Method and apparatus for cooperative positioning using UWB communication

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a method for providing a service by using ultra wide band (UWB) communication. A method for a first UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure comprises the steps of: receiving a downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDoA) message from at least one UWB anchor point through a UWB channel; confirming that the positioning of the first UWB device has failed based on the DL-TDoA message; receiving, from the second UWB device, a ranging message including location information on the second UWB device; and measuring the position of the first UWB device based on the DL-TDoA message and the position information on the second UWB device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to UWB communication, and more particularly, to a method for devices to cooperatively perform positioning using UWB communication. Background Art

[0002] The Internet is evolving from a human-centric connected network where humans create and consume information to an Internet of Things (IoT) network where 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, connection to a cloud server. Implementing IoT requires technical elements such as sensing technology, wired / wireless communication and network infrastructure, service interfaces, and security technology. Recent ongoing research on object-to-object connectivity is about technologies for sensor networking, machine-to-machine (M2M), or machine-type communications (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 traditional information technology (IT) technologies and various industries, IoT can have various applications such as smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smart cars or connected cars, smart grids, healthcare or smart appliance industries, or state-of-the-art medical services.

[0004] As wireless communication systems develop to provide various services, a method for efficiently providing such services is required. For example, a ranging technology for measuring the distance between electronic devices using ultra-wideband (UWB) may be used. Summary of the invention

[0005] Technical issues

[0006] The present disclosure discloses a method in which a UWB device that cannot receive a sufficient anchor signal in a service area estimates its position through cooperative positioning with another UWB device.

[0007] Technical Solution

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method performed by a first ultra-wideband (UWB) device may include: receiving a downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDoA) message from at least one UWB anchor point through a UWB channel; based on the DL-TDoA message, identifying a failure in position measurement of the first UWB device; receiving a ranging message including position information about the second UWB device from a second UWB device; and measuring the position of the first UWB device based on the position information about the second UWB device and the DL-TDoA message.

[0009] According to an embodiment, the method performed by the first UWB device may further include: sending a message requesting cooperative positioning to the second UWB device.

[0010] According to an embodiment, the ranging message may be received through the UWB channel, the ranging message may be received through a narrowband (NB) channel, or the ranging message may be received through fine time measurement (FTM) based on a Wi-Fi Neighbor Awareness Network (NAN).

[0011] According to an embodiment, the location information about the second UWB device may include the latitude of the second UWB device, the longitude of the second UWB device, and the altitude of the second UWB device. According to another embodiment, the location information about the second UWB device may include an X-axis coordinate value in a set coordinate system in millimeters, a Y-axis coordinate value in the coordinate system in millimeters, and a Z-axis value in the coordinate system in millimeters.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a method performed by a second ultra-wideband (UWB) device may include: receiving a downlink time difference of arrival DL-TDoA message from at least one UWB anchor point through a UWB channel; based on the DL-TDoA message, identifying the success of the position measurement of the second UWB device; and based on the DL-TDoA message, sending a ranging message including position information about the second UWB device to a first UWB device that failed in the position measurement.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a first ultra-wideband (UWB) device may include a transceiver and a processor. The processor may be controlled to receive a downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDoA) message from at least one UWB anchor point through a UWB channel; based on the DL-TDoA message, identify a failure of position measurement of the first UWB device; receive a ranging message including position information about the second UWB device from a second UWB device; and measure the position of the first UWB device based on the position information about the second UWB device and the DL-TDoA message.

[0014] The second ultra-wideband (UWB) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may include a transceiver and a processor. The processor may be controlled to receive a downlink time difference of arrival DL-TDoA message from at least one UWB anchor point through a UWB channel; based on the DL-TDoA message, identify the success of the position measurement of the second UWB device; and based on the DL-TDoA message, send a ranging message including the position information about the second UWB device to the first UWB device that failed in the position measurement.

