchor points using the global anchor point, wherein: determining the time slot schedule is based on the centrality metric value of the multiple Init anchor points. The method may also include: the time slot schedule includes an allocation of time slots of the second control phase among the multiple Init anchor points for wireless radio frequency (RF) communication. The method may further include the allocation of time slots including a first set of time slots for upstream communications followed by a second set of time slots for downstream communications. The method may further include transmitting the time slot schedule from the global anchor point to an Init anchor point of the plurality of Init anchor points.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, an example global anchor point of a network of ultra-wideband (UWB) anchor points may include: a transceiver; a memory; one or more processors, the one or more processors being communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to obtain metric information about the network of UWB anchor points, wherein: the network of UWB anchor points includes a plurality of clusters and a plurality of initiator anchor points (Init anchor points), each cluster includes a corresponding Init anchor point, the metric information includes a centrality metric value of each Init anchor point in the plurality of Init anchor points, the centrality metric value of the corresponding Init anchor point indicates the number of hops from the corresponding Init anchor point to other UWB anchor points in the network, and the metric information is included in or derived from information communicated from the plurality of Init anchor points to the global anchor point in a first control phase of the network of UWB anchor points. The one or more processors may be further configured to determine a time slot schedule for a second control phase of the network of UWB anchor points, wherein: determining the time slot schedule is based on the centrality metric values ​​of the plurality of Init anchor points. The one or more processors may be further configured to: the time slot schedule includes an allocation of time slots of the second control phase among the plurality of Init anchor points for wireless radio frequency (RF) communication. The one or more processors may be further configured to: the allocation of time slots includes a first set of time slots for upstream communication followed by a second set of time slots for downstream communication. The one or more processors may be further configured to: transmit the time slot schedule to an Init anchor point among the plurality of Init anchor points via the transceiver.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, an example non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions for inter-cluster coordination in ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning, the instructions including code for obtaining metric information at a global anchor point of a network of UWB anchor points including a plurality of clusters and a plurality of initiator anchor points (Init anchor points), wherein each cluster includes a corresponding Init anchor point, the metric information includes a centrality metric value of each Init anchor point in the plurality of Init anchor points, the centrality metric value of the corresponding Init anchor point indicates the number of hops from the corresponding Init anchor point to other UWB anchor points in the network, and the metric information is included in or derived from information communicated from the plurality of Init anchor points to the global anchor point in a first control phase of the network of UWB anchor points. The instructions may also include code for determining a time slot schedule for a second control phase of the network of UWB anchor points using the global anchor point, wherein: determining the time slot schedule is based on the centrality metric values ​​of the plurality of Init anchor points. The instructions may also include code for the time slot schedule, including an allocation of time slots for the second control phase among the plurality of Init anchors for wireless radio frequency (RF) communication. The instructions may also include code for the allocation of time slots, the allocation of time slots including a first set of time slots for upstream communication followed by a second set of time slots for downstream communication. The instructions may also include code for transmitting the time slot schedule from the global anchor to an Init anchor of the plurality of Init anchors.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, an example apparatus for inter-cluster coordination in ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning may include a component for obtaining metric information at a global anchor point of a network of UWB anchor points including a plurality of clusters and a plurality of initiator anchor points (Init anchor points), wherein: each cluster includes a corresponding Init anchor point, the metric information includes a centrality metric value of each Init anchor point in the plurality of Init anchor points, the centrality metric value of the corresponding Init anchor point indicates the number of hops from the corresponding Init anchor point to other UWB anchor points in the network, and the metric information is included in or derived from information communicated from the plurality of Init anchor points to the global anchor point in a first control phase of the network of UWB anchor points. The apparatus may also include a component for determining a time slot schedule for a second control phase of the network of UWB anchor points using the global anchor point, wherein: determining the time slot schedule is based on the centrality metric values ​​of the plurality of Init anchor points. The apparatus may also include: the time slot schedule includes an allocation of time slots of the second control phase among the plurality of Init anchor points for wireless radio frequency (RF) communication. The apparatus may further include the allocation of time slots, the allocation of time slots comprising a first set of time slots for upstream communication followed by a second set of time slots for downstream communication.The apparatus may further include means for transmitting the time slot schedule from the global anchor point to an Init anchor point of the plurality of Init anchor points.

[0010] This summary is neither intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter nor is it intended to be used alone to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of the disclosure, any or all of the drawings, and each claim. The foregoing and other features and examples will be described in more detail in the following description, claims, and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0011] Figure 1 is a simplified illustration of a positioning system that may use and / or supplement the techniques provided herein for ultra-wideband (UWB) based positioning of mobile devices.

[0012] Figure 2A and Figure 2B is a simplified diagram illustrating how UWB positioning may be performed in a network of UWB anchor points (eg, an ad hoc network).

[0013] Figure 3A and Figure 3B is a flow diagram illustrating the roles that different devices may assume with respect to a UWB ranging session according to an embodiment.

[0014] Figure 4 is a timing diagram illustrating how timing may be measured and utilized within a UWB positioning session according to an implementation.

[0015] Figure 5A is a simplified diagram of an example multi-cluster anchor network including multiple clusters, according to an embodiment.

[0016] Figure 5B is available according to the implementation scheme Figure 5A Timing diagram of the ranging rounds used in the multi-cluster anchor network.

[0017] Fig. 6A A modified ranging round according to a first proposal for an extended control phase for UWB networking is illustrated.

[0018] Figure 6B A second proposal for an extended control phase for UWB networking is illustrated.

[0019] Fig. 7A yes Figure 5A An illustration of an example network shown in , in which a new initiator anchor (Init anchor) is joining the network.

[0020] Figure 7B is according to the implementation scheme corresponding to Fig. 7A 1 is an illustration of control phase 1 of a network, i.e., the first control phase.

[0021] Fig. 8A This example shows how the new Init anchor point is added. Fig. 7A UWB network.

[0022] Figure 8B The embodiment according to the present invention is illustrated in Figure 7B Example of control stage 1 followed by control stage 2 and control stage 3.

[0023] Fig. 9 is a flow chart illustrating a process of determining and updating a control phase time slot schedule according to an embodiment.

[0024] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a method for inter-cluster coordination in UWB positioning according to an embodiment.

[0025] Fig.11 is a block diagram of an implementation of a stationary UWB device that may be utilized as described herein.

[0026] Fig.12 is a block diagram of an implementation of a mobile UWB device that may be utilized as described herein.

[0027] Similar reference symbols in the various drawings indicate similar elements according to certain example implementations. In addition, multiple instances of an element can be indicated by adding a letter or hyphen and a second number after the first number of the element. For example, multiple instances of element 110 can be indicated as 110-1, 110-2, 110-3, etc. or 110a, 110b, 110c, etc. When only the first number is used to refer to such an element, any instance of the element should be understood (for example, the element 110 in the previous example will refer to elements 110-1, 110-2 and 110-3 or to elements 110a, 110b and 110c). DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0028] The following description is directed to certain specific implementations for the purpose of describing the innovative aspects of each embodiment. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a variety of different ways. The described specific implementations can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of sending and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according to any communication standard, such as any of the following: the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4 standard for ultra-wideband (UWB), the IEEE 802.11 standard (including those identified as Technical standards), Standard, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), GSM / General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), Wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Revision A, EV-DO Revision B, High Rate Packet Data (HRPD), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), or other known signals for communicating within a wireless, cellular or Internet of Things (IoT) network, such as a system utilizing 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G or further implementations thereof.

[0029] As used herein, "RF signals" include electromagnetic waves that transmit information through the space between a transmitter (or transmitting device) and a receiver (or receiving device). As used herein, a transmitter may transmit a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of each RF signal through multiple channels or paths, a receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal.

[0030] As previously mentioned, UWB-based positioning provides a highly accurate, low-power positioning solution relative to other RF-based positioning technologies for wireless electronic devices. UWB-based positioning can be used in industrial applications, such as by robots and / or other Internet of Things (IoT) devices in a factory environment, indoor positioning of consumer electronics, etc. Although UWB-based positioning can be used in an ad hoc manner as a stand-alone positioning technology between electronic devices capable of UWB positioning (also referred to herein as "UWB devices"), in some embodiments, UWB-based positioning can be used as one of many technologies for locating electronic devices in a positioning system. Figure 1 Examples of such positioning systems are provided.

[0031] In addition, unless otherwise specified, the term "positioning" as used herein (including, for example, UWB-based positioning, cellular-based positioning, and hybrid cellular / UWB positioning) may include absolute position determination, relative position determination, ranging, or a combination thereof. For the purpose of location or sensing services, such positioning may include and / or be based on timing, angle, phase, or power measurements, or a combination thereof (which may include RF sensing measurements).

[0032] As previously mentioned, UWB-based positioning provides a highly accurate, low-power positioning solution relative to other RF-based positioning technologies for wireless electronic devices. UWB-based positioning can be used in industrial applications, such as by robots and / or other Internet of Things (IoT) devices in a factory environment, indoor positioning of consumer electronics, etc. Although UWB-based positioning can be used in an ad hoc manner as a stand-alone positioning technology between electronic devices capable of UWB positioning (also referred to herein as "UWB devices"), in some embodiments, UWB-based positioning can be used as one of many technologies for locating electronic devices in a positioning system. Figure 1 Examples of such positioning systems are provided.

[0033] Figure 1 is a simplified illustration of a positioning system 100 according to an embodiment, in which a mobile device 105, a location server 160, and / or other components of the positioning system 100 can use and / or supplement the techniques provided herein to perform UWB-based positioning of the mobile device 105. The techniques described herein can be implemented by one or more components of the positioning system 100. The positioning system 100 may include: a mobile device 105; one or more satellites 110 (also referred to as spacecraft (SV)) for a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) (such as a global positioning system (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo, or BeiDou); a base station 120; an access point (AP) 130; a location server 160; a network 170; and an external client 180. In general, the positioning system 100 can estimate the location of the mobile device 105 based on RF signals received by and / or transmitted from the mobile device 105 and the known locations of other components (e.g., GNSS satellites 110, base stations 120, APs 130) that send and / or receive RF signals. Additional details about specific location estimation techniques are discussed below.

