Ranging method, device and system

Abstract

The invention discloses a distance measuring method, device and system, which are used for improving the precision of positioning / distance measuring / angle measuring / sensing of a target by equipment. The first device sends a first ranging signal and / or receives a second ranging signal on the at least one first channel, and the second device receives the first ranging signal and / or sends the second ranging signal on the at least one first channel; the first device and the second device execute at least one time of frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameter; the first device sends a third ranging signal and / or receives a fourth ranging signal on the at least one second channel, and the second device receives the third ranging signal and / or sends the fourth ranging signal on the at least one second channel. The first device and the second device execute at least one time of frequency hopping according to the same frequency hopping parameter, multiple times of signal measurement can be synchronously executed on different channels according to the preset sequence, then the technical effect of combining multiple channels for large-bandwidth signal measurement is achieved, and the ranging resolution and the ranging accuracy can be improved.

Description

Distance measurement method, device and system Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of wireless communication technology, and in particular to a ranging method, device and system. Background Art

[0002] With the continuous advancement of global communications technology, the growth and application of wireless communications have surpassed those of wired communications, demonstrating a booming development. Smart devices such as intelligent transportation equipment, smart home appliances, and robots are gradually becoming part of people's daily lives. Based on wireless communications, these devices can locate, measure distance, measure angles, and sense targets. For example, Passive Entry Passive Start (PEPS) is an example of an in-vehicle wireless positioning application. Instead of using a key, the vehicle's positioning system automatically locates the user's car key or mobile phone, automatically locking or unlocking the vehicle doors.

[0003] However, in the prior art, when a device locates / measures distance / measures angle / perceives a target, the available bandwidth is small, resulting in poor positioning / ranging / angle measurement / perception accuracy.

[0004] Summary of the Invention

[0005] The present application provides a ranging method, device, and system for improving the accuracy of a device in locating, measuring distance, measuring angles, and sensing a target.

[0006] In a first aspect, a ranging method is provided. The method can be applied to any wireless communication scenario, such as vehicle-mounted positioning / ranging / angle measurement / perception scenarios, indoor positioning / ranging / angle measurement / perception scenarios, etc. The method includes: a first device sending a first ranging signal and / or receiving a second ranging signal on at least one first channel; the first device performing at least one frequency hopping according to a frequency hopping parameter; and the first device sending a third ranging signal and / or receiving a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

[0007] In the above scheme, the first device performs at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters, and can perform multiple signal measurements on different channels in a preset order, thereby achieving the technical effect of combining multi-channel, wide-bandwidth signal measurements (the bandwidth of the signal measurement is the total bandwidth of at least one first channel and at least one second channel), which can improve ranging resolution and accuracy. Furthermore, as long as the second device performs at least one frequency hopping according to the same frequency hopping parameters, the first and second devices can be synchronized in frequency hopping, avoiding problems such as large differences in frequency hopping parameters between different devices and difficulty in synchronized frequency hopping without a synchronization protocol.

[0008] It can be understood that when the first device sends and / or measures ranging signals on multiple channels, the multiple channels can be regarded as a channel group. For example, when the number of channels of at least one first channel is multiple, the at least one first channel can be called a first channel group, and when the number of channels of at least one second channel is multiple, the at least one second channel can be called a second channel group.

[0009] In one possible design, the first ranging signal, the second ranging signal, the third ranging signal and / or the fourth ranging signal are orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals.

[0010] In other words, in a ranging scenario based on OFDM signals, the embodiments of the present application can achieve the technical effect of merging multi-channel, large-bandwidth OFDM signal measurements through frequency hopping. By using the same frequency hopping parameters, the two parties in signal measurement (the first device and the second device) can solve the problems of large differences in frequency hopping parameters between different devices and difficulty in synchronizing frequency hopping without a synchronization protocol. Therefore, the resolution and accuracy of ranging based on OFDM signals can be improved.

[0011] In one possible design, the OFDM signal includes at least one of the following signals: a channel state information reference signal (CSI-RS), a sounding reference signal (SRS), a first training signal (FTS), a second training signal (STS), and a positioning reference signal (PRS).

[0012] It can be understood that the above signals are only examples and not specific limitations.

[0013] In one possible design, the frequency hopping parameters include one or more of the following: a first frequency hopping stabilization duration; a first Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) maximum window period; a first frequency hopping pattern, used to indicate the frequency hopping order of the first device and the second device, the first frequency hopping pattern including channel number information of at least one first channel and channel number information of at least one second channel.

[0014] In this design, by setting the first frequency hopping stabilization time, the states of the first device and the second device can be synchronized during the frequency hopping process (for example, synchronously entering the LBT stage); by setting the first LBT maximum window period, it can be ensured that when the channel is busy for a long time, the first device and the second device will synchronously switch to the next hop channel at the end of the first LBT maximum window period, avoiding repeated idle channel evaluation due to long-term channel competition between the two parties, saving resources and device power consumption, and improving the efficiency of frequency hopping measurement; by setting the first frequency hopping pattern, it can be ensured that the first device and the second device perform frequency hopping in the same frequency hopping order to ensure frequency hopping synchronization of the ranging two parties.

[0015] It is understandable that in actual applications, there may be other frequency hopping parameters, and this application does not impose any limitation thereto.

[0016] In one possible design, when the first device hops between different frequency bands (e.g., 2.1 GHz, 5.1 GHz, 5.8 GHz, etc.), the first frequency hopping stabilization duration may be different. For example, if at least one channel belongs to the first frequency band, the first frequency hopping stabilization duration is the first duration; or, if at least one channel belongs to the second frequency band, the first frequency hopping stabilization duration is the second duration; wherein the first frequency band is different from the second frequency band, the first frequency band and the second frequency band do not overlap in the frequency domain, and the first duration is different from the second duration.

[0017] The value of the first frequency hopping stabilization duration is related to whether the device needs to perform a channel idle assessment when hopping in the corresponding frequency band. For example, when the first device hops between different frequency bands, the first frequency hopping stabilization duration when performing a channel idle assessment is shorter than the first frequency hopping stabilization duration when directly transmitting a ranging signal (i.e., when no channel idle assessment is required).

[0018] In this way, the first device adopts different first frequency hopping stabilization time lengths when frequency hopping in different frequency bands, which can save the frequency hopping waiting time of the first device as much as possible, improve the efficiency of frequency hopping ranging and save power consumption.

[0019] In one possible design, when the first device hops between different channels (groups), the first frequency hopping stabilization duration may be different. Similarly, when the first device hops between different channels (groups), the first frequency hopping stabilization duration when performing idle channel assessment is shorter than the first frequency hopping stabilization duration when directly transmitting a ranging signal (i.e., no idle channel assessment is required).

[0020] In this way, the first device adopts different first frequency hopping stabilization time lengths when frequency hopping in different channels (groups), which can save the frequency hopping waiting time of the first device as much as possible, improve the efficiency of frequency hopping ranging and save power consumption.

[0021] In one possible design, the first LBT maximum window period is configured by the first device. For example, if the first device is a master node and the second device is a slave node, the first LBT maximum window period is configured by the first device.

[0022] In this way, the first device can manage the signal measurement process of the first device and the second device, which can improve the reliability of the solution.

[0023] In one possible design, the first frequency hopping stabilization time is the maximum value of the frequency hopping stabilization time of the first device and the frequency hopping stabilization time of the second device, and the frequency hopping stabilization time is the time it takes for the device to reach a stable state when performing frequency hopping.

[0024] In this way, it can be ensured that both the first device and the second device enter a stable state when the first frequency hopping stabilization period ends, thereby ensuring the reliability of frequency hopping ranging.

[0025] In one possible design, the first frequency hopping pattern is determined by negotiation between the first device and the second device.

[0026] In this way, the first frequency hopping pattern can be supported by the first device and the second device, ensuring the synchronization state of the frequency hopping ranging of the first device and the second device, and enhancing the reliability of the ranging.

[0027] In one possible design, the number of channels included in the at least one second channel is multiple; the channel number information of the at least one second channel is: the channel number information of the channel with the lowest frequency or the highest frequency in the at least one second channel.

[0028] In this way, the amount of information required to transmit the first frequency hopping pattern can be reduced, saving system resources.

[0029] In one possible design, the first device performs at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters, including: the first device switches from at least one first channel to at least one second channel according to a first frequency hopping pattern; after waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a certain period of time, the first device performs a first idle channel assessment. Accordingly, the first device sends a third ranging signal and / or receives a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel, including: when the first device determines that at least one second channel is idle, the first device sends a third ranging signal and / or receives a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

[0030] In other words, the first device can switch to the second channel by performing frequency hopping once.

[0031] In one possible design, the first frequency hopping pattern also includes channel number information of at least one third channel. The first device performs at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters, including: the first device switches from at least one first channel to at least one third channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; after waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a period of time, the first device performs a second idle channel assessment; when the first device determines that the idle channel assessment result obtained within the LBT window corresponding to the second idle channel assessment is that at least one third channel is not idle, after the LBT window corresponding to the second idle channel assessment ends, the first device switches from the at least one third channel to at least one second channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; wherein the duration of the LBT window corresponding to the second idle channel assessment is equal to the first LBT maximum window period; after waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a period of time, the first device performs a third idle channel assessment. Accordingly, the first device sends a third ranging signal and / or receives a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel, including: when the first device determines that at least one second channel is idle, the first device sends a third ranging signal and / or receives a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

[0032] In other words, the first device performs two consecutive frequency hopping operations (wherein the first switching LBT fails, resulting in an inability to perform signal measurement on the third channel) before switching to the second channel.

[0033] Of course, in actual applications, the first device may perform more frequency hopping to achieve successful LBT, and then transmit the ranging signal on the channel where the LBT is successful.

[0034] In one possible design, the method also includes: the first device sending frequency hopping measurement information of the first device to the second device; and / or the first device receiving frequency hopping measurement information of the second device.

[0035] In this way, both parties in signal measurement can obtain each other's frequency hopping measurement information and then determine frequency hopping parameters based on the frequency hopping measurement information, ensuring that the final determined frequency hopping parameters are supported by both parties, thereby improving the reliability of ranging.

[0036] In one possible design, the frequency hopping measurement information of the first device includes one or more of the following:

[0037] First information, used to indicate whether the first device allows channel overlap;

[0038] The second information is used to indicate the number of overlapping channels allowed by the first device;

[0039] third information, used to indicate a second frequency hopping pattern expected by the first device;

[0040] The fourth information is used to indicate the frequency hopping stabilization duration of the first device;

[0041] The fifth information is used to indicate the second LBT maximum window period expected by the first device;

[0042] The frequency hopping measurement information of the second device includes one or more of the following:

[0043] Sixth information, used to indicate whether the second device allows channel overlapping;

[0044] seventh information, used to indicate the number of overlapping channels allowed by the second device;

[0045] eighth information, used to indicate a third frequency hopping pattern desired by the second device;

[0046] The ninth information is used to indicate the frequency hopping stabilization time of the second device;

[0047] The tenth information is used to indicate the third LBT maximum window period expected by the second device.

[0048] Of course, the above information is only an example and not a limitation.

[0049] In one possible design, the method also includes: the first device determines frequency hopping measurement information of the first device, wherein the frequency hopping measurement information is determined based on the frequency hopping capability information of the first device, the frequency hopping capability information of the second device, or pre-configured or defined frequency hopping capability information.