[0015] Beneficial Effects

[0016] The method and apparatus according to an embodiment of the present disclosure may allow a UWB device that has failed in position measurement due to failure to receive sufficient anchor signals in a service area to effectively measure its position through cooperative positioning with another UWB device. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 An example architecture of a UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0018] Figure 2 An example configuration of a framework of a UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0019] Figure 3a An example of a ranging block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 3b The structure of the ranging round according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 4 Various examples of UWB ranging methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure are shown;

[0022] Figure 5a A method for a UWB device to perform UWB ranging in a DL-TDoA scheme according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0023] Figure 5b An example of a ranging block structure for a downlink TDoA scheme according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0024] Figure 6 The invention shows a process in which a UWB device that fails in positioning calculates its position using TWR-based cooperative positioning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 7 The invention shows a process in which a UWB device that fails in positioning calculates its position using DL-TDoA-based collaborative positioning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0026] Figure 8 An example is shown in which a UWB device that has failed in positioning performs cooperative positioning using an in-band channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0027] Fig. 9 An example is shown in which a UWB device that has failed in positioning uses a NB channel to perform cooperative positioning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Fig.10An example is shown in which a UWB device that has failed in positioning uses a Wi-Fi NAN to perform collaborative positioning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Fig.11a is a diagram showing a Wi-Fi NAN ranging architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Fig.11b An example of performing FTM-based ranging according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0031] Fig.12a , 12b , 12c and 12d show examples of message fields regarding anchor point location information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0032] Fig.13 shows the structure of a first UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and

[0033] Fig.14 The structure of a second UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0034] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] When describing the embodiments, descriptions of technologies known in the art and not directly related to the present invention are omitted. This is to further clarify the subject matter of the present disclosure without making the subject matter of the present disclosure unclear.

[0036] 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 drawings, the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same elements.

[0037] The advantages and features of the present disclosure and the methods for realizing the same can be understood by the embodiments described below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed herein, and various changes may be made thereto. The embodiments disclosed herein are provided only to inform those of ordinary skill in the art of the categories of the present disclosure. The present invention is limited only by the appended claims. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals represent the same elements.

[0038] It should be understood that the blocks in each flowchart and combination of flowcharts 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 a device 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 that can be oriented to a computer or other programmable data processing device to implement the functions in a specified manner, 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 that generate the process executed by the computer as a series of operating steps are executed on the computer or other programmable data processing device, and the operating computer or other programmable data processing device can provide steps for performing the functions described in conjunction with the blocks in each flowchart.

[0039] In addition, each box can represent a module, a fragment or a portion of a code including one or more executable instructions for performing 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, depending on the corresponding functions, two boxes shown in succession can be executed substantially simultaneously or in reverse order.

[0040] 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). A unit plays a certain role. However, a "unit" is not limited to software or hardware. A "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, a "unit" includes elements such as software elements, object-oriented software elements, class elements and task elements, processes, functions, attributes, procedures, subroutines, program code segments, drivers, firmware, microcodes, circuits, data, databases, data architectures, tables, arrays, and variables. The functions provided in components and "units" can be combined into a smaller number of components and "units", or further divided into additional components and "units". In addition, components and "units" can be implemented as one or more CPUs in an execution device or a secure multimedia card. According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a "unit" can include one or more processors.

[0041] As used herein, the term 'terminal' or 'device' may also be referred to as a mobile station (MS), a user equipment (UE), a user terminal (UT), a terminal, a wireless terminal, an access terminal (AT), a subscriber unit, a subscriber station (SS), a wireless device, a wireless communication device, a wireless transmission / reception unit (WTRU), a mobile node, or a mobile or may be referred to by other terms. Various embodiments of the terminal may include a cellular phone, a smart phone with wireless communication capabilities, a personal digital assistant (PDA) with wireless communication capabilities, a wireless modem, a portable computer with wireless communication capabilities, a capture / recording / shooting / shooting device (such as a digital camera) with wireless communication capabilities, a game console with wireless communication capabilities, a music storage and playback household appliance with wireless communication capabilities, an Internet household 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 a device.

[0042] Hereinafter, the operating principle of the present disclosure is described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. When it is determined that the subject matter of the present disclosure is not necessarily 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 the user or operator. Therefore, terms should be defined based on the overall disclosure.

