Method and apparatus for configuring time block structure for UWB communications

Abstract

Methods and apparatus for configuring a time block structure are provided. A method performed by a controller in a communication system supporting ranging is provided. The method includes generating a ranging control message (RCM) including configuration information related to a superblock structure having a repetition pattern of superblocks, the superblocks being a set of ranging blocks, and transmitting the ranging control message to at least one controlled.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to ultra-wideband (UWB) communications. More specifically, the present disclosure relates to methods and devices for configuring a time block structure for UWB communications. Background Art

[0002] The Internet is evolving from a human-centric connected network through which humans create and consume information to an Internet of Things (IoT) network through which information is communicated and processed between things or other distributed components. Another emerging technology is the Internet of Everything (IoE), which is a combination of big data processing technology and IoT technology through, for example, connections to cloud servers. The realization of IoT requires the following technical elements, such as sensing technology, wired / wireless communication and network infrastructure, service interfaces, and security technology. Recent ongoing research on thing-to-thing connections is related to technologies for sensor networking, machine-to-machine (M2M), or machine type communication (MTC).

[0003] In the IoT environment, intelligent Internet technology (IT) services can be provided that collect and analyze data generated by things connected to each other to create new value for human life. Through the transformation or integration of conventional information technology (IT) technologies and various industries, IoT can have a variety of applications, such as smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smart cars or connected cars, smart grids, healthcare or smart home appliance industries, or state-of-the-art medical services.

[0004] As wireless communication systems continue to evolve to provide a variety of services, methods for efficiently providing these services are needed. For example, ranging technology using ultra-wideband (UWB) can be used to measure the distance between electronic devices.

[0005] The above information is presented as background information only to assist with an understanding of the present disclosure. No determination has been made, and no assertion is made, as to whether any of the above might be applicable as prior art with respect to the present disclosure. Summary of the invention

[0006] Technical issues

[0007] Aspects of the present disclosure are to address at least the above problems and / or disadvantages and provide at least the advantages described below. Therefore, one aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a method and apparatus for configuring a time block structure.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is to provide a flexible time block structure.

[0009] Additional aspects will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the presented embodiments.

[0010] Solution to the problem

[0011] According to one aspect of the present disclosure, a method performed by a controller in a communication system supporting ranging is provided. The method includes: generating a ranging control message (RCM), the RCM including configuration information related to a super block structure; and sending the ranging control message to at least one controlled device, wherein the super block structure has a repetitive pattern of super blocks, and the super block is a group of ranging blocks.

[0012] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a controller in a communication system supporting ranging is provided. The controller includes a transceiver and a processor, the processor being configured to: generate a ranging control message (RCM), the RCM including configuration information related to a super block structure, and send the ranging control message to at least one controlled device via the transceiver, wherein the super block structure has a repetitive pattern of super blocks, and the super block is a group of ranging blocks.

[0013] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a method performed by a controlled device in a communication system supporting ranging is provided. The method includes: receiving a ranging control message (RCM) from a controller, the RCM including configuration information related to a super-block structure, and identifying the super-block structure based on the configuration information, wherein the super-block structure has a repetitive pattern of super-blocks, and the super-block is a group of ranging blocks.

[0014] According to another aspect of the present disclosure, a controllable device in a communication system supporting ranging is provided. The controllable device includes a transceiver and a processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receive a ranging control message (RCM) from a controller, the RCM including configuration information related to a super-block structure, and identify the super-block structure based on the configuration information, wherein the super-block structure has a repetitive pattern of super-blocks, and the super-block is a group of ranging blocks.

[0015] Other aspects, advantages, and salient features of the disclosure will become apparent to those skilled in the art from the following detailed description, which, taken in conjunction with the annexed drawings, discloses various embodiments of the disclosure. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The above and other aspects, features and advantages of certain embodiments of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which: Figure 1 An example architecture of a UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 2 The structure of a UWB medium access control (MAC) frame according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 3A and Figure 3B shows the structure of a UWB physical layer (PHY) packet according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; Figure 4A and Figure 4B An example of the structure of a ranging block and a round for UWB ranging according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 5 A ranging block structure to which a block-based mode is applied according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Fig. 6A An Advanced Ranging Control (ARC) Information Element (IE) including information for configuring a time block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 6B A ranging block update (RBU) IE including information for updating a temporal block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Figure 7 A method for configuring and changing a time block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Fig. 8A and Figure 8B shows an example of a superblock structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; Fig. 9 An example of a sub-block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Fig.10 An example of information for configuring a super block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Fig.11 An example of information for updating a super block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Fig.12 An example of information for configuring a sub-block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Fig.13 is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring a time block structure in a second UWB device by a first UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig.14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring a time block structure by a second UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig.15 shows the structure of a first UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig.16 shows the structure of a second UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig.17 An example of a multi-millisecond (MMS) UWB sequence according to channel conditions according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Fig.18 An example of using a super-block structure for MMS UWB according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Fig.19shows a structural example of a super block structure for MMS UWB according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 20 The role of a device in UWB ranging according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Fig.21 is a view showing a single-sided two-way ranging (SS-TWR) scheme among UWB ranging schemes according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 22 is a diagram showing an example ranging loop structure for performing SS-TWR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig.23 is a diagram of SS-TWR message transmission / reception according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig.24 is a view showing a single-sided two-way ranging (SS-TWR) scheme according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig.25 An example ranging loop structure for performing SS-TWR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown; Fig.26 is a diagram of SS-TWR message transmission / reception according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig. 27 is a view showing an enhanced SS-TWR method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Fig.28A , Fig.28B , Fig.28C and Fig.28D is a diagram of message transmission / reception in an enhanced SS-TWR scheme according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; Fig.29A , Fig.29B and Fig.29C is a diagram of message transmission / reception in an enhanced SS-TWR scheme according to various embodiments of the present disclosure; Fig.30 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and Fig.31 is a flowchart illustrating a method performed by a UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that like reference numbers are used to depict the same or similar elements, features, and structures. Specific embodiments

[0019] The following description with reference to the accompanying drawings is provided to assist in a comprehensive understanding of the various embodiments of the present disclosure as defined by the claims and their equivalents. The following description includes various specific details to assist in understanding, but these are considered to be exemplary only. Therefore, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that various changes and modifications may be made to the various embodiments described herein without departing from the scope and spirit of the present disclosure. In addition, descriptions of well-known functions and structures may be omitted for clarity and brevity.

[0020] The terms and words used in the following description and claims are not limited to the bibliographical meanings, but are used only by the inventor to enable a clear and consistent understanding of the present disclosure. Therefore, it should be clear to those skilled in the art that the following description of various embodiments of the present disclosure is provided for illustrative purposes only, and is not intended to limit the present disclosure as defined by the attached claims and their equivalents.

[0021] It should be understood that the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Thus, for example, reference to "a component surface" includes reference to one or more of such surfaces.

[0022] When describing the embodiments, descriptions of technologies that are well known in the art and not directly related to the present disclosure are omitted. This is to further clarify the main points of the present disclosure without making it unclear.

[0023] For the same reason, some elements may be exaggerated or schematically shown. The size of each element does not necessarily reflect the actual size of the element. In all the drawings, the same reference numerals are used to represent the same elements.

[0024] The advantages and features of the present disclosure and the methods for realizing the advantages and features of the present disclosure can be understood by the following embodiments described in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, and various changes may be made thereto. The embodiments disclosed herein are only used to inform those of ordinary skill in the art of the categories of the present disclosure. The present disclosure is defined only by the attached claims. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals represent the same elements.

[0025] It should be understood that the combination of the blocks and flow charts in each flowchart can be executed by computer program instructions. Since the computer program instructions can be equipped in a processor of a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer or other programmable data processing device, the instructions executed by the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing device generate means for performing the functions described in conjunction with the blocks of each flowchart. Since the computer program instructions can be stored in a computer-usable or computer-readable memory, the computer-usable or computer-readable memory can be directed to the computer or other programmable data processing device to implement the functions in a specified manner, so the instructions stored in the computer-usable or computer-readable memory can produce a product including an instruction device for performing the functions described in conjunction with the blocks in each flowchart. Since the computer program instructions can be equipped in a computer or other programmable data processing device, the instructions for generating a process run by the computer as a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable data processing device, and the operation of the computer or other programmable data processing device can provide steps for running the functions described in conjunction with the blocks in each flowchart.

[0026] In addition, each box can represent a module, segment or part of a code including one or more executable instructions for running a specified logical function. In addition, it should also be noted that in some alternative embodiments, the functions mentioned in the box can occur in different orders. For example, two boxes shown in succession can be executed substantially simultaneously, or in reverse order according to the corresponding functions.

[0027] As used herein, the term "unit" means a software element or a hardware element, such as a field programmable gate array (FPGA) or an application specific integrated circuit (ASIC). The unit plays a certain role. However, the "unit" is not limited to software or hardware. The "unit" can be configured in a storage medium that can be addressed or can be configured to execute one or more processors. Therefore, as an example, the "unit" includes the following elements, such as software elements, object-oriented software elements, class elements and task elements, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, segmentation of program code, drivers, firmware, microcodes, circuits, data, databases, data architectures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functions provided in the components and "units" can be combined into a smaller number of components and "units", or further separated into additional components and "units". In addition, the components and "units" can be implemented as one or more central processing units (CPUs) in a running device or a secure multimedia card. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, the "... unit" can include one or more processors.

[0028] As used herein, the term "terminal" or "device" may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), user equipment (UE), user terminal (UT), terminal, wireless terminal, access terminal (AT), user unit, subscriber station (SS), wireless device, wireless communication device, wireless transmit / receive unit (WTRU), mobile node or mobile phone, or may be referred to by other terms. Various embodiments of the terminal may include a cellular phone, a smart phone with wireless communication capability, a personal digital assistant (PDA) with wireless communication capability, a wireless modem, a portable computer with wireless communication capability, a recording / recording / shooting / photography device such as a digital camera with wireless communication capability, a game player with wireless communication capability, a music storage and playback home appliance with wireless communication capability, a networked home appliance capable of wireless Internet access and browsing, or a portable unit or terminal comprising a combination of these capabilities. In addition, the terminal may include a machine-to-machine (M2M) terminal and a machine type communication (MTC) terminal / device, but is not limited thereto. In the present disclosure, a terminal may be referred to as an electronic device or simply as a device.

[0029] Hereinafter, the working principle of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. When it is determined that the subject matter of the present disclosure is unnecessarily unclear, a detailed description of a known function or configuration may be skipped when describing an embodiment of the present disclosure. The terms used herein are defined in consideration of the functions in the present disclosure, and may be replaced with other terms according to the intention or practice of a user or operator. Therefore, these terms should be defined based on the entire disclosure.

[0030] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. In addition, although a communication system using UWB is described in conjunction with an embodiment of the present disclosure, as an example, the embodiments of the present disclosure may also be applied to other communication systems having similar technical backgrounds or features. For example, a communication system using Bluetooth or ZigBee may be included. In addition, according to the determination of a person of ordinary skill in the art, the embodiments of the present disclosure may be modified within the scope of the present disclosure without significantly departing from the scope of the present disclosure, and these modifications may be applied to other communication systems.

[0031] When it is determined that the subject matter of the present disclosure is unclear, the detailed description of the known technology or function can be skipped. The terms used herein are defined in consideration of the functions in the present disclosure, and can be replaced with other terms according to the intention or practice of the user or operator. Therefore, these terms should be defined based on the entire disclosure.

[0032] Generally, wireless sensor network technology is mainly divided into wireless local area network (WLAN) technology and wireless personal area network (WPAN) technology according to the recognition distance. In this case, WLAN is based on the technology of Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11, which can access the backbone network within a radius of about 100m. WPAN is based on the technology of IEEE 802.15, which includes Bluetooth, ZigBee and ultra-wideband (UWB). A wireless network that implements this wireless network technology can include multiple electronic devices.

[0033] According to the definition of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), UWB may refer to a wireless communication technology that uses a bandwidth of 500 MHz or more or a bandwidth corresponding to a center frequency of 20% or more. UWB may refer to the frequency band itself to which UWB communication is applied. UWB can achieve secure and accurate ranging between devices. Therefore, UWB can achieve relative position estimation based on the distance between two devices, or achieve accurate position estimation of a device based on the distance from a fixed device (whose position is known).

[0034] The terms used herein are provided for better understanding of the present disclosure and may be changed without departing from the technical spirit of the present disclosure.

[0035] A “ranging device” may be a device capable of performing UWB ranging. In the present disclosure, a ranging device may be, for example, a ranging device (RDEV) or an enhanced ranging device (ERDEV) defined in IEEE 802.15.4 / 4z. In the present disclosure, a ranging device may be referred to as a UWB device.

[0036] An "advertiser" may be a device (eg, a ranging device) that sends (or broadcasts) an announcement message over an announcement channel.

[0037] A "scanner" may be a device (eg, a ranging device) that scans an announcement channel and receives announcement messages. In the present disclosure, a scanner may also be referred to as an observer.

[0038] A "controller" may be a device (eg, a ranging device) that defines and controls ranging control messages (RCMs) (or control messages). A controller may define and control ranging characteristics by sending control messages.

[0039] A "controller" may be a device (eg, a ranging device) that uses ranging parameters in an RCM (or control message) received from a controller. A controller may use the same ranging features as those configured by a control message from a controller.

[0040] An "initiator" may be a device that initiates a ranging exchange (eg, a ranging device). The initiator may initiate a ranging exchange by sending a first ranging frame (RFRAME) (ranging exchange message).

[0041] A "responder" may be a device (eg, a ranging device) that responds to an initiator in a ranging exchange. A responder may respond to a ranging exchange message received from an initiator.

[0042] "In-band" may be data communication using UWB as the underlying wireless technology.

[0043] "Out-of-band (OOB)" may be data communications that do not use UWB as the underlying wireless technology.

[0044] A "UWB session" may be a period of time from when the controller and the controlled device start communicating through UWB until the communication stops. In a UWB session, a ranging frame RFRAME may be transmitted, a data frame may be transmitted, or both ranging frames and data frames may be transmitted.

[0045] The “UWB session identification (ID)” may be an ID (eg, a 32-bit integer) that identifies a controller and a UWB session shared between the controllers.

[0046] A "UWB session key" may be a key used to protect a UWB session. The UWB session key may be used to generate a scrambled time stamp sequence (STS). In the present disclosure, the UWB session key may be a UWB ranging session key (URSK) and may be abbreviated as a session key.

[0047] A "UWB subsystem (UWBS)" may be a hardware component that implements the UWB PHY and MAC specifications included in a UWB device. In the present disclosure, the UWB PHY and MAC specifications may be, for example, the PHY and MAC specifications defined in, for example, IEEE 802.15.4 / 4z. In the present disclosure, the UWBS may be referred to as a UWB component.

[0048] The "UWB-enabled application" may be an application for a service (UWB service). In the present disclosure, the "UWB-enabled application" may be abbreviated as an application or a UWB application.

[0049] A "service" may be an implementation of a use case that provides a service to an end user. In this disclosure, a service may be referred to as a UWB service.