[0050] In this way, it can be ensured that the frequency hopping measurement information of the first device used in the frequency hopping parameter negotiation process can be supported by the frequency hopping capability of the first device and the frequency hopping measurement information of the second device can be supported by the frequency hopping capability of the second device, which can improve the reliability of the ranging solution.

[0051] In one possible design, the method also includes: the first device sending the frequency hopping capability information of the first device to the second device; and / or the first device receiving the frequency hopping capability information of the second device.

[0052] In this way, it can be ensured that the first device and the second device can accurately obtain each other's frequency hopping capability information, which can improve the applicability of the solution.

[0053] In one possible design, the frequency hopping capability information of the first device includes one or more of the following:

[0054] whether the first device supports frequency hopping;

[0055] Frequency band information supported by the first device for frequency hopping;

[0056] a maximum bandwidth supported by the first device for sending and / or receiving ranging signals;

[0057] a preset stabilization time duration when the first device performs frequency hopping;

[0058] whether the preset stabilization time duration when the first device performs frequency hopping is different in different frequency bands;

[0059] The frequency hopping capability information of the second device includes one or more of the following:

[0060] whether the second device supports frequency hopping;

[0061] Frequency band information supported by the second device for frequency hopping;

[0062] a maximum bandwidth supported by the second device for sending and / or receiving ranging signals;

[0063] a preset stabilization time duration when the second device performs frequency hopping;

[0064] Whether the preset stabilization time length when the second device performs frequency hopping is different in different frequency bands.

[0065] Of course, the above information is only an example and not a limitation.

[0066] In one possible design, the first frequency hopping pattern also includes channel number information of the initial working channel; the method also includes: the first device starts frequency hopping from the initial working channel, wherein the last hopping channel indicated by the first frequency hopping pattern is the initial working channel.

[0067] In this way, on the one hand, it can ensure that the device measures distance on different channels during the signal measurement process to achieve a large bandwidth measurement effect. On the other hand, it can ensure that the device returns to the initial working channel after the ranging is completed to ensure the subsequent communication performance of the device.

[0068] In a second aspect, a ranging method is provided, which can be applied to any wireless communication scenario, such as vehicle-mounted positioning / ranging / angle measurement / perception scenarios, indoor positioning / ranging / angle measurement / perception scenarios, etc. The method includes: a second device receiving a first ranging signal and / or sending a second ranging signal on at least one first channel; the second device performing at least one frequency hopping according to a frequency hopping parameter; and the second device receiving a third ranging signal and / or sending a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

[0069] In one possible design, the first ranging signal, the second ranging signal, the third ranging signal and / or the fourth ranging signal are OFDM signals.

[0070] In one possible design, the OFDM signal includes at least one of the following signals: CSI-RS, SRS, FTS, STS, and PRS.

[0071] In one possible design, the frequency hopping parameters include one or more of the following:

[0072] First frequency hopping stability duration;

[0073] The first LBT maximum window period;

[0074] The first frequency hopping pattern is used to indicate a frequency hopping sequence of the first device and the second device, and the first frequency hopping pattern includes channel number information of at least one first channel and channel number information of at least one second channel.

[0075] In one possible design, at least one channel belongs to the first frequency band, and the first frequency hopping stabilization time is the first time; or, at least one channel belongs to the second frequency band, and the first frequency hopping stabilization time is the second time; wherein, the first frequency band is different from the second frequency band, the first frequency band and the second frequency band do not overlap in the frequency domain, and the first time is different from the second time.

[0076] In one possible design, the first LBT maximum window period is configured for the first device.

[0077] In one possible design, the first frequency hopping stabilization time is the maximum value of the frequency hopping stabilization time of the first device and the frequency hopping stabilization time of the second device, and the frequency hopping stabilization time is the time it takes for the device to reach a stable state when performing frequency hopping.

[0078] In one possible design, the first frequency hopping pattern is determined by negotiation between the first device and the second device.

[0079] In one possible design, the number of channels included in the at least one second channel is multiple; the channel number information of the at least one second channel is: the channel number information of the channel with the lowest frequency or the highest frequency in the at least one second channel.

[0080] In one possible design, the first device performs at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters, including: the second device switches from at least one first channel to at least one second channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; after waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a certain period of time, the second device performs a fourth idle channel assessment. Accordingly, the second device receives a third ranging signal and / or sends a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel, including: when the second device determines that at least one second channel is idle, the second device receives the third ranging signal and / or sends the fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

[0081] In one possible design, the first frequency hopping pattern also includes channel number information of at least one third channel. The second device performs at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters, including: the second device switches from at least one first channel to at least one third channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; after waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a period of time, the second device performs a fifth idle channel assessment; when the second device determines that the idle channel assessment result obtained within the LBT window corresponding to the fifth idle channel assessment is that at least one third channel is not idle, after the LBT window corresponding to the fifth idle channel assessment ends, the second device switches from at least one third channel to at least one second channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; wherein the duration of the LBT window corresponding to the fifth idle channel assessment is equal to the first LBT maximum window period; after waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a period of time, the second device performs a sixth idle channel assessment. Accordingly, the second device receives a third ranging signal and / or sends a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel, including: when the second device determines that at least one second channel is idle, the second device receives a third ranging signal and / or sends a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

[0082] In one possible design, the method also includes: the second device receiving frequency hopping measurement information of the first device; and / or the second device sending the frequency hopping measurement information of the second device to the first device.

[0083] In one possible design, the frequency hopping measurement information of the first device includes one or more of the following:

[0084] First information, used to indicate whether the first device allows channel overlap;

[0085] The second information is used to indicate the number of overlapping channels allowed by the first device;

[0086] third information, used to indicate a second frequency hopping pattern expected by the first device;

[0087] The fourth information is used to indicate the frequency hopping stabilization duration of the first device;

[0088] The fifth information is used to indicate the second LBT maximum window period expected by the first device;

[0089] The frequency hopping measurement information of the second device includes one or more of the following:

[0090] Sixth information, used to indicate whether the second device allows channel overlapping;

[0091] seventh information, used to indicate the number of overlapping channels allowed by the second device;

[0092] eighth information, used to indicate a third frequency hopping pattern desired by the second device;

[0093] The ninth information is used to indicate the frequency hopping stabilization time of the second device;

[0094] The tenth information is used to indicate the third LBT maximum window period expected by the second device.

[0095] In one possible design, the method also includes: the second device determines frequency hopping measurement information of the second device, wherein the frequency hopping measurement information is determined based on the frequency hopping capability information of the first device, the frequency hopping capability information of the second device, or pre-configured or defined frequency hopping capability information.

[0096] In one possible design, the method also includes: the second device sending the frequency hopping capability information of the second device to the first device; and / or the second device receiving the frequency hopping capability information of the first device.

[0097] In one possible design, the frequency hopping capability information of the first device includes one or more of the following:

[0098] whether the first device supports frequency hopping;

[0099] Frequency band information supported by the first device for frequency hopping;

[0100] a maximum bandwidth supported by the first device for sending and / or receiving ranging signals;

[0101] a preset stabilization time duration when the first device performs frequency hopping;

[0102] whether the preset stabilization time duration when the first device performs frequency hopping is different in different frequency bands;

[0103] The frequency hopping capability information of the second device includes one or more of the following:

[0104] whether the second device supports frequency hopping;

[0105] Frequency band information supported by the second device for frequency hopping;

[0106] a maximum bandwidth supported by the second device for sending and / or receiving ranging signals;

[0107] a preset stabilization time duration when the second device performs frequency hopping;

[0108] Whether the preset stabilization time length when the second device performs frequency hopping is different in different frequency bands.

[0109] In one possible design, the first frequency hopping pattern further includes channel number information of an initial working channel. The method further includes: the second device starts frequency hopping from the initial working channel, wherein the last hop channel indicated by the first frequency hopping pattern is the initial working channel.

[0110] In a third aspect, a ranging device is provided, which may be a first device or a chip in the first device, and includes a unit / module / technical means for implementing the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect.

[0111] Exemplarily, the device may include:

[0112] a transceiver unit, configured to send a first ranging signal and / or receive a second ranging signal on at least one first channel;

[0113] a processing unit, configured to perform at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters;

[0114] The transceiver unit is further configured to send a third ranging signal and / or receive a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

[0115] Optionally, the first ranging signal, the second ranging signal, the third ranging signal and / or the fourth ranging signal are orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals.

[0116] Optionally, the OFDM signal includes at least one of the following signals: CSI-RS, SRS, FTS, STS, PRS.

[0117] Optionally, the frequency hopping parameters include one or more of the following:

[0118] First frequency hopping stability duration;

[0119] The first LBT maximum window period;

[0120] The first frequency hopping pattern is used to indicate a frequency hopping sequence of the apparatus and the second device, and the first frequency hopping pattern includes channel number information of at least one first channel and channel number information of at least one second channel.

[0121] Optionally, at least one channel belongs to the first frequency band, and the first frequency hopping stability time is the first time; or, at least one channel belongs to the second frequency band, and the first frequency hopping stability time is the second time; wherein, the first frequency band is different from the second frequency band, the first frequency band and the second frequency band do not overlap in the frequency domain, and the first time is different from the second time.

[0122] Optionally, the first LBT maximum window period is configured for the device.

[0123] Optionally, the first frequency hopping stabilization time is the maximum value of the frequency hopping stabilization time of the apparatus and the frequency hopping stabilization time of the second device, and the frequency hopping stabilization time is the time it takes for the device to reach a stable state when performing frequency hopping.

[0124] Optionally, the first frequency hopping pattern is determined by negotiation between the apparatus and the second device.

[0125] Optionally, the number of channels included in the at least one second channel is multiple; the channel number information of the at least one second channel is: the channel number information of the channel with the lowest frequency or the highest frequency in the at least one second channel.

[0126] Optionally, the processing unit is specifically used to: switch from at least one first channel to at least one second channel according to a first frequency hopping pattern; after waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a period of time, perform a first idle channel assessment; when the transceiver unit sends a third ranging signal and / or receives a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel, it is specifically used to: when at least one second channel is idle, send a third ranging signal and / or receive a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

[0127] Optionally, the first frequency hopping pattern also includes channel number information for at least one third channel; the processing unit is specifically configured to: switch from at least one first channel to at least one third channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; after waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a certain period of time, perform a second idle channel assessment; when the idle channel assessment result obtained within the LBT window corresponding to the second idle channel assessment is that at least one third channel is not idle, after the LBT window corresponding to the second idle channel assessment ends, switch from the at least one third channel to at least one second channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; wherein the duration of the LBT window corresponding to the second idle channel assessment is equal to the first LBT maximum window period; after waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a certain period of time, perform the third idle channel assessment. When the transceiver unit sends a third ranging signal and / or receives a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel, the processing unit is specifically configured to: when at least one second channel is idle, send the third ranging signal and / or receive the fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

[0128] Optionally, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send frequency hopping measurement information of the apparatus to the second device; and / or receive frequency hopping measurement information of the second device.

[0129] Optionally, the frequency hopping measurement information of the device includes one or more of the following:

[0130] First information, used to indicate whether the device allows channel overlap;

[0131] Second information, used to indicate the number of overlapping channels allowed by the device;

[0132] third information, used to indicate a second frequency hopping pattern desired by the apparatus;

[0133] The fourth information is used to indicate the frequency hopping stability duration of the device;

[0134] The fifth information is used to indicate the second LBT maximum window period expected by the device;

[0135] The frequency hopping measurement information of the second device includes one or more of the following:

[0136] Sixth information, used to indicate whether the second device allows channel overlapping;

[0137] seventh information, used to indicate the number of overlapping channels allowed by the second device;

[0138] eighth information, used to indicate a third frequency hopping pattern desired by the second device;

[0139] The ninth information is used to indicate the frequency hopping stabilization time of the second device;

[0140] The tenth information is used to indicate the third LBT maximum window period expected by the second device.