[0043] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Further, although a communication system using UWB is described in conjunction with an embodiment of the present invention, as an example, embodiments of the present invention may also be applied to other communication systems having similar technical backgrounds or features. For example, communication systems using Bluetooth or ZigBee may be included. In addition, embodiments of the present invention may be modified within the scope of not significantly departing from the scope of the present invention, as determined by a person of ordinary skill in the art, and such modifications may be applicable to other communication systems.

[0044] When it is determined that the subject matter of the present invention is unclear, the detailed description of known technologies or functions 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, the terms should be defined based on the overall disclosure.

[0045] Generally, according to the identification distance, wireless sensor network technology is mainly divided into wireless local area network (WLAN) technology and wireless personal area network (WPAN) technology. In this case, WLAN is a technology based on IEEE 802.11, which enables access to the backbone network within a radius of about 100m. WPAN is a technology based on IEEE802.15, which includes Bluetooth, ZigBee and ultra-wideband (UWB). A wireless network that implements this wireless network technology may include multiple electronic devices.

[0046] 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 greater or a bandwidth corresponding to a center frequency of 20% or greater. UWB may mean the frequency band itself to which UWB communication is applied. UWB can achieve safe and accurate ranging between devices. Therefore, UWB enables relative position estimation based on the distance between two devices or accurate position estimation of a device based on the distance from a fixed device (whose position is known).

[0047] The terms used herein are provided for a better understanding of the present disclosure and may be changed without departing from the technical spirit of the present disclosure.

[0048] An "application specific file (ADF)" may be, for example, a data structure within an application data structure that may host an application or application specific data.

[0049] An "Application Protocol Data Unit (APDU)" may be a command and response used when communicating with an application data structure in a UWB device.

[0050] The “application specific data” may be, for example, a file structure having a root level and an application level, the file structure including UWB controlee information and UWB session data required for a UWB session.

[0051] A "controller" may be 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.

[0052] A "controller" may be 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.

[0053] Unlike "static STS", "dynamic scrambled timestamp sequence (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 for generating STS may be managed by the security component.

[0054] An "applet" may be, for example, a small program executed on a secure component that includes UWB parameters and service data. The applet may be a FiRa applet.

[0055] A “ranging device” may be a device capable of performing UWB ranging. In the present disclosure, the ranging device may be an enhanced ranging device (ERDEV) or a FiRa device defined in IEEE802.15.4z. The ranging device may be referred to as a UWB device.

[0056] A "UWB-enabled application" may be an application for UWB services. For example, a UWB-enabled application may be an application that uses the framework API to configure an OOB connector, security services, and / or UWB services for a UWB session. A "UWB-enabled application" may be abbreviated as an application or a UWB application. A UWB-enabled application may be a FiRa-enabled application.

[0057] A "framework" may be a component that provides access to profiles, individual UWB configurations and / or notifications. A "framework" may be a collection of logical software components including, for example, a profile manager, an OOB connector, security services and / or UWB services. A framework may be a FiRa framework.

[0058] An "OOB connector" may be a software component for establishing an out-of-band (OOB) connection (eg, a BLE connection) between ranging devices. The OOB connector may be a FiRa OOB connector.

[0059] A "profile" may be a collection of previously defined UWB and OOB configuration parameters. A profile may be a FiRa profile.

[0060] A "profile manager" may be a software component that implements the profiles available on the ranging device. The profile manager may be a FiRa profile manager.

[0061] A "service" may be an implementation of a use case that provides a service to an end user.

[0062] A "smart ranging device" may be a ranging device that may implement the optional framework API. A smart ranging device may be a FiRa smart device.

[0063] A "Global Dedicated File (GDF)" may be application-specific data at the root level, including data required to establish a USB session.

[0064] A "framework API" may be an API used by UWB-enabled applications to communicate with the framework.

[0065] An "initiator" may be a ranging device that initiates a ranging exchange. The initiator may initiate a ranging exchange by sending a first RFRAME (ranging exchange message).