[0050] "Service data" may be data defined by a service provider that needs to be transmitted between two ranging devices to implement a service.

[0051] A "service provider" may be an entity that defines and provides the hardware and software necessary to deliver a specific service to an end user.

[0052] "STS" may be an encryption sequence used to increase the integrity and accuracy of the ranging measurement timestamp.

[0053] Unlike "static STS", "dynamic STS mode" may be an operation mode in which STS is not repeated during a ranging session. In this mode, STS may be managed by the ranging device, and the ranging session key used to generate STS may be managed by the security component.

[0054] "Static STS mode" is an operation mode in which the STS is repeated during a session and does not need to be managed by a security component.

[0055] A "secure channel" may be a data channel that is protected from eavesdropping and tampering.

[0056] A “secure component” may be an entity with a defined security level (eg, a secure element (SE) or a trusted execution environment (TEE)) that interfaces with the UWBS to provide RDS to the UWBS, for example when using dynamic STS.

[0057] "Secure ranging" may be ranging based on an STS generated through a strong cryptographic operation.

[0058] When it is determined to make the subject matter of the present disclosure unnecessarily unclear, a detailed description of related well-known functions or features may be skipped in describing the present disclosure.

[0059] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0060] Figure 1 An example architecture of a UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0061] Reference Figure 1 , the UWB device 100 may include at least one PHY layer 110, a MAC layer (MAC sublayer) 120, and / or a higher layer 130. In the present disclosure, a configuration including the PHY layer 110 and the MAC layer 120 may be referred to as a UWBS.

[0062] (1) PHY layer

[0063] At least one PHY layer 110 may include a transceiver with a low-level control mechanism. In the present disclosure, a transceiver may be referred to as an RF transceiver or a radio transceiver.

[0064] In an embodiment, the PHY layer 110 may support at least one of the following functions.

[0065] - Transceiver activation and deactivation function (transceiver on / off function)

[0066] -Energy detection function

[0067] -Channel selection function

[0068] -Clear Channel Assessment (CCA) function

[0069] - Synchronization function

[0070] - Low level signaling functions

[0071] -UWB ranging, placement and positioning functions

[0072] -Spectrum resource management function

[0073] - Functionality to send / receive packets over a physical medium

[0074] (2) MAC layer

[0075] The MAC layer 120 provides an interface between the upper layer 130 and the PHY layer 110 .

[0076] In an embodiment, the MAC layer 120 may provide two services as follows.

[0077] -MAC Data Service: A service capable of sending and receiving MAC Protocol Data Units (PDUs) via the PHY

[0078] -MAC Management Service: Service that interfaces with the MAC Sublayer Management Entity (MLME) Service Access Point (SAP) (MLME-SAP).

[0079] In an embodiment, the MAC layer 120 may support at least one of the following functions.

[0080] -Device discovery and connection establishment functions

[0081] -Channel access function (access function of the physical channel)

[0082] - Synchronization function

[0083] -Interference reduction function based on energy detection

[0084] - Functions related to narrowband signaling

[0085] -Guaranteed Time Slot (GTS) management function

[0086] -Frame transfer function

[0087] -UWB ranging function

[0088] -PHY parameter change notification function

[0089] -Safety features

[0090] (3) Upper layer

[0091] The upper layer 130 may include a network layer that provides functions such as network configuration and message routing, and / or an application layer that provides the intended functions of the device.

[0092] In an embodiment, the application layer may be a UWB-enabled application layer for providing UWB services.

[0093] Figure 2 The structure of a UWB MAC frame according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0094] Reference Figure 2 , the UWB MAC frame may be simply referred to as a MAC frame or a frame. As an embodiment, the UWB MAC frame may be used to transmit UWB data (eg, UWB messages, ranging messages, control information, service data, application data, transaction data, etc.).

[0095] Reference Figure 2 , a UWB MAC frame may include a MAC header (MHR), a MAC payload and / or a MAC frame tail (MFR).

[0096] (1) MAC header

[0097] The MAC header may include a frame control field, a sequence number field, a destination address field, a source address field, an auxiliary security header field, and / or at least one header IE field. According to an embodiment, some of the above fields may not be included in the MAC header, and additional fields may be further included in the MAC header.

[0098] In an embodiment, the frame control field may include a frame type field, a security enable field, a frame suspension field, an AR field, a personal area network (PAN) ID compression field, a sequence number suppression field, an IE presence field, a destination addressing mode field, a frame version field, and / or a source addressing mode field. Depending on the embodiment, some of the above fields may not be included in the frame control field. One or more additional fields may be further included in the frame control field.

[0099] Each field is described below.

[0100] The frame type field may indicate a frame type. As an embodiment, the frame type may include a data type and / or a multi-purpose type.

[0101] The Security Enabled field may indicate whether there is an Auxiliary Security Header field. The Auxiliary Security Header field may include information required for security processing.

[0102] The frame pending field may indicate whether the device sending the frame has more data for the recipient. In other words, the frame pending field may indicate whether there is a pending frame for the recipient.

[0103] The AR field may indicate whether an acknowledgment of frame reception is required from the receiving side.

[0104] The PAN ID Compression field may indicate whether the PAN ID field exists.

[0105] The Sequence Number Suppression field may indicate whether a Sequence Number field is present. The Sequence Number field may indicate a sequence identifier for a frame.

[0106] The IE presence field may indicate whether a header IE field and a payload IE field are included in a frame.

[0107] The destination addressing mode field may indicate whether the destination address field may include a short address (eg, 16 bits) or an extended address (eg, 64 bits).The destination address field may indicate the address of the receiver of the frame.

[0108] The frame version field may indicate a frame version. For example, the frame version field may be set to a value indicating IEEE std802.15.4z-2020.

[0109] The source addressing mode field may indicate whether the source address field is present, and if the source address field is present, whether the source address field includes a short address (eg, 16 bits) or an extended address (eg, 64 bits). The source address field may indicate the address of the originator of the frame.

[0110] (2) MAC payload

[0111] The MAC payload may include at least one payload IE field. In an embodiment, the payload IE field may include a vendor specific nested IE. In an embodiment, the payload IE field may include at least one IE for configuring or changing (updating) the time block structure.

[0112] (3) MAC frame tail

[0113] The MAC frame tail may include an FCS field. The FCS field may include a 16-bit CRC or a 32-bit CRC.

[0114] Figure 3A and Figure 3B The structure of a UWB PHY packet according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0115] Figure 3A shows an example structure of a UWB PHY packet to which the STS packet configuration is not applied, and Figure 3BAn example structure of a UWB PHY packet to which an STS packet configuration is applied is shown. In the present disclosure, a UWB PHY packet may be referred to as a PHY packet, a PHY PDU (PPDU), or a frame.

[0116] Reference Figure 3A , PPDU may include a synchronization header (SHR), a PHY header (PHR) and a PHY payload (PSDU). PSDU may include a MAC frame. Figure 2 As shown, the MAC frame may include a MAC header (MHR), a MAC payload and / or a MAC frame tail (MFR). In the present disclosure, the synchronization header portion may be referred to as a preamble, and the portion including the PHY header and the PHY payload may be referred to as a data portion.

[0117] The synchronization header may be used for synchronization of signal reception, and may include a SYNC field and a start frame delimiter (SFD).

[0118] The SYNC field may be a field including a plurality of preamble symbols for synchronization between transmitting / receiving devices. The preamble symbol may be set by one of the previously defined preambles.

[0119] The SFD field may be a field indicating the end of the SHR and the start of the data field.

[0120] The PHY header may provide information about the configuration of the PHY payload. For example, the PHY header may include information about the length of the PSDU, information indicating whether the current frame is an RFRAME (or a data frame), and the like.

[0121] At the same time, the PHY layer of the UWB device may include an optional mode to provide reduced air time for high-density / low-power operation. In this case, the UWB PHY packet may include an encryption sequence (i.e., STS) to increase the integrity and accuracy of the ranging measurement timestamp. The STS may be included in the STS field of the UWB PHY packet and used for secure ranging.

[0122] Reference Figure 3B, in the case of STS packet (SP) setting 0 (SP0), the STS field is not included in the PPDU (SP0 packet). In the case of SP setting 1 (SP1), the STS field is immediately after the frame start delimiter (SFD) field and before the PHR field (SP1 packet). In the case of SP setting 2 (SP2), the STS field is located after the PHY payload (SP2 packet). In the case of SP setting 3 (SP3), the STS field is immediately after the SFD field, and the PPDU does not include the PHR and data fields (PHY payload) (SP3 packet). In other words, in the case of SP3, the PPDU does not include the PHR and PHY payload.

[0123] exist Figure 3B In an embodiment, each UWB PHY packet may include a RMARKER for defining a reference time. The RMARKER may be used to obtain a transmission time, a reception time and / or a time range of a ranging message (frame) during a UWB ranging process.

[0124] Figure 4A and Figure 4B Examples of structures of ranging blocks and cycles for UWB ranging according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

[0125] In the present disclosure, a ranging block refers to a time period used for ranging. A ranging cycle may be a duration period sufficient to complete an entire ranging measurement cycle (ranging cycle) involving a group of UWB devices participating in a ranging exchange. A ranging slot may be a time period sufficient to send at least one ranging frame (RFRAME) (e.g., ranging start / response / final message, etc.).

[0126] When the ranging mode is a block-based mode, the average time between adjacent ranging cycles can be constant. Alternatively, when the ranging mode is an interval-based mode, the time between adjacent ranging cycles can be dynamically changed. In other words, the interval-based mode can adopt a time structure with adaptive gaps.

[0127] Reference Figure 4A , a ranging block may include at least one ranging cycle. Each ranging cycle may include at least one ranging slot. For example, as shown in the figure, a ranging block may include N ranging cycles, and ranging cycle #0 may include M ranging slots.

[0128] In the present disclosure, a ranging block may be abbreviated as a block, a ranging cycle may be abbreviated as a cycle, and a ranging slot may be abbreviated as a slot.

[0129] Reference Figure 4B, a ranging cycle may include a ranging control phase, a ranging phase and / or a measurement report phase. For example, as shown in the figure, a ranging cycle may include a time slot for the ranging control phase, at least one time slot for the ranging phase and / or at least one time slot for the measurement report phase. According to an embodiment, some of the above phases may not be included in the ranging cycle. Additional phases (e.g., a ranging control update phase or a ranging interval update phase) may be further included in the ranging cycle.

[0130] The ranging control phase (RCP) may be a phase in which the controller sends a ranging control message (RCM). The RCM may be a message sent by the controller to set ranging parameters. The RCM may be sent in the first time slot (time slot #0) of the ranging cycle.

[0131] The ranging phase may include a ranging initiation phase, a ranging response phase and / or a ranging final phase.

[0132] The ranging initiation phase (RIP) may be a phase in which an initiator sends a ranging initiation message to a responder.

[0133] The ranging response phase (RRP) may be a phase in which the responder sends its response message to the initiator.

[0134] The Ranging Final Phase (RFP) may be a phase in which the Initiator sends a final message to the Responder. The Ranging Final Phase may only be used for DS-TWR.

[0135] The measurement reporting phase (MRP) may be a phase in which devices participating in ranging exchange service information related to ranging measurement.

[0136] The ranging control update phase (RCUP) may be a phase in which the controller sends a ranging control update message (RCUM). The ranging control update phase may be included in the last time slot of a set of ranging cycles specified by an RCM. The RCUM may be a message sent by the controller to update ranging parameters for the next ranging cycle. The RCM may be sent in the last time slot of a ranging cycle specified by the RCM. The RCM may include some or all information elements (IEs) that the RCM uses to update parameter values.

[0137] The ranging interval update phase (RIUP) may be a phase in which the controller sends a ranging interval update message (RIUM). The RIUM may be a message sent by the controller to help synchronize devices involved in ranging or update the interval between ranging blocks. The RIUM includes a predetermined time for the first RIUM. The RIUM may include a predetermined time for the next RIUM before the start of the next ranging block.

[0138] In an embodiment, the controller may transmit an RCM including information (block configuration information) for configuring the time block structure, and the controller may configure the time block structure based on the block configuration information included in the RCM.

[0139] In an embodiment, the RCM may include the length (duration) of a ranging block, the length of a ranging cycle, and / or the length of a ranging slot.The RCM may include information about the device role of the ranging device.

[0140] In an embodiment, the controller may send RCMs on a per-cycle basis. For example, the controller may send RCMs in all or some ranging cycles in a ranging block. For example, the controller may send RCMs in ranging cycle #0 and ranging cycle #2 in a ranging block.

[0141] In an embodiment, the controller may send the RCM in the first time slot (slot index 0) of the corresponding ranging cycle.

[0142] In an embodiment, information (parameters) included in the RCM may be applied to a cycle (eg, one or more subsequent cycles) after a cycle (current cycle) in which the RCM is received.

[0143] Figure 5 A ranging block structure to which a block-based mode is applied according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0144] Reference Figure 5 , the block-based mode uses a structured timeline in which the ranging block structure is substantially periodic. In the block-based mode, the average time between consecutive ranging cycles can be constant. In addition, in the block-based mode, the same block structure can be repeated.

[0145] In an embodiment, in block-based mode, the ranging block structure may be configured by specifying a ranging block length (duration) field, a ranging cycle length field, and a ranging slot length field in an Advanced Ranging Control (ARC) IE.

[0146] In an embodiment, in block based mode, the number of ranging cycles may be obtained by dividing the ranging block length (duration) by the length of the ranging cycle, and the number of ranging slots may be obtained by dividing the length of the ranging cycle by the ranging slot length.

[0147] Fig. 6A An ARC IE including information for configuring a time block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0148] In an embodiment, the ARC IE may be used by the controller to send ranging configuration information to a controllable device (unicast case) or multiple controllable devices (broadcast case). In this case, the ARC IE may be included in the RCM and sent.

[0149] In an embodiment, the ARC IE may be used by the controllable device to send preferred ranging parameters to the controller. In this case, the ARC IE may be sent together with a ranging change request (RCR) IE.

[0150] In an embodiment, the ARC IE may be sent via the Payload IE field of the MAC frame.

[0151] In an embodiment, the ARC IE may be included in the RCM.

[0152] In an embodiment, the ARC IE may be used for initial setup of the time block structure (block / cycle / slot structure).

[0153] Reference Fig. 6A , the ARC IE (or the content field of the ARC IE) may include a multi-node mode field, a ranging cycle usage field, an STS packet configuration field, a scheduling mode field, a delay mode field, a time structure indicator field, an RCM validity cycle field, a multiple message reception confirmation request (MRCR) field, a content control field, a ranging block duration field, a ranging cycle duration field, a ranging slot duration field and / or a session ID field. According to an embodiment, some of the above fields may not be included in the ARC IE, or additional fields may be further included in the ARC IE.

[0154] A description of each field of the ARC IE is as follows.

[0155] The Multinode Mode field may specify whether ranging is to be performed between a single pair of devices or in a multinode ranging involving many devices. The Multinode Mode field may have one of the values ​​defined in Table 1 below.