[0034] It should be noted that Figure 1 Only a generalized illustration of the various components is provided, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate, and each component may be repeated as needed. Specifically, although only one mobile device 105 is illustrated, it should be understood that many mobile devices (e.g., hundreds, thousands, millions, etc.) may utilize the positioning system 100. Similarly, the positioning system 100 may include more than one mobile device 105. Figure 1100. The illustrated connections connecting the various components in the positioning system 100 include data and signaling connections, which may include additional (intermediate) components, direct or indirect physical and / or wireless connections, and / or additional networks. In addition, the components may be rearranged, combined, separated, replaced, and / or omitted depending on the desired functionality. In some embodiments, for example, the external client 180 may be directly connected to the location server 160. Those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize many modifications to the illustrated components.

[0035] Depending on the desired functionality, network 170 may include any one of a variety of wireless and / or wired networks. Network 170 may, for example, include any combination of public and / or private networks, local area networks and / or wide area networks, etc. In addition, network 170 may utilize one or more wired and / or wireless communication technologies. In some embodiments, network 170 may include, for example, cellular or other mobile networks, wireless local area networks (WLANs), wireless wide area networks (WWANs), and / or the Internet. Examples of network 170 include long-term evolution (LTE) wireless networks, fifth-generation (5G) wireless networks (also referred to as new radio (NR) wireless networks or 5GNR wireless networks), Wi-Fi WLANs, and the Internet. LTE, 5G, and NR are wireless technologies defined or being defined by the Third Generation Partnership Project (3GPP). Network 170 may also include more than one network and / or more than one type of network. In a wireless cellular network (e.g., LTE or 5G), mobile device 105 may be referred to as user equipment (UE).

[0036] The base station 120 and the access point (AP) 130 are communicatively coupled to the network 170. In some embodiments, the base station 120 may be owned, maintained and / or operated by a cellular network provider and may employ any of a variety of wireless technologies, as described herein below. Depending on the technology of the network 170, the base station 120 may include a node B, an evolved node B (eNodeB or eNB), a transceiver base station (BTS), a radio base station (RBS), an NR node B (gNB), a next generation eNB (ng-eNB), etc. In the case where the network 170 is a 5G network, the base station 120 as a gNB or ng-eNB may be part of a next generation radio access network (NG-RAN) that may be connected to a 5G core network (5GC). In view of the open radio access network (O-RAN) and / or virtualized radio access network (V-RAN or vRAN) in 5G or higher networks, the functionality performed by the base station 120 in the earlier networks (e.g., 3G and 4G) may be divided into different functional components (e.g., radio unit (RU), distributed unit (DU), central unit (CU)) and layers (e.g., L1 / L2 / L3), which may be executed on different devices at different locations connected, for example, via fronthaul connections, midhaul connections, and backhaul connections. As described herein, a "base station" (or ng-eNB, gNB, etc.) may include any or all of these functional components. For example, AP 130 may include a Wi-Fi AP or AP or an AP with cellular capabilities (e.g., 4G LTE and / or 5GNR). Thus, the mobile device 105 can transmit and receive information with network connectivity devices (such as location server 160) by accessing the network 170 via the base station 120 using the first communication link 133. Additionally or alternatively, because the AP 130 can also be communicatively coupled with the network 170, the mobile device 105 can communicate with network connectivity and Internet connectivity devices (including the location server 160) using the second communication link 135 or via one or more other mobile devices 145.

[0037] As used herein, the term "base station" may generally refer to a single physical transmission point or multiple co-located physical transmission points that may be located at a base station 120. A transmit receive point (TRP) (also referred to as a transmit / receive point) corresponds to this type of transmission point, and the term "TRP" may be used interchangeably with the terms "gNB," "ng-eNB," and "base station" herein. In some cases, a base station 120 may include multiple TRPs—for example, where each TRP is associated with a different antenna or a different antenna array of the base station 120. As used herein, the transmit function of a TRP may be performed using a transmit point (TP), and / or the receive function of a TRP may be performed by a receive point (RP), which may be physically separate or different from the TP. That is, a TRP may include both a TP and an RP. A physical transmission point may include an antenna array of a base station 120 (for example, as in a multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) system and / or where the base station employs beamforming). The term "base station" may additionally refer to multiple non-co-located physical transmission points, which may be a distributed antenna system (DAS) (a network of spatially separated antennas connected to a common source via a transmission medium) or a remote radio head (RRH) (a remote base station connected to a serving base station).

[0038] As used herein, the term "cell" may generally refer to a logical communication entity for communicating with base station 120, and may be associated with an identifier (e.g., a physical cell identifier (PCID), a virtual cell identifier (VCID)) for distinguishing adjacent cells operating via the same or different carriers. In some examples, a carrier may support multiple cells, and different cells may be configured according to different protocol types that may provide access for different types of devices (e.g., machine type communication (MTC), narrowband Internet of Things (NB-IoT), enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB), or other protocols). In some cases, the term "cell" may refer to a portion of a geographic coverage area (e.g., a sector) over which the logical entity operates.

[0039] Satellites 110 may be used to locate mobile device 105 in one or more ways. For example, satellites 110 (also referred to as space vehicles (SVs)) may be part of a global navigation satellite system (GNSS), such as a global positioning system (GPS), GLONASS, Galileo, or BeiDou. Positioning using RF signals from GNSS satellites may include measuring multiple GNSS signals at a GNSS receiver of mobile device 105 to perform code-based and / or carrier-based positioning, which may be highly accurate. Additionally or alternatively, satellites 110 may be used for non-terrestrial network (NTN) based positioning, where satellites 110 may be functionally operable as a TRP (or multiple TPs) of a network (e.g., an LTE and / or NR network) and may be communicatively coupled with network 170. In particular, reference signals (e.g., PRS) sent by satellites 110 for NTN based positioning may be similar to those sent by base stations 120 and may be coordinated by location server 160. In some embodiments, satellites 110 used for NTN based positioning may be different from those used for GNSS based positioning.

[0040] The location server 160 may include a server and / or other computing device configured to determine an estimated location of the mobile device 105 and / or provide data (e.g., “assistance data”) to the mobile device 105 to facilitate location measurement and / or location determination by the mobile device 105. According to some embodiments, the location server 160 may include a Home Secure User Plane Location (SUPL) Location Platform (H-SLP), which may support the SUPL User Plane (UP) positioning solution defined by the Open Mobile Alliance (OMA), and may support location services for the mobile device 105 based on subscription information for the mobile device 105 stored in the location server 160. In some embodiments, the location server 160 may include a Discovery SLP (D-SLP) or an Emergency SLP (E-SLP). The location server 160 may also include an Enhanced Serving Mobile Location Center (E-SMLC), which uses a Control Plane (CP) positioning solution to support positioning of the mobile device 105 for LTE radio access of the mobile device 105. The location server 160 may also include a location management function (LMF) that supports positioning of the mobile device 105 using a control plane (CP) positioning solution for NR or LTE radio access of the mobile device 105.

[0041] In the CP positioning solution, from the perspective of the network 170, the signaling for controlling and managing the positioning of the mobile device 105 can use existing network interfaces and protocols and be exchanged as signaling between the elements of the network 170 and with the mobile device 105. In the UP positioning solution, from the perspective of the network 170, the signaling for controlling and managing the positioning of the mobile device 105 can be exchanged between the location server 160 and the mobile device 105 as data (e.g., data transmitted using the Internet Protocol (IP) and / or the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP)).

[0042] As previously mentioned (and discussed in more detail below), the estimated position of the mobile device 105 can be based on measurements of RF signals transmitted from and / or received by the mobile device 105. Specifically, these measurements can provide information about the relative distances and / or angles of the mobile device 105 and one or more components in the positioning system 100 (e.g., GNSS satellites 110, APs 130, base stations 120). The estimated position of the mobile device 105 can be estimated geometrically (e.g., using multi-angle measurements and / or multilateration) based on the distance and / or angle measurements along with the known positions of the one or more components.

[0043] Although ground components (such as AP 130 and base station 120) can be fixed, embodiments are not limited in this regard. Mobile components can be used. For example, in some embodiments, the location of mobile device 105 can be estimated based at least in part on measurements of RF signals 140 communicated between mobile device 105 and one or more other mobile devices 145 (the one or more other mobile devices can be mobile or fixed). As illustrated, the other mobile devices can include, for example, mobile phone 145-1, vehicle 145-2, static communication / positioning device 145-3, or other static and / or mobile devices capable of providing wireless signals for locating mobile device 105, or combinations thereof. Wireless signals from mobile device 145 for positioning of mobile device 105 can include using, for example, (including Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE)), IEEE 802.11x (e.g. ), ultra-wideband (UWB), IEEE 802.15x, or a combination thereof. The mobile device 145 may additionally or alternatively use non-RF wireless signals for positioning of the mobile device 105, such as infrared signals or other optical technologies.

[0044] Mobile devices 145 may include other mobile devices that are communicatively coupled to a cellular or other mobile network (e.g., network 170). When one or more other mobile devices 145 are used in the positioning determination of a particular mobile device 105, the mobile device 105 whose positioning is to be determined may be referred to as a "target mobile device" and each of the other mobile devices 145 used may be referred to as an "anchor mobile device". (In cellular / mobile broadband networks, the terms "anchor UE" and "target UE" may be used.) In order to make a positioning determination for a target mobile device, the corresponding positioning of the one or more anchor mobile devices may be known and / or determined jointly with the target mobile device. Direct communication between one or more other mobile devices 145 and mobile device 105 may include sidelinks and / or similar device-to-device (D2D) communication technologies. The sidelink defined by 3GPP is a form of D2D communication under cellular-based LTE and NR standards. UWB may be one such technology by which it can use measurements from one or more anchor devices (e.g., mobile devices 145) to facilitate the positioning of a target device (e.g., mobile device 105).

[0045] According to some embodiments, such as when the mobile device 105 includes and / or is incorporated into a vehicle, a form of D2D communication used by the mobile device 105 may include vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication. V2X is a communication standard for vehicles to exchange information about the traffic environment with related entities. V2X may include vehicle-to-vehicle (V2V) communication between vehicles with V2X capabilities, vehicle-to-infrastructure (V2I) communication between vehicles and infrastructure-based equipment (commonly referred to as roadside units (RSUs)), vehicle-to-person (V2P) communication between vehicles and nearby people (pedestrians, cyclists and other road users), etc. In addition, V2X can use any of a variety of wireless RF communication technologies. For example, cellular V2X (CV2X) is a form of V2X that uses cellular-based communications in a direct communication mode defined by 3GPP, such as LTE (4G), NR (5G) and / or other cellular technologies. Figure 1The mobile device 105 illustrated in the figure may correspond to a component or device on a vehicle, RSU, or other V2X entity used to communicate V2X messages. In an embodiment in which V2X is used, the static communication / positioning device 145-3 (which may correspond to an RSU) and / or the vehicle 145-2 may therefore communicate with the mobile device 105 and may be used to determine the location of the mobile device 105 using techniques similar to those used by the base station 120 and / or AP 130 (e.g., using multi-angle and / or multilateration positioning). It may also be noted that according to some embodiments, the mobile device 145 (which may include a V2X device), the base station 120, and / or the AP 130 may be used together (e.g., in a WWAN positioning solution) to determine the location of the mobile device 105.