[0066] An "object identifier (OID)" may be an identifier of an ADF in an application data structure.

[0067] "Out-of-band (OOB)" may be data communications that do not use UWB as the underlying wireless technology.

[0068] A "Ranging Data Set (RDS)" may be data required to establish a UWB session when confidentiality, authenticity, and integrity need to be protected (eg, UWB session key, session ID, etc.).

[0069] A "responder" may be 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.

[0070] "STS" may be an encrypted sequence used to increase the integrity and accuracy of the ranging measurement timestamp. STS may be generated from the ranging session key.

[0071] A "secure channel" may be a data channel that is protected from eavesdropping and tampering.

[0072] A "secure component" may be an entity with a defined security level (eg, SE or TEE) that interfaces with the UWBS in order to provide RDS to the UWBS, for example when using dynamic STS.

[0073] A “secure element (SE)” may be a tamper-resistant secure hardware component that may be used as a secure component in a ranging device.

[0074] "Secure ranging" may be ranging based on an STS generated through a strong cryptographic operation.

[0075] A “security service” may be a software component used to interface with a secure component, such as a secure element or a trusted execution environment (TEE).

[0076] A "servlet" may be an applet on a secure component that handles service specific transactions.

[0077] "Service data" may be data defined by a service provider, which needs to be transmitted between two ranging devices to implement a service.

[0078] 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.

[0079] "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.

[0080] A "Secure UWB Service (SUS) applet" may be an applet on the SE that communicates with the applet to retrieve the data needed to enable a secure UWB session with other ranging devices. The SUS applet may transmit the corresponding data (information) to the UWBS.

[0081] A "UWB Service" may be a software component that provides access to a UWB S.

[0082] A "UWB session" may be a period from when a controller and a controlled party start communicating via UWB until the communication stops. A UWB session may include ranging, data transfer, or both ranging and data transfer.

[0083] The “UWB session ID” may be an ID (eg, a 32-bit integer) identifying a UWB session shared between a controller and controllers.

[0084] The "UWB session key" may be a key for protecting a UWB session. The UWB session key may be used to generate an STS. The UWB session key may be a UWB ranging session key (URSK) and may be abbreviated as a session key.

[0085] A "UWB subsystem (UWBS)" may be a hardware component that implements the UWB PHY and MAC layer specifications. The UWBS may have an interface to the framework and an interface to the security component to search for RDS.

[0086] *A "UWB message" may be a message including a payload Information Element (IE) sent by a UWB device (eg, ERDEV).

[0087] A "payload IE" may be an IE included in a MAC payload of a UWB MAC frame. A MAC payload may include one or more payload IEs.

[0088] * "Scheduled ranging" can be used for ranging rounds scheduled by the controller so that the controlled party sends ranging frames (RFRAME) and / or measurement reports in different ranging time slots. Scheduling-based ranging can be referred to as time-scheduled ranging. The scheduling mode in which scheduling-based ranging is used can be referred to as time-scheduled mode.

[0089] When the controller does not know the MAC address of the controlled party participating in the UWB session (ranging session), "contention-based ranging" can be used. In contention-based ranging, the controller can be the initiator and can perform ranging with other unknown UWB devices. The scheduling mode in which contention-based ranging is used can be called contention-based mode.

[0090] Contention-based ranging may be used for ranging rounds, where the controller determines the size of the contention access period and indicates the CAP size through a ranging control message. The CAP may be referred to as a contention window or contention window period.

[0091] In contention-based mode, the UWB device can operate as a controller and an initiator, and in this case, the ranging control phase (RCP) and the ranging initiation phase (RIP) can be combined into one phase (e.g., RIP). In the ranging phase (RP), the allocation of the CAP size can determine the CAP period of the responders participating in the corresponding ranging round in units of ranging slots. Each responder can randomly determine a time slot in the CAP to send a ranging response message (RRM). The message used in contention-based ranging can use SP1 as the RFRAME configuration.