[0156] [Table 1]

[0157] The Ranging Cycle Usage field may specify the usage of the current ranging cycle and the usage of a certain number of subsequent ranging cycles after the RCM specified in the Ranging Validity Cycle field of the ARC IE. The Ranging Cycle Usage field may have one of the values ​​defined in Table 2.

[0158] [Table 2]

[0159] The STS Packet Configuration (Config) field may specify the STS packet format to be used in the ranging cycle following the ARC IE. The STS Packet Configuration field may have one of the values ​​defined in Table 3.

[0160] [Table 3]

[0161] The Scheduling Mode field may specify whether to perform scheduling-based ranging or contention-based ranging. The Scheduling Mode field may have one of the values ​​defined in Table 4.

[0162] [Table 4]

[0163] The Delay Mode field may specify whether a delay frame is allowed for measurement reporting. When the value of the Delay Mode field is 1, the Delay Mode field may indicate that the ranging slot is scheduled to exchange a delayed data frame after the ranging cycle. The delayed data frame may be used to report measurement information such as time of flight (ToF), answer time, and angle of attack (AoA). When the value of the Delay Mode field is 0, the Delay Mode field may indicate that the ranging slot is not scheduled for exchanging a data frame for the requested information.

[0164] The Time Structure Indicator field may specify the ranging time structure behavior in the subsequent ranging cycle. The Time Structure Indicator field may have one of the values ​​defined in Table 5.

[0165] [Table 5]

[0166] The RCM validity cycles field may specify the number of consecutive ranging cycles controlled by the RCM. The value of the RCM validity cycles field may not be greater than the number of remaining ranging blocks in the current ranging block.

[0167] The MMRCR field can specify whether to request multiple message reception confirmation. When the value of the MMRCR field is 1, multiple message reception confirmation is requested, otherwise multiple message reception confirmation is not requested.

[0168] The Content Control field may indicate whether other fields exist in the ARC IE. The Content Control field may have the structure shown in Table 6 below.

[0169] [Table 6]

[0170] The RBDP field may indicate the presence of the ranging block duration field. In an embodiment, the RBDP field may have a value of 1 indicating the presence of the ranging block duration field or a value of 0 indicating the absence of the ranging block duration field.

[0171] The RRDP field may indicate the presence of the ranging cycle duration field. In an embodiment, the RRDP field may have a value of 1 indicating the presence of the ranging cycle duration field or a value of 0 indicating the absence of the ranging cycle duration field.

[0172] The RSDP field may indicate the presence of the ranging slot duration field. In an embodiment, the RSDP field may have a value of 1 indicating the presence of the ranging slot duration field or a value of 0 indicating the absence of the ranging slot duration field.

[0173] The SIP field may indicate the presence of a session ID field. In an embodiment, the SIP field may have a value of 1 indicating the presence of a session ID field or a value of 0 indicating the absence of a session ID field.

[0174] The ranging block duration field may specify the duration of the ranging block in RSTUs.

[0175] The ranging cycle duration field may specify the duration of a ranging cycle in units of ranging slots.

[0176] The ranging slot duration field may specify the duration of the ranging slot in units of RSTU.

[0177] The Session ID field may specify an identifier for the ranging session. The Session ID field may include a 4-octet session identifier that is unique to the session for each controller. A ranging session may include one controller and at least one initiator.

[0178] In an embodiment, when the ranging block structure follows the same specified duration as before, one or more duration fields, such as the ranging block duration field, the ranging cycle duration field, and the ranging slot duration field, may not be present in the ARC IE in the current RCM. Even in this case, other fields such as the scheduling mode field and the STS packet configuration field may still be used to update the corresponding ranging parameters.

[0179] Figure 6B A Ranging Block Update (RBU) IE including information for updating a temporal block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0180] In an embodiment, the RBU IE may be sent by the controller to the controlled device to signal the update of the ranging block structure. When the controller sends the final message in the ranging message sequence, the RBU IE may be included in the final message. However, when the final message in the ranging message sequence is sent by the controlled device, the RBU IE may be sent by the controlled device in the next RCM.

[0181] In an embodiment, the RBU IE may be sent via the Payload IE field of the MAC frame.

[0182] In an embodiment, the RBU IE may be included in the RCM.

[0183] In an embodiment, the RBU IE may be used to update or change the time block structure (block / cycle / slot structure).

[0184] Reference Figure 6B , the RBU IE may include a relative ranging block index field, an updated block duration field, an updated ranging cycle duration field, and / or an updated slot duration field. Depending on the embodiment, some of the above fields may not be included in the RBU IE, or additional fields may be further included in the RBU IE.

[0185] A description of each field of the RBU IE is as follows.

[0186] The relative ranging block index field may indicate the number of ranging blocks with the current ranging block structure before switching to a new ranging block structure.

[0187] The updated block duration field may indicate a new ranging block duration based on each RSTU. The RBU IE may signal the end of the ranging message exchange. In this case, the updated block duration field in the RBU IE may be set to zero.

[0188] The updated ranging cycle duration field may specify a value of the ranging cycle duration in the new ranging block structure that is an integer multiple of the ranging slot duration.

[0189] The updated slot duration field may specify the value of the ranging slot duration on a per RSTU basis in the new ranging block structure.

[0190] In an embodiment, when the RBU IE is used only to update the ranging block duration, the updated ranging cycle duration field and the updated slot duration field may not be present in the RBU IE.

[0191] Figure 7 A method for configuring and changing a time block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0192] Reference Figure 7 , the controller may transmit a first RCM 710 for configuring a time block structure (ranging block structure) in ranging block #0.

[0193] The first RCM 710 or the ARC IE of the first RCM 710 may include a ranging cycle usage field designating SS-TWR and an STS packet configuration field designating that an STS field does not exist.

[0194] In addition, the first RCM 710 or the ARC IE of the first RCM 710 may include a block duration field set to A, a cycle duration field set to B, and a slot duration field set to C. The ranging block structure may be configured in the controller by the block duration field, the cycle duration field, and the slot duration field. The block structure configured in this way may be maintained in the ranging block after the ranging block #0 (current ranging block) in which the first RCM 710 is received until information for the change (e.g., RBU IE) is sent. For example, before the RBU IE is sent, the block structure of [block duration = A, cycle duration = B, and slot duration = C] may be maintained in the ranging block #1.

[0195] Reference Figure 7 , a second RCM 720 for changing the block structure configured in ranging block #2 may be sent by the controller.

[0196] The second RCM 720 or the ARC IE of the second RCM 720 may include a ranging cycle usage field specifying that DS-TWR is used and an STS packet configuration field specifying that an STS field (eg, SP1) is present.

[0197] In addition, the second RCM 720 or the RBU IE of the second RCM 720 may include a relative ranging block index field set to 1, an update block duration field set to A', an update ranging cycle duration field set to B', and / or an update slot duration field set to C'. The block structure configured in this way may be applied from ranging block #3 which is the next ranging block of the ranging block (current ranging block) received by the second RCM 720, according to the relative ranging block index field set to 1. For example, a block structure of [block duration = A', cycle duration = B', and slot duration = C'] may be applied and maintained in ranging block #3.

[0198] Reference Figure 7 , when a block structure is defined or initially configured by an ARC IE (or an RCM including an ARC IE) capable of specifying only one configuration, and when a change or update is required, the block structure is updated by an RBU IE (or an RCM including an RBU IE) capable of specifying only one configuration, the block structure specified by one setting value is fixed and maintained until the next change / update. A block structure configured in this manner may be simple and less flexible.

[0199] At the same time, ranging application features are currently being continuously developed and advanced, and therefore ranging technology is being promoted and applied to various services. Therefore, instead of statically applying only one ranging mode to one block structure, several ranging / transmission modes need to be dynamically / complexly applied to one block structure. For example, on-demand / batch data transmission may be applied to one block structure together with or separately from periodic ranging / data transmission. In this case, the number of time slots required for each block or cycle may be different. This may generate multiple unused time slots in a specific ranging block in a ranging block set to have the same duration. This may result in inefficient use of time slots.

[0200] In addition, as UWB communication technology develops and advances, additional functions such as device discovery, high-capacity data transmission, sensing, etc., and ranging can be provided through UWB communication. In this case, the number of time slots required to operate each additional function may also vary according to the block / cycle, and if the length of all blocks is uniformly fixed to the same value, it will inevitably lead to very inefficient use of time slots.

[0201] Therefore, a flexible block structure is needed that can support various services / modes such as ranging, sensing and high-capacity data transmission, rather than a static block structure. Such a block structure needs to have a repetitive pattern of a set of blocks or sub-blocks with different durations, rather than repetition of blocks with constant duration.

[0202] Hereinafter, various embodiments for configuring the time block structure more flexibly are described.The blocks / cycles / time slots used in the following embodiments may be used not only for ranging but also for various purposes such as sensing, data transmission, and large-capacity data transmission.

[0203] Example 1: Super Block Structure

[0204] Embodiment 1 corresponds to an embodiment of configuring a super-block structure for configuring a super-block as a group of continuous blocks.

[0205] In the super-block structure, the super-block may include a plurality of blocks, each block may include at least one cycle, and each cycle may include at least one time slot.

[0206] In the super block structure, the duration between blocks, the duration between cycles and / or the duration between time slots can be set to be different from each other. In other words, in the super block structure, the configuration and internal configuration (cycle / time slot) of each block can be set flexibly and dynamically. Therefore, a completely flexible and dynamic block structure can be set.

[0207] However, in the superblock structure, it is possible not to use Fig. 6A and Figure 6BThe block structure can be configured / changed by using IEs such as ARC IE / RBU IE of the present invention, and an IE including parameters for configuring the super block structure can be newly defined. As an optional embodiment, by defining a separate IE, a system using ARC IE / RBU IE can be compatible with a legacy system.

[0208] In the present disclosure, the super block structure may be referred to as a first time block structure, a first type time block structure, etc.

[0209] Example 2: Sub-block structure

[0210] Embodiment 2 corresponds to an embodiment in which one block is divided into a plurality of sub-blocks.

[0211] In the sub-block structure, the durations of the sub-blocks in a block can be set to be different from each other, but the durations of the blocks are set to be the same. In the sub-block structure, you can use Fig. 6A and Figure 6B ARC IE / RBU IE and other IEs are used to set / change the duration of the block. However, a new IE for configuring each sub-block needs to be defined. In other words, compared with the super-block structure, in the sub-block structure, it is not necessary to define a completely new IE for configuring the block structure, and the sub-block structure can be used. Fig. 6A and Figure 6B Therefore, it can be used with Fig. 6A and Figure 6B The ARC IE / RBU IE system is compatible.

[0212] However, in the sub-block structure, because the duration of consecutive blocks is the same, it is difficult to configure the internal configuration of the block (sub-block / cycle / time slot structure) completely flexibly and dynamically as in the embodiment of the super-block structure. In other words, the degree of freedom is limited.

[0213] In the present disclosure, the sub-block structure may be referred to as a second time block structure, a second type time block structure, etc.

[0214] Meanwhile, according to an embodiment, a time block structure in which a super block structure and a sub block structure are merged may be used.

[0215] Fig. 8A and Figure 8B An example of a super block structure according to various embodiments of the present disclosure is shown.

[0216] Reference Fig. 8A , there can be continuous super blocks with super block structure. For example, Fig. 8A As shown, super block #0 and super block #1 can be arranged consecutively.

[0217] Each super block may include at least one block. Fig. 8A As shown, super block #0 may include block #0, block #1, ..., block #N. Super block #1 may include block #0, ..., block #N. In an embodiment, the duration between blocks in a super block or between blocks between super blocks may be the same or different from each other. In other words, the duration of each block may be freely set according to the configuration. For example, the duration of block #0 and block #1 of super block #0 may be set to be the same or different from each other, and the duration of block #0 of super block #0 and block #0 of super block #1 may be set to be the same or different from each other.

[0218] Each block can contain at least one loop. Fig. 8A , in super block #0, block #0 may include loop #0 and loop #1, block #1 may include loop #0, loop #1, loop #2, and loop #3, and block #N may include loop #0. The durations between loops in a block or between loops between blocks may be the same or different from each other. In other words, the duration of each loop may be freely set according to the configuration. For example, the durations of loop #0 and loop #1 of block #0 may be set to be the same or different from each other, and the durations of loop #0 of block #0 and loop #0 of block #1 may be set to be the same or different from each other.

[0219] Each cycle may include at least one time slot. For example, cycle #0 of block #0 may include at least one time slot. The duration between time slots in a cycle or between time slots between cycles may be the same or different from each other. In other words, the duration of each time slot may be freely set according to the configuration.

[0220] There can be Figure 8B The continuous super blocks of the super block structure. Figure 8B , multiple super blocks (such as super block K-1, super block K, super block K+1...) can be arranged consecutively.

[0221] Each superblock can contain multiple blocks. Figure 8B For ease of description, an example is shown in which each super block includes three blocks, but each super block may include two or more blocks. Figure 8B In the example of , super block K may include block #0, block #1, and block #2, and the duration between blocks in super block K may be the same as Fig. 8A In other words, the duration of each block can be freely set according to the configuration. For example, the duration between blocks #0, #1, and #2 of super block K can be set to be the same or different from each other. The duration between the loops in blocks #0, #1, and #2 can be set to be the same or different from each other. Figure 8BIn the example of , each of block #0, block #1, and block #2 may include at least one loop. In other words, the duration between loops in each block or between loops between blocks can be freely set according to the configuration. For example, loop #0 and loop #1 of block #0 can be set to be the same or different from each other, and loop #0 of block #0 and loop #0 of block #1 can be set to be the same or different from each other. In addition, each of block #0, block #1, and block #2 can be filled with loops, and multiple super blocks can have the same or different structures.

[0222] As described above, in the super-block structure, the duration between each super-block, each block, each cycle, and each time slot can be freely set according to the configuration. In other words, it can have a high degree of freedom.

[0223] In an embodiment, the super-block structure may be configured through a newly defined IE (eg, a hyper-block descriptor IE (HyperBlockDescriptorIE)) for configuring the super-block structure.

[0224] The super-block descriptor IE may be an information structure including structural information about the entire super-block. In the present disclosure, the super-block descriptor IE may be referred to as a super-block IE, a super-block list IE, or a super-block descriptor list IE.

[0225] In an embodiment, the super-block descriptor IE may include a super-block duration field, a block number field, a block duration [i] field, a block usage [i] field, a cycle number [i] field, a cycle duration [i, j] field, a cycle usage [i, j] field and / or an IE complete field. Depending on the embodiment, some of the above fields may not be included in the super-block descriptor IE, or additional fields may be further included in the super-block descriptor IE.

[0226] Each field in the Super Block Descriptor IE can be described as follows.

[0227] The superblock duration field may specify the entire duration of a superblock.

[0228] The number of blocks field may specify the total number of blocks in a super block.

[0229] The block duration[i] field may specify the length of the i-th block in a super-block.