[0046] The estimated location of the mobile device 105 may be used in various applications, such as to assist a user of the mobile device 105 with direction finding or navigation or to assist another user (e.g., associated with an external client 180) in locating the mobile device 105. "Location" is also referred to herein as a "location estimate," "estimated location," "position," "position estimate," "position fix," "estimated position," "position fix," or "fix." The process of determining a location may be referred to as "positioning," "position determination," "location determination," or the like. The location of the mobile device 105 may include an absolute location of the mobile device 105 (e.g., latitude and longitude, and possibly altitude) or a relative location of the mobile device 105 (e.g., a location expressed as a distance north or south, east or west, and possibly above or below some other known fixed location (including, for example, the location of a base station 120 or an AP 130) or some other location such as the location of the mobile device 105 at some known previous time, or the location of a mobile device 145 (e.g., another mobile device) at some known previous time). The location may be specified as a geodetic location including coordinates that may be absolute (e.g., latitude, longitude, and optionally altitude), relative (e.g., relative to some known absolute location), or local (e.g., X, Y, and optionally Z coordinates according to a coordinate system defined relative to a local area, such as a factory, warehouse, college campus, shopping mall, stadium, or convention center). The location may alternatively be a city location, and may then include one or more of a street address (e.g., including a country, state, county, city, road and / or street name or label, and / or road or street number) and / or a label or name of a place, a building, a portion of a building, a floor of a building, and / or a room within a building, etc. The location may also include an uncertainty or error indication, such as a horizontal and likely vertical distance that the location is expected to have error, or an indication of an area or volume (e.g., a circle or ellipse) within which the mobile device 105 is expected to be located with a certain confidence level (e.g., 95% confidence).

[0047] The external client 180 may be a web server or remote application that may have some association with the mobile device 105 (e.g., may be accessed by a user of the mobile device 105), or may be a server, application, or computer system that provides location services to some other user or users, which may include obtaining and providing the location of the mobile device 105 (e.g., to enable services such as friend or relative locating or child or pet location). Additionally or alternatively, the external client 180 may obtain the location of the mobile device 105 and provide it to emergency service providers, government agencies, etc.

[0048] Figure 2A and Figure 2B 2 is a simplified diagram illustrating how UWB positioning can be performed in a network (ad hoc network) of UWB anchor points 210. As described herein, a "UWB anchor point" (or simply "anchor") may include a UWB device with a known location that can be used to determine the location of a target 220 or "tag" using UWB RF signals. UWB positioning can be performed using relevant standards, which enables high accuracy, low power positioning.

[0049] If the location of one or more UWB anchor points 210 is not yet known, such as in an ad hoc network, an initial configuration of the UWB anchor points 210 may be performed. In this configuration, the UWB anchor points 210 may perform ranging measurements to determine the relative distances (l1 to l6) between the UWB devices 210, such as Figure 2A . This may enable the UWB anchors 210 to determine relative positions to each other, and if the absolute position of any UWB anchor 210 is known, to determine the absolute position (e.g., relative to a coordinate system). Once the orientation of the UWB anchor 210 is known, the position of the target 220 may be determined by determining the distances (d1 to d6) between the UWB anchor 210 and the target 220. These distances may be determined using a variety of positioning related measurements and / or processes. This may include, for example, reference signal time difference (RSTD), time of arrival (ToA), two-way ranging (TWR) (e.g., including single-sided TWR (SS-TWR) and / or double-sided TWR (DS-TWR)), time difference of arrival (TDoA), and the like. Additionally or alternatively, angle-based measurements may be made for positioning of the target 220, including angle of arrival (AoA) and / or angle of departure (AoD).

[0050] The UWB anchor 210 may vary in form and function. In some embodiments, for example, the UWB anchor 210 may include a mobile device such as a mobile phone with UWB functionality. Similarly, the anchor 210 may include other personal electronic devices, such as laptop computers, tablet computers, personal media players, etc. In addition, as described above, the UWB device may include a vehicle, a drone, a robot, or other mobile devices that can move autonomously, and may be used for consumer, industrial, military, and / or other applications. The UWB anchor 210 may also include private and / or dedicated RF beacons deployed at known locations for monitoring the location of tags or devices used in logistics applications. For example, this may be done to track packages, shipping containers, and the like. The UWB anchor 210 may be used in proximity applications to, for example, unlock a door when a user (e.g., an authorized user) approaches. The UWB anchor 210 may also be deployed in a factory environment to monitor robots, assembly parts, and the like. The UWB anchor 210 may also be used in other applications and / or device types.

[0051] A group of UWB anchors 210 may conduct a session during which the UWB anchors 210 participate in direct communication (e.g., D2D communication) to coordinate data exchange, synchronization (e.g., for TDOA positioning). A group of UWB anchors 210 may be referred to as a "cluster," and a network of UWB devices may include multiple clusters. Each cluster may include any number of UWB anchors 210, and different clusters may overlap, such that one or more UWB anchors 210 may be part of one or more different clusters.

[0052] Figure 3A is a flow chart illustrating the roles that different devices may assume with respect to a UWB ranging session (or simply, a "UWB session"). Here, each UWB device may be referred to as an enhanced ranging device (ERDEV). ERDEV may refer to different terms at different layers of the network stack (e.g., initiator / responder or controller / controlled party). The term initiator / responder will be used at lower layers (e.g., at the UWB physical (PHY) layer and the medium access control (MAC) layer), while the term controller and controlled party (also described below) may be used at higher layers (e.g., the application layer of the ERDEV).

[0053] As indicated, for a pair of ERDEVs communicating with each other, controller 310 is the ERDEV that transmits control information 325 to a receiving ERDEV designated as controlled party 320. Control information 325 may include parameters for a UWB ranging session, such as timing, channel, etc. Although not illustrated, controlled party 320 may transmit an acknowledgment to control information 325, may negotiate changes to parameters, etc.

[0054] The exchanges between the controller 310 and the controlled party 320 (including the transmission of the control information 325 and the subsequent related exchanges between the controller 310 and the controlled party 320 regarding the control information) may be conducted out-of-band (OOB) using different wireless communication technologies (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi) before the ranging phase. In other words, a UWB session may be associated with a control phase and a ranging phase, wherein the control phase (which may occur over the OOB link) includes a preliminary exchange between the controller 310 and the controlled party 320 of parameter values ​​for the ranging phase, and the subsequent ranging phase includes a portion of the UWB session in which the devices exchange messages within the UWB band for ranging measurements. (However, it may be noted that some control information may be exchanged within the UWB band (e.g., a "ranging control phase" occurring in the first time slot of a UWB round). Therefore, after the preliminary OOB exchange between the controller 310 and the controlled party 320, some aspects of the control phase may be considered to occur in the band.)

[0055] Depending on the parameters provided in the control information, a UWB session may then occur. During the ranging phase of a UWB session, one ERDEV may take the role of an initiator 330 and another ERDEV may take the role of a responder 340. Figure 3A As indicated in the control information 325, the initiator 330 may initiate UWB ranging by transmitting a ranging initiation message 345 to the responder 340, the responder 340 may reply to the ranging initiation message with a ranging response message 350, and timing measurements may be made on these messages (by the devices receiving these messages) to perform two-way ranging (TWR). Depending on the parameters of the control information 325, additional exchanges may be made between the initiator 330 and the responder 340 during the ranging phase to allow additional ranging measurements.

[0056] The roles of the initiator 330 and the responder 340 may be indicated in the control information 325. Figure 3A As indicated, the controller 310 in the control phase may be the initiator 330 in the ranging phase of the UWB session. Figure 3B As indicated, the controller 310 in the control phase may be the responder 340 in the ranging phase. The determination of which device is the initiator 330 and which device is the responder 340 may depend on the parameters set forth in the control information 325, in which case the controlled party 320 becomes the responder 340 or the initiator 330 accordingly. According to some embodiments, the controller / initiator may perform ranging with multiple controlled parties / responders.

[0057] Figure 44 is a timing diagram 400 illustrating how timing may be measured and utilized within a UWB positioning session. A UWB session may occur over a time period that is divided into sub-portions according to a hierarchical structure. The timing includes a succession of one or more consecutive ranging blocks 410 that may have a configurable duration (e.g., 200 ms). (For simplicity, the timing is shown in FIG. 4 ). Figure 4 Only one ranging block 410 is shown in FIG. However, a UWB session may utilize multiple ranging blocks that may occur in succession. ) Each ranging block 410 may be divided into one or more consecutive rounds 420 (e.g., N rounds). The number and length of the rounds may be configurable. Rounds 420 are further divided into different time slots 430, which also have a configurable number and length. According to some embodiments, to help reduce RF conflicts, each cluster may use a single round in each ranging block 410 for UWB positioning. Adjacent clusters may utilize different rounds.

[0058] The time slots within the round 420 may be allocated for different purposes. For example, an initial time slot may be dedicated to a ranging control phase 440, in which the initiator UWB anchor point or Init anchor point of the cluster sends control information for other UWB anchor points in the cluster. This information may include, for example, time slot allocations between different UWB anchor points in the cluster. During a subsequent ranging phase 450, different UWB anchor points may be transmitted according to the allocated time slots. That is, each anchor point may be allocated a corresponding time slot in the ranging phase 450 to send one or more ranging signals. The ranging phase 450 may be followed by a measurement reporting phase 460, in which the UWB anchor points in the cluster may report measurement results (e.g., measurement results of the signals measured during the ranging phase 450).

[0059] In some UWB anchor networks, there can be multiple clusters. These clusters can overlap to allow communication between clusters. Figure 5A An example is provided in .

[0060] Figure 5A is a simplified diagram of an example multi-cluster UWB anchor network including multiple clusters 510. In this example, each cluster has a corresponding Init anchor 520 that can coordinate positioning sessions within the corresponding cluster 510. In FIG5 , the Init anchors are labeled 1 to 5, and the Init anchor 520 and the cluster 510 having the same dashed pattern indicate the Init anchor 520 of the corresponding cluster 510. Unlabeled triangles represent other anchors in the cluster 510 (e.g., responder anchors).