[0092] When there are known controlees and unknown controlees, "hybrid ranging" may be used. As described above, a known controlee may be a controlee whose MAC address is known to the controller, and an unknown controlee may be a controlee whose MAC address is unknown to the controller. In the present disclosure, hybrid ranging may be referred to as hybrid-based ranging. A scheduling mode using hybrid ranging may be referred to as a hybrid-based mode.

[0093] In the hybrid-based mode, the controller may perform ranging with known controlees in the scheduling-based mode and perform ranging with unknown controlees in the contention-based mode.

[0094] In the hybrid-based mode, the ranging round may include a ranging control phase RCP and a ranging phase RP. The RP may include a contention-free period for scheduling-based ranging (access) and a contention access period (CAP) for contention-based ranging (access). The control message (ranging control message) used in the RCP of the hybrid-based mode may be referred to as a ranging management message (RMM).

[0095] * "Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TdoA, DT)" can be a positioning method for one or more tag devices (DT-Tag) to estimate their positions based on DL-TDoA messages (DTM) received from at least one anchor device (DT-Anchor). In DL-TDoA, the anchor device sends or broadcasts the DTM, and the tag device passively receives the DTM, thereby preventing the location of the tag device from being exposed.

[0096] In DL-TDoA, the anchor device can accurately measure its own DTM transmission time and the reception time of the received DTM. The anchor device can include the transmission time in the DTM it sends or broadcasts. The tag device can measure the reception time of all received DTMs and estimate its location by using the reception timestamp and the coordinates of the obtained anchor device. DL-TDoA can be classified as a one-way ranging type similar to uplink TDoA. DL-TDoA can be called DL-TDoA localization.

[0097] An "anchor device" may be a UWB device deployed at a specific location to provide positioning services. For example, an anchor device may be a UWB device installed by a service provider on a wall, ceiling, structure, etc. in a room to provide indoor positioning services. In DL-TDoA, an anchor device may be a device that sends a DTM, which a tag device may use to calculate a location based on TDoA positioning (DL-TDoA positioning). In DL-TDoA, anchor devices may be divided into initiator anchors and responder anchors according to the order and role of sending messages, and participate in ranging rounds. Anchor devices may be referred to as UWB anchors or UWB anchor devices. An anchor device of DL-TDoA may be referred to as a DL-TDoA anchor or a DT-anchor.

[0098] The "initiator anchor" may notify the initiation of a TDoA ranging round (DL-TDoA ranging round). In DL-TDoA, the initiator anchor may initiate a DL-TDoA ranging round by sending an initiation message, and may schedule the transmission time of the responder anchor. For example, the initiator anchor may schedule a ranging slot in which a responder anchor operating in the same ranging round sends a response message (response DTM). The initiation message may be referred to as an initiator DTM, a polling message, a polling DTM, or a first DTM. The initiator anchor may be referred to as an initiator UWB anchor, an initiator anchor device, or an initiator DT anchor.

[0099] The initiator anchor point may additionally transmit an end message (final DTM) message after receiving a response from the responder anchor point. The initiator anchor point may additionally send a final DTM after all responder anchor points in the same cluster send a response message (response DTM) in the DL-TDoA ranging round. The end message may be referred to as a final DTM or a third DTM.

[0100] There can be at least one reference initiator anchor point in a DL-TDoA network. The reference initiator anchor point is used as a global time reference for inter-cluster synchronization as an initiator anchor point, and a common ranging block structure can be configured for DL-TDoA network operation. The reference initiator anchor point can be called a primary anchor point or a global anchor point.

[0101] A responder anchor may be a UWB anchor that responds to an initiation message of an initiator anchor. A responder anchor may respond to an initiator anchor with a response message. A response message may be referred to as a responder DTM, a response DTM, or a second DTM. A "responder anchor" may also be referred to as a responder UWB anchor, a responder UWB anchor device, a responder anchor device, etc.

[0102] In DL-TDoA, a "tag device" can estimate its location (e.g., geographic coordinates) by using TDoA measurements based on the DTM received from the anchor device. The tag device may know the location of the anchor device in advance. The tag device may be referred to as a UWB tag, user equipment (UE), or UWB tag device, and a DL-TDoA tag device may be referred to as a DL-TDoA tag or a DT-tag.