[0230] The block usage [i] field may specify the usage mode of the i-th block in a super block. In an embodiment, the block usage [i] field may have one of the values ​​defined in Table 7 below. Through the block usage [i] field, the usage mode of each block in a super block may be set separately. For example, the first block in a super block may be used for sensing, the second block in a super block may be used for high-rate data transmission, and the third block in a super block may be used for event-driven methods / services.

[0231] [Table 7]

[0232] The loop number [i] field may specify the number of loops in the i-th block in the super block.

[0233] The loop duration [i, j] field may specify the length of the jth loop of the i-th block in the super-block.

[0234] The Cycle Use [i, j] field may specify the usage mode of the jth cycle of the i-th block in the super block. In an embodiment, the Cycle Use [i, j] field may have one of the values ​​defined in Table 8 below. By using the Cycle Use [i, j] field, the usage mode of each cycle may be set separately in a block. For example, the first cycle in a block may be used for sensing, the second cycle in a block may be used for high-rate data transmission, and the third cycle in a block may be used for event-driven methods / services.

[0235] [Table 8]

[0236] The IE complete field may specify whether the entire current superstructure information is currently described in one IE.

[0237] In an embodiment, the controller may send a super block descriptor IE to one or more controlled devices to configure a super block structure.

[0238] In an embodiment, the super block descriptor IE may be included in a payload IE field of a MAC frame and transmitted.

[0239] In an embodiment, the super block descriptor IE may be included in the RCM and transmitted, or may be included in another control message or another UWB message and transmitted.

[0240] In an embodiment, a super-block descriptor IE may be configured for each super-block, or one super-block descriptor IE may be configured for multiple super-blocks.

[0241] Fig. 9 An example of a sub-block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0242] Reference Fig. 9 , there can be at least one block with a sub-block structure. For example, Fig. 9 As shown, blocks #0, block #1 ... block #N having a sub-block structure may be arranged continuously. In an embodiment, the durations of the blocks in the sub-block structure are equal to each other. For example, the durations of blocks #0 to #N may be the same.

[0243] Each block may include at least one sub-block. Fig. 9 As shown, block #0 may include sub-block #0 and sub-block #1, block #1 may include sub-block #0 and sub-block #1, and block #3 may include sub-block #0. In an embodiment, the duration between sub-blocks in a block or between sub-blocks between blocks may be the same or different from each other. In other words, the duration of each sub-block may be freely set according to the configuration. For example, the duration of sub-block #0 and sub-block #1 of block #0 may be set to be different from each other, and the duration of sub-block #0 of block #0 and sub-block #0 of block #1 may be set to be different from each other.

[0244] Each block may include at least one loop. Fig. 9 As shown, in block #0, sub-block #0 may include loop #0, loop #1, and loop #2, and sub-block #1 may include loop #0 and loop #1. The duration between loops in a sub-block or between loops between sub-blocks may be the same or different from each other. In other words, the duration of each loop may be freely set according to the configuration. For example, loop #0 and loop #1 of sub-block #0 may be set to be different from each other, and loop #0 of sub-block #0 and loop #0 of sub-block #1 may be set to be different from each other.

[0245] Each cycle may include at least one time slot. For example, cycle #0 of sub-block #0 may include at least one time slot. The duration between time slots in a cycle or between time slots between cycles may be the same or different from each other. In other words, the duration of each time slot may be freely set according to the configuration.

[0246] In this way, in the sub-block structure, when using ARC IE, the duration between blocks is set to be the same, but the sub-blocks constituting the block can be set to be different from each other as needed.

[0247] In an embodiment, the sub-block structure may be configured through a newly defined IE for the sub-block structure (eg, a sub-block descriptor IE).

[0248] The sub-block descriptor IE may be an information structure including structural information about all sub-blocks. In the present disclosure, the sub-block descriptor IE may be referred to as a sub-block IE and a sub-block list IE.

[0249] In an embodiment, the sub-block descriptor IE may include a block duration field, a sub-block number field, a sub-block duration [i] field, a sub-block usage [i] field, a loop number [i] field, a loop duration [i, j] field, a loop usage [i, j] field and / or an IE complete field. Depending on the embodiment, some of the above fields may not be included in the sub-block descriptor IE, or additional fields may be further included in the sub-block descriptor IE.

[0250] Each field in the Sub-Block Descriptor IE can be described as follows.

[0251] The block duration field may specify the length of a block.

[0252] The sub-block number field may specify the total number of sub-blocks in a block.

[0253] The sub-block duration [i] field may specify the length of the i-th sub-block in a block.

[0254] The subblock usage [i] field may specify the usage mode of the i-th subblock in a block. In an embodiment, the subblock usage [i] field may have one of the values ​​defined in Table 9 below. Through the subblock usage [i] field, the usage mode of each subblock may be set separately in a block. For example, the first subblock in a block may be used for sensing, the second subblock in the block may be used for high-rate data transmission, and the third subblock in the block may be used for event-driven methods / services.

[0255] [Table 9]

[0256] The loop number [i] field may specify the number of loops in the i-th sub-block in the block.

[0257] The loop duration [i, j] field may specify the length of the jth loop of the i-th sub-block in a block.

[0258] The Cycle Use [i, j] field may specify the usage mode of the jth cycle of the i-th sub-block in the block. In an embodiment, the Sub-Block Use [i] field may have one of the values ​​defined in Table 8 below. By using the Cycle Use [i, j] field, the usage mode of each cycle may be set separately in a sub-block. For example, the first cycle in a sub-block may be used for sensing, the second cycle in the sub-block may be used for high-rate data transmission, and the third cycle in the sub-block may be used for event-driven methods / services.

[0259] [Table 10]

[0260] The IE complete field may specify whether the entire current sub-block structure information is described in one current IE.

[0261] In an embodiment, the controller may send a sub-block descriptor IE to one or more controlled devices to configure a sub-block structure.

[0262] In an embodiment, the sub-block descriptor IE may be included in a payload IE field of a MAC frame and transmitted.

[0263] In an embodiment, the sub-block descriptor IE may be included in the RCM and transmitted, or may be included in another control message or another UWB message and transmitted.

[0264] In an embodiment, the sub-block descriptor IE may be transmitted together with or separately from the ARC IE or the RBU IE.

[0265] In an embodiment, a sub-block descriptor IE may be configured for each block, or one sub-block descriptor IE may be configured for a plurality of blocks.

[0266] Fig.10 An example of information for configuring a super block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0267] according to Fig.10 The information for configuring the super block structure (super block structure configuration information) of the embodiment may be the above reference Fig. 8A and Figure 8B An example of a Super Block Descriptor IE is described.

[0268] The super-block structure information may include all or some of the fields included in the super-block descriptor IE. For example, the super-block structure information may include a super-block duration field, a block number field, a block duration [i] field, a block usage [i] field, a cycle number [i] field, a cycle duration [i, j] field, a cycle usage [i, j] field and / or an IE complete field. For a description of each field, refer to the above reference Fig. 8A and Figure 8B Description of what is described.

[0269] In an embodiment, the super block structure configuration information may include a number of blocks field for specifying the number of blocks and an instance for at least one block. Fig.10 , the super-block structure configuration information may include a block number field 1001 for specifying the number of blocks in the super-block, a first instance 1010-1 including information about a first block (block #1), ..., an Nth instance 1010-N including information about an Nth block. The number of instances included in the super-block structure configuration information may correspond to a value indicated by the block number field.

[0270] Each instance may include a block index field for specifying an index of a corresponding block and configuration information about the corresponding block. For example, the first instance 1010-1 may include a block index field for specifying an index of a first block and configuration information about the first block, and the Nth instance 1010-N may include a block index field for specifying an index of an Nth block and configuration information about the Nth block.

[0271] In an embodiment, configuration information about a block may include Fig. 6A All or some of the fields included in the ARC IE of the block. For example, the configuration information about the block may include a multi-node mode field, a ranging cycle usage field, an STS packet configuration field, a scheduling mode field, a delay mode field, a time structure indicator field, an RCM validity cycle field, a multiple message reception confirmation request (MRCR) field, a content control field, a ranging block duration field, a ranging cycle duration field, a ranging slot duration field and / or a session ID field. For a description of each field, refer to Fig. 6A Description.

[0272] At the same time, the UWB device (controller) receiving the super block descriptor IE can identify the super block structure and configure the super block structure through the super block descriptor IE. Fig. 8A and Figure 8B Same as shown in .

[0273] Fig.11 An example of updating information of a super block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0274] according to Fig.11 The information for updating the super block structure (super block structure update information) of the embodiment may be referred to as a super block update descriptor list IE. The super block structure update information may be set to have different block structures (block / cycle / time slot structures) and operation forms between consecutive adjacent blocks.

[0275] The super block structure update information may include a block number field, a block index field, a bit number field per block, and / or at least one block instance. Fig.11 , the super-block structure update information may include a block number field 1101 for specifying the number of blocks in a super-block, a block index field 1102, a bit number field 1103 per block, a first instance 1110-1 including update information about a first block (block #1), ..., an Nth instance 1110-N including update information about an Nth block. The number of instances included in the super-block structure update information may correspond to a value indicated by the block number field.

[0276] Each instance may include update information about a corresponding block. For example, the first instance 1110-1 may include update information about a first block, and the Nth instance 1110-N may include update information about an Nth block. In an embodiment, each instance may include a block index field that specifies an index of a corresponding block.

[0277] In an embodiment, update information about a block may include Figure 6BFor example, the update information about the block may include a relative ranging block index field, an updated block duration field, an updated ranging cycle duration field, and / or an updated slot duration field. For a description of each field, refer to Figure 6B Description.

[0278] Fig.12 An example of information for configuring a sub-block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0279] according to Fig.12 The information for configuring the sub-block structure (sub-block structure configuration information) of the embodiment may be the above reference Fig. 9 An example of a sub-block descriptor IE described.

[0280] The sub-block structure configuration information may include all or some of the fields included in the sub-block descriptor IE. For example, the sub-block structure configuration information may include a block duration field, a sub-block number field, a sub-block duration [i] field, a sub-block usage [i] field, a loop number [i] field, a loop duration [i, j] field, a loop usage [i, j] field and / or an IE complete field. For a description of each field, refer to the above reference Fig. 9 Description of the description.

[0281] In an embodiment, the sub-block structure configuration information may include a block number field for specifying the number of blocks, a block index field, and an instance for at least one sub-block. Fig.12 , the sub-block structure configuration information may include a block number field 1201 for specifying the number of blocks, a block index field 1202 for specifying an index of a block, a first instance 1210-1 including sub-block information about a first block (block #0), ... an Nth instance 1210-N including sub-block information about an Nth block (block #N). The number of instances included in the sub-block structure configuration information may correspond to a value indicated by the block number field.

[0282] Each instance may include configuration information about a sub-block in a corresponding block. For example, the first instance 1210-1 may include configuration information about a sub-block of a first block, and the Nth instance 1210-N may include configuration information about a sub-block of an Nth block.

[0283] In an embodiment, the configuration information about the sub-block may include the above reference Fig. 9All or some of the fields included in the described sub-block descriptor IE. For example, the configuration information about the sub-block may include a sub-block number field (Number of SubBlocks field) for specifying the number of sub-blocks, a sub-block index field for specifying the index of the corresponding sub-block for each sub-block, a loop number field (loop number [i] field) for specifying the number of loops in the corresponding sub-block, a loop index field for specifying the index of the corresponding loop, and / or a time slot number field for specifying the length of the corresponding loop (e.g., time slot unit) (loop duration [i, j] field). For the description of each field, refer to Fig. 9 Description.

[0284] In an embodiment, the sub-block structure configuration information may be transmitted together with or separately from the ARC IE (or RBU IE).

[0285] In an embodiment, the sub-block structure configuration information may be included in a payload IE field of a MAC frame and transmitted together with or separately from the ARC IE (or RBU IE).

[0286] In an embodiment, the sub-block structure configuration information may be transmitted together with or separately from the ARC IE (or RBU IE) through an RCM, another control message, or another UWB message.

[0287] Meanwhile, a UWB device (slave) capable of using only ARC IE (ie, a UWB device to which sub-block structure configuration may not be applied) may use ARC IE to configure a block structure. The block structure thus configured may be used with Figure 7 In this case, the UWB device (responder) can predict which time slot of which cycle in the corresponding block structure to send / receive data through the ranging device management (RDM) IE.

[0288] Alternatively, a UWB device (controller) capable of using ARC IE and sub-block descriptor IE (i.e., a UWB device capable of applying sub-block structure configuration) can identify the sub-block structure through the sub-block descriptor IE and can configure the sub-block structure. The sub-block structure configured in this way can be used with Fig. 9 In this case, the UWB device (responder) can predict which time slot of which cycle in the corresponding sub-block structure to send / receive data through the ranging device management (RDM) IE.

[0289] Fig.13 is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring a time block structure in a second UWB device by a first UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0290] exist Fig.13In the embodiment of the present invention, the first UWB device may be a UWB device of a device type having a controller, and the second UWB device may be a UWB device of a device type having a slave.

[0291] Reference Fig.13 , in operation 1310, the first UWB device may generate a control message (or a UWB message) including information for configuring a time block structure (time block structure configuration information).

[0292] In an embodiment, the time block structure may be a super block structure in which a super block including a group of continuous blocks is configured, or a sub block structure in which one block is divided into a plurality of sub blocks.

[0293] In operation 1320, the first UWB device may transmit a control message to the second UWB device.

[0294] In an embodiment, when the time block structure is a super block structure, the information for configuring the time block structure (e.g., super block descriptor IE) may include a field for specifying the length of the super block, a field for specifying the number of all blocks in the super block, and a field for specifying the length of each block in the super block. Information about configuring the time block structure may also include a field for specifying a usage mode for each block in the super block, a field for specifying the number of loops for each block in the super block, a field for specifying the length of each loop in each block in the super block, and a field for specifying the usage mode of each loop in each block in the super block. Information for configuring the time block structure may also include a field indicating whether the entire current super block structure is described in the information about configuring the time block structure.

[0295] In an embodiment, when the time block structure is a sub-block structure, the information for configuring the time block structure (e.g., sub-block descriptor IE) may include a field for specifying the length of the block, a field for specifying the number of all sub-blocks in the block, and a field for specifying the length of each block in the block. The information for configuring the time block structure may include a field for specifying the usage mode of each sub-block in the block, a field for specifying the number of loops of each sub-block in the block, a field for specifying the length of each sub-block in the block, and a field for specifying the usage mode of each loop of each sub-block in the block. The information for configuring the time block structure may also include a field indicating whether the entire current sub-block structure is described in the information about configuring the time block structure.

[0296] Fig.14 is a flowchart illustrating a method for configuring a time block structure by a second UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0297] Reference Fig.14, the first UWB device may be a UWB device of a device type having a controller, and the second UWB device may be a UWB device of a device type having a controlled device.

[0298] Reference Fig.14 , in operation 1410, the second UWB device may receive a control message (or a UWB message) including information for configuring a time block structure (time block structure configuration information).

[0299] In an embodiment, the time block structure may be a super block structure in which a super block including a group of continuous blocks is configured, or a sub block structure in which one block is divided into a plurality of sub blocks.