[0061] In a multi-cluster UWB anchor network, there may be a certain Init anchor 520 that is designated as a global anchor. Likewise, a global anchor may include an Init anchor that provides a common time reference to the entire UWB anchor network. This can help enable positioning of tags or devices that move from one cluster 510 to another, and reduce errors that may be associated with multi-hop synchronization. The global anchor may also provide control information to help reduce inter-cluster RF conflicts. For example, where the clusters are synchronized in time and conduct positioning sessions in parallel, the global anchor may locate different clusters 510 to different rounds of ranging blocks. In this way, each cluster 510 may be given a separate round (e.g., cluster 1 may communicate during round 1, cluster 2 may communicate during round 2, etc.) to help reduce RF interference.

[0062] Since clusters overlap, inter-cluster communication can occur by utilizing the ranging control phase of the round. (e.g., Figure 4 For example, when Init Anchor 1 communicates control information (e.g., timing synchronization, round allocation, and / or other information), the cluster of Init Anchor 1 (in Figure 5A The communication between the clusters of Init Anchor 2 and Init Anchor 3 can occur during the control phase of the round assigned to the cluster of Init Anchor 1. Since Init Anchor 2 and Init Anchor 3 are in the cluster of Init Anchor 1, they receive the information during the control phase of the round assigned to the cluster of Init Anchor 1. Then, they can communicate the information in the control phase of their respective clusters.

[0063] An example of this is Figure 5B . In the ranging round of cluster #1, Init Anchor 1 communicates the control phase information in the first time slot 540. Since Init Anchors 2 and 3 are in cluster #1, they receive the information. They can then propagate the information to the corresponding clusters. Init Anchor 2 relays the information in the first time slot 550 of the ranging round for cluster #2, and Init Anchor 3 relays the information in the first time slot 560 of the ranging round for cluster #3. Since Init Anchor 4 is in cluster 3, it can then propagate the information to its cluster (cluster 4).

[0064] In this example, the global anchor may be included in Init Anchor 1 and may therefore be assigned the first round in a ranging block. Assigning the first ranging round to the cluster of the global anchor may allow information to be propagated "downstream" from the global anchor to other Init anchors in the network (e.g., from Init Anchor 1 to Init Anchor 5) relatively quickly within a single ranging block. However, "upstream" communication from other clusters toward the global anchor (e.g., from Init Anchor 5 to Init Anchor 1) may take a relatively long time, spanning multiple ranging blocks.

[0065] In order to address the coordination of signaling among the various clusters 510 of a multi-cluster UWB anchor network (e.g., through a global anchor), different proposals have been made to achieve this by extending the control phase to the single-slot ranging control phase traditionally included in each round (e.g., as Figure 4 Signaling between different clusters 510 is implemented outside the first time slot 430 in the round 420 illustrated in FIG.

[0066] Fig. 6A A modified ranging round according to a first proposal for an extended control phase for UWB networking is illustrated. In this proposal, instead of having a control phase (e.g., Figure 4 The ranging round includes a single time slot of the ranging control phase 440 (exemplified in FIG. 4 ), and the ranging round includes an extended ranging control phase (XRCP) spanning multiple time slots. Within the XRCP, time slots can be allocated to multiple Init anchors within the UWB network for communication.

[0067] Figure 6B A second proposal for an extended control phase for UWB networking is illustrated. In this proposal, only the Beacon Period (BOP) is the time period in which the Init Anchor Points can communicate to coordinate positioning within a ranging block. For TDOA, for example, the information exchanged during the BOP may include information related to synchronization, TDOA parameters, round duration, etc. The BOP may exist in the "superframe" timing structure used for communication and positioning by the UWB network, separate from the ranging rounds and even (as illustrated) outside the ranging block. Similar to the XRCP, the BOP may include a series of time slots allocated to various Init Anchor Points within the network.

[0068] The problem is that proposals for extended control phases such as XRCP and BOP that allocate time slots among multiple Init anchors generally do not have a clear time slot allocation scheme. This can lead to non-standardized implementations that may be limited in efficiency and scalability. Embodiments herein address these and other issues by providing a time slot scheduling that allocates time slots of the control phase among the Init anchors of a UWB network in an efficient manner that is scalable and adaptable to additional anchors and clusters. The time slot scheduling can be performed, for example, by a global anchor.

[0069] For synchronization of a UWB anchor network, a cost metric (CM) may be calculated to determine "the proximity to an anchor that provides a common time reference to establish a synchronization hierarchy or tree within a multi-cluster deployment". In other words, the CM of a given anchor may be considered the number of hops between a global anchor and the given anchor. Since each hop may introduce timing errors, anchors with lower CMs experience less timing errors in synchronization messages, resulting in higher positioning accuracy. Therefore, according to some embodiments, the Init anchor that results in the lowest average CM across all anchors in the network may be selected as the global anchor for the network. In order to be able to specify a global anchor, and to allow selection of a new global anchor when a new Init anchor joins the network, the Init anchors may calculate and share their CM values.

[0070] In some embodiments, additional criteria may be considered to enhance the basic CM description previously described. These criteria may be used, for example, with CM to determine a centrality metric value, which may be used to select a global anchor point and, as described in more detail below, may be used to control the scheduling of time slots in the phase. Some criteria that may be used to select a global anchor point and / or an Init anchor point within a cluster may include:

[0071] Access to a global time source with good clock stability, such as UTC. Anchor points that have access to a source with clock stability may be superior to those without such a source. For example, such a source may include a 5G-NR base station or a GNSS source. Relatedly, the quality of the timing signal (e.g., SNR) received by the anchor point from the source may be a factor.

[0072] Clock stability of the anchor point. Regarding this factor, an anchor point with better clock stability will be better than an anchor point with worse clock stability.

[0073] Ground truth accuracy. Since the timing of other anchors relative to an anchor may be affected by the distances of other anchors to the anchor, accurate knowledge of the position of the anchor can help ensure that position-dependent timing errors are reduced / minimized. Therefore, anchors with greater ground truth accuracy may be more favorable as global / initiator anchors than anchors with poorer ground truth accuracy.

[0074] Geographic location. Anchors with the greatest coverage of an area may be advantageous. For example, an anchor closest to the center of an area served by a cluster may be selected as an initiator anchor, and / or an anchor closest to the center of the network may be selected as a global anchor. Alternatively, location may be considered in addition to other factors. Graph theory analysis (as described below) may also be used.

[0075] Prevalence of LoS links and high quality ToA estimates. For example, an anchor point at the ceiling (e.g., assuming the geometry of the environment is known a priori) may be preferred over an anchor point located elsewhere, given that it is more likely to have a larger number of LoS links to other anchor points. Relatedly, the RSRP of the signal received from the anchor point may also be a key metric according to some embodiments.

[0076] Power consumption information. Whether the anchor is battery powered or connected to a stable power source may be a factor. An anchor connected to a stable power source may be preferred over an anchor powered by a battery or unstable power source.

[0077] As mentioned previously, the centrality measure of the Init anchor is determined from the CM and (optionally) one or more of the above criteria. For example, according to some embodiments, the weighted closeness centrality (CC) can be calculated using graph theory principles to indicate how close the Init anchor is to other Init anchors in the network. It can be calculated as the average of the shortest path lengths from the node to each other node in the network, as follows:

[0078]

[0079] where d x,y is the distance or number of hops between the Init anchors x and y, and N is the total number of Init anchors. Parameters / weights w y indicates the quality of the link and / or anchor point used to achieve synchronization in relation to the previously described criteria. In other words, the parameter / weight w y Can be considered as a value representing one or more of the criteria. Setting this value to 1 would be an alternative way to determine CM.

[0080] As described above, embodiments may utilize a centrality metric (such as CC or CM) to determine a time slot schedule for the control phase. In particular, the global anchor may allocate time slots within the time slot schedule such that the time slot schedule includes upstream time slots (time slots for implementing upstream communications) followed by downstream time slots (time slots for implementing downstream communications) to help facilitate efficient communication between Init anchors of the UWB anchor network. 7A to 8B The examples illustrated in help illustrate some of the benefits of this time slot scheduling structure.

[0081] Fig. 7A yes Figure 5A An illustration of a network shown in , where new anchor points 710 (Init Anchor Point 6 and Init Anchor Point 7) are joining the network. Figure 7B is the corresponding value when the new anchor point 710 is added Fig. 7A1, i.e., an illustration of the control phase 1, i.e., the first control phase, of a network of FIG. 1. In addition, at the first control phase, Init anchor 1 is the global anchor of the network. As previously mentioned, the global anchor (Init anchor 1 in this case) can schedule upstream slots (slots used for upstream communication) followed by downstream slots, so that the control phase slots can be used efficiently. In addition, as illustrated in the figure, the buffer slots (unallocated slots for new Init anchors joining the network) can precede the upstream slots in the control phase.

[0082] The efficiency of this time slot scheduling for control phase 1 can be seen when describing the process of adding a new anchor point 710. As illustrated, the new anchor points 710 (Init anchor point 6 and Init anchor point 7) use the buffer time slot to indicate their presence and request to be added to the network at the beginning of control phase 1. (It can be noted that since Init anchor point 6 and Init anchor point 7 are Init anchor points, each Init anchor point can have its own anchor point cluster, which is in Fig. 7A ). Specifically, Init anchor 6 communicates with Init anchor 5, and Init anchor 7 communicates with Init anchor 2. Since the addition of the new anchor 710 may affect the centrality metric values ​​of the Init anchors in the network, thereby potentially leading to the designation of a new global anchor, the information provided by Init anchor 6 and Init anchor 7 may include centrality metric values ​​(e.g., CM and / or CC values). Since the buffer time slot precedes the upstream time slot, other Init anchors may pass the centrality metric values ​​of the new anchor 710 upstream, as well as recalculate and transmit their own (updated) centrality metric values.

[0083] By the end of the upstream timeslot in control phase 1, the current global anchor point (Init anchor point 1) has the centrality metric values ​​of all Init anchor points and can respond accordingly. The global anchor point can then transmit new information to the Init anchor point of the UWB network in the downlink communication (relayed during the downstream timeslot). The information may include, for example, an acknowledgement (ACK) of the receipt of the updated centrality metric value by the global anchor point. It may also include a new timeslot schedule for the subsequent control phase (control phase 2), in which Init anchor point 6 and Init anchor point 7 are each assigned upstream and downstream timeslots. In addition, if the current global anchor point (Init anchor point 1) determines a new global anchor point based on the updated centrality metric value, then it can communicate the designation of the new global anchor point. In some embodiments, as described in further detail below, the current global anchor point may first transmit a message to the new global anchor point (e.g., via a downstream timeslot) and wait for an ACK before designating the new global anchor point (e.g., via an upstream timeslot in a subsequent control phase). Furthermore, in some embodiments, if the current global anchor determines a new global anchor, the current global anchor may include an update flag in downstream communications indicating that a new global anchor will be designated (eg, pending and ACK from the new global anchor).