[0141] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to determine frequency hopping measurement information of the apparatus, wherein the frequency hopping measurement information is determined based on frequency hopping capability information of the apparatus, frequency hopping capability information of a second device, or pre-configured or defined frequency hopping capability information.

[0142] Optionally, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send the frequency hopping capability information of the apparatus to the second device; and / or receive the frequency hopping capability information of the second device.

[0143] Optionally, the frequency hopping capability information of the device includes one or more of the following:

[0144] Whether the device supports frequency hopping;

[0145] Information about the frequency bands supported by the device for frequency hopping;

[0146] the maximum bandwidth supported by the device for transmitting and / or receiving ranging signals;

[0147] The preset stabilization time when the device performs frequency hopping;

[0148] Whether the preset stabilization time of the device when performing frequency hopping is different in different frequency bands;

[0149] The frequency hopping capability information of the second device includes one or more of the following:

[0150] whether the second device supports frequency hopping;

[0151] Frequency band information supported by the second device for frequency hopping;

[0152] a maximum bandwidth supported by the second device for sending and / or receiving ranging signals;

[0153] a preset stabilization time duration when the second device performs frequency hopping;

[0154] Whether the preset stabilization time length when the second device performs frequency hopping is different in different frequency bands.

[0155] Optionally, the first frequency hopping pattern also includes channel number information of an initial working channel; the processing unit is further used to: start frequency hopping from the initial working channel, wherein the last hopping channel indicated by the first frequency hopping pattern is the initial working channel.

[0156] In a fourth aspect, a ranging device is provided, which may be a second device or a chip in the second device, and includes a unit / module / technical means for implementing the method described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0157] Exemplarily, the apparatus may include: a transceiver unit configured to receive a first ranging signal and / or send a second ranging signal on at least one first channel; a processing unit configured to perform at least one frequency hopping according to a frequency hopping parameter; and a transceiver unit configured to receive a third ranging signal and / or send a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

[0158] Optionally, the first ranging signal, the second ranging signal, the third ranging signal and / or the fourth ranging signal are OFDM signals.

[0159] Optionally, the OFDM signal includes at least one of the following signals: CSI-RS, SRS, FTS, STS, PRS.

[0160] Optionally, the frequency hopping parameters include one or more of the following:

[0161] First frequency hopping stability duration;

[0162] The first LBT maximum window period;

[0163] The first frequency hopping pattern is used to indicate a frequency hopping sequence of the first device and the apparatus, and the first frequency hopping pattern includes channel number information of at least one first channel and channel number information of at least one second channel.

[0164] Optionally, at least one channel belongs to the first frequency band, and the first frequency hopping stability time is the first time; or, at least one channel belongs to the second frequency band, and the first frequency hopping stability time is the second time; wherein, the first frequency band is different from the second frequency band, the first frequency band and the second frequency band do not overlap in the frequency domain, and the first time is different from the second time.

[0165] Optionally, the first LBT maximum window period is configured for the first device.

[0166] Optionally, the first frequency hopping stabilization time is the maximum value of the frequency hopping stabilization time of the first device and the frequency hopping stabilization time of the apparatus, and the frequency hopping stabilization time is the time it takes for the device to reach a stable state when performing frequency hopping.

[0167] Optionally, the first frequency hopping pattern is determined by negotiation between the first device and the apparatus.

[0168] Optionally, the number of channels included in the at least one second channel is multiple; the channel number information of the at least one second channel is: the channel number information of the channel with the lowest frequency or the highest frequency in the at least one second channel.

[0169] Optionally, the processing unit is specifically configured to: switch from at least one first channel to at least one second channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; and after waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a certain period of time, perform a fourth idle channel assessment. Accordingly, when the transceiver unit receives a third ranging signal and / or sends a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel, it is specifically configured to: receive the third ranging signal and / or send the fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel when the at least one second channel is idle.

[0170] Optionally, the first frequency hopping pattern also includes channel number information of at least one third channel. The processing unit is specifically configured to: switch from at least one first channel to at least one third channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; after waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a certain period of time, perform a fifth idle channel evaluation; after determining that the idle channel evaluation result obtained within the LBT window corresponding to the fifth idle channel evaluation is that at least one third channel is not idle, after the LBT window corresponding to the fifth idle channel evaluation ends, switch from at least one third channel to at least one second channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; wherein the duration of the LBT window corresponding to the fifth idle channel evaluation is equal to the first LBT maximum window period; after waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a certain period of time, perform a sixth idle channel evaluation. Accordingly, when the transceiver unit receives a third ranging signal and / or sends a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel, it is specifically configured to: when at least one second channel is idle, receive a third ranging signal and / or send a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

[0171] Optionally, the transceiver unit is further configured to: receive frequency hopping measurement information of the first device; and / or send the frequency hopping measurement information of the device to the first device.

[0172] Optionally, the frequency hopping measurement information of the first device includes one or more of the following:

[0173] First information, used to indicate whether the first device allows channel overlap;

[0174] The second information is used to indicate the number of overlapping channels allowed by the first device;

[0175] third information, used to indicate a second frequency hopping pattern expected by the first device;

[0176] The fourth information is used to indicate the frequency hopping stabilization duration of the first device;

[0177] The fifth information is used to indicate the second LBT maximum window period expected by the first device;

[0178] The frequency hopping measurement information of the device includes one or more of the following:

[0179] sixth information, used to indicate whether the device allows channel overlap;

[0180] seventh information, used to indicate the number of overlapping channels allowed by the device;

[0181] eighth information, used to indicate a third frequency hopping pattern desired by the apparatus;

[0182] The ninth information is used to indicate the frequency hopping stability time of the device;

[0183] The tenth information is used to indicate the third LBT maximum window period expected by the device.

[0184] Optionally, the processing unit is further configured to determine frequency hopping measurement information of the apparatus, wherein the frequency hopping measurement information is determined based on frequency hopping capability information of the first device, frequency hopping capability information of the apparatus, or pre-configured or defined frequency hopping capability information.

[0185] Optionally, the transceiver unit is further configured to: send frequency hopping capability information of the apparatus to the first device; and / or receive frequency hopping capability information of the first device.

[0186] Optionally, the frequency hopping capability information of the first device includes one or more of the following:

[0187] whether the first device supports frequency hopping;

[0188] Frequency band information supported by the first device for frequency hopping;

[0189] a maximum bandwidth supported by the first device for sending and / or receiving ranging signals;

[0190] a preset stabilization time duration when the first device performs frequency hopping;

[0191] whether the preset stabilization time duration when the first device performs frequency hopping is different in different frequency bands;

[0192] The frequency hopping capability information of the device includes one or more of the following:

[0193] Whether the device supports frequency hopping;

[0194] Information about the frequency bands supported by the device for frequency hopping;

[0195] the maximum bandwidth supported by the device for transmitting and / or receiving ranging signals;

[0196] The preset stabilization time when the device performs frequency hopping;

[0197] Whether the preset stabilization time when the device performs frequency hopping is different in different frequency bands.

[0198] Optionally, the first frequency hopping pattern further includes channel number information of an initial working channel. The transceiver unit is further configured to: start frequency hopping from the initial working channel, wherein the last hop channel indicated by the first frequency hopping pattern is the initial working channel.

[0199] In a fifth aspect, a ranging device is provided, comprising: at least one processor and an interface circuit; the interface circuit is used to receive signals from other devices outside the device and send or receive signals to the processor or send signals from the processor to other devices outside the device, and the processor is used to implement the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect or the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect through logic circuits or execution code instructions.

[0200] In the sixth aspect, a computer-readable storage medium is provided, in which a computer program or instruction is stored. When the computer program or instruction is executed by a communication device, the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect or the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect is implemented.

[0201] In the seventh aspect, a computer program product is provided, in which instructions are stored, which, when run on a computer, enable the computer to execute the method described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect or the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0202] In an eighth aspect, a ranging system is provided, comprising:

[0203] A first device, configured to perform the method as described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect;

[0204] The second device is used to perform the method as described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect.

[0205] For the beneficial effects of the second to eighth aspects above, please refer to the technical effects that can be achieved by the corresponding design in the first aspect above, and no further details will be given here. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0206] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a possible application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application;

[0207] FIG2 is a flow chart of a distance measurement method provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0208] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of the interaction of ranging signals on a channel (group);

[0209] 4A and 4B are schematic diagrams of a first device and a second device negotiating frequency hopping parameters;

[0210] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a possible frequency hopping provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0211] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of another possible frequency hopping provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0212] FIG7 is a schematic diagram showing simulation results of frequency hopping ranging based on an OFDM signal with a 20 MHz bandwidth;

[0213] FIG8 is a schematic structural diagram of a distance measuring device provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0214] FIG9 is a schematic structural diagram of another distance measuring device provided in an embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0215] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of this application can be applied to various wireless communication scenarios, such as vehicle-mounted positioning / ranging / angle measurement / perception scenarios, indoor positioning / ranging / angle measurement / perception scenarios, or other wide-area wireless communication or local-area wireless communication scenarios, without limitation in this application. Specific wireless communication technologies include, but are not limited to, Wireless Fidelity (Wi-Fi), Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), Ultra Wide Band (UWB), Sparklink, and the like.

[0216] It can be understood that in the embodiments of the present application, similar steps are used to achieve positioning, ranging, angle measurement, perception, etc., so any one of the terms can be used to simultaneously refer to "positioning", "ranging", "angle measurement", "perception", etc.

[0217] Refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a possible application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present application. In the vehicle-mounted positioning scenario, positioning stations are deployed at the four corners outside the vehicle, and at least one positioning station is deployed inside the vehicle (such as the interior rearview mirror or the inside of the roof, etc.). The car key is the target that needs to be located (i.e., the device to be located), and its specific implementation can be a traditional car key with a positioning function, or a mobile phone / wearable device with a positioning function. The positioning station and / or the car key can send and / or receive ranging signals, and measure the received ranging signals to obtain corresponding measurement quantities. By calculating the measurement quantities obtained by the positioning station and / or the car key, the location information of the car key (for example, the distance relative to the car) can be obtained.

[0218] In wireless communication scenarios, a certain communication area or range can include multiple communication domains. A communication domain refers to a system consisting of a group of communication nodes with a communication relationship and the communication connection relationship (i.e., communication link) between communication nodes. A communication domain includes a master communication node (abbreviated as master node or G node) and at least one slave communication node (abbreviated as slave node or T node). The master node, also known as the management node, is responsible for managing the time and frequency resources of the communication domain and has the function of scheduling resources for communication or positioning between communication nodes in the communication domain.

[0219] Taking the scenario shown in Figure 1 as an example, positioning stations, car keys, etc. can form a communication domain. The car key can be the master node (G node) and each positioning station can be a slave node (T node); or, one positioning station can be the master node and the other positioning stations and car keys can be slave nodes. This application does not impose any restrictions.

[0220] It can be understood that the scenario shown in Figure 1 is only an example. In actual applications, the embodiments of the present application can also be applied to other wireless communication scenarios.