[0300] In operation 1420, the second UWB device may configure the time block structure based on the information for configuring the time block structure in the control message.

[0301] In an embodiment, when the time block structure is a super block structure, the information for configuring the time block structure (e.g., super block descriptor IE) may include a field for specifying the length of the super block, a field for specifying the number of all blocks in the super block, and a field for specifying the length of each block in the super block. Information about configuring the time block structure may also include a field for specifying a usage mode for each block in the super block, a field for specifying the number of loops for each block in the super block, a field for specifying the length of each loop in each block in the super block, and a field for specifying the usage mode of each loop in each block in the super block. Information for configuring the time block structure may also include a field indicating whether the entire current super block structure is described in the information about configuring the time block structure.

[0302] In an embodiment, when the time block structure is a sub-block structure, the information for configuring the time block structure (e.g., sub-block descriptor IE) may include a field for specifying the length of the block, a field for specifying the number of all sub-blocks in the block, and a field for specifying the length of each block in the block. The information for configuring the time block structure may include a field for specifying the usage mode of each sub-block in the block, a field for specifying the number of loops of each sub-block in the block, a field for specifying the length of each sub-block in the block, and a field for specifying the usage mode of each loop of each sub-block in the block. The information for configuring the time block structure may also include a field indicating whether the entire current sub-block structure is described in the information about configuring the time block structure.

[0303] Fig.17 An example of an MMS UWB sequence according to a channel condition according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0304] As described above, in the case of MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS), multiple segments may be sent. For example, in the case of MMSUWB (or NBA-MMS), the same segment may be sent several times at a predetermined interval. As an embodiment, the number of times a segment is sent in MMSUWB (or NBA-MMS) may be different for each device. As an embodiment, the number of times a segment is sent in MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) may be determined based on a channel condition (state) (e.g., a UWB channel state). For example, when the channel condition (state) is better, the number of times a segment is sent may be reduced.

[0305] Reference Fig.17 , assuming that a channel (e.g., UWB channel) between the first UWB device 1710 and the 2-1st UWB device 1721 has a good channel condition (a first channel condition), a channel (e.g., UWB channel) between the first UWB device 1710 and the 2-2nd UWB device 1722 has a bad channel condition (a second channel condition worse than the first channel condition), and a channel (e.g., UWB channel) between the first UWB device 1710 and the 2-2nd UWB device 1722 has an even worse channel condition (a third channel condition worse than the second channel condition).

[0306] The first MMS UWB sequence 1731 represents an example of a message / packet sequence of MMS UWB for the first UWB device 1710 and the 2-1st UWB device 1721 in one ranging cycle. Referring to the first MMS UWB sequence 1731, each of the first UWB device 1710 and the 2-1st UWB device 1721 may transmit a segment once through a UWB channel in MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode. For example, the first UWB device 1710 and / or the 2-1st UWB device 1721 may determine the number of transmissions of the segment in the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode to be 1 based on the first channel condition, and each of the first UWB device 1710 and the 2-1st UWB device 1721 may transmit segment #1 in the corresponding ranging cycle.

[0307] The second MMS UWB sequence 1732 represents an example of a message / packet sequence of MMS UWB for the first UWB device 1710 and the 2-2 UWB device 1722 in one ranging cycle. Referring to the second MMS UWB sequence 1732, each of the first UWB device 1710 and the 2-2 UWB device 1722 may transmit segments four times through the UWB channel in the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode. For example, the first UWB device 1710 and / or the 2-1 UWB device 1722 may determine the number of transmissions of segments in the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode to be 4 based on the second channel condition, and each of the first UWB device 1710 and the 2-2 UWB device 1722 may transmit segments #1 to #4 in the corresponding ranging cycle.

[0308] The third MMS UWB sequence 1733 represents an example of a message / packet sequence of MMS UWB for the first UWB device 1710 and the 2nd-3rd UWB device 1723 in one ranging cycle. Referring to the second MMS UWB sequence 1733, each of the first UWB device 1710 and the 2nd-3rd UWB device 1723 may transmit segments eight times through the UWB channel in the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode. For example, the first UWB device 1710 and / or the 2nd-3rd UWB device 1723 may determine the number of transmissions of the segments in the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode to be 8 based on the third channel condition, and each of the first UWB device 1710 and the 2nd-2nd UWB device 1723 may transmit segments #1 to #8 in the corresponding ranging cycle.

[0309] As an embodiment, the intervals between segments sent multiple times by one UWB device in one ranging cycle may be the same. For example, the gaps between segments sent multiple times by one UWB device in one ranging cycle may be 1 ms. For example, in the second MMS UWB sequence 1732, the intervals between segment #1 and segment #2, the intervals between segment #2 and segment #3, and the intervals between segment #3 and segment #3 sent by the first UWB device 1710 may be 1 ms. For example, in the second MMSUWB sequence 1732, the intervals between segment #1 and segment #2, the intervals between segment #2 and segment #3, and the intervals between segment #3 and segment #3 sent by the 2-2 UWB device 1722 may be 1 ms.

[0310] Reference Fig.17, since the number of times a segment is sent in the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode varies depending on the channel conditions, the length of the ranging block / ranging cycle needs to be set differently depending on the channel conditions. For example, the better the channel conditions, the shorter the length of the ranging cycle for the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode can be set, and the worse the channel conditions, the longer the length of the ranging cycle for the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode can be set. For example, the length of the ranging cycle assigned to the first UWB device 1710 and the second first UWB device 1721 having a first channel condition can be set shorter than the length of the ranging cycle assigned to the first UWB device 1710 and the second second UWB device 1722 having a second channel condition worse than the first channel condition.

[0311] Thus, when using the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode, the timing structure needs to be flexibly set for each channel condition or for each device. This can be provided by the above-mentioned super block structure.

[0312] In the following, reference is made to Fig.18 and Fig.19 An example of using a superblock structure for MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) is described.

[0313] Fig.18 An example of using a super-block structure for MMS UWB according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0314] Reference Fig.18 , assuming that multiple ranging modes can be supported in a session. As an embodiment, a session can be set to a combination of multiple different ranging modes. For example, as shown in the figure, in a session, the first ranging cycle 1810 can be configured to support a one-to-one ranging mode, the second ranging cycle 1820 can be configured to support a one-to-one ranging mode different from the first ranging cycle 1810, and the third ranging cycle 1830 can be configured to support a one-to-many (M) ranging mode. In this case, the ranging cycles of different blocks can have different lengths from other ranging cycles to support different ranging modes.

[0315] As an embodiment, the first ranging cycle 1810, the second ranging cycle 1820, and the third ranging cycle 1830 may be included in one super-block structure. As an embodiment, the first ranging cycle 1810, the second ranging cycle 1820, and the third ranging cycle 1830 may be included in different ranging blocks in each super-block having the same super-block structure, respectively. For example, the first ranging cycle 1810, the second ranging cycle 1820, and the third ranging cycle 1830 may be included in different ranging blocks in the first super-block, respectively.

[0316] As an embodiment, the length of the first ranging cycle 1810 may be set to be different from the length of the second ranging cycle 1820 and / or the length of the third ranging cycle 1830. For example, the length of the second ranging cycle 1820 may be set to be longer than the length of the first ranging cycle 1810, and the length of the third ranging cycle 1830 may be set to be longer than the length of the second ranging cycle 1820.

[0317] At the same time, Fig.18 In the embodiment of the present invention, the message indicated by “P” indicates a polling message, the message indicated by “R” indicates a response message, and the message indicated by “r” indicates a report message.

[0318] Hereinafter, an example of configuring a super block structure and performing an operation of the NBA-MMS UWB mode using the corresponding super block structure is described.

[0319] (0) Hyperblock structure configuration

[0320] The controller may send configuration information (super-block structure configuration information) for configuring the super-block structure for the corresponding session. The super-block structure configuration information may be, for example, Fig.10 Super block structure configuration information.

[0321] As an embodiment, the controller may send the super block structure configuration information via UWB or NB. For example, the controller may send an RCM including the super block structure configuration information via UWB. For example, the controller may send a control message including the super block structure configuration information via NB.

[0322] As an example, the super block structure configuration information can be set as parameter values ​​to have the following Fig.18 In an embodiment, the super block structure configuration information may include the following field (a field related to the multiple transmission mode), which includes information for notifying that a corresponding ranging cycle or a corresponding ranging block is used in the MMS mode, the multiple transmission mode or the NBA-MMS mode.

[0323] For example, parameters (e.g., ranging block duration field, ranging cycle duration field, multi-node mode field, ranging cycle usage field, multi-transmission mode related field, etc.) corresponding to the first ranging cycle 1810 (or the ranging block including the first ranging cycle 1810) in the super-block structure configuration information may be set such that the first ranging cycle 1810 has a value of the first cycle duration and is used for one-to-one ranging, and the SS-TWR mode and the NBA-MMS mode are applied.

[0324] For example, parameters (e.g., ranging block duration field, ranging cycle duration field, multi-node mode field, ranging cycle usage field, multi-transmission mode related field, etc.) corresponding to the second ranging cycle 1820 (or the ranging block including the second ranging cycle 1820) in the super-block structure configuration information may be set to a value such that the second ranging cycle 1820 has a second cycle duration longer than the first cycle duration and is used for one-to-one ranging, and the SS-TWR mode and the NBA-MMS mode are applied.

[0325] For example, parameters (e.g., ranging block duration field, ranging cycle duration field, multi-node mode field, ranging cycle usage field, multi-transmission mode related field, etc.) corresponding to the third ranging cycle 1830 (or the ranging block including the third ranging cycle 1830) in the super-block structure configuration information may be set to a value such that the third ranging cycle 1830 has a third cycle duration longer than the second cycle duration and is used for one-to-many ranging, and the SS-TWR mode and the NBA-MMS mode are applied.

[0326] (1) NBA-MMS UWB sequence in the first ranging cycle 1810

[0327] The first ranging cycle 1810 may be a ranging cycle allocated to the initiator #1 and the responder #1. In the first ranging cycle 1810, a one-to-one ranging mode, an NBA-MMS mode, and / or an SS-TWR mode may be applied.

[0328] As an example, in the first ranging cycle 1810 , the number of times a segment is sent in the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode may be set to 1. The number of times a segment is sent in the first ranging cycle 1810 may be set by the controller or the initiator # 1 .

[0329] Initiator #1 may send (or broadcast) a polling message through the NB channel. In an embodiment, initiator #1 may send (or broadcast) a polling message in the first ranging slot (e.g., the first ranging slot (ranging slot index #0)) of the first ranging cycle 1810. Thus, the ranging cycle or UWB ranging may be initiated. As an embodiment, the polling message may include configuration information for multiple transmissions (e.g., scheduling information, multiple transmission count / cycle information, etc.).

[0330] Responder #1 may send a response message to initiator #1 via the NB channel in response to the polling message. In an embodiment, responder #1 may send the response message in the second ranging slot (e.g., ranging slot (e.g., ranging slot index #1)) of the first ranging cycle 1810 immediately after the ranging slot in which the polling message is sent. Thus, segmented transmission for MMS UWB may be triggered.

[0331] Initiator #1 may send a first segment to responder #1 via a UWB channel. In an embodiment, initiator #1 may send the first segment in a third ranging slot (e.g., a ranging slot immediately following the ranging slot in which the response message is sent (e.g., ranging slot index #2)) of the first ranging cycle 1810. In the present disclosure, the first segment may be referred to as a first segment packet or a first packet.

[0332] Responder #1 may send a first response segment to initiator #1 over the UWB channel in response to the first segment. In an embodiment, responder #1 may send the first response segment in the same ranging slot (e.g., ranging slot index #2) as the ranging slot in which the first segment of the first ranging cycle 1810 is sent. In the present disclosure, the first response segment may be referred to as a first response segment packet or a first response packet.

[0333] The first segment and the first response segment may be used for TWR (eg, SS-TWR). As an embodiment, the first segment may be sent at the start time of the corresponding ranging slot, and the first response segment may be sent at a time predetermined offset from the start time of the corresponding ranging slot.

[0334] The first segment and the first response segment may include the RSF or the RIF. As an embodiment, the sequence data included in the first segment and the sequence data included in the second segment may be the same or different.

[0335] Initiator #1 may perform ranging measurement based on the first segment and the first response segment. For example, initiator #1 may calculate ToF based on SS-TWR using the first segment and the first response segment, and obtain distance information between initiator #1 and responder #1 based on ToF.

[0336] Initiator #1 may send a report message including the ranging measurement result to responder #1 through the NB channel.

[0337] Meanwhile, according to an embodiment, the NBA-MMS UWB sequence described above may be performed in an order different from that shown, the transmission of some messages / packets may be omitted, or the transmission of additional messages / packets may be further performed.

[0338] (2) NBA-MMS UWB sequence in the second ranging cycle 1820

[0339] The second ranging loop 1820 may be a ranging loop allocated to the initiator #2 and the responder #2. In the second ranging loop 1820, a one-to-one ranging mode, an NBA-MMS mode, and / or an SS-TWR mode may be applied.

[0340] As an example, in the first ranging cycle 1810 , the number of times a segment is sent in the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode may be set to 4. The number of times a segment is sent in the first ranging cycle 1810 may be set by the controller or the initiator # 2 .

[0341] The NBA-MMS UWB sequence in the second ranging cycle 1820 may be the same as the NBA-MMSUWB sequence in the first ranging cycle 1810, except that the number of transmissions of the segments is different. Therefore, reference may be made to the description of the NBA-MMSUWB sequence in the first ranging cycle 1810.

[0342] Initiator #2 may send (or broadcast) a polling message through the NB channel. In an embodiment, initiator #2 may send (or broadcast) a polling message in the first ranging slot (e.g., the first ranging slot (ranging slot index #0)) of the second ranging cycle 1820. As an embodiment, the polling message may include configuration information for multiple transmissions (e.g., scheduling information, multiple transmission count / cycle information, etc.).

[0343] Responder #2 may send a response message to initiator #1 via the NB channel in response to the polling message. In an embodiment, responder #1 may send the response message in a second ranging slot of the second ranging cycle 1820 (e.g., a ranging slot immediately following the ranging slot in which the polling message is sent (e.g., ranging slot index #1)).

[0344] Initiator #2 may send the segment four times to responder #2 via the UWB channel. In an embodiment, initiator #1 may send the first segment, the second segment, the third segment, and the fourth segment, respectively, in four ranging slots (e.g., ranging slot indexes #2, #3, #4, and #5) immediately following the third ranging slot (e.g., the ranging slot in which the response message is sent) of the second ranging cycle 1820.

[0345] Responder #2 may send a response message four times to initiator #2 via the UWB channel in response to each segment. In an embodiment, responder #2 may send a first response segment, a second response segment, a third response segment, and a fourth response segment in the same ranging slot (e.g., ranging slot indexes #2, #3, #4, and #5) as the ranging slot in which the corresponding segment of the second ranging cycle 1820 is sent.

[0346] Segments and response segments may be used for TWR (eg, SS-TWR). As an example, the initiator's segments may be sent at the start time of the corresponding ranging slot, and the responder's response segments may be sent at a time predetermined offset from the start time of the corresponding ranging slot.