[0084] To enable upstream and downstream communications, the global anchor point may determine a time slot schedule based on a centrality metric value. Specifically, the upstream time slots may be scheduled in an order that makes the centrality metric value decrease, and the upstream time slots may be scheduled in an order that makes the centrality metric value increase. In this way, the global anchor point may ensure that the upstream time slots are scheduled in a manner that enables communication from an Init anchor point at or near the edge of the UWB network to the global anchor point, and the downstream time slots are scheduled in a manner that enables communication from the global anchor point to the Init anchor point at or near the edge of the UWB network.

[0085] Implementations may implement additional features to account for different situations. For example, in the case of packet loss, there may be a problem with the ranging control phase (e.g., Figure 4 The ranging control phase can also be used to provide information to the new Init anchor point. For example, Fig. 7A and Figure 7BIn the example of , the new control phase slot schedule provided by the global anchor point to other Init anchor points in the downstream communication performed in the downstream slot can be relayed to the new Init anchor point 710 during the ranging control phase. Specifically, Init anchor point 2 can use the ranging control phase in its cluster's turn to communicate the new control phase slot schedule to Init anchor point 7, and Init anchor point 5 can use the ranging control phase in its cluster's turn to communicate the new control phase slot schedule to Init anchor point 6. Additionally or alternatively, the new slot schedule of the control phase can also be simply relayed via OOB communication.

[0086] Fig. 8A illustrates a UWB network after adding Init Anchor Point 6 and Init Anchor Point 7, and Figure 8B Illustrated in Figure 7B Control Phase 2 and Control Phase 3 follow Control Phase 1 of FIG. As shown in Control Phase 2, the upstream and downstream time slots now include the allocated time slots for Init Anchor Point 6 and Init Anchor Point 7.

[0087] Control phase 3 illustrates an example control phase after control phase 2, in which a new global anchor is selected. Again, the selection of the new global anchor may be based on the addition of the new centrality metric Init anchor from Init anchor 6 and Init anchor 7 in control phase 1. In this example, the current global anchor (Init anchor 1) determines in control phase 1 that Init anchor 4 will be the new global anchor. Therefore, Init anchor 1 may transmit a request to Init anchor 4 in the downstream communication of control phase 1 to make Init anchor 4 the new global anchor. The upstream communication in the upstream slot of control phase 2 may carry an ACK from Init anchor 4 back to Init anchor 1, confirming that Init anchor 4 will become the new global anchor. Init anchor 1 (as the current global anchor) may then transmit a new slot schedule in the downstream communication conveyed by the downstream slot of control phase 2, where the new slot schedule reflects Init anchor 4 as the new global anchor. In this way, Init Anchor 1 can complete a three-way handshake (including request, ACK, and subsequent designation) with Init Anchor 4 to designate Init Anchor 4 as the new global anchor. Control Phase 3 then executes the new time slot schedule (communicated in the downstream time slot of Control Phase 2). In Control Phase 3, each Init anchor can continue to deliver centrality metrics, which are provided to the new global anchor (Init Anchor 4), and the new global anchor can designate the time slot schedule for the subsequent control phase accordingly.

[0088] Fig. 9is a flow chart illustrating a process of determining and updating a control phase time slot schedule according to an embodiment. The operations illustrated in the flow chart may be performed by an anchor in a UWB anchor network, particularly an Init anchor in a multi-cluster UWB anchor network. The process may begin with the functionality of box 910, in which a global anchor defines an initial time slot schedule. The determination of the global anchor and the initial time slot schedule may be governed by rules that may be established within applicable standards. Otherwise, different techniques for determining the global anchor and / or the initial time slot schedule may be implemented depending on the desired functionality. In some embodiments, the global anchor may create an initial time slot schedule by randomly allocating time slots among the various Init anchors in the network. The network may then perform a ranging / TDOA / data session, as indicated at box 920.

[0089] The process can then move to the control stage 930, such as Fig. 9 As indicated in and as previously indicated, this control phase may include an XRCP or a BOP. At block 940, upstream communication occurs, where the Init anchor provides updated CC (or other centrality metric) values ​​upstream toward the global anchor according to the current slot schedule. Additionally, as shown at block 950, if the Init anchor received an UPDATE flag in the previous control phase, they may respond with an ACK in the upstream communication.

[0090] Block 960 represents downstream communication from the global anchor point. Here, as previously indicated, given the CC (or other centrality metric) value received from the Init anchor point in the upstream communication at block 940, the global anchor point may set the schedule for the next control phase. Additionally, as indicated at block 970, if the global anchor point identifies a new global anchor point, it may include an update flag, indicating the possible new global anchor point. (As indicated in the above embodiments, if the current global anchor point receives an ACK from the proposed new global anchor point, it may then designate the new global anchor point and determine the corresponding slot schedule in the subsequent control phase.) Fig. 9 As indicated in , some embodiments may periodically employ the functionality at blocks 950 and / or 970. In particular, according to some embodiments, an existing global anchor point may be checked back on a periodic basis (e.g., hourly, daily, weekly, monthly, etc.) rather than designating a new global anchor point during each control phase of the network.

[0091] Although not in Fig. 9, but may include additional functionality to allow new Init Anchors to be added. Prior to the upstream communication functionality at block 940, for example, the control phase may include a set of buffered time slots during which the prospective new Init Anchor may communicate a request to join the network to the existing Init Anchor. (According to some embodiments, the prospective new Init Anchor may randomly select a time slot in which to communicate.) At block 940, the request may be communicated along with other upstream information. In such an example, as previously discussed, the downstream communication at block 960 may include a new schedule for a subsequent control phase, the new schedule including a time slot allocation for the new Init Anchor.

[0092] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a method 1000 for inter-cluster coordination in UWB positioning according to an embodiment. Aspects of the method 1000 may reflect the functionality of a global anchor point as described in embodiments detailed elsewhere herein. Fig.10 The functional components illustrated in one or more of the blocks shown in the figure may be performed by hardware and / or software components of the UWB device. In particular, the UWB device acts as a global anchor point for a multi-cluster UWB network. Fig.11 and Fig.12 Example components of such a UWB device are illustrated in FIG. 4 and described in more detail below.

[0093] At block 1010, the functionality includes obtaining metric information at a global anchor of a network of UWB anchors including a plurality of clusters and a plurality of Init anchors, wherein: each cluster includes a corresponding Init anchor, the metric information includes a centrality metric value of each Init anchor in the plurality of Init anchors, the centrality metric value of the corresponding Init anchor indicates a number of hops of the corresponding Init anchor to other UWB anchors in the network, and the metric information is included in or derived from information communicated from the plurality of Init anchors to the global anchor in a first control phase of the network of UWB anchors. As previously described, in the first control phase, the global anchor may obtain the metric information from upstream communication via the Init anchor. Furthermore, as previously described, the centrality metric value of each Init anchor may include, for example, a CM value or a CC value indicating a number of hops of the corresponding Init anchor from other UWB anchors in the network.

[0094] Functionality for performing block 1010 may include bus 1105, processor 1110, memory 1160, wireless communication interface 1130 (including optional UWB transceiver 1135), and / or other components resident in UWB device 1100, such as Fig.111200 and described below. Means for performing the functionality at block 1010 may include bus 1205, processor 1210, memory 1260, wireless communication interface 1230 (including optional UWB transceiver 1235), and / or other components of mobile UWB device 1200, such as Fig.12 As illustrated in and described below.

[0095] At box 1020, the functionality includes determining a time slot schedule for a second control phase of the network of UWB anchor points using a global anchor point, wherein: determining the time slot schedule is based on a centrality measure of multiple Init anchor points; the time slot schedule includes an allocation of time slots for the second control phase among multiple Init anchor points for wireless RF communication; and the allocation of time slots includes a first set of time slots for upstream communication followed by a second set of time slots for downstream communication.

[0096] As noted in the embodiments described herein, the centrality metric of the Init anchor point may be used to determine upstream and downstream communications. According to some embodiments, the global anchor point allocates time slots in a first set of time slots among multiple Init anchor points in order of decreasing centrality metric values. Additionally or alternatively, the global anchor point allocates time slots in a second set of time slots among multiple Init anchor points in order of increasing centrality metric values. The use of buffer time slots may also be used to allow new Init anchor points. Therefore, according to some embodiments of method 1000, the global anchor point may also include a set of buffer time slots in the time slot schedule, in which the new Init anchor point can communicate to join the network of UWB anchor points. In such embodiments, the set of buffer time slots may be before the first set of time slots.

[0097] In some embodiments, the functionality for performing block 1020 may include bus 1105, processor 1110, memory 1160, wireless communication interface 1130 (including optional UWB transceiver 1135), and / or other components resident in UWB device 1100, such as Fig.11 In some embodiments, the means for performing the functionality at block 1020 may include bus 1205, processor 1210, memory 1260, wireless communication interface 1230 (including optional UWB transceiver 1235), and / or other components of mobile UWB device 1200, such as Fig.12 As illustrated in and described below.

[0098] At block 1030, the functionality includes transmitting the time slot schedule from the global anchor point to an Init anchor point of the plurality of Init anchor points. As noted, according to some embodiments, the global anchor point may transmit the time slot schedule to an Init anchor point of the plurality of Init anchor points during a time slot allocated for downstream communication in the set of time slots in the first control phase.

[0099] In some embodiments, the functionality for performing the block 1030 may include the bus 1105, the processor 1110, the memory 1160, the wireless communication interface 1130 (including the optional UWB transceiver 1135), and / or other components of the UWB device 1100, such as Fig.11 In some embodiments, the means for performing the functionality at block 1030 may include bus 1205, processor 1210, memory 1260, wireless communication interface 1230 (including optional UWB transceiver 1235), and / or other components of mobile UWB device 1200, such as Fig.12 As illustrated in and described below.