[0103] The tag device can receive the message sent by the anchor device and measure the reception time of the message. The tag device can obtain the geographic coordinates of the anchor device through an in-band or out-of-band method. When the location update rate is lower than the location update rate supported by the network, the tag device can skip the ranging block.

[0104] "Cluster" may mean a collection of anchor devices covering a specific area. In DL-TDoA, a cluster may mean a collection of anchor devices that exchange DTM to provide location services to at least one tag device. A cluster may consist of an initiator anchor and at least one responder anchor.

[0105] An anchor device can operate in one or more clusters. In this case, an anchor device that acts as an initiator anchor in some clusters can act as a responder anchor in other clusters. A cluster area can be a space formed by the anchor devices that constitute the cluster. In order to support positioning services for a wide area, multiple clusters can be configured to provide positioning services to UEs. A cluster can be referred to as a cell.

[0106] When it is determined to make the subject matter of the present invention unnecessarily unclear, detailed description of related known functions or features may be skipped in describing the present disclosure.

[0107] Hereinafter, various embodiments of the present disclosure are described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0108] Figure 1 An example architecture of a UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0109] In the present disclosure, the UWB device 100 may be an electronic device supporting UWB communication. The UWB device 100 may be, for example, a ranging device supporting UWB ranging. In an embodiment, the ranging device may be an enhanced ranging device (ERDEV) defined in IEEE 802.15.4z or a FiRa device.

[0110] exist Figure 1 In the embodiment of the present invention, the UWB device 100 can interact with other UWB devices through a UWB session.

[0111] The UWB device 100 may implement a first interface (interface #1) as an interface between the UWB-enabled application 110 and the framework 120, and the first interface allows the UWB-enabled application 110 on the UWB device 100 to use the UWB capabilities of the UWB device 100 in a predetermined manner. In an embodiment, the first interface may be a framework API or a proprietary interface, but is not limited thereto.

[0112] The UWB device 100 may implement a second interface (Interface #2) as an interface between the UWB framework 110 and the UWB subsystem (UWBS, 130). In an embodiment, the second interface may be a UWB command interface (UCI) or a proprietary interface, but is not limited thereto.

[0113] refer to Figure 1 , the UWB device 100 may include a UWB-enabled application 110, a framework (UWB framework) 120, and / or a UWBS 130 including a UWB MAC layer and a UWB physical layer. Depending on the embodiment, some entities may not be included in the UWB device, or additional entities (eg, a security layer) may be further included.

[0114] The UWB-enabled application 110 may trigger the UWBS 130 to establish a UWB session through the first interface. The UWB-enabled application 110 may use one of the previously defined profiles. The UWB-enabled application 110 may use the first interface to handle related events, such as service discovery, ranging notifications, and / or error conditions.

[0115] The framework 120 may provide access to profiles, individual UWB configurations, and / or notifications. The framework 120 may support at least one of a function for UWB ranging and transaction execution, a function for providing an interface to an application and the UWBS 130, or a function for estimating the location of the device 100. The framework 120 may be a collection of software components. As described above, the UWB-enabled application 110 may interface with the framework 120 through a first interface, and the framework 120 may interface with the UWBS 130 through a second interface.

[0116] Meanwhile, in the present disclosure, the UWB-enabled application 110 and / or the framework 120 may be implemented by an application processor (AP) (or a processor). Therefore, in the present disclosure, the operation of the UWB-enabled application 110 and / or the framework 120 may be understood to be performed by the AP (or a processor). In the present disclosure, the framework may be referred to as an AP or a processor.

[0117] UWBS 130 may be a hardware component including a UWB MAC layer and a UWB physical layer. UWBS 130 may perform UWB session management and may communicate with the UWBS of another UWB device. UWBS 130 may interface with framework 120 via a second interface and may obtain security data from a security component. In an embodiment, framework (or application processor) 120 may send a command to UWBS 130 via UCI, and UWBS 130 may send a response to the command to framework 120. UWBS 130 may transmit a notification to framework 120 via UCI.