[0347] The segment and the response segment may include an RSF or a RIF. As an embodiment, the sequence data included in the first segment and the sequence data included in the second segment may be the same or different. As an embodiment, the sequence data included in the first segment, the second segment, the third segment, and the fourth segment may be the same or different. As an embodiment, the sequence data included in the first response segment, the second response segment, the third response segment, and the fourth response segment may be the same or different.

[0348] Initiator #2 may perform ranging measurement based on the segment and response segment pairs. For example, initiator #2 may calculate ToF based on SS-TWR using the segment and response segment pairs, and obtain distance information between initiator #2 and responder #2 based on ToF.

[0349] Initiator #2 may send a report message including the ranging measurement result to responder #2 through the NB channel.

[0350] Meanwhile, according to an embodiment, the NBA-MMS UWB sequence described above may be performed in an order different from that shown, the transmission of some messages / packets may be omitted, or the transmission of additional messages / packets may be further performed.

[0351] (3) NBA-MMS UWB sequence in the third ranging cycle 1830

[0352] The third ranging cycle 1830 may be a ranging cycle assigned to initiator #3 and multiple responders (eg, responder #3, responder #4, and responder #5). In the third ranging cycle 1830, one-to-many ranging mode, NBA-MMS mode, and / or SS-TWR mode may be applied.

[0353] In the third ranging cycle 1830, one initiator and each responder may perform a separate MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS). In the third ranging cycle 1830, initiator #3 and responder #3 may set the number of times a segment is sent in the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode to 4, initiator #3 and responder #4 may set the number of times a segment is sent in the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode to 1, and initiator #3 and responder #5 may set the number of times a segment is sent in the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode to 6.

[0354] As an embodiment, as shown in the figure, in the third ranging cycle 1830, the initiator #3 and each responder can sequentially perform NBA-MMS UWB sequence operations. For example, after performing the first NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation between the initiator #3 and the responder #3, the first NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation between the initiator #3 and the responder #4 can be performed, and then the first NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation between the initiator #3 and the responder #5 can be sequentially performed. Each sequence operation can be described as follows.

[0355] (3-1) First NBA-MMS UWB sequence between Initiator #3 and Responder #3

[0356] The first NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation between initiator #3 and responder #3 may be the same as the NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation in the second ranging cycle 1820 described above, wherein in the first NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation, the number of transmissions of the segment in the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode is set to 4. Therefore, reference may be made to the above description of the NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation in the second ranging cycle 1820.

[0357] (3-2) Second NBA-MMS UWB sequence between Initiator #3 and Responder #4

[0358] The first NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation between initiator #3 and responder #4 may be the same as the NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation in the first ranging cycle 1810 described above, wherein in the second NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation, the number of transmissions of the segment in the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode is set to 1. Therefore, reference may be made to the above description of the NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation in the first ranging cycle 1810.

[0359] (3-3) The third NBA-MMS UWB sequence between Initiator #3 and Responder #5

[0360] The third NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation between initiator #3 and responder #5 may be the same as the NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation in the second ranging cycle 1820 described above, except that the number of times the segments are sent is different, wherein in the third NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation, the number of times the segments are sent in the MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS) mode is set to 6. Therefore, reference may be made to the above description of the NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation in the second ranging cycle 1820.

[0361] Meanwhile, according to an embodiment, the NBA-MMS UWB sequence described above may be performed in an order different from that shown, the transmission of some messages / packets may be omitted, or the transmission of additional messages / packets may be further performed.

[0362] In the above embodiments, for ease of description, the initiator / responder in each ranging cycle is different from each other, but the present disclosure is not limited to this. For example, one UWB device can work as an initiator in multiple ranging cycles, or one UWB device can work as a responder in multiple ranging cycles. In addition, in the above embodiments, the controller / controlled and the initiator / responder are distinguished from each other, but this is only used to distinguish the corresponding functions, and it is obvious that one UWB device can work as a controller / initiator, a controller / responder, a controlled / initiator, or a controlled / responder.

[0363] Fig.19 An example of a super-block structure for MMS UWB according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0364] The controller may generate configuration information (super-block structure configuration information) for configuring a super-block structure for a corresponding session, and send the super-block structure configuration information to at least one controlled device. The super-block structure configuration information may be, for example, Fig.10 The super block structure configuration information. So, for example, Fig.19 The superblock structure shown may be configured for a corresponding session. The superblock structure configured in this way may be used continuously by the UWB device in which the session is configured until the session is changed or terminated. The superblock structure may be updated by superblock structure update information (e.g., Fig.11 The super block structure update information) is executed.

[0365] At the same time, Fig.19 In the embodiment of the present invention, the message indicated by “P” indicates a polling message, the message indicated by “R” indicates a response message, and the message indicated by “r” indicates a report message.

[0366] Reference Fig.19 A super block structure configured by a super block structure configuration information may be a continuous super block. As shown in the figure, the super block structure may be a sequence of super block K-1 1910, super block K 1920 and super block K+1 1930.

[0367] Each of the super blocks 1910, 1920, and 1930 may have the same temporal structure. For example, each super block may include ranging block 0 (block 0), ranging block 1 (block 1), and ranging block 2 (block 2). In other words, the structures of ranging block 0, ranging block 1, and ranging block 2 included in the super block K-1 1910 set by the same super block structure configuration information may be respectively the same as the structures of ranging block 0, ranging block 1, and ranging block 2 included in the super block K 1920.

[0368] Hereinafter, the structure of the ranging block in each super-block is described by taking super-block K 1920 as an example. The description is also applicable to other super-blocks.

[0369] Super block K 1920 may include ranging block 0, ranging block 1, and ranging block 2.

[0370] Ranging Block 0 may include Ranging Cycle 0 and Ranging Cycle 1. The configuration of each ranging cycle for Ranging Block 0 may be the same as for Fig.18 The configuration of the first ranging cycle 1810 of the ranging block 0 is the same. Therefore, the NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation in each ranging cycle of the ranging block 0 can be the same as Fig.18 The NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation in the first ranging cycle 1810 is the same.

[0371] Ranging block 1 may include six ranging cycles, namely ranging cycle 0 to ranging cycle 5. The configuration of each ranging cycle for ranging block 1 may be the same as that for Fig.18 The configuration of the second ranging cycle 1820 of the ranging block 1 is the same. Therefore, the NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation in each ranging cycle of the ranging block 1 can be the same as that in the Fig.18 The NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation in the second ranging cycle 1820 is the same.

[0372] Ranging block 2 may include one ranging cycle (ranging cycle 0). The ranging cycle of ranging block 2 may be configured similar to Fig.18 Therefore, the NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation in the ranging cycle of ranging block 2 can be the same as Fig.18 The NBA-MMS UWB sequence operation in the third ranging cycle 1830 is the same.

[0373] Hereinafter, the structure of the ranging slot in the ranging cycle is described by taking the ranging cycle 1 of the ranging block 0 as an example.

[0374] Referring to ranging cycle 1 of ranging block 0, one ranging cycle may include a plurality of ranging slots, and the length of each ranging slot may be set to a predetermined length (eg, 1 millisecond (ms)).

[0375] One ranging message (eg, a polling message, a response message, or a report message) may be sent via the NB channel in one ranging slot.

[0376] Multiple segments (e.g., two segments (e.g., a segment of an initiator and a response segment of a responder)) may be sent in one ranging slot. As an embodiment, the segment of the initiator may be sent at the start time of the corresponding ranging slot, and the response segment of the responder may be sent at a time that is a predetermined offset from the start time of the same ranging slot.

[0377] Segments / response segments may be sent in multiple ranging slots depending on the configuration (MMS transmission).

[0378] Fig. 20 The roles of devices in UWB ranging according to an embodiment of the present disclosure are shown.

[0379] according to Fig. 20 An embodiment of the device may be Figure 1 Examples of UWB devices.

[0380] In the present disclosure, the controller 2001 may be a ranging device that sends a control message 2010 to define and control ranging characteristics. The controlled device 2002 may be a ranging device that receives the control message 2010 from the controller and utilizes the ranging function configured in the control message 2010.

[0381] The initiator 2003 may be a ranging device that initiates ranging exchange by sending a first RFRAME as a ranging initiation message (RIM) 2020. The responder 2004 may be a ranging device that reacts to the ranging initiation message 2020 received from the initiator 2003 to send a ranging response message (RRM) 2030.

[0382] The controller 2001 and the initiator 2003 may be the same device. The controlled device 2002 and the responder 2004 may be the same device.

[0383] In the present disclosure, a two-way ranging (TWR) scheme corresponds to a method in which UWB devices exchange ranging messages therebetween to calculate a time of flight (ToF) and determine the location of the UWB device based thereon. TOF can indicate the UWB propagation time between a transmitter and a receiver. UWB devices can estimate the relative distance between two devices through an accurate timestamp with the help of ToF.

[0384] Fig.21 is a view illustrating a single-sided two-way ranging (SS-TWR) scheme among UWB ranging schemes according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0385] according to Fig.21 An embodiment of the device may be Figure 1 Examples of UWB devices.

[0386] Single-Sided Two-Way Ranging (SS-TWR) proposed in the present disclosure may be a method for measuring the round-trip delay between a single message sent from one device to another and a response sent back to the original device.

[0387] Reference Fig.21 In SS-TWR, device A 2101 may send a message (e.g., RIM) for initiating ranging, and device B 2102 may send a response thereto. Each of devices 2101 and 2102 may accurately timestamp the transmission / reception time of the message frame, and may calculate the time from T round 2150 minus T reply 2160 half of the time is calculated as the ToF value T prop 2170,T reply 2160 indicates the time from the time 2120 when the device B 2102 receives the RIM message from the device A 2101 to the time 2130 when the response message is sent, T round 2150 indicates the time from the time 2110 when the device A 2101 sends the RIM to the time 2140 when the response message is received from the device B 2102 .

[0388] The specific formula is as follows.

[0389] [Equation 1]

[0390] Fig. 22 An example ranging loop structure for performing SS-TWR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0391] according to Fig. 22 An embodiment of the device may be Figure 1 Examples of UWB devices.

[0392] Fig. 22 The embodiments assume that the scheduling mode is a contention-based mode, ie, a scheduling mode in which contention-based ranging is performed.

[0393] Reference Fig. 22 In contention-based ranging, the ranging cycle may include a period for sending a RIM and a contention period 2205. In contention-based ranging, each responder may select a random time slot within the contention period and send its own response message.

[0394] The contention period may be a period during which the responder performs a contention-based response. The contention period may include at least one ranging slot. For example, as shown in the figure, the contention period may include M ranging slots. As an embodiment, the configuration information for setting the contention period may be included in an RCM sent by the controller or a RIM sent by the initiator and sent.

[0395] In contention-based ranging, each responder can select a random time slot within the contention period and send its own response message (RRM). For example, as shown in the figure, once the ranging start message is received in time slot 0 2201, responder 1 can arbitrarily select ranging time slot 1 2202 within the contention period and send its own response message in ranging time slot 1, responder 2 can arbitrarily select ranging time slot 2 2203 within the contention period and send its own response message in ranging time slot 2, and responder K can arbitrarily select ranging time slot M 2204 within the contention period and send its own response message in ranging time slot 1.

[0396] When the response messages do not conflict between the responders, the initiator can successfully receive the corresponding response message. The initiator anchor can calculate the ToF based on the successfully received response message.

[0397] Fig.23 is a diagram of SS-TWR message transmission / reception according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0398] according to Fig.23 An embodiment of the device may be Figure 1 Examples of UWB devices.

[0399] Reference Fig.23 , when the initiator device sends a ranging start message in time slot 0, the responder device can send a response message in time slots 1 to M. In time slots 1 to M, the responder device can send a response message based on contention or scheduling, and the initiator device can Fig.21 The method disclosed in calculates ToF from the message received from the responder device.

[0400] However, through Fig.21 The ToF measured in Equation 1 corresponds to the ToF calculated in the ideal case where the respective clocks of the devices are completely synchronized. However, in actual situations, the ranging error may increase as the response time of the responder increases. In other words, the ranging error may increase according to the influence of the clock drift between the initiator device and the responder device. When ε is the clock frequency offset (CFO) between the initiator device and the responder device, the actual ToF needs to be calculated according to Equation 2.

[0401] [Equation 2]

[0402] Accordingly, various methods have been attempted to reduce ranging errors by correcting CFO as described above.

[0403] Fig.24 is a view illustrating a single-sided two-way ranging (SS-TWR) scheme according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0404] according to Fig.24 An embodiment of the device may be Figure 1 Examples of UWB devices.

[0405] Reference Fig.24 , in SS-TWR, device A 2401 may send a message for starting ranging, and device B 2402 may send two responses for ranging. Each of devices 2401 and 2402 may accurately timestamp the transmission / reception time of the message frame, and may calculate from T round 2435 and 2440 minus T reply 2445 and 2450 obtain half of the time to calculate the ToF value T prop , T reply 2445 and 2450 indicate the time from the time 2410 and 2420 when the device B 2402 receives the RIM message from the device A 2401 to the time 2430 when the response message is sent, T round 2435 and 2440 indicate the time from the time 2405 when the device A 2101 sends the RIM to the time 2415 and 2425 when the response message is received from the device B 2402. Fig.24 In the embodiment of FIG. 24, since device B 2402 sends a response message twice, device A 2401 receives the response message twice and can determine T accordingly. round1 2435 and T round2 2440. In addition, since device B 2402 receives the RIM message and sends a response message twice, it is possible to determine the T for the first response signal. reply1 2445 and T for the second response signal reply2 2450. To correct for CFO, if it is assumed that the responder device's clock is ε ahead of the initiator device's clock, ToF 2460 can be calculated by using T round2 -T round1 and T reply2 -T reply1 Corrected CFO is calculated as shown in the following equation.

[0406] [Equation 3]

[0407] Here, δ is a CFO correction coefficient and can be expressed as the following equation.

[0408] [Equation 4]

[0409] Fig.25 An example ranging loop structure for performing SS-TWR according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0410] according to Fig.25 An embodiment of the device may be Figure 1 Examples of UWB devices.

[0411] Reference Fig.25 , the ranging cycle may include multiple ranging slots and slot 0, wherein the ranging start message 2501 is received in slot 0. For example, as shown in the figure, the ranging cycle may include one ranging slot for RIM and M ranging slots for contention-based access (ranging).

[0412] Assumptions Fig.25 An example of the SS-TWR follows Fig.24 SS-TWR. Therefore, when responder devices send response messages, they should send response messages twice in two consecutive time slots. Here, two consecutive time slots are defined as access time slots. When one of the two time slots is a time slot for a first response signal, the other time slot can be a time slot for a second response signal. For example, the response message sent by responder 1 2502 can be divided into a first response message 2502a and a second response message 2502b. Therefore, responder devices 2502, 2503 and 2504 can compete and randomly send response messages in M / 2 access time slots, and M / 2 access time slots are half of the total M time slots in the contention period. Continuous response signals from one responder device can compensate for the clock drift between the initiator and the responder, thereby improving the ranging accuracy.