[0221] 2 is a flow chart of a distance measurement method provided in an embodiment of the present application, the method comprising:

[0222] S201: A first device sends a first ranging signal and / or receives a second ranging signal on at least one first channel. Correspondingly, a second device receives the first ranging signal and / or sends a second ranging signal on at least one first channel.

[0223] In one possible design, among the first device and the second device, one device is a G node and the other device is a T node, wherein the G node is responsible for scheduling time-frequency resources for ranging interaction between the G node and the T node, and the T node is used to perform ranging interaction with the G node under the scheduling of the G node (for example, sending and / or receiving ranging signals). In a specific implementation, the initiator of ranging (that is, the node that initiates the ranging process between the G node and the T node) can be a G node, the responder can be a T node, or the initiator is a T node and the responder is a G node, and this application does not impose any restrictions. Taking the scenario shown in Figure 1 as an example, the G node is a car key and the T node is a positioning station, wherein the first device is a positioning station and the second device is a car key, or the first device is a car key and the second device is a positioning station. For the convenience of description, the following mainly uses G nodes and T nodes as examples for elaboration, and does not actually limit the type of specific nodes, and is subject to the solution that can implement this application.

[0224] In the embodiment of the present application, the first device and / or the second device may perform signal measurement on the received ranging signal.

[0225] In one possible design, the signal measurement can specifically be a one-way signal measurement (also called unilateral signal measurement, One Way Ranging in English), for example, the second device receives and measures the first ranging signal sent by the first device, or the first device receives and measures the second ranging signal sent by the second device.

[0226] In another possible design, the signal measurement can specifically be bidirectional signal measurement (or bilateral signal measurement, Two Way Ranging in English), that is, the second device receives and measures the first ranging signal sent by the first device, and the first device receives and measures the second ranging signal sent by the second device. Bidirectional signal measurement can eliminate the timing deviation and random initial phase problems introduced by frequency hopping between the first and second devices, so that the ranging signals of each frequency band and / or channel can be coherently combined in the frequency domain. The combined large bandwidth measurement improves the resolution of the ranging, thereby improving the accuracy of the ranging.

[0227] Accordingly, the second device may obtain the first measurement quantity by performing signal measurement on the first ranging signal; and / or the first device may obtain the second measurement quantity by performing signal measurement on the second ranging signal.

[0228] In some possible embodiments, performing signal measurement on a ranging signal can also be described as performing measurement on the channel carrying the ranging signal. For example, the first ranging signal and / or the second ranging signal are carried on at least one first channel, so performing signal measurement on the first ranging signal and / or the second ranging signal can also be described as performing measurement on at least one first channel. Accordingly, the measurement quantity of the ranging signal can also be described as a measurement quantity of the corresponding channel, such as channel state information in the time domain or frequency domain, i.e., time of arrival (TOA) / time of departure (TOD) in the time domain, or the complex-valued frequency response of the corresponding carrier / subcarrier in the frequency domain.

[0229] It can be understood that when the number of channels in the at least one first channel is multiple, the at least one first channel can be regarded as a channel group, such as the first channel group.

[0230] S202A: The first device performs at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters. S202B: The second device performs at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters.

[0231] Frequency hopping refers to switching the channel used by a device for ranging (i.e., sending and / or receiving ranging signals) from one channel to another, with the channels corresponding to different carrier frequencies. For example, a first device and a second device may switch from at least one first channel to at least one second channel, where the at least one first channel and the at least one second channel correspond to different carrier frequencies.

[0232] If the number of frequency hopping is 1, the first device and the second device directly switch from the at least one first channel to the at least one second channel; if the number of frequency hopping is more than 1, the first device and the second device start from the at least one first channel and switch to the at least one second channel after multiple channel switching. For example, the first device and the second device first switch from the at least one first channel to the at least one third channel, and then switch from the at least one third channel to the at least one second channel.

[0233] In the embodiment of the present application, the first device and the second device perform frequency hopping according to the same frequency hopping parameters, so that the first device and the second device can hop synchronously. For example, when the first device switches from at least one first channel to at least one second channel, the second device also switches from at least one first channel to at least one second channel.

[0234] The frequency hopping in the embodiments of the present application can be radio frequency (RF) frequency hopping, digital frequency hopping, or frequency hopping based on a phase-locked loop (PLL) circuit, without limitation. RF frequency hopping or frequency hopping based on a PLL circuit switches the working channel of the device by changing the carrier frequency of the local oscillator signal of the RF channel. This frequency hopping method takes a long time, generally at the millisecond level (e.g., 2 to 3 ms). Digital frequency hopping takes a shorter time, generally at the microsecond level (e.g., 1 us to 100 us), and is achieved by modulating the signal at different frequencies / channels in the baseband module, without changing the carrier frequency of the local oscillator signal.

[0235] Furthermore, the frequency hopping modes of the first device and the second device may be the same (for example, both are RF frequency hopping or digital frequency hopping), or different (for example, the first device is RF frequency hopping, and the second device is digital frequency hopping), and this application does not impose any restrictions.

[0236] In a specific implementation, when the difference between the center frequency of the next hop channel measured by a device (such as the first device or the second device) and the center frequency of the currently working channel exceeds the maximum RF bandwidth supported by the device, the device performs radio frequency hopping; otherwise, the device can perform digital frequency hopping.

[0237] S203: The first device sends a third ranging signal and / or receives a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel. Correspondingly, the second device receives the third ranging signal and / or sends a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

[0238] It will be understood that the at least one second channel is the channel on which the first device and the second device are located after performing at least one frequency hopping. After switching to the at least one second channel, the first device and the second device again perform signal measurement on the at least one second channel. Similarly, after receiving the fourth ranging signal, the second device can obtain a fourth measurement quantity by performing measurement on the fourth ranging signal; and / or, after receiving the third ranging signal, the first device can obtain a third measurement quantity by performing measurement on the third ranging signal.

[0239] Similarly, when the number of channels in the at least one second channel is multiple, the at least one second channel can be regarded as a channel group, such as a second channel group, and the second channel group and the first channel group correspond to different carrier frequencies.

[0240] For the sake of ease of description, this document may regard the operation of the first device and the second device performing signal measurement on one channel as one signal measurement process, and the operation of performing signal measurement on different channels as different signal measurement processes (for example, S201 and S203 are two signal measurement processes).

[0241] After step S203, the computing device can combine the measurement quantities (the first measurement quantity and / or the second measurement quantity, and the third measurement quantity and / or the fourth measurement quantity) obtained from the two signal measurements to calculate the distance between the first device and the second device. For example, in the scenario shown in FIG1 , the distance of the car key relative to the car. The computing device can be the first device, the second device, or other devices, and this application does not limit this. In one possible design, the computing device can be the initiator of the first device and the second device. Accordingly, if the responder receives and measures the ranging signal, the responder needs to feed back the measurement quantity obtained by the signal measurement to the initiator.

[0242] In the above scheme, the first device and the second device perform at least one frequency hopping according to the same frequency hopping parameters, and can synchronously perform multiple signal measurements on different channels in a preset order, thereby achieving the technical effect of merging multi-channel large-bandwidth signal measurements (the bandwidth of the signal measurement is the total bandwidth of at least one first channel and at least one second channel), which can improve the ranging resolution and ranging accuracy.

[0243] It should be noted that the above example uses the first device and the second device performing two signal measurement processes. In the specific implementation process, the first device and the second device can also perform more frequency hopping, and then perform signal measurement processes on more channels. Finally, the computing device can determine the distance between the first device and the second device by combining the measurement quantities obtained from all signal measurement processes, thereby further improving the ranging resolution and ranging accuracy.

[0244] In addition, in actual applications, the number of devices performing ranging interaction (also called measurement interaction) with the same device is not limited to one (for example, there is also a third device performing ranging interaction with the first device). For example, in the scenario shown in Figure 1, multiple positioning stations can interact with the car key at the same time to measure the distance of each positioning station relative to the car key, and then the position of the car key relative to the car can be determined based on the distance of the car key relative to each positioning station. When multiple devices perform ranging interaction with the first device at the same time, the interaction process of each device with the first device can refer to the interaction process of the first device and the second device mentioned above, and will not be repeated here.

[0245] In one possible design, the ranging signals involved in the embodiments of the present application, such as the first ranging signal, the second ranging signal, the third ranging signal and / or the fourth ranging signal, are orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals.

[0246] OFDM, also known as Discrete Multi-Tone Modulation (DMT), can be considered a special case of multi-carrier transmission, capable of high-speed transmission. OFDM uses a large number of closely spaced orthogonal sub-carriers, each modulated at a low symbol rate using a traditional modulation scheme. OFDM can be considered a combination of modulation and multiplexing techniques.

[0247] In an embodiment of the present application, the OFDM signal may include one or more of the following signals: Channel-State Information-Reference Signal (CSI-RS), Sounding Reference Signal (SRS), Positioning Reference Signal (PRS), synchronization signal, etc.

[0248] Among them, CSI-RS is a channel state information reference signal sent by a G node in a communication domain in the communication domain, which is used by other nodes to measure the transmission channel characteristics from the G node to the other node. SRS is a channel sounding signal sent by a G node to other nodes (T nodes) in the communication domain, which is used by the G node to measure the transmission channel characteristics from other nodes to the G node. PRS is another positioning reference signal based on OFDM modulation designed for ranging. The synchronization signal can be a signal used for time and frequency synchronization in a wireless short-range communication system (such as a vehicle-mounted wireless short-range communication system, specifically such as the SparkLink Basic (SLB) standard), such as a first training signal (FTS) and / or a second training signal (STS). It can be understood that in a wireless short-range communication system, the synchronization signal appears in pairs, that is, two synchronization signals form a group of synchronization signals. In a group of synchronization signals, the OFDM symbol that appears first in the time domain is called FTS, and the OFDM symbol that appears first in the time domain is called STS.

[0249] In a wireless short-range communication system, an OFDM signal can be used as a communication and ranging signal. Among them, an OFDM signal with a physical bandwidth of about 20MHz is called a carrier (the channel that sends the carrier OFDM signal is called a carrier channel), and the center frequency point of the 20MHz OFDM signal (i.e., the DC subcarrier) is called the carrier frequency. That is, a carrier is composed of 39 consecutive subcarriers, and the 39 subcarriers are numbered in order from low to high according to the corresponding frequency #0, #1,…, #38, where the #19 subcarrier is a direct current (DC) subcarrier. Except for the DC subcarrier, the other 38 subcarriers are called effective subcarriers. G nodes and T nodes may operate on multiple carrier channels, and multiple carrier channels constitute a carrier channel group (corresponding to a channel group). For ease of description, the embodiment of the present application simply refers to the carrier channel as a channel.

[0250] OFDM frequency hopping is defined as switching the DC subcarrier of an OFDM symbol from the center frequency of one channel to the center frequency of another. For a single carrier, this refers to switching the DC subcarrier from one channel to another; for multiple carriers, this refers to switching the channel group corresponding to the multiple carriers to another channel group.

[0251] Correspondingly, when the number of the at least one first channel and the at least one second channel is a single one, the first device and the second device switch from the at least one first channel to the at least one second channel, which is a frequency hopping switch of a single carrier (or a single channel switch). For example, the first device and the second device originally work on channel 1, and after at least one frequency hopping, switch to channel 2. When the number of the at least one first channel and the at least one second channel is multiple, the first device and the second device switch from the at least one first channel to the at least one second channel, which is a frequency hopping switch of multiple carriers (or a multiple channel switch or a channel group switch). For example, the first device and the second device originally work on channels 1 to 4, and after at least one frequency hopping, switch to channels 5 to 8.