[0100] Depending on the desired functionality, embodiments of method 1000 may include one or more additional operations. For example, according to some embodiments, in response to at least one new Init anchor communicating in a buffered time slot of the first control phase to join the network of UWB anchor points, the global anchor point may allocate at least one time slot in the time slot schedule to a new Init anchor point. According to some embodiments, the global anchor point may also determine an expected new global anchor point based on a centrality measure of multiple Init anchor points. In such embodiments, the global anchor point also transmits a message to the expected new global anchor point via downstream communication in the first control phase, receives an acknowledgement (ACK) from the expected new global anchor point during upstream communication in the second control phase, and determines a time slot schedule for a third control phase subsequent to the second control phase, wherein the downstream communication and upstream communication allocated in the time slot schedule for the third control phase consider the expected new global anchor point to be a new global anchor point of the network of UWB anchor points. According to some embodiments, the first control phase, the second control phase, or both include an XRCP or a BOP or a combination thereof.

[0101] Fig.11 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a stationary UWB device 1100 that may be utilized as described herein. Note that Fig.11It is intended only to provide a generalized illustration of the various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate. In some embodiments, the stationed UWB device 1100 may correspond to a UWB anchor point (including an Init anchor point and / or a global anchor point) having a known location that may be used to determine the location of other UWB devices (including mobile UWB devices). According to some embodiments, the stationed UWB device 1100 may be permanently stationed or temporarily stationed.

[0102] The stationary UWB device 1100 is shown as including hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via a bus 1105 (or may communicate in other ways as appropriate). The hardware elements may include a processor 1110, which may include, but is not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors, one or more special-purpose processors (such as DSP chips, graphics acceleration processors, ASICs, etc.), and / or other processing structures or components. Fig.11 As shown in , some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1120, depending on the desired functionality. According to some embodiments, location determination and / or other determinations based on wireless communication may be provided in the processor 1110 and / or the wireless communication interface 1130 (discussed below). The stationary UWB device 1100 may also include one or more input devices, which may include but are not limited to a keyboard, a display, a mouse, a microphone, buttons, dials, switches, etc.; and one or more output devices, which may include but are not limited to a display, a light emitting diode (LED), a speaker, etc.

[0103] The stationary UWB device 1100 may also include a wireless communication interface 1130, which may include, but is not limited to, a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device, and / or a chipset (such as a processor) that enables the stationary UWB device 1100 to communicate as described herein. Devices, IEEE 802.11 devices, IEEE 802.15.4 devices, Wi-Fi devices, WiMAX devices, cellular communication facilities, etc.) and the like. The wireless communication interface 1130 can permit communication (e.g., sending and receiving) of data and signaling to mobile devices, wireless network nodes (e.g., base stations, access points, etc.) and / or other network components, computer systems, and / or any other electronic devices described herein. Communication can be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 1132 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 1134.

[0104] As illustrated, the wireless indication interface 1130 may also include a UWB transceiver 1135. The UWB transceiver 1135 may be operated to perform the UWB operations described herein. In addition, the wireless communication interface 1130 may include one or more additional communication technologies that utilize it to perform any OOB functionality described herein. According to some embodiments, the UWB transceiver 1135 may be one of the multiple UWB transceivers of the mobile UWB device 1100. In addition, the UWB transceiver may be used for functionality other than the UWB positioning functionality described herein. Although illustrated as part of the wireless communication interface 1130, in some embodiments, the UWB transceiver 1135 may be separate from the wireless communication interface 1130.

[0105] The stationary UWB device 1100 may also include a network interface 1180, which may include support for wired communication technologies. The network interface 1180 may include a modem, a network card, a chipset, etc. The network interface 1180 may include one or more input and / or output communication interfaces to permit data to be exchanged with a network, a communication network server, a computer system, and / or any other electronic device described herein. In some embodiments, the stationary UWB device 1100 may be communicatively coupled to one or more servers and / or other stationary UWB devices via the network interface 1180.

[0106] In many embodiments, the stationary UWB device 1100 may also include memory 1160. The memory 1160 may include, but is not limited to, local and / or network accessible storage, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, solid-state storage devices (such as RAM and / or ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including, but not limited to, various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0107] The memory 1160 of the resident UWB device 1100 may also include software elements ( Fig.111100), the software elements include operating systems, device drivers, executable libraries and / or other code (such as one or more applications), which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments, and / or may be designed to implement methods provided by other embodiments and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more processes described with respect to the methods discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions in memory 1160 that may be executed by a resident UWB device 1100 (and / or a resident processor 1110 or DSP 1120 within the UWB device 1100). In some embodiments, such code and / or instructions may then be used to configure and / or adapt a general purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0108] Fig.12 is a block diagram of an embodiment of a mobile UWB device 1200 that can be used as, for example, a tag or mobile device to be located and / or as a UWB anchor point (including an Init anchor point and / or a global anchor point) as described herein. It should be noted that Fig.12 It is intended only to provide a generalized illustration of the various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate. For example, a more basic / simple type of UWB device may omit various components that may be included in a more advanced / complex UWB device. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, the functionality of the mobile device or UE discussed in the previously described embodiments may be implemented by Fig.12 The invention may be executed by one or more of the hardware and / or software components illustrated in the specification.

[0109] Mobile UWB device 1200 is shown as including hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via bus 1205 (or may otherwise communicate as appropriate). The hardware elements may include a processor 1210, which may include, but is not limited to, one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., application processors), one or more special-purpose processors (such as digital signal processor (DSP) chips, graphics acceleration processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.), and / or other processing structures or components. Processor 1210 may include one or more processing units, which may be housed in a single integrated circuit (IC) or multiple ICs. Fig.12, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1220, depending on the desired functionality. Position determination and / or other determinations based on wireless communications (discussed below) may be provided in the processor 1210 and / or the wireless communication interface 1230. The mobile UWB device 1200 may also include one or more input devices 1270, which may include but are not limited to one or more keyboards, touch screens, touch pads, microphones, buttons, dials, switches, etc.; and one or more output devices 1215, which may include but are not limited to one or more displays (e.g., touch screens), light emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, etc.

[0110] The mobile UWB device 1200 may also include a wireless communication interface 1230, which may include but is not limited to a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device and / or a chipset (such as Device, IEEE802.11 device, IEEE 802.15.4 device, Wi-Fi device, WiMAX device, WAN device and / or various cellular devices, etc.), etc., which can enable the mobile UWB device 1200 to communicate with other devices as described herein. The wireless communication interface 1230 can allow communication (e.g., sending and receiving) of data and signaling with access points, various base stations and / or other access node types and / or other network components, computer systems and / or any other electronic devices coupled thereto in communication. Communication can be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 1232 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 1234. According to some embodiments, the wireless communication antenna 1232 may include multiple discrete antennas, antenna arrays, or any combination thereof. Antenna 1232 may be able to use beams (e.g., Tx beams and Rx beams) to send and receive wireless signals. Beamforming can be performed using digital and / or analog beamforming techniques using corresponding digital and / or analog circuits. The wireless communication interface 1230 may include such circuit systems.

[0111] As illustrated, the wireless indication interface 1230 may also include a UWB transceiver 1235. The UWB transceiver 1235 may be operated to perform the UWB operations described herein. In addition, the wireless communication interface 1230 may include one or more additional communication technologies that utilize it to perform any OOB functionality described herein. According to some embodiments, the UWB transceiver 1235 may be one of the multiple UWB transceivers of the mobile UWB device 1200. In addition, the UWB transceiver may be used for functionality other than the UWB positioning functionality described herein. Although illustrated as part of the wireless communication interface 1230, in some embodiments, the UWB transceiver 1235 may be separate from the wireless communication interface 1230.

[0112] Depending on the desired functionality, the wireless communication interface 1230 may include separate receivers and transmitters, or any combination of transceivers, transmitters, and / or receivers to communicate with base stations (e.g., ng-eNBs and gNBs) and other terrestrial transceivers (such as wireless devices and access points). The mobile UWB device 1200 can communicate with different data networks, which may include various network types. For example, the wireless wide area network (WWAN) can be a CDMA network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) network, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) network, a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network, and the like. A CDMA network may implement one or more RATs, such as WCDMA, etc. Includes IS-95, IS-2000, and / or IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement GSM, Digital Advanced Mobile Phone System (D-AMPS), or some other RAT. An OFDMA network may employ LTE, Advanced LTE, 5G NR, etc. 5G NR, LTE, Advanced LTE, GSM, and WCDMA are described in documents from 3GPP. Described in documents from an organization named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. A wireless local area network (WLAN) may also be an IEEE 802.11x network, while a wireless personal area network (WPAN) may be a Bluetooth network, IEEE 802.15x, or some other type of network. The techniques described herein may also be used for any combination of WWAN, WLAN, and / or WPAN.

[0113] Mobile UWB device 1200 may also include sensor 1240. Sensor 1240 may include, but is not limited to, one or more inertial sensors and / or other sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, magnetometers, altimeters, microphones, proximity sensors, light sensors, barometers, etc.), some of which may be used to obtain orientation-related measurements and / or other information.

[0114] Embodiments of the mobile UWB device 1200 may also include a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver 1280 capable of receiving signals 1284 from one or more GNSS satellites using an antenna 1282 (which may be the same as the antenna 1232). Positioning based on GNSS signal measurements may be used to supplement and / or incorporate the techniques described herein. The GNSS receiver 1280 may extract the position of the mobile UWB device 1200 from GNSS satellites of GNSS systems (such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, GLONASS, the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) over Japan, the IRNSS over India, the BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) over China, etc.) using conventional techniques. In addition, the GNSS receiver 1280 may be used with various storage devices, solid-state storage devices such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, etc. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc.

[0115] The memory 1260 of the mobile UWB device 1200 may also include software elements ( Fig.12 ), the software elements include operating systems, device drivers, executable libraries and / or other code (such as one or more applications), which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments, and / or may be designed to implement methods provided by other embodiments and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. By way of example only, one or more processes described with respect to the methods discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions in memory 1260 that may be executed by mobile UWB device 1200 (and / or processor 1210 or DSP 1220 within mobile UWB device 1200). In some embodiments, such code and / or instructions may then be used to configure and / or adapt a general purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0116] In view of this description, various embodiments may include different combinations of features. Specific implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0117] Clause 1. A method for inter-cluster coordination in ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning, the method comprising: obtaining metric information at a global anchor point of a network of UWB anchor points including a plurality of clusters and a plurality of initiator anchor points (Init anchor points), wherein: each cluster includes a corresponding Init anchor point, the metric information includes a centrality metric value of each Init anchor point in the plurality of Init anchor points, the centrality metric value of the corresponding Init anchor point indicates a number of hops from the corresponding Init anchor point to other UWB anchor points in the network, and the metric information is included in a first control phase of the network of UWB anchor points from the plurality of Init anchor points. The invention relates to a method for transmitting a time slot schedule for a second control phase of the network of UWB anchor points to a global anchor point or derived from information communicated to the global anchor point; determining a time slot schedule for a second control phase of the network of UWB anchor points using the global anchor point, wherein: determining the time slot schedule is based on the centrality metric values ​​of the plurality of Init anchor points; the time slot schedule includes an allocation of time slots for the second control phase among the plurality of Init anchor points for wireless radio frequency (RF) communication; and the allocation of time slots includes a first set of time slots for upstream communication followed by a second set of time slots for downstream communication; and transmitting the time slot schedule from the global anchor point to an Init anchor point among the plurality of Init anchor points.