[0413] At the same time, for some use cases, it may be preferable to allow the initiator device to calculate the range of the responder device. In this case, in order to let the responder device know the ranging result, the initiator device may need to send the ranging result in an additional time slot. In this case, the access time slot may include a total of 3 time slots, including 2 time slots for the response signal and 1 time slot for the ranging result report message.

[0414] Fig.26 is a diagram of SS-TWR message transmission / reception according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0415] according to Fig.26 An embodiment of the device may be Figure 1 Examples of UWB devices.

[0416] Reference Fig.26 , when the initiator device sends a ranging initiation message in time slot 0, the responder device may send a response message in time slots 1 to M based on contention or scheduling.

[0417] Assumptions Fig.26 An example of the SS-TWR follows Fig.24 Therefore, in time slots 1 to M, the responder device should send response messages in consecutive time slots. The initiator device can Fig.24 The method disclosed in calculates ToF through two response messages received from a responder device.

[0418] In the case of the SS-TWR scheme in which the response message is sent twice in succession, ToF can be calculated by correcting CFO, but in order to send the response message twice, the time slot used to send the response message should be consumed twice. When the time slot is consumed twice, the number of UEs that have a relative delay in transmission may increase, resulting in a fairness problem.

[0419] In addition, when the above scheme is applied and the same size of contention window (contention cycle) is used, airtime congestion may occur due to the reduction of time slots available for contention-based responses. In other words, according to the contention-based response message sending scheme, since the second response signal according to the first response signal should be continuously sent to send the message of the same device in a continuous time slot, congestion may occur, increasing the chance that the message sent from another device fails in the contention, resulting in a fairness issue.

[0420] Reference Fig.26 , when sending / receiving the first response message, device A and device B can calculate ToF by a general calculation method. Therefore, ToF can be pre-calculated without recognizing the second response message within the prediction range. However, when the second response message is received, CFO correction is performed by calculating T round2 -T round1 and T reply2 -T reply1 to be performed, thus requiring additional calculations within an unpredictable range, resulting in an increase in device load and operation delays.

[0421] Therefore, a method of obtaining ToF by correcting CFO in a more effective manner is described with reference to the following embodiments.

[0422] Fig. 27 is a view illustrating an enhanced SS-TWR method according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0423] according to Fig. 27 An embodiment of the device may be Figure 1 Examples of UWB devices.

[0424] Since one initiator device is often connected to multiple responder devices in contention-based ranging, it is more convenient for the initiator device to send a message that can be used for CFO correction twice using a message for ranging initiation or other messages than combining Figure 24 to Figure 26 The described sending of the response message twice in succession may be more efficient in terms of load distribution or resource saving.

[0425] In SS-TWR, the initiator device 2701 may send a ranging initiation message or a configuration message (CM), and the responder devices 2702 and 2703 may send responses for ranging. The configuration message may be a message for configuring parameters of a device related to ranging. Here, the initiator device 2701 may send a message for ranging (e.g., a RIM, a CM, or a control message) to the responder devices 2702 and 2703 twice in succession. Each device may accurately timestamp the transmission / reception time of the message frame, and may calculate the time from T round Subtract the response time T reply The half of the obtained time is used to calculate the ToF value T prop , T round Indicates the time from the time when the initiator device 2701 sends the RIM (or CM) to the time when the response message is received from the responder device 2702 or 2703, T reply Indicates the time from the time the responder device receives the RIM (or CM) from the initiator device to the time the response message is sent.

[0426] exist Fig. 27 In the case of, since the initiator device sends two ranging-related messages, it is possible to determine the T associated with the first ranging signal. round1 2750 or 2755 and T associated with the second ranging signal round2 2760 or 2765. In addition, since there may be two times when the responder device receives the ranging-related message, the T for the first ranging signal may be determined. reply1 2770 or 2780 and T for the second ranging signal reply2 2775 or 2785. Here, ToF 2790 can be achieved by using T round1 -T round2 and T reply1 -T reply2 Corrected CFO is calculated as shown in the following equation.

[0427] [Equation 5]

[0428] here, is the CFO correction coefficient and can be expressed as the following equation.

[0429] [Equation 6]

[0430] Reference Fig. 27 , the initiator device 2701 may send a message for the first ranging and a message for the second ranging to the responder device A 2702 and the responder device B 2703. Here, the message for the first ranging (or the first ranging signal) may include at least one of the RIM, CM, control message, pilot message having the same function as RIM, and ranging-related messages (e.g., RIM, RRM, ranging final message (RFM), measurement report message (MRM), resource release request message (RRRM), or computational representation understanding of the brain (CRUM)) sent by the initiator device 2701. The message for the second ranging (or the second ranging signal) may include at least one of the RIM, control message, pilot message having the same function as RIM, and ranging-related messages (e.g., CM, RIM, RRM, RFM, measurement report message (MRM), RRRM, or CRUM) sent by the initiator device 271.

[0431] Responder device A 2702 and responder device B 2703 receiving the messages for the first and second ranging may send a response message to the initiator device 2701 after receiving the two messages. In addition, responder device A 2702 may determine a response time T for the first ranging signal. reply1,A 2770 and the response time T for the second ranging signal reply2,A 2775.

[0432] In contention-based ranging, responder device A 2702 may select any time slot within the contention period and send a response message in the corresponding time slot to initiator device 2701. Alternatively, in scheduling-based ranging, responder device A 2702 may send a response message to initiator device 2701 in the ranging time slot allocated to it.

[0433] In an embodiment, the response message may include information about the response time T reply1,A 2770 and response time T reply2,A 2775. The information about the response time T included in the response message reply1,A 2770 and about the response time T reply2,A The information of 2775 can be used to correct CFO in the initiator device 2701.

[0434] Once the response message is received, the initiator device 2701 may determine the time 2710 of transmitting the first ranging signal and the time 2720 of receiving the response message transmitted by the responder device A 2702. round1,A 2750, and T associated with the second ranging signal transmission time 2715 and the time 2720 of receiving the response message transmitted by responder device A. round2,A 2760. Therefore, to calculate ToF 2790, the CFO correction factor may be calculated as shown in Equation 7. As an embodiment, the calculation of the CFO correction factor may be performed by the initiator device 2701.

[0435] [Equation 7]

[0436] Based on the CFO correction factor obtained above, ToF can be calculated by the following Equation 8.

[0437] [Equation 8]

[0438] For responder device B 2703, the ToF 2790 may be calculated using the same method as for responder device A 2702. The initiator device 2701 may determine the T associated with the first ranging signal transmission time 2710 and the time 2725 at which the response message transmitted by responder device B 2702 is received. round1,B 2755, and T associated with the second ranging signal transmission time 2715 and the time 2726 of receiving the response message transmitted by responder device B. round2,B 2765. Further, responder device B 2703 may determine a response time T for the first ranging signal. reply1,B 2780 and the response time T of the user's second ranging signal reply2,B 2785.

[0439] As an example, regarding the response time T reply1,B 2780 and response time T reply2,B The information of 2785 may be included in the response message sent by responder device B 2703. The information about the response time T included in the response message reply1,B 2780 and response time T reply2,B The information of 2785 can be used to correct CFO in the initiator device 2701.

[0440] In this case, time information about the responder device B may be reflected in Equation 7 and Equation 8.

[0441] Fig.28A, Fig.28B , Fig.28C and Fig.28D is a diagram of message transmission / reception in an enhanced SS-TWR scheme according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0442] according to FIG. 28A to FIG. 28D An embodiment of the device may be Figure 1 Examples of UWB devices.

[0443] Reference FIG. 28A to FIG. 28D A method of sending a message for ranging twice in consecutive time slots in the enhanced SS-TWR method for sending a message for ranging twice by an initiator device described with reference to FIG28 is described. The above method simply uses one more time slot than the conventional method, and thus can consume fewer time slots while further reducing ranging errors.

[0444] Reference Fig.28A , the initiator device may send two ranging initiation messages (RIMs) (or CMs) in succession. For example, when the first RIM 2801 (or the first CM) is sent in time slot 0, the second RIM 2802 (or the second CM) may be sent in time slot 1. Thereafter, in contention-based ranging, the responder device may select any time slot within the contention period and send a response message to the initiator device in the corresponding time slot. Alternatively, in scheduling-based ranging, the responder device may send a response message to the initiator device in the ranging time slot assigned to it. Thus, the initiator device may receive a response message from the responder device in time slots 2 to M. The response message may be sent one or more times by the responder device in response to receiving two RIMs. In an embodiment, the response message may include information about a response time for the first RIM and a response time for the second RIM. The initiator device may use the response time information included in the response message to correct the CFO.

[0445] Once the response message is received, the initiator device may derive CFO correction information through the first RIM 2801, the second RIM 2802 and the response message. The CFO correction information may include the time interval between the first RIM transmission time and the second RIM transmission time. If necessary, the initiator device may periodically send additional RIMs to minimize the waste of time slots and enable all UEs within range to receive multiple RIMs.

[0446] Reference Fig.28B, the initiator device may send the control message 2803 and then send the RIM 2804 (or CM) in the next time slot. For example, when the control message 2803 is sent in time slot 0, the RIM 2804 (or CM) may be sent in time slot 1. The initiator device may derive the CFO correction information through the control message 2803 and the RIM 2804. In this case, the control message 2803 may be used as Fig.28A The first RIM, and RIM 2804 can be used as Fig.28A 2804. Thereafter, in the case of contention-based ranging, the responder device that has received the control message 2803 and the RIM 2804 can select any time slot within the contention period and send a response message to the initiator device in the corresponding time slot. Alternatively, in scheduling-based ranging, the responder device that has received the control message 2803 and the RIM 2804 can send a response message to the initiator device in the ranging time slot allocated to it. For example, the initiator device can receive a response message from the responder device in time slots 2 to M.

[0447] In an embodiment, the response message may include information about a response time for the control message 2803 and a response time for the RIM 2804. The initiator device may correct the CFO using the response time information included in the response message.

[0448] Once the response message is received, the initiator device can derive CFO correction information through the control message 2803, RIM 2804 and the response message. The CFO correction information may include the time interval between the control message sending time and the RIM sending time. The control message 2805 does not necessarily have to be sent and may be optionally included.

[0449] Reference Fig.28C, the initiator device may send a control message 2805 and send two RIMs 2806 and 2807 (or CMs) continuously. For example, when the control message 2805 is sent in time slot 0, the first RIM 2806 (or first CM) may be sent in time slot 1, and the second RIM 2807 (or second CM) may be sent in time slot 2. The control message 2805 may include an indicator indicating that the RIM messages will be sent to the responder device continuously. Thereafter, in contention-based ranging, the responder device may select any time slot within the contention period and send a response message to the initiator device in the corresponding time slot. Alternatively, in scheduling-based ranging, the responder device may send a response message to the initiator device in the ranging time slot assigned to it. In other words, a responder device receiving multiple RIMs 2806 and 2807 may send a response message in time slots 3 to 2807. If necessary, additional RIMs may be sent periodically to minimize the waste of time slots and enable all UEs within range to receive multiple RIMs. Control message 2805 does not necessarily have to be sent and may optionally be included.

[0450] In an embodiment, the response message may include information about the answer time for the first RIM 2806 and the answer time for the second RIM 2807. The initiator device may correct the CFO using the answer time information included in the response message.

[0451] Once the response message is received, the initiator device may derive CFO correction information through the first RIM 2806, the second RIM 2807 and the response message. The CFO correction information may include the time interval between the first RIM transmission time and the second RIM transmission time. If necessary, the initiator device may periodically send additional RIMs to minimize the waste of time slots and enable all UEs within range to receive multiple RIMs.

[0452] Reference Fig.28D, the initiator device may send a control message 2808, followed by a RIM 2809 (or CM), and then a CFO compensation message 2810. The CFO compensation message 2810 may be a message that can perform a role similar to the role of the RIM. The CFO compensation message 2810 may be a pilot signal. For example, when the control message 2808 is sent in time slot 0, the RIM 2809 may be sent in time slot 1, and the CFO compensation message 2810 may be sent in time slot 2. The control message 2808 may include an indicator indicating that the RIM 2809 and the CFO compensation message 2810 will be sent to the responder device continuously. Thereafter, in contention-based ranging, the responder device may select any time slot within the contention period and send a response message to the initiator device in the corresponding time slot. Alternatively, in scheduling-based ranging, the responder device may send a response message to the initiator device in the ranging time slot assigned to it. Therefore, the responder device receiving the RIM 2809 and the CFO compensation message 2810 may send a response message in time slot 3 to time slot 24. In an embodiment, the response message may include information about a response time for the RIM 2809 and a response time for the CFO compensation message 2810. The initiator device may correct the CFO using the response time information included in the response message.

[0453] Upon receiving the response message, the initiator device may derive CFO correction information through the RIM 2809, the CFO compensation message 2810, and the response message. The CFO correction information may include the time interval between the RIM transmission time and the CFO compensation message transmission time. If necessary, the initiator device may periodically send additional RIMs to minimize the waste of time slots and enable all UEs in range to receive multiple RIMs. The control message 2808 does not necessarily have to be sent and may be optionally included.

[0454] exist FIG. 28A to FIG. 28D In all cases, the ToF calculation can be done by Fig. 27 The equations described in are performed using the derived CFO correction information.

[0455] Fig.29A , Fig.29B and Fig.29C is a diagram of message transmission / reception in an enhanced SS-TWR scheme according to various embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0456] Reference FIG. 29A to FIG. 29C A method of transmitting a message for ranging twice in time slots that are not consecutive time slots, among the enhanced SS-TWR methods for transmitting a message for ranging twice by an initiator device, is described.

[0457] Reference Fig.29A, the initiator device may send a control message 2901 and send one RIM 2902 (or CM). Thereafter, after receiving a response message from at least one responder device, a ranging final message (RFM) 2903 for terminating ranging may be sent. For example, when the initiator device sends a control message 2901 in time slot 0, it may send a RIM 2902 in time slot 1, then receive a response message in time slots 2 to 5, and then send an RFM 2903 in time slot 6. The RFM 2903 may include information indicating that the RIM 2902 and the RFM 2903 are used to calculate the ToF. In contention-based ranging, the responder device may select any time slot within the contention period and send a response message to the initiator device in the corresponding time slot. Alternatively, in scheduling-based ranging, the responder device may send a response message to the initiator device in the ranging time slot assigned to it. In an embodiment, the response message may include information about the answer time for the RIM 2902. The initiator device may correct the CFO using the answer time information included in the response message.

[0458] The initiator device may derive CFO correction information through the RIM 2902, the RFM 2903, and the response message. The control message may include information for deriving the CFO correction information using the RIM 2902 and the RFM 2903. The control message 2901 does not necessarily have to be sent and may be optionally included.