[0252] Since OFDM signals use multiple subcarriers for transmission, the bandwidth supported by OFDM signals is generally large (for example, greater than or equal to 20MHz). Different devices may have different operating bandwidths and different frequency hopping stability durations, which leads to difficulties in frequency hopping in broadband systems. Specifically, there are large differences in frequency hopping parameters between different devices, and the lack of a synchronization protocol makes it difficult to synchronize frequency hopping.

[0253] In the embodiment of the present application, during the ranging process, the first device and the second device use the same frequency hopping parameters to hop frequency, which can achieve synchronous frequency hopping of the first device and the second device. The technical effect of merging multi-channel large-bandwidth signal measurement is achieved through frequency hopping, which can improve the ranging resolution and ranging accuracy.

[0254] In one possible design, the frequency hopping parameters may include one or more of the following:

[0255] 1. First frequency hopping stable duration (T RF express).

[0256] It can be understood that the frequency hopping stabilization duration refers to the duration it takes for a device to reach a stable state when performing frequency hopping, that is, the duration from the moment the device performs frequency hopping to the moment the device reaches a stable state. A device that reaches a stable state can send and / or receive ranging signals, or can perform a clear channel assessment operation before transmission. The duration it takes for a first device to reach a stable state when performing frequency hopping is the frequency hopping stabilization duration of the first device, and the duration it takes for a second device to reach a stable state when performing frequency hopping is the frequency hopping stabilization duration of the second device.

[0257] It should be noted that when the device performs RF frequency hopping, the stabilization time of the device includes the stabilization time of the RF channel and some other operations after the RF channel is stabilized (such as baseband configuration, register configuration refresh, etc.). Since the frequency hopping stabilization time accounts for most of the device stabilization time, the "device stabilization time" and "frequency hopping stabilization time" are regarded as the same in the embodiment of the present application.

[0258] The first frequency hopping stabilization duration can be understood as the time required for both the first and second devices in a communication connection to reach a stable state when performing frequency hopping. The first frequency hopping stabilization duration is greater than or equal to the frequency hopping stabilization duration of the first device, and the first frequency hopping stabilization duration is greater than or equal to the frequency hopping stabilization duration of the second device. In other words, the first or second device can reach a stable state before the first frequency hopping stabilization duration expires.

[0259] Optionally, the first frequency hopping stable time is the frequency hopping stable time of the first device (expressed in T RF,1 ) and the frequency hopping stability time of the second device (expressed by T RF,2 represents the maximum value of T RF =max{T RF,1 ,T RF,2}.

[0260] It is understandable that when there are multiple devices participating in the frequency hopping measurement (such as a master node and multiple slave nodes), T RF The maximum value of the frequency hopping stability duration of multiple devices, that is, T RF =max{T RF,1 ,T RF,2 ,T RF,3 ,…}.

[0261] Optional, T RF It can be indicated by 16 bits, and the change step can be 0.5us (ie T RF Every time the value of changes by 1 bit, the corresponding duration changes by 0.5us), and the indication range is 0.5us~32.8ms.

[0262] Optionally, when a device (a first device or a second device) performs frequency hopping in different frequency bands, the duration of time it takes to reach a stable state may be different, and the first frequency hopping stable duration may be different. For example, if at least one channel belongs to a first frequency band, that is, when the first device performs at least one frequency hopping in the first frequency band, the first frequency hopping stable duration is a first duration; if at least one channel belongs to a second frequency band, that is, when the first device performs at least one frequency hopping in the second frequency band, the first frequency hopping stable duration is a second duration; wherein the first frequency band and the second frequency band are different, the first duration and the second duration are different.

[0263] It should be noted that the different frequency bands here do not overlap in the frequency domain. Furthermore, each of the different frequency bands can be used to divide channels or channel groups, so there should be no overlap either.

[0264] It is understandable that the frequency band described in this article refers to a relatively large frequency range, and each frequency band can be divided into multiple channels or channel groups. RF,5.1GHz and TRF,5.8GHz , respectively indicating the time it takes to reach a stable state when frequency hopping is performed in the 5.1 GHz band and the time it takes to reach a stable state when frequency hopping is performed in the 5.8 GHz band. The frequency range of the 5.1 GHz band is, for example, 5150 MHz to 5350 MHz (this frequency range is approximate and may vary in practice), and the frequency range of the 5.8 GHz band is, for example, 5725 MHz to 5850 MHz (this frequency range is approximate and may vary in practice).

[0265] Among them, when the device hops in different frequency bands, whether the first frequency hopping stability time is different can be determined based on whether it is necessary to perform idle channel assessment on the channel (channel group) after the frequency hopping.

[0266] For example, the "Technical Requirements for Interference Avoidance of Radio Transmitting Equipment in the 2400MHz, 5100MHz and 5800MHz Bands" stipulates that the equipment needs to perform idle channel assessment before transmission in the 5100MHz band (5.1GHz band) and the 2400MHz band (2.4GHz band); the "Catalogue and Technical Requirements for Micropower Short-range Radio Transmitting Equipment" stipulates that the 5725-5850MHz band (5.8GHz band) can be used for radio transmission in a micropower short-range manner, that is, the equipment can directly send ranging signals without idle channel assessment. When it is necessary to hop between different frequency bands, performing idle channel assessment or directly transmitting ranging signals determines the stability time of the first device during frequency hopping, that is, the frequency hopping stability time when idle channel assessment is required is less than the stability time when the ranging signal needs to be directly transmitted. When the channel 1 after frequency hopping is in a frequency band where ranging signals can be directly transmitted (such as the 5.8GHz band), the frequency hopping stability time T RF,5.8G , which can be longer than the stable time T required to jump to channel 2 (for example, in the 5.1 GHz band) that requires idle channel assessment. RF,5.1G , for example, T RF,5.8G =2ms, T RF,5.1G =1ms.

[0267] Alternatively, when a device hops between different channels (or groups), the device's frequency hopping stabilization duration can vary. Similarly, whether the first frequency hopping stabilization duration varies when the device hops between different channels (or groups) can be determined based on whether a clear channel assessment is required for the channel (or group) after the hopping.

[0268] For example, when the channel (group) where the device is located after frequency hopping needs to perform idle channel assessment, the first device performs idle channel assessment according to the frequency hopping stabilization time T RF,1 Configure the frequency hopping stability time parameter; otherwise, the first device will be set according to the frequency hopping stability time T RF,2 Configure the frequency hopping stability time, where T RF,1 ≤T RF,2 .

[0269] In a specific implementation, the first LBT maximum window period can be used to indicate whether a channel (group) needs to perform clear channel assessment. For example, setting the LBT maximum window period for the 5.8 GHz band to 0 indicates that the channels (groups) included in the 5.8 GHz band do not need to perform clear channel assessment.

[0270] Different frequency hopping stabilization times are used for different operations after frequency hopping (such as idle channel assessment or transmission of ranging signals). This can save the device's frequency hopping waiting time, improve the efficiency of frequency hopping ranging, and save power consumption.

[0271] In one possible design, the first frequency hopping stabilization duration includes the duration for the device to reach a stable state when performing frequency hopping in each frequency band (or channel or channel group). For example, the first frequency hopping stabilization duration can be in the form of an array, where each element in the array corresponds to the frequency hopping stabilization duration of the device in a frequency band (or channel or channel group), and different elements correspond to the frequency hopping stabilization duration of the device in different frequency bands (or channels or channel groups).

[0272] Optionally, the time it takes for the device to reach a stable state when performing frequency hopping in different frequency bands (or channels or channel groups) may be different, and the first frequency hopping stable time may be the maximum value of the time it takes for the device to reach a stable state when performing frequency hopping in each frequency band (or channel or channel group).

[0273] In this way, it can be ensured that no matter which frequency band (or channel or channel group) the device hops in, the device has entered a stable state when the first frequency hopping stabilization time ends. At the same time, the amount of information required to transmit the first frequency hopping stabilization time can be reduced, saving system resources.

[0274] By setting T RF , which can synchronize the states of the first device and the second device during the frequency hopping process (for example, entering the LBT stage after synchronization).

[0275] 2. The first LBT maximum window period (T LBT,max express).

[0276] It can be understood that when the first device and the second device perform frequency hopping, after switching from one channel (or channel group) to another channel (or channel group), if the other channel (or channel group) is a contention-based channel (or channel group), it is necessary to perform Listen-Before-Talk (LBT) or Clear Channel Assess (CCA) or carrier sense multiple access to monitor the busy or idle status of the switched channel (or channel group), and then access the channel (or channel group) when the channel (or channel group) is idle, and start sending and / or receiving ranging signals.

[0277] As you can understand, LBT, CCA, and Carrier Sense Multiple Access (CSMA) have the same meaning, encompassing the busy / idle status of a monitored channel. For ease of description, the following text primarily uses "Clear Channel Assessment" as an example. The relevant terms are interchangeable, for example, LBT can be replaced by CCA.

[0278] The time for a device (such as the first device or the second device) to perform idle channel assessment (denoted by T LBT It depends on the busy or idle status of the monitored channel (or channel group). That is, when the channel (or channel group) is busy, the device continues to monitor the channel (or channel group); when the channel (or channel group) is idle, it accesses the channel and starts sending ranging signals.

[0279] The first LBT maximum window period, i.e. T LBT,max , indicating the pre-configured T LBT The maximum value of the channel is set so that the first device and / or the second device can reach the time of busy and idle channel assessment when the currently monitored channel (or channel group) is busy and idle LBT,max When the idle channel assessment is stopped for the monitored channel (or channel group), the frequency hopping is continued to switch to another channel (or channel group), and the idle channel assessment is performed for the other channel (or channel group).

[0280] Optional, T LBT,max It is configured by the master node (G node) in the communication domain where the first device and the second device are located.

[0281] For example, if the first device is the master node, the first LBT maximum window period is configured by the first device. Taking the scenario shown in Figure 1 as an example, if the car key is the master node, then T LBT,max It can be configured by the car key and notified to each positioning station.

[0282] Optionally, the first LBT maximum window period is greater than or equal to a preset value, which is, for example, 25 us. LBT,max =3ms(with T RF close to each other).

[0283] In the specific implementation, T LBT,max It can be indicated by 16 bits, and the change step can be 1us (ie T LBT,max Every time the value of changes by 1 bit, the corresponding duration changes by 1us), and the indication range is 1us to 65.5ms.

[0284] By setting T LBT,max , it can be ensured that when the channel is busy for a long time, the first device and the second device are in T LBT,maxAt the end, the two sides will switch to the next hop channel synchronously to avoid repeated idle channel evaluation due to long-term channel competition. This can save resources and equipment power consumption and improve the efficiency of frequency hopping measurement.

[0285] 3. First frequency hopping pattern.

[0286] The first frequency hopping pattern is used to indicate a frequency hopping sequence of the first device and the second device, and the first frequency hopping pattern includes channel number information of at least one first channel and channel number information of at least one second channel.

[0287] Optionally, the first frequency hopping pattern includes a plurality of channel number information arranged in sequence, and based on the arrangement order of the plurality of channel number information, the frequency hopping order of the first device and the second device can be indicated.