[0118] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the time slot schedule is transmitted to the Init anchor point of the plurality of Init anchor points during a time slot in the set of time slots in the first control stage that is allocated for downstream communication.

[0119] Clause 3. The method of any of clauses 1 to 2, wherein determining the time slot schedule comprises allocating time slots in the first set of time slots among the plurality of Init anchor points in order of decreasing centrality metric value.

[0120] Clause 4. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 3, wherein determining the time slot schedule comprises allocating the time slots in the second set of time slots among the plurality of Init anchor points in order of increasing centrality metric value.

[0121] Clause 5. The method of any of clauses 1 to 4, further comprising including in the timeslot schedule a set of buffer timeslots in which a new Init anchor point can communicate to join the network of UWB anchor points.

[0122] Clause 6. The method of Clause 5, wherein the set of buffered time slots precedes the first set of time slots.

[0123] Clause 7. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 6, wherein determining the time slot schedule comprises: allocating at least one time slot in the time slot schedule to a new Init anchor point in response to at least one new Init anchor point communicating in a buffer time slot of the first control phase to join the network of UWB anchor points.

[0124] Clause 8. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 7, further comprising determining an expected new global anchor point based on the centrality measure of the plurality of Init anchor points.

[0125] Clause 9. The method according to clause 8 further includes transmitting a message to the expected new global anchor point via downstream communication in the first control phase; receiving an acknowledgment from the expected new global anchor point during the upstream communication in the second control phase; and determining a time slot scheduling for a third control phase following the second control phase, wherein the downstream communication and upstream communication allocated in the time slot scheduling for the third control phase consider the expected new global anchor point to be a new global anchor point for the network of UWB anchor points.

[0126] Clause 10. The method of any one of clauses 1 to 9, wherein the first control phase, the second control phase, or both, comprises: an extended ranging control phase (XRCP) or a beacon only period (BOP), or a combination thereof.

[0127] Clause 11. A method according to any one of clauses 1 to 10, wherein the centrality measure value of the corresponding Init anchor point also indicates: the type of time source of the corresponding Init anchor point, the clock stability of the corresponding Init anchor point, the ground truth accuracy of the corresponding Init anchor point, the geographic location of the corresponding Init anchor point, the popularity of the line-of-sight (LoS) link of the corresponding Init anchor point, the quality of the arrival time (ToA) estimate of the corresponding Init anchor point, or the power supply of the corresponding Init anchor point, or a combination thereof.

[0128] Clause 12. A global anchor point of a network of ultra-wideband (UWB) anchor points, the global anchor point comprising: a transceiver; a memory; and one or more processors, the one or more processors being communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: obtain metric information about the network of UWB anchor points, wherein: the network of UWB anchor points comprises a plurality of clusters and a plurality of initiator anchor points (Init anchor points), each cluster comprising a corresponding Init anchor point, the metric information comprising a centrality metric value of each Init anchor point in the plurality of Init anchor points, the centrality metric value of the corresponding Init anchor point indicating a number of hops from the corresponding Init anchor point to other UWB anchor points in the network, and The metric information is included in or derived from information communicated from the multiple Init anchor points to the global anchor point in a first control phase of the network of UWB anchor points; determining a time slot schedule for a second control phase of the network of UWB anchor points, wherein: determining the time slot schedule is based on the centrality metric values ​​of the multiple Init anchor points; the time slot schedule includes an allocation of time slots for the second control phase among the multiple Init anchor points for wireless radio frequency (RF) communication; and the allocation of time slots includes a first set of time slots for upstream communication followed by a second set of time slots for downstream communication; and transmitting the time slot schedule to an Init anchor point among the multiple Init anchor points via the transceiver.

[0129] Clause 13. The global anchor point of clause 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to transmit the time slot schedule to the Init anchor point of the plurality of Init anchor points during a time slot allocated for downstream communication in the set of time slots in the first control stage.

[0130] Clause 14. The global anchor point of any of clauses 12 to 13, wherein the one or more processors are configured to allocate the time slots in the first set of time slots among the plurality of Init anchor points in order of decreasing centrality measure value.

[0131] Clause 15. The global anchor point of any of clauses 12 to 14, wherein the one or more processors are configured to allocate the time slots in the second set of time slots among the plurality of Init anchor points in order of increasing centrality measure value.

[0132] Clause 16. A global anchor point as described in any of clauses 12 to 15, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include in the time slot schedule a set of buffer time slots in which a new Init anchor point can communicate to join the network of UWB anchor points.

[0133] Clause 17. The global anchor point of Clause 16, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the time slot schedule such that the set of buffered time slots precedes the first set of time slots.

[0134] Clause 18. A global anchor point as described in any of clauses 12 to 17, wherein the one or more processors are configured to allocate at least one time slot in the time slot schedule to a new Init anchor point in response to a communication from at least one new Init anchor point joining the network of UWB anchor points, wherein the communication is in a buffered time slot in the first control phase.

[0135] Clause 19. The global anchor point of any of clauses 12 to 18, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine an expected new global anchor point based on the centrality measure of the plurality of Init anchor points.

[0136] Clause 20. A global anchor point according to clause 19, wherein the one or more processors are configured to transmit a message to the expected new global anchor point via the transceiver via downstream communications in the first control stage; receive an acknowledgement from the expected new global anchor point via the transceiver during the upstream communications in the second control stage; and determine a time slot schedule for a third control stage following the second control stage, wherein the downstream communications and upstream communications allocated in the time slot schedule for the third control stage consider the expected new global anchor point to be a new global anchor point for the network of UWB anchor points.

[0137] Clause 21. The global anchor point of any of clauses 12 to 20, wherein the first control phase, the second control phase, or both, comprises: an extended ranging control phase (XRCP) or a beacon only period (BOP), or a combination thereof.

[0138] Clause 22. A global anchor point according to any one of clauses 12 to 21, wherein the centrality measure value of the corresponding Init anchor point also indicates: the type of time source of the corresponding Init anchor point, the clock stability of the corresponding Init anchor point, the ground truth accuracy of the corresponding Init anchor point, the geographic location of the corresponding Init anchor point, the popularity of the line-of-sight (LoS) link of the corresponding Init anchor point, the quality of the time of arrival (ToA) estimate of the corresponding Init anchor point, or the power supply of the corresponding Init anchor point, or a combination thereof.

[0139] Clause 23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for inter-cluster coordination in ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning, the instructions comprising code for:

[0140] Obtaining measurement information at a global anchor point of a network of UWB anchor points including a plurality of clusters and a plurality of initiator anchor points (Init anchor points), wherein: each cluster includes a corresponding Init anchor point, the measurement information includes a centrality measurement value of each Init anchor point in the plurality of Init anchor points, the centrality measurement value of the corresponding Init anchor point indicates the number of hops from the corresponding Init anchor point to other UWB anchor points in the network, and the measurement information is included in information transmitted from the plurality of Init anchor points to the global anchor point in a first control phase of the network of UWB anchor points or from the information derived from the global anchor point; determining a time slot schedule for a second control phase of the network of UWB anchor points using the global anchor point, wherein: determining the time slot schedule is based on the centrality metric values ​​of the plurality of Init anchor points; the time slot schedule comprises an allocation of time slots for the second control phase among the plurality of Init anchor points for wireless radio frequency (RF) communication; and the allocation of time slots comprises a first set of time slots for upstream communication followed by a second set of time slots for downstream communication; and transmitting the time slot schedule from the global anchor point to an Init anchor point among the plurality of Init anchor points.

[0141] Clause 24. The computer-readable medium of clause 23, wherein the instructions further comprise code for transmitting the time slot schedule to the Init anchor point of the plurality of Init anchor points during a time slot in the set of time slots in the first control stage that is allocated for downstream communication.

[0142] Clause 25. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 23 to 24, wherein the instructions further comprise code for allocating the time slots in the first set of time slots among the plurality of Init anchor points in order of decreasing centrality metric value.

[0143] Clause 26. The computer-readable medium of any one of clauses 23 to 25, wherein the instructions further comprise code for allocating the time slots in the second set of time slots among the plurality of Init anchors in order of increasing centrality metric value.

[0144] Clause 27. A computer-readable medium as described in any of clauses 23 to 26, wherein the instructions further include code for allocating, wherein the allocation includes a set of buffer time slots in the time slot schedule, in which a new Init anchor point can communicate to join the network of UWB anchor points.

[0145] Clause 28. The computer-readable medium of any one of Clauses 23 to 27, wherein the instructions further comprise code for determining a prospective new global anchor point based on the centrality measure of the plurality of Init anchor points.

[0146] Clause 29. A computer-readable medium according to clause 28, wherein the instructions further comprise code for: transmitting a message to the expected new global anchor point via downstream communications in the first control phase; receiving an acknowledgement from the expected new global anchor point during the upstream communications in the second control phase; and determining a time slot schedule for a third control phase following the second control phase, wherein downstream communications and upstream communications allocated in the time slot schedule for the third control phase consider the expected new global anchor point to be a new global anchor point for the network of UWB anchor points.

[0147] Clause 30. An apparatus for inter-cluster coordination in ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning, the apparatus comprising: a component for obtaining metric information at a global anchor point of a network of UWB anchor points including a plurality of clusters and a plurality of initiator anchor points (Init anchor points), wherein: each cluster includes a corresponding Init anchor point, the metric information includes a centrality metric value of each Init anchor point in the plurality of Init anchor points, the centrality metric value of the corresponding Init anchor point indicates the number of hops from the corresponding Init anchor point to other UWB anchor points in the network, and the metric information is included in a first control phase of the network of UWB anchor points transmitted from the plurality of Init anchor points. means for determining, using the global anchor point, a time slot schedule for a second control phase of the network of UWB anchor points, wherein: determining the time slot schedule is based on the centrality metric values ​​of the plurality of Init anchor points; the time slot schedule comprises an allocation of time slots for the second control phase among the plurality of Init anchor points for wireless radio frequency (RF) communications; and the allocation of time slots comprises a first set of time slots for upstream communications followed by a second set of time slots for downstream communications; and means for transmitting the time slot schedule from the global anchor point to an Init anchor point of the plurality of Init anchor points.