[0459] Reference Fig.29B, the initiator device may send a control message 2904 and send one RIM 2905 (or CM). Thereafter, after receiving a response message from at least one responder device, the initiator device may send a ranging final message (RFM) 2906 for terminating ranging, and send a measurement report message (MRM) 2907 for a measurement report according to the ranging result. For example, when the initiator device sends a control message 2904 in time slot 0, it may send a RIM 2905 in time slot 1, then receive a response message in time slots 2 to 4, then send an RFM 2906 in time slot 5, and then send an MRM 2907 in time slot 6. The MRM 2907 may include information indicating that the RIM 2905 and the MRM 2907 are used to calculate the ToF. The initiator device may derive CFO correction information through the RIM 2905 and the MRM 2907. In contention-based ranging, the responder device may select any time slot within the contention period and send a response message to the initiator device in the corresponding time slot. Alternatively, in scheduling-based ranging, the responder device may send a response message to the initiator device in the ranging time slot assigned to it. In an embodiment, the response message may include information about the answer time for the RIM 2905. The initiator device may use the answer time information included in the response message to correct the CFO.

[0460] The control message 2904 may include information for deriving CFO correction information using the RIM 2905 and the MRM 2907. The control message 2904 does not necessarily have to be sent and may be optionally included.

[0461] Reference Fig.29C, the initiator device may send a control message 2908 and send one RIM 2909 (or CM). Thereafter, after receiving a response message from at least one responder device, the initiator device may send a CFO compensation message 2910 and additionally receive a response message from the responder device. The CFO compensation message 2910 may be a message capable of performing a role similar to the role of the RIM. The CFO compensation message 2910 may be a pilot signal. For example, when the initiator device sends a control message 2908 in time slot 0, it may send a RIM 2909 in time slot 1, then receive response messages in time slots 2 and 3, and then send a CFO compensation message 2910 in time slot 4. Thereafter, the initiator device may also receive additional response messages. The CFO compensation message may include information indicating that the RIM and the CFO compensation message will be used to calculate the ToF. In contention-based ranging, the responder device may select any time slot within the contention period and send a response message to the initiator device in the corresponding time slot. Alternatively, in the scheduling-based ranging, the responder device may send a response message to the initiator device in the ranging slot allocated to it. In an embodiment, the response message may include information about the response time for the RIM 2909 and the response time for the CFO compensation message 2910. The initiator device may use the response time information included in the response message to correct the CFO.

[0462] The initiator device may derive CFO correction information through the RIM 2909, the CFO compensation message 2910, and the response message. The control message 2908 may include information for deriving the CFO correction information using the RIM and the CFO compensation message. The control message 2908 does not necessarily have to be sent and may be optionally included.

[0463] exist FIG. 29A to FIG. 29C In all cases, the ToF calculation can be done by Fig. 27 The equations described in are performed using the derived CFO correction information.

[0464] Fig.30 is a flowchart illustrating a method of a UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0465] Reference Fig.30 , UWB devices can correspond to Figure 1 A UWB device may include a UWB device, or may be an electronic device that may include a part of a UWB device.

[0466] exist Fig.30 In an embodiment of the present invention, the UWB device may be an initiator device for initiating ranging. The UWB device may include a transceiver and at least one processor.

[0467] Fig.30For examples, please refer to Fig. 27 , FIG. 28A to FIG. 28D ,and FIG. 29A to FIG. 29C Description of the method.

[0468] Reference Fig.30 , the UWB device (first UWB device) may send a first message to the second UWB device (3010). The first message may be any one of a ranging start message, a configuration message, or a control message.

[0469] The first UWB device may send a second message to the second UWB device (3020). The second message may be any one of a ranging start message, a configuration message, a pilot message, a ranging final message, and a measurement report message.

[0470] The first UWB device may receive a response message from the second UWB device (3030). The response message may include at least one of: information about a first response time related to a time when the second UWB device received the first message and a time when the response message was sent, and information about a second response time related to a time when the second UWB device received the second message and a time when the response message was sent.

[0471] The first UWB device may derive correction information for clock frequency offset (CFO) correction between the first UWB device and the second UWB device based on the first message, the second message, and the response message (3040). The correction information may be determined based on a first time between a time when the first UWB device sends the first message and a time when the response message is received, a second time between a time when the second message is sent and a time when the response message is received, a third time between a time when the second UWB device receives the first message and a time when the response message is sent, and a fourth time between a time when the second message is received and a time when the response message is sent.

[0472] The first UWB device may estimate a relative distance between the first UWB device and the second UWB device based on the correction information (3050). The first UWB device may determine a CFO correction factor by dividing the first time minus the second time by the third time minus the fourth time, determine a time of flight (ToF) using a value obtained by subtracting a product of the determined CFO correction factor and the third time from the first time, and estimate the relative distance between the first UWB device and the second UWB device based on the determined ToF.

[0473] Fig.31 is a flowchart illustrating a method of a UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0474] Reference Fig.31 , UWB devices can correspond to Figure 1A UWB device may include a UWB device, or may be an electronic device that may include a part of a UWB device.

[0475] exist Fig.31 In an embodiment of the present invention, the UWB device may be a responder device for responding to ranging. The UWB device may include a transceiver and at least one processor.

[0476] Fig.31 For examples, please refer to Fig. 27 , FIG. 28A to FIG. 28D ,and FIG. 29A to FIG. 29C Description of the method.

[0477] Reference Fig.31 The UWB device (second UWB device) may receive a first message from the first UWB device (3110). The first message may be any one of a ranging initiation message, a configuration message, or a control message.

[0478] The second UWB device may receive a second message from the first UWB device (3120). The second message may be any one of a ranging start message, a configuration message, a pilot message, a ranging final message, and a measurement report message.

[0479] The second UWB device may send a response message from the first UWB device (3130). The response message may include at least one of: information about a first reply time related to a time when the second UWB device received the first message and a time to send the response message, and information about a second reply time related to a time when the second UWB device received the second message and a time to send the response message.

[0480] The second UWB device may obtain correction information for clock frequency offset (CFO) correction between the first UWB device and the second UWB device based on the first message, the second message, and the response message (3140). The correction information may be determined based on a first time between a time when the first UWB device sends the first message and a time when the response message is received, a second time between a time when the second UWB device sends the second message and a time when the response message is received, a third time between a time when the second UWB device receives the first message and a time when the response message is sent, and a fourth time between a time when the second message is received and a time when the response message is sent.

[0481] Fig.15 The structure of a first UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0482] Reference Fig.15 , the first UWB device may correspond to Figure 1 A UWB device may include a UWB device, or may be an electronic device that may include a part of a UWB device.

[0483] exist Fig.15 In the embodiment of the present invention, the first UWB device may be a UWB device operating as a controller.

[0484] Reference Fig.15 , the first UWB device may include a transceiver 1510, a controller 1520, and a storage unit 1530. In the present disclosure, the controller may be defined as a circuit or an application specific integrated circuit or at least one processor.

[0485] The transceiver 1510 may transmit and receive a signal to and from another entity.

[0486] According to an embodiment, the controller 1520 may control the overall operation of the electronic device. For example, the controller 1520 may control the inter-block signal flow to perform the operation according to the above flowchart. Specifically, the controller 1520 may control, for example, the reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 5 , Fig. 6A , Figure 6B , Figure 7 , Fig. 8A , Figure 8B , Figures 9 to 14 , Figures 17 to 27 , FIG. 28A to FIG. 28D , FIG. 29A to FIG. 29C , Fig.30 and Fig.31 The operation of a first UWB device (eg, the time block structure configuration operation of a controller) is described in at least one embodiment.

[0487] The storage unit 1530 may store at least one of information transmitted / received via the transceiver 1510 and information generated via the controller 1520. For example, the storage unit 1530 may store the information transmitted / received via the transceiver 1510 and the information generated via the controller 1520. Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 5 , Fig. 6A , Figure 6B , Figure 7 , Fig. 8A , Figure 8B , Figures 9 to 14 , Figures 17 to 27 , FIG. 28A to FIG. 28D , FIG. 29A to FIG. 29C , Fig.30 and Fig.31Information and data necessary for at least one embodiment of the described method.

[0488] Fig.16 The structure of a second UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0489] Reference Fig.16 , the first UWB device may correspond to Figure 2 A UWB device may include a UWB device, or may be an electronic device that may include a part of a UWB device.

[0490] exist Fig.16 In the embodiment of the present invention, the second UWB device may be a UWB device operating as a slave.

[0491] Reference Fig.16 , the second UWB device may include a transceiver 1610, a controller 1620, and a storage unit 1630. In the present disclosure, the controller may be defined as a circuit or an application specific integrated circuit or at least one processor.

[0492] The transceiver 1610 may transmit and receive a signal to and from another entity.

[0493] According to an embodiment, the controller 1620 may control the overall operation of the electronic device. For example, the controller 1620 may control the inter-block signal flow to perform the operation according to the above flowchart. Specifically, the controller 1620 may control, for example, the reference Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 5 , Fig. 6A , Figure 6B , Figure 7 , Fig. 8A , Figure 8B , Figures 9 to 14 , Figures 17 to 27 , FIG. 28A to FIG. 28D , FIG. 29A to FIG. 29C , Fig.30 and Fig.31 The operation of a first UWB device (eg, the time block structure configuration operation of a controller) is described in at least one embodiment.

[0494] The storage unit 1630 may store at least one of information transmitted / received via the transceiver 1610 and information generated via the controller 1620. For example, the storage unit 1630 may store the information transmitted / received via the transceiver 1610 and the information generated via the controller 1620. Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 4A ,Figure 4B , Figure 5 , Fig. 6A , Figure 6B , Figure 7 , Fig. 8A , Figure 8B , Figures 9 to 14 , Figures 17 to 27 , FIG. 28A to FIG. 28D , FIG. 29A to FIG. 29C , Fig.30 and Fig.31 Information and data necessary for at least one embodiment of the described method.

[0495] Meanwhile, if necessary, narrowband (NB) can be used to assist UWB. For example, NB can be used to assist multi-millisecond (MMS) UWB, which can be referred to as narrowband assisted (NBA)-MMS UWB.

[0496] MMS UWB may be a mode in which multiple segments / multi-packets are sent via UWB at intervals of at least 1 millisecond (ms) to enhance link budget and ToF accuracy. Here, the transmission interval of the multiple segments / multi-packets is not limited to a specific length. For example, each segment (or a UWB packet including each segment) may be multi-channeled via UWB at intervals of 1 ms. These multiple segments / multi-packets may be used for UWB ranging (e.g., SS-TWR, DS-TWR, etc.).

[0497] As an embodiment, the segment / packet for MMS UWB may include, but is not limited to, a ranging sequence segment (RSF) or a ranging integrity segment (RIF). According to an embodiment, the RSF may be generated based on a predetermined multi-millisecond ranging sequence (MMRS), or may be generated based on a predetermined preamble sequence (e.g., a sequence for configuring a SYCN field (preamble) of a UWB packet). As an embodiment, the RIF may be generated based on the STS. In the present disclosure, in MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS UWB), the segment used for multi-path transmission may be referred to as a UWB segment.

[0498] NBA-MMS UWB may be a mode in which NB assists MMS UWB. For example, in NBA-MMS UWB, the transmission of synchronization information and / or configuration information for MMS UWB may be performed by NB instead of UWB. The synchronization information may include information about frequency synchronization and start-up time (or timing) required for MMS UWB. NBA-MMS UWB and MMS UWB may be one of the multiplex transmission modes.

[0499] In the above-mentioned MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS UWB), performance enhancement (e.g., ToF accuracy enhancement) can be obtained by sending segments / packets multiple times, but this results in occupying more time slots. This trade-off between performance enhancement and resource usage efficiency may be an important issue in MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS UWB). Especially in dense areas, this trade-off may be critical.

[0500] Meanwhile, for the purpose of flexibility in configuration of the corresponding structure, the above-mentioned super-block structure can be used as one of the methods for improving resource usage efficiency in MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS UWB). Hereinafter, an example in which the above-mentioned super-block structure is used for MMS UWB (or NBA-MMS UWB) is described. The description related to the super-block structure can refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3A , Figure 3B , Figure 4A , Figure 4B , Figure 5 , Fig. 6A , Figure 6B , Figure 7 , Fig. 8A , Figure 8B , Figures 9 to 14 ,as well as Figures 17 to 19 Description of the super block structure.

[0501] In the above specific embodiments, the components included in the present disclosure are expressed in singular or plural forms according to the specific embodiments proposed. However, the singular or plural form is selected to be sufficient for the content suggested for convenience of description, and the present disclosure is not limited to singular or plural components.

[0502] While the present disclosure has been shown and described with reference to various embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method performed by a controller in a communication system supporting ranging, the method comprising: generating a ranging control message RCM, the RCM comprising configuration information related to a super-block structure; as well as sending the RCM to at least one controlled device, The super-block structure has a repetitive pattern of super-blocks, and the super-block is a group of ranging blocks.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The superblock comprises a plurality of ranging blocks having different block durations, wherein each of the plurality of ranging blocks comprises at least one cycle, and Each of the at least one cycle includes at least one time slot.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein: The plurality of cycles included in each ranging block have different cycle durations, and Therein, a plurality of time slots included in each cycle have different time slot durations.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein: The configuration information includes at least one of the following: information indicating the number of the plurality of ranging blocks in the super block; Information indicating the duration of each ranging block; information indicating the duration of each cycle; as well as Information indicating the duration of each time slot.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The RCM is sent repeatedly by the controller.

6. A controller in a communication system supporting ranging, the controller comprising: Transceiver; as well as The processor is configured as: generating a ranging control message RCM, the RCM comprising configuration information related to the super-block structure, and sending the RCM to at least one controlled device via the transceiver, The super-block structure has a repetitive pattern of super-blocks, and the super-block is a group of ranging blocks.

7. A controller according to claim 6, adapted to operate according to the method of any one of claims 2 to 5.

8. A method performed by a controlled device in a communication system supporting ranging, the method comprising: receiving a ranging control message RCM from a controller, the RCM including configuration information related to a super-block structure; as well as Based on the configuration information, identifying the super block structure, The super-block structure has a repetitive pattern of super-blocks, and the super-block is a group of ranging blocks.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The superblock comprises a plurality of ranging blocks having different block durations, wherein each of the plurality of ranging blocks comprises at least one cycle, and Each of the at least one cycle includes at least one time slot.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein: The plurality of cycles included in each ranging block have different cycle durations, and Therein, a plurality of time slots included in each cycle have different time slot durations.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein: The configuration information includes at least one of the following: information indicating the number of the plurality of ranging blocks in the super block; Information indicating the duration of each ranging block; information indicating the duration of each cycle; as well as Information indicating the duration of each time slot.

12. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The RCM is repeatedly received from the controller.

13. A controlled device in a communication system supporting ranging, the controlled device comprising: Transceiver; as well as The processor is configured as: receiving a ranging control message RCM from the controller, the RCM including configuration information related to the super-block structure, and Based on the configuration information, identifying the super block structure, The super-block structure has a repetitive pattern of super-blocks, and the super-block is a group of ranging blocks.

14. A controlled device according to claim 13, adapted to operate according to the method according to any one of claims 9 to 12.

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