[0288] Table 1

[0289] Channel number Carrier center frequency (MHz) 415159.8412551802095200.162915219.8437552404595260.165415279.8462553007095320.167915339.84

[0290] For example, referring to Table 1, which shows the channel numbers and corresponding carrier center frequencies of a 20 MHz carrier, the first frequency hopping pattern may be [41, 125, 209, ..., 791]. The frequency hopping order of the first device and the second device is: channel 41, channel 125, channel 209, ..., channel 791.

[0291] Optionally, when frequency hopping is multi-carrier switching (i.e., channel group switching), the first frequency hopping pattern may indicate the channel number information of the channels at preset positions in each channel group, such as the channel number information of the channel with the lowest or highest frequency in each channel group. For example, the frequency hopping order of the first device and the second device is: channel group 1 (including three channels, with channel numbers a, b, and c), channel group 2 (including three channels, with channel numbers d, e, and f), and channel group 3 (including three channels, with channel numbers g, h, and i). The first frequency hopping pattern can be represented as [channel number a, channel number d, channel number g]. In this way, the amount of information required to transmit the first frequency hopping pattern can be reduced, saving system resources. Still taking Table 1 as an example, a single channel group corresponds to a carrier with an 80MHz bandwidth. If the channel number of the initial working channel indicated by the first frequency hopping pattern is 41, the minimum channel number corresponding to the working channel of the next hop is 291.

[0292] By setting the first frequency hopping pattern, it can be ensured that the first device and the second device perform frequency hopping in the same frequency hopping order, so as to ensure that both parties in ranging perform frequency hopping synchronously.

[0293] It should be understood that the above three frequency parameters are only examples and are not limited thereto in practical applications.

[0294] In a possible design, the frequency hopping switching time T0 = T RF +T LBT That is, the first device and / or the second device needs to wait for T0 after starting frequency hopping before sending and / or receiving ranging signals on the switched channel (or channel group).

[0295] Take the first device performing a frequency hopping as an example: the first device switches from at least one first channel to at least one second channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; wait T RF1 Afterwards, the first device performs a first idle channel assessment. LBT1 The first device determines that at least one second channel is idle, and then sends a third ranging signal and / or receives a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel, wherein T LBT1 <T LBT,max The process of the second device performing a frequency hopping is similar to that of the first device and will not be described again here.

[0296] Take the first device performing two frequency hopping as an example: the first device switches from at least one first channel to at least one third channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; wait for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a time period T RF2 After that, the first device performs a second idle channel assessment. LBT2 The first device determines that the idle channel assessment result obtained within the LBT window corresponding to the second idle channel assessment is that at least one third channel is non-idle, where T LBT2 =T LBT,max ; The LBT window corresponding to the second idle channel evaluation is T LBT2 After the first device completes idle channel assessment (i.e., the time duration for the first device to perform idle channel assessment reaches T LBT,max ), the first device switches from at least one third channel to at least one second channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern, and waits for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a time period T RF3 After that, the first device performs a third idle channel assessment. LBT3 The first device determines that at least one second channel is idle, and then sends a third ranging signal and / or receives a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel, wherein T LBT3 <T LBT,max , T RF2 With T RF3 The process of the second device performing two frequency hopping operations is similar to that of the first device and will not be described in detail here.

[0297] It will be understood that if there are multiple channels in the at least one second channel, then the at least one second channel being idle includes some or all of the at least one second channel being idle. In other words, as long as one of the at least one second channels is idle, the first device and the second device can access the channel and further send and / or receive ranging signals on the channel.

[0298] Optionally, after each idle channel assessment, the G node (such as the first device) needs to resend the preamble for the T node (such as the second device) to resynchronize the timing (timing) and carrier frequency offset (CFO) to the G node to reduce the timing deviation t res and f CFO Control within the acceptable threshold range.

[0299] For example, see FIG3 , which is a schematic diagram of the ranging signal interaction on a channel (group). RF Mainly taking the PLL phase-locked loop stabilization time as an example, the G node and / or T node must be in T RF Only after this is complete can the idle channel assessment begin. Within the LBT window, if the channel (or group) indicates idle, the alternating transmission of ranging signals (called ranging interaction / measurement interaction) begins. After the initiator (e.g., G-node) sends the preamble and ranging signals, the responder (e.g., T-node) sends the ranging signal after a gap (GAP). The process of both sides sending the preamble and ranging signals constitutes a ranging interaction.

[0300] In a possible example, the G node and the T node can perform signal measurement based on the SLB technology, the ranging signal can be composed of a positioning reference signal (PRS), and the frame length including the ranging signal is at least the length of the SLB radio frame.

[0301] In one possible example, node G is the sender of the preamble and the first radio frame, and its CCA can be RF T before the end pre Initially, this is because the T node is in T RF At the end of the time, it will turn into a stable receiving state. If the CCA indicates that the channel is idle, the G node can RF The sending of the preamble signal is started at the end moment to save time and improve ranging efficiency.

[0302] In one possible example, if the frequency hopping stability duration of the G node is shorter than that of the T node, the G node can be in the communication / sleep state before the T node reaches a stable state, and make itself RF The end time also reaches a stable state, thus making full use of T RF Time resources.

[0303] In one possible design, the frequency hopping parameters are determined by negotiation between the first device and the second device. The negotiation process may include: the first device sending the frequency hopping measurement information of the first device to the second device; and / or the first device receiving the frequency hopping measurement information of the second device.

[0304] Example 1: Taking the first device as the initiator and the second device as the responder as an example, see Figure 4A: S401A, the first device sends a ranging request message to the second device, and the ranging request message includes the frequency hopping measurement information of the first device; S402A, the second device sends a ranging response message to the first device, and the ranging response message includes the frequency hopping measurement information of the second device; S403A, the first device determines the frequency hopping parameters according to the frequency hopping measurement information of the first device and the frequency hopping measurement information of the second device, and the first device sends a ranging confirmation message to the second device, and the ranging confirmation message includes the frequency hopping parameters.

[0305] It can be understood that the above S403A is an optional step.

[0306] Example 2, taking the first device as the initiator and the second device as the responder as an example, see Figure 4B: S401B, the first device sends a ranging request message to the second device, where the ranging request message includes the frequency hopping measurement information of the first device; S402B, the second device determines the frequency hopping parameters based on the frequency hopping measurement information of the first device and the frequency hopping measurement information of the second device, and the second device sends a ranging response message to the first device, where the ranging response message includes the frequency hopping parameters.

[0307] The frequency hopping measurement information of the first device may include one or more of the following:

[0308] 1) First information, used to indicate whether the first device allows channel overlapping;

[0309] Specifically, whether the first device supports multi-carrier (ie, channel group) frequency hopping switching.

[0310] For example, taking the at least one first channel and the at least one second channel as an example, the number of channels of the at least one first channel and the at least one second channel are both multiple. In the case of overlap, some channels in the at least one first channel and the at least one second channel are the same; in the case of non-overlap, no channels in the at least one first channel and the at least one second channel are the same.

[0311] 2) Second information, used to indicate the number N of overlapping channels allowed by the first device overlap ;

[0312] Specifically, when the first device supports multi-carrier frequency hopping switching, the number of overlapping channels between different channel groups cannot exceed N overlap .

[0313] For example, for a multi-carrier with a bandwidth of B, the carrier overlap range is B-20 MHz to B, and the change step is 20 MHz (ie, each time a channel is overlapped, the corresponding carrier overlap range changes by 20 MHz bandwidth).

[0314] For a single carrier with 20MHz bandwidth, channel overlap is not allowed (N overlap =0);

[0315] For multi-carriers with a 40MHz bandwidth, only half (20MHz) of the bandwidth is allowed to overlap (N overlap =1);

[0316] For multi-carriers with 80MHz bandwidth, overlapping bandwidth of 20MHz to 60MHz is allowed (N overlap =1 or 2 or 3).

[0317] For example, see FIG5 , which is a possible frequency hopping diagram provided by an embodiment of the present application. In the scenario shown in FIG5 , the bandwidth (N overlap =1).

[0318] 3) third information, used to indicate a second frequency hopping pattern desired by the first device;

[0319] For example, the first device may determine the second frequency hopping pattern in advance according to its own frequency hopping capability information, and use the second frequency hopping pattern as the second frequency hopping pattern expected by the first device.

[0320] 4) fourth information, used to indicate the frequency hopping stability duration of the first device;

[0321] That is, the time duration from the moment the first device performs frequency hopping to the moment the first device reaches a stable state.

[0322] 5) The fifth information is used to indicate the second LBT maximum window period expected by the first device.

[0323] The frequency hopping measurement information of the second device may include one or more of the following:

[0324] 1) The sixth information is used to indicate whether the second device allows channel overlapping. Please refer to the introduction of the first information.

[0325] 2) seventh information, used to indicate the number of overlapping channels allowed by the second device, for which reference may be made to the introduction of the second information;

[0326] 3) Eighth information, used to indicate a third frequency hopping pattern desired by the second device, for which reference may be made to the introduction to the third information;

[0327] 4) Ninth information, used to indicate the frequency hopping stabilization duration of the second device, can refer to the description of the fourth information;

[0328] 5) The tenth information is used to indicate the third LBT maximum window period expected by the second device.

[0329] It should be understood that the above frequency hopping measurement information is only an example and not a limitation, and may actually include other information.

[0330] The following are several examples of the first device or the second device determining a frequency hopping parameter based on the frequency hopping measurement information of the first device and the frequency hopping measurement information of the second device:

[0331] Example 1: The first device or the second device determines a first frequency hopping pattern according to the first information, the second information, the sixth information, and the seventh information.

[0332] For example, when both the first device and the second device allow channel overlap, there may be overlapping channels between channel groups corresponding to different frequency hopping positions in the first frequency hopping pattern.

[0333] For example, when both the first device and the second device allow channel overlap, the number of overlapping channels in the first frequency hopping pattern cannot exceed the minimum value between the number of overlapping channels allowed by the first device and the number of overlapping channels allowed by the second device.

[0334] Example 2: The first device or the second device determines a frequency hopping stabilization duration according to the fourth information and the ninth information.

[0335] For example, the first frequency hopping stabilization time is a maximum value between the frequency hopping stabilization time of the first device and the frequency hopping stabilization time of the second device.

[0336] Example 3: The first device or the second device determines a first LBT maximum window period based on the fifth information and / or the tenth information.

[0337] For example, the first device is a G node, and the first LBT maximum window period is the second LBT maximum window period expected by the first device.

[0338] For example, the second device is a G node, and the first LBT maximum window period is the third LBT maximum window period expected by the second device.

[0339] For example, the first LBT maximum window period is the maximum value or the minimum value among the second LBT maximum window period and the third LBT maximum window period.

[0340] Through the above design method, the first device and the second device determine the frequency hopping parameters through negotiation, so that the determined frequency hopping parameters can be well supported by the first device and the second device, ensuring the synchronization state of the frequency hopping ranging of the first device and the second device (channel switching, waiting for the same device stabilization time and the synchronous end of the idle channel assessment period, etc.), and enhancing the reliability of the ranging.

[0341] In one possible design, a first device determines frequency hopping measurement information of the first device, where the frequency hopping measurement information of the first device is determined based on frequency hopping capability information of the first device, frequency hopping capability information of the second device, or preconfigured or defined frequency hopping capability information. A second device determines frequency hopping measurement information of the second device, where the frequency hopping measurement information of the second device is determined based on the frequency hopping capability information of the first device, the frequency hopping capability information of the second device, or preconfigured or defined frequency hopping capability information.