Claims

1. A method for inter-cluster coordination in ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning, the method comprising: Metric information is obtained at a global anchor point of a network of UWB anchor points including a plurality of clusters and a plurality of initiator anchor points (Init anchor points), wherein: Each cluster includes a corresponding Init anchor point, The measurement information includes a centrality measurement value of each Init anchor point in the plurality of Init anchor points, the centrality measurement value of the corresponding Init anchor point indicating the number of hops from the corresponding Init anchor point to other UWB anchor points in the network, and The metric information is included in or derived from information communicated from the plurality of Init anchor points to the global anchor point in a first control phase of the network of UWB anchor points; The global anchor point is used to determine a time slot schedule for a second control phase of the network of UWB anchor points, wherein: Determining the time slot scheduling based on the centrality metric values ​​of the plurality of Init anchor points; The time slot scheduling includes allocation of time slots of the second control phase among the plurality of Init anchor points for wireless radio frequency (RF) communication; and The allocation of time slots comprises a first set of time slots for upstream communications followed by a second set of time slots for downstream communications; and The time slot schedule is transmitted from the global anchor point to an Init anchor point among the plurality of Init anchor points.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the time slot schedule is transmitted to the Init anchor point of the plurality of Init anchor points during a time slot allocated for downstream communication in the set of time slots in the first control phase. 3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the time slot schedule comprises allocating the time slots in the first set of time slots among the plurality of Init anchor points in order of decreasing centrality metric value. 4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the time slot schedule comprises allocating the time slots in the second set of time slots among the plurality of Init anchor points in order of increasing centrality metric value.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising including in the time slot schedule a set of buffer time slots in which a new Init anchor point can communicate to join the network of UWB anchor points. The method of claim 5 , wherein the set of buffered time slots precedes the first set of time slots.

7. The method of claim 1 , wherein determining the time slot schedule comprises: At least one time slot in the time slot schedule is allocated to a new Init anchor point in response to at least one new Init anchor point communicating in a buffer time slot of the first control phase to join the network of UWB anchor points.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising determining an expected new global anchor point based on the centrality measure of the plurality of Init anchor points.

9. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: transmitting a message to the prospective new global anchor point via downstream communications in the first control stage; receiving an acknowledgement from the prospective new global anchor point during the upstream communication of the second control phase; and A time slot schedule for a third control phase subsequent to the second control phase is determined, wherein downstream communications and upstream communications allocated in the time slot schedule for the third control phase consider the prospective new global anchor point as a new global anchor point for the network of UWB anchor points.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the first control phase, the second control phase, or both comprise: Extended Ranging Control Phase (XRCP) or Beacon Only Period (BOP) or A combination of them.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the centrality measure value of the corresponding Init anchor point further indicates: The type of the time source of the corresponding Init anchor point, The clock stability of the corresponding Init anchor point, The ground truth accuracy of the corresponding Init anchor point, The geographical location of the corresponding Init anchor point, The popularity of the line-of-sight (LoS) link of the corresponding Init anchor point, The quality of the Time of Arrival (ToA) estimate of the corresponding Init anchor point or The power supply of the corresponding Init anchor point or A combination of them.

12. A global anchor point of a network of ultra-wideband (UWB) anchor points, the global anchor point comprising: Transceiver; Memory; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: Obtaining metric information about the network of UWB anchor points, wherein: The network of UWB anchor points includes multiple clusters and multiple initiator anchor points (Init anchor points), Each cluster includes a corresponding Init anchor point, The measurement information includes a centrality measurement value of each Init anchor point in the plurality of Init anchor points, the centrality measurement value of the corresponding Init anchor point indicating the number of hops from the corresponding Init anchor point to other UWB anchor points in the network, and The metric information is included in or derived from information communicated from the plurality of Init anchor points to the global anchor point in a first control phase of the network of UWB anchor points; Determining a time slot schedule for a second control phase of the network of UWB anchor points, wherein: Determining the time slot scheduling based on the centrality metric values ​​of the plurality of Init anchor points; The time slot scheduling includes allocation of time slots of the second control phase among the plurality of Init anchor points for wireless radio frequency (RF) communication; and The allocation of time slots comprises a first set of time slots for upstream communications followed by a second set of time slots for downstream communications; and The time slot schedule is transmitted via the transceiver to an Init anchor point of the plurality of Init anchor points.

13. The global anchor point of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to transmit the time slot schedule to the Init anchor point of the plurality of Init anchor points during a time slot allocated for downstream communication in the set of time slots in the first control stage.

14. The global anchor point of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to allocate the time slots in the first set of time slots among the plurality of Init anchor points in order of decreasing centrality metric value.

15. The global anchor point of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to allocate the time slots in the second set of time slots among the plurality of Init anchor points in order of increasing centrality metric value.

16. The global anchor point of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to include in the time slot schedule a set of buffer time slots in which a new Init anchor point can communicate to join the network of UWB anchor points.

17. The global anchor point of claim 16, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the time slot schedule such that the set of buffered time slots precedes the first set of time slots.

18. The global anchor of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to allocate at least one time slot in the time slot schedule to a new Init anchor in response to a communication from at least one new Init anchor joining the network of UWB anchors, wherein the communication is in a buffered time slot in the first control phase.

19. The global anchor point of claim 12, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine a prospective new global anchor point based on the centrality measures of the plurality of Init anchor points.

20. The global anchor point of claim 19, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: transmitting a message to the prospective new global anchor point via the transceiver via downstream communications in the first control stage; receiving, via the transceiver, an acknowledgement from the prospective new global anchor point during the upstream communication of the second control phase; and A time slot schedule for a third control phase subsequent to the second control phase is determined, wherein downstream communications and upstream communications allocated in the time slot schedule for the third control phase consider the prospective new global anchor point as a new global anchor point for the network of UWB anchor points.

21. The global anchor point of claim 12, wherein the first control stage, the second control stage, or both comprise: Extended Ranging Control Phase (XRCP) or Beacon Only Period (BOP) or A combination of them.

22. The global anchor point of claim 12, wherein the centrality measure value of the corresponding Init anchor point further indicates: The type of the time source of the corresponding Init anchor point, The clock stability of the corresponding Init anchor point, The ground truth accuracy of the corresponding Init anchor point, The geographical location of the corresponding Init anchor point, The popularity of the line-of-sight (LoS) link of the corresponding Init anchor point, The quality of the Time of Arrival (ToA) estimate of the corresponding Init anchor point or The power supply of the corresponding Init anchor point or A combination of them.

23. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for inter-cluster coordination in ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning, the instructions comprising code for: Metric information is obtained at a global anchor point of a network of UWB anchor points including a plurality of clusters and a plurality of initiator anchor points (Init anchor points), wherein: Each cluster includes a corresponding Init anchor point, The measurement information includes a centrality measurement value of each Init anchor point in the plurality of Init anchor points, the centrality measurement value of the corresponding Init anchor point indicating the number of hops from the corresponding Init anchor point to other UWB anchor points in the network, and The metric information is included in or derived from information communicated from the plurality of Init anchor points to the global anchor point in a first control phase of the network of UWB anchor points; The global anchor point is used to determine a time slot schedule for a second control phase of the network of UWB anchor points, wherein: Determining the time slot scheduling based on the centrality metric values ​​of the plurality of Init anchor points; The time slot scheduling includes allocation of time slots of the second control phase among the plurality of Init anchor points for wireless radio frequency (RF) communication; and The allocation of time slots comprises a first set of time slots for upstream communications followed by a second set of time slots for downstream communications; and The time slot schedule is transmitted from the global anchor point to an Init anchor point among the plurality of Init anchor points.

24. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions further comprise code for transmitting the time slot schedule to the Init anchor point of the plurality of Init anchor points during a time slot in the set of time slots in the first control stage that is allocated for downstream communication.

25. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions further comprise code for allocating the time slots in the first set of time slots among the plurality of Init anchors in order of decreasing centrality metric value.

26. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions further comprise code for allocating the time slots in the second set of time slots among the plurality of Init anchors in order of increasing centrality metric value.

27. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions further comprise code for assigning, the assigning comprising in the time slot schedule a set of buffer time slots in which a new Init anchor point can communicate to join the network of UWB anchor points.

28. The computer-readable medium of claim 23, wherein the instructions further comprise code for determining a prospective new global anchor point based on the centrality measure of the plurality of Init anchor points.

29. The computer-readable medium of claim 28, wherein the instructions further comprise code for: transmitting a message to the prospective new global anchor point via downstream communications in the first control stage; receiving an acknowledgement from the prospective new global anchor point during the upstream communication of the second control phase; and A time slot schedule for a third control phase subsequent to the second control phase is determined, wherein downstream communications and upstream communications allocated in the time slot schedule for the third control phase consider the prospective new global anchor point as a new global anchor point for the network of UWB anchor points.

30. An apparatus for inter-cluster coordination in ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning, the apparatus comprising: Means for obtaining metric information at a global anchor point of a network of UWB anchor points including a plurality of clusters and a plurality of initiator anchor points (Init anchor points), wherein: Each cluster includes a corresponding Init anchor point, The measurement information includes a centrality measurement value of each Init anchor point in the plurality of Init anchor points, the centrality measurement value of the corresponding Init anchor point indicating the number of hops from the corresponding Init anchor point to other UWB anchor points in the network, and The metric information is included in or derived from information communicated from the plurality of Init anchor points to the global anchor point in a first control phase of the network of UWB anchor points; means for determining a time slot schedule for a second control phase of the network of UWB anchor points using the global anchor point, wherein: Determining the time slot scheduling based on the centrality metric values ​​of the plurality of Init anchor points; The time slot scheduling includes allocation of time slots of the second control phase among the plurality of Init anchor points for wireless radio frequency (RF) communication; and The allocation of time slots comprises a first set of time slots for upstream communications followed by a second set of time slots for downstream communications; and Means for transferring the time slot schedule from the global anchor point to an Init anchor point of the plurality of Init anchor points.

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