[0342] In one possible implementation, the frequency hopping capability information of the first device and the frequency hopping capability information of the second device are preconfigured or defined. For example, the frequency hopping capability information of each device in the same communication domain is preconfigured and notified to other devices in the communication domain, or, for example, the frequency hopping capability information of each device in the same communication domain is configured to be the same value. Therefore, the first device can directly determine the frequency hopping measurement information of the first device based on the preconfigured or defined frequency hopping capability information, and the second device can directly determine the frequency hopping measurement information of the second device based on the preconfigured or defined frequency hopping capability information. In this way, the efficiency of the first and second devices in obtaining each other's frequency hopping capability information can be improved, thereby improving ranging efficiency.

[0343] In another possible implementation, before the first device and the second device negotiate frequency hopping parameters (i.e., before exchanging frequency hopping measurement information), the first device and the second device may also first exchange frequency hopping capability information, so that the first device and / or the second device can determine its own frequency hopping measurement information based on the frequency hopping capability information of both parties. For example, the first device sends the first device's frequency hopping capability information to the second device, and the second device receives the first device's frequency hopping capability information. Then, the second device can determine the second device's frequency hopping measurement information based on the first device's frequency hopping capability information and the second device's frequency hopping capability information; and / or, the second device sends the second device's frequency hopping capability information to the first device, and the first device receives the second device's frequency hopping capability information. Then, the first device can determine the first device's frequency hopping measurement information based on the first device's frequency hopping capability information and the second device's frequency hopping capability information. In this way, the first device and the second device can accurately obtain each other's frequency hopping capability information, and the applicability of the solution can be improved.

[0344] In a specific implementation, the first device and the second device can exchange frequency hopping capability information in an associated state or an unassociated state. In the associated state, for example, after the first device and the second device have completed operations such as authentication and association and established a reliable connection, the first device and the second device can exchange frequency hopping capability information based on the ranging request message and the ranging response message. In the unassociated state, for example, when the first device and the second device have not performed an association operation and have not established a connection, the first device and the second device can broadcast their own frequency hopping capability information through a system broadcast message, so that devices (including the second device) within a preset range of the first device can receive the frequency hopping capability information of the first device broadcast by the first device. In addition, the frequency hopping parameters can be broadcast through a system broadcast message, so that both devices can complete the ranging in the unassociated state.

[0345] The frequency hopping capability information of the first device may include one or more of the following:

[0346] 1) Whether the first device supports frequency hopping;

[0347] 2) frequency band information supported by the first device for frequency hopping;

[0348] For example, the available frequency bands supported by the frequency hopping ranging may include: for example, if the first device supports the 5.1 GHz frequency band, the frequency hopping ranging capability of the 5150-5350 MHz frequency band may be indicated; if the first device supports the 5.8 GHz frequency band, the frequency hopping ranging capability of the 5725-5850 MHz frequency band may be indicated.

[0349] 3) a maximum bandwidth supported by the first device for sending and / or receiving ranging signals;

[0350] That is, the operating bandwidth of the first device is, for example, 20 MHz to 200 MHz, with a change step of 20 MHz, which may be specifically determined by the maximum bandwidth of the RF chain of the first device.

[0351] 4) a preset stabilization time duration when the first device performs frequency hopping;

[0352] This duration is defined as the time it takes for the entire device (including the RF chain and baseband processing unit) to reach a stable transmitting or receiving state when the RF chain with the maximum bandwidth supported by the first device for transmitting and / or receiving ranging signals needs to switch operating frequencies. This value can be determined based on design and / or test parameters of the first device.

[0353] It can be understood that the frequency hopping stabilization time of the first device indicated by the fourth information above may be the same as or different from the preset stabilization time when the first device performs frequency hopping.

[0354] For example, due to changes in device temperature, the temperature of the first device in the frequency hopping capability information interaction stage is different from the temperature of the first device in the frequency hopping parameter negotiation stage, so the preset stable time when the first device performs frequency hopping obtained by the first device in the frequency hopping capability information interaction stage may be different from the preset stable time when the first device performs frequency hopping obtained in the frequency hopping parameter negotiation stage.

[0355] For example, due to the change in the frequency band in which the device operates, the operating frequency band of the first device in the frequency hopping capability information interaction stage is different from the operating frequency band of the first device in the frequency hopping parameter negotiation stage. Therefore, the preset stable time length when the first device performs frequency hopping obtained by the first device in the frequency hopping capability information interaction stage may be different from the preset stable time length when the first device performs frequency hopping obtained in the frequency hopping parameter negotiation stage.

[0356] 5) Whether the preset stabilization time duration when the first device performs frequency hopping is different in different frequency bands.

[0357] For example, for the 5.1GHz frequency band, for example, the stabilization time is 1ms, and for the 5.8GHz frequency band, the stabilization time is 2ms. This is because the first device needs to perform an idle channel assessment at 5.1GHz first, but does not need to perform an idle channel assessment when using micro-power transmission at 5.8GHz. When the first device needs to perform an idle channel assessment operation on a channel, the first device can use a shorter stabilization time when hopping to the channel; otherwise, when the first device does not need to perform an idle channel assessment operation on a channel and directly performs ranging signal transmission, the first device should use a longer stabilization time when hopping to the channel.

[0358] Similarly, the frequency hopping capability information of the second device includes one or more of the following:

[0359] 1) Whether the second device supports frequency hopping;

[0360] 2) frequency band information supported by the second device for frequency hopping;

[0361] 3) a maximum bandwidth supported by the second device for sending and / or receiving ranging signals;

[0362] 4) a preset stabilization time duration when the second device performs frequency hopping;

[0363] 5) Whether the preset stabilization time duration when the second device performs frequency hopping is different in different frequency bands.

[0364] The frequency hopping capability information of the second device may refer to the detailed introduction of the frequency hopping capability information of the first device, which will not be repeated here.

[0365] Taking the example of the first device determining the frequency hopping measurement information of the first device based on the frequency hopping capability information of the first device and the frequency hopping capability information of the second device: when both the first device and the second device support frequency hopping, the first device can determine the first information (i.e., whether the first device allows channel overlapping), the second information (i.e., the number of overlapping channels allowed by the first device) and / or the third information (i.e., the second frequency hopping pattern expected by the first device) based on the frequency band information supported by the first device for frequency hopping and the frequency band information supported by the second device for frequency hopping, the maximum bandwidth supported by the first device for sending and / or receiving ranging signals, the maximum bandwidth supported by the second device for sending and / or receiving ranging signals, etc.

[0366] The above design ensures that during the negotiation process, the frequency hopping measurement information of the first device can be supported by the frequency hopping capability of the first device, and the frequency hopping measurement information of the second device can be supported by the frequency hopping capability of the second device, thereby improving the reliability of the solution.

[0367] In one possible design, the first frequency hopping pattern further includes channel number information of an initial working channel, and the last hop channel indicated by the first frequency hopping pattern is the initial working channel. The method further includes: the first device and the second device performing one or more frequency hopping operations starting from the initial working channel in a frequency hopping sequence indicated by the first frequency hopping pattern, and returning to the initial working channel upon performing the last hop.

[0368] Optionally, the initial working channel is the channel (or channel group) with the highest frequency in the first frequency hopping pattern.

[0369] For example, see Figure 5, which is a schematic diagram of a possible frequency hopping method provided in an embodiment of the present application. In Figure 5, the G node and the T node perform ranging interaction on channel 3, channel 2, and channel 1 through frequency hopping, and the last frequency hop returns to channel 3. The responders in the G node and the T node provide feedback of channel state information to the initiator on channel 3.

[0370] In this design, the device starts frequency hopping from the initial working channel and returns to the initial working channel in the last hop. This ensures that the device measures distance on different channels during signal measurement, achieving a large-bandwidth measurement effect, and that the device returns to the initial working channel after ranging is completed, thereby ensuring the subsequent communication performance of the device.

[0371] In one possible design, the operating bandwidth of the device serving as the G node among the first and second devices is greater than the operating bandwidth of the device serving as the T node. In this case, the frequency hopping switching duration T0 may depend only on the frequency hopping capability of the T node and is not related to the G node.

[0372] For example, see Figure 6, which is another possible frequency hopping diagram provided for an embodiment of the present application. In Figure 6, the G node and the T node perform ranging interaction on channel 3, channel 2, and channel 1 in sequence through frequency hopping, and the last frequency hop returns to channel 3. The working bandwidth of the G node is 200MHz, and the working bandwidth of the T node is 80MHz. After the G node and the T node complete the negotiation of the frequency hopping parameters, the T node (80MHz) needs to hop at least twice to complete the measurement of the entire 200MHz bandwidth, while the G node does not require radio frequency hopping, but only digital frequency hopping to complete the ranging interaction with the T node. Among them, the frequency hopping switching duration T0: depends on the switching capability of the T node and has nothing to do with the G node.

[0373] Since the G node works continuously on a large bandwidth (such as 200MHz), the availability of each small bandwidth (such as each 80MHz) on the large bandwidth is guaranteed. On the one hand, the frequency switching efficiency of the G node can be guaranteed (because the G node does not need to perform RF frequency hopping). On the other hand, it also makes it unnecessary for the T node to perform channel idle assessment (because there is no LBT failure in the channel during the access period of the G node), which can improve the efficiency of ranging interaction.

[0374] In order to better illustrate the effect of the technical solution of this application, a set of experimental data is listed below.

[0375] Figure 7 illustrates simulation results for frequency-hopping ranging using a 20MHz OFDM signal. G and T nodes employ a single 20MHz carrier and OFDM symbol-based ranging signals for frequency-hopping ranging. By switching and measuring multiple carrier channels using the OFDM signal (20MHz), and feeding back frequency-domain channel state information (CSI) from each carrier channel, the multi-carrier measurement results can be coherently combined. This allows two devices with only a 20MHz operating bandwidth to quickly measure up to 200MHz bandwidth through multiple frequency-hopping measurements. This achieves ranging performance approaching that of a 200MHz wide bandwidth, with an accuracy of over 10 centimeters (CDF 80%). In the example shown in Figure 7, "200MHz" represents the ranging cumulative distribution function (CDF) curve for a single measurement of a 200MHz bandwidth channel without frequency hopping; "20MHz x 10" represents the CDF curve for a pair of G and T nodes operating at 20MHz bandwidth, completing the 200MHz bandwidth measurement through 10 frequency-hopping cycles. The channel model used in this simulation adopts a 9-path Rayleigh fading model (i.e., Model-B of the 802.11ax channel model), and a total of 1000 simulations were performed.

[0376] It should be understood that the various implementations in the embodiments of the present application can be combined with each other to achieve different technical effects.

[0377] The method provided by the embodiment of the present application is described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, and the device provided by the embodiment of the present application is described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0378] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application provide a ranging device, which includes a module / unit / means for executing the method performed by the first device and / or the second device in the above method embodiments. The module / unit / means can be implemented through software or hardware, or the corresponding software implementation can be executed by hardware.

[0379] Exemplarily, referring to FIG. 8 , the apparatus may include a transceiver unit 801 and a processing unit 802 .

[0380] When the apparatus is the first device or is located in the first device, the transceiver unit 801 is configured to send a first ranging signal and / or receive a second ranging signal on at least one first channel;

[0381] The processing unit 802 is configured to perform at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters;

[0382] The transceiver unit 801 is further configured to send a third ranging signal and / or receive a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

[0383] When the apparatus is the second device described above or is located in the second device described above, the transceiver unit 801 is configured to receive a first ranging signal and / or send a second ranging signal on at least one first channel; the processing unit 802 is configured to perform at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters; and the transceiver unit 801 is further configured to receive a third ranging signal and / or send a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

[0384] It should be understood that all relevant contents of each step involved in the above method embodiment can be referred to the functional description of the corresponding functional module and will not be repeated here.

[0385] In specific implementation, the above device can have various product forms. Several possible product forms are introduced below.

[0386] Referring to Figure 9, an embodiment of the present application also provides a ranging device, which includes at least one processor 901 and an interface circuit 902; the interface circuit 902 is used to receive signals from other devices outside the device and send or receive signals to the processor 901 or send signals from the processor 901 to other communication devices outside the device, and the processor 901 is used to implement the method performed by the above-mentioned first device or second device through a logic circuit or executing code instructions.

[0387] It should be understood that the processors mentioned in the embodiments of the present application can be implemented by hardware or software. When implemented by hardware, the processor can be a logic circuit, an integrated circuit, etc. When implemented by software, the processor can be a general-purpose processor that is implemented by reading software code stored in a memory.

[0388] Exemplarily, the processor may be a central processing unit (CPU), or other general-purpose processors, digital signal processors (DSP), application-specific integrated circuits (ASIC), field programmable gate arrays (FPGA), or other programmable logic devices, discrete gate or transistor logic devices, discrete hardware components, etc. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor or any conventional processor, etc.

[0389] It should be understood that the memory mentioned in the embodiments of the present application may be a volatile memory or a non-volatile memory, or may include both volatile and non-volatile memories. Among them, the non-volatile memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a programmable read-only memory (PROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), or a flash memory. The volatile memory may be a random access memory (RAM), which is used as an external cache. By way of example and not limitation, many forms of RAM are available, such as static random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), synchronous dynamic random access memory (SDRAM), double data rate synchronous dynamic random access memory (DDR SDRAM), enhanced synchronous dynamic random access memory (ESDRAM), synchronous link dynamic random access memory (SLDRAM), and direct RAM bus random access memory (DR RAM).

[0390] It should be noted that when the processor is a general-purpose processor, DSP, ASIC, FPGA or other programmable logic device, discrete gate or transistor logic device, discrete hardware component, the memory (storage module) can be integrated into the processor.

[0391] It should be noted that the memory described herein is intended to include, but not be limited to, these and any other suitable types of memory.

[0392] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer-readable storage medium, including a program or instruction. When the program or instruction is run on a computer, the method performed by the second device or the first device as described above is executed.

[0393] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application also provides a computer program product containing instructions. The computer program product stores instructions that, when run on a computer, enable the method performed by the second device or the first device to be executed.

[0394] Based on the same technical concept, an embodiment of the present application also provides a ranging system, including the above-mentioned second device and the first device.

[0395] Based on the same technical concept, embodiments of the present application also provide a terminal device, including the second device or the first device described above. The terminal device can be a vehicle, drone, helicopter, airplane, ship, intelligent transportation equipment, or smart home device. Embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific form of the terminal device.

[0396] In this application, "at least one" means one or more, and "more" means two or more. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B can mean: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone, where A and B can be singular or plural. In the text description of this application, the character " / " generally indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in an "or" relationship; in the formula of this application, the character " / " indicates that the previous and next associated objects are in a "division" relationship. "Including at least one of A, B and C" can mean: including A; including B; including C; including A and B; including A and C; including B and C; including A, B and C.

[0397] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the embodiments of the present application can be provided as methods, systems, or computer program products. Therefore, the present application can adopt the form of a complete hardware embodiment, a complete software embodiment, or an embodiment in combination with software and hardware. Moreover, the present application can adopt the form of a computer program product implemented on one or more computer-usable storage media (including but not limited to magnetic disk storage, CD-ROM, optical storage, etc.) that contain computer-usable program code.

[0398] The present application is described with reference to the flowcharts and / or block diagrams of the methods, devices (systems), and computer program products according to the present application. It should be understood that each flow and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, as well as the combination of the flow chart and / or box in the flow chart and / or block diagram, can be implemented by computer program instructions. These computer program instructions can be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, an embedded processor, or other programmable data processing device to produce a machine, so that the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device produce a device for implementing the functions specified in one or more flow charts and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

[0399] These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable memory that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing device to operate in a specific manner, so that the instructions stored in the computer-readable memory produce a product including an instruction device that implements the functions specified in one or more processes in the flowchart and / or one or more boxes in the block diagram.

Claims

1. A distance measurement method, characterized in that: include: The first device sends a first ranging signal and / or receives a second ranging signal on at least one first channel; The first device performs at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters; The first device sends a third ranging signal and / or receives a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein The first ranging signal, the second ranging signal, the third ranging signal and / or the fourth ranging signal are orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signals.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein The OFDM signal includes at least one of the following signals: a channel state information reference signal CSI-RS, a sounding reference signal SRS, a first training signal FTS, a second training signal STS, and a positioning reference signal PRS.

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein The frequency hopping parameters include one or more of the following: First frequency hopping stability duration; The first LBT maximum window period; A first frequency hopping pattern is used to indicate a frequency hopping sequence of the first device and the second device, wherein the first frequency hopping pattern includes channel number information of the at least one first channel and channel number information of the at least one second channel.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein The at least one channel belongs to a first frequency band, and the first frequency hopping stable duration is a first duration; or, The at least one channel belongs to the second frequency band, and the first frequency hopping stable duration is the second duration; The first frequency band is different from the second frequency band, the first frequency band and the second frequency band do not overlap in the frequency domain, and the first duration is different from the second duration.

6. The method according to claim 4 or 5, characterized in that The first LBT maximum window period is configured for the first device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 6, characterized in that The first frequency hopping stabilization duration is the maximum value of the frequency hopping stabilization duration of the first device and the frequency hopping stabilization duration of the second device. The frequency hopping stabilization duration is the duration for a device to reach a stable state when performing frequency hopping.

8. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein: The first frequency hopping pattern is determined by negotiation between the first device and the second device.

9. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 8, wherein: The at least one second channel includes a plurality of channels; the channel number information of the at least one second channel is: the channel number information of the channel with the lowest frequency or the channel with the highest frequency among the at least one second channel.

10. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 9, characterized in that The first device performs at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters, including: The first device switches from the at least one first channel to the at least one second channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; After waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a certain period of time, the first device performs a first idle channel assessment; The first device sending a third ranging signal and / or receiving a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel includes: When the first device determines that the at least one second channel is idle, the first device sends the third ranging signal and / or receives the fourth ranging signal on the at least one second channel.

11. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 7, wherein: The first frequency hopping pattern further includes channel number information of at least one third channel; The first device performs at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters, including: The first device switches from the at least one first channel to the at least one third channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; After waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a certain period of time, the first device performs a second idle channel assessment; When the first device determines that an idle channel assessment result obtained within the LBT window corresponding to the second idle channel assessment is that the at least one third channel is not idle, after the LBT window corresponding to the second idle channel assessment ends, the first device switches from the at least one third channel to the at least one second channel according to the first frequency hopping pattern; wherein the duration of the LBT window corresponding to the second idle channel assessment is equal to the first LBT maximum window period; After waiting for the first frequency hopping to stabilize for a certain period of time, the first device performs a third idle channel assessment; The first device sending a third ranging signal and / or receiving a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel includes: When the first device determines that the at least one second channel is idle, the first device sends the third ranging signal and / or receives the fourth ranging signal on the at least one second channel.

12. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 11, wherein: The method further comprises: The first device sends frequency hopping measurement information of the first device to the second device; and / or, The first device receives frequency hopping measurement information of the second device.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein: The frequency hopping measurement information of the first device includes one or more of the following: first information, used to indicate whether the first device allows channel overlap; second information, used to indicate the number of overlapping channels allowed by the first device; third information, used to indicate a second frequency hopping pattern expected by the first device; Fourth information is used to indicate a stable frequency hopping time of the first device; Fifth information, used to indicate a second LBT maximum window period expected by the first device; The frequency hopping measurement information of the second device includes one or more of the following: sixth information, used to indicate whether the second device allows channel overlapping; seventh information, used to indicate the number of overlapping channels allowed by the second device; eighth information, used to indicate a third frequency hopping pattern desired by the second device; The ninth information is used to indicate a stable frequency hopping time of the second device; The tenth information is used to indicate the third LBT maximum window period expected by the second device.

14. The method according to claim 12 or 13, wherein: The method further comprises: The first device determines frequency hopping measurement information of the first device, wherein the frequency hopping measurement information is determined according to frequency hopping capability information of the first device, frequency hopping capability information of the second device, or pre-configured or defined frequency hopping capability information.

15. The method according to claim 14, wherein The method further comprises: The first device sends the frequency hopping capability information of the first device to the second device; and / or, The first device receives frequency hopping capability information of the second device.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The frequency hopping capability information of the first device includes one or more of the following: whether the first device supports frequency hopping; Frequency band information supported by the first device for frequency hopping; a maximum bandwidth supported by the first device for sending and / or receiving ranging signals; a preset stabilization time duration when the first device performs frequency hopping; whether the preset stabilization time duration when the first device performs frequency hopping is different in different frequency bands; The frequency hopping capability information of the second device includes one or more of the following: whether the second device supports frequency hopping; Frequency band information for frequency hopping supported by the second device; a maximum bandwidth supported by the second device for sending and / or receiving ranging signals; a preset stabilization time duration when the second device performs frequency hopping; Whether the preset stabilization time length when the second device performs frequency hopping is different in different frequency bands.

17. The method according to any one of claims 4 to 16, wherein: The first frequency hopping pattern further includes channel number information of an initial working channel; and the method further includes: The first device starts frequency hopping from the initial working channel, wherein the last hop channel indicated by the first frequency hopping pattern is the initial working channel.

18. A distance measurement method, characterized in that: include: The second device receives the first ranging signal and / or sends the second ranging signal on at least one first channel; The second device performs at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters; The second device receives a third ranging signal and / or sends a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

19. A distance measuring device, characterized in that: include: a transceiver unit, configured to send a first ranging signal and / or receive a second ranging signal on at least one first channel; a processing unit, configured to perform at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters; The transceiver unit is further configured to send a third ranging signal and / or receive a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

20. A distance measuring device, characterized in that: include: a transceiver unit, configured to receive a first ranging signal and / or send a second ranging signal on at least one first channel; a processing unit, configured to perform at least one frequency hopping according to the frequency hopping parameters; The transceiver unit is further configured to receive a third ranging signal and / or send a fourth ranging signal on at least one second channel.

21. A distance measuring device, characterized in that: include: at least one processor and interface circuitry; The interface circuit is used to receive signals from other devices outside the device and send or receive signals to the processor or send signals from the processor to other devices outside the device. The processor is used to implement the method as described in any one of claims 1 to 17 through logic circuits or execution code instructions, or to implement the method as described in claim 18.

22. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that The storage medium stores a computer program or instruction. When the computer program or instruction is executed by the communication device, the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17 is implemented, or the method according to claim 18 is implemented.

23. A computer program product, characterized in that The computer program product stores instructions, and when the computer program product is run on a computer, the computer is caused to execute the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17, or the method according to claim 18.

24. A distance measurement system, characterized in that: include: A first device, configured to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 17; The second device is configured to perform the method according to claim 18.

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