[0118] Figure 2 An example configuration of a framework of a UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0119] Figure 2 A UWB device can be Figure 2 Examples of UWB devices.

[0120] refer to Figure 2 , the framework 220 may include, for example, software components such as a profile manager 221 , an OOB connector 222 , a security service 223 , and / or a UWB service 224 .

[0121] The profile manager 221 may be used to manage the profiles available on the UWB device. A profile may be a collection of parameters required to establish communication between UWB devices. For example, a profile may include parameters indicating which OOB secure channel to use, UWB / OOB configuration parameters, parameters indicating whether the use of a particular security component is mandatory, and / or parameters related to the file structure of the ADF. The UWB-enabled application 210 may communicate with the profile manager 221 via a first interface (e.g., a framework (API)).

[0122] The OOB connector 222 may be used to establish an OOB connection with another device. The OOB connector 222 may process an OOB procedure including a discovery procedure and / or a connection procedure. The OOB component (eg, a BLE component) 250 may be connected to the OOB connector 222 .

[0123] The security service 223 may play the role of interfacing with the security component 240 (such as SE or TEE).

[0124] The UWB service 224 may perform a role of managing the UWBS 230. The UWB service 224 may provide access to the UWBS 230 from the profile manager 221 by implementing a second interface.

[0125] Figure 3a An example of a ranging block structure according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3b The structure of a ranging round according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0126] like Figure 3a As shown, a ranging block may include at least one ranging round. Each ranging round may include at least one ranging slot. For example, as shown, a ranging block includes N ranging rounds (e.g., ranging round index 0 to ranging round index N-1), and ranging round #0 includes M ranging slots. (e.g., ranging slot 0 to ranging slot M).

[0127] A ranging block refers to a time period used for ranging. A ranging round may be a time period of sufficient duration to complete a whole ranging measurement cycle (ranging cycle) involved in a set of ranging devices participating in a ranging exchange. A ranging slot may be a sufficient time period for transmitting at least one ranging frame (RFRAME) (e.g., ranging initiation / response / final message, etc.).

[0128] When the ranging mode is a block-based mode, the average time between consecutive ranging rounds can be constant. Alternatively, when the ranging mode is an interval-based mode, the time between consecutive ranging rounds can be dynamically changed. In other words, the interval-based mode can adopt a time structure with adaptive spacing.

[0129] A ranging block may be abbreviated as a block, a ranging round as a round, and a ranging slot as a slot.

[0130] refer to Figure 3b , a ranging round may include a ranging control phase (RCP), a ranging phase (RP) and / or a measurement report phase (MRP). For example, a ranging round may include one time slot for RCP, at least one time slot for RP and / or at least one time slot for MRP.

[0131] According to an embodiment, some of the above-mentioned phases may not be included in the ranging round, or additional phases may be further included in the ranging round. For example, RCP may not be included in the ranging round. In this case, the ranging control message (RCM) may be merged with the ranging initiation message (RIM). For example, the ranging control update phase (RCUP) and / or the ranging interval update phase (RIUP) may be further included in the ranging round.

[0132] RCP may be a stage where the controller sends RCM. RCM may be a message sent by the controller to set ranging parameters. In an embodiment, RCM may be sent in the first time slot (time slot #0) of the ranging round. RCM may be abbreviated as control message (CM).

[0133] The RP may include a ranging initiation phase (RIP), a ranging response phase (RRP), and / or a ranging final phase (RFP).

[0134] RIP may be the stage where the initiator sends a RIM to the responder.

[0135] RRP may be the stage where the responder sends its ranging response message (RRM) to the initiator.

[0136] RFP may be a stage where the initiator sends a ranging final message (RFM) to the responder. The ranging final stage may be used only for DS-TWR.

[0137] MRP may be a stage in which the devices involved in ranging exchange service information related to ranging measurement. In MRP, a measurement report message (MRM), a ranging result report message (RRRM) and / or a control update message (CUM) may be sent. MRM may be a message sent by a UWB device to exchange measurement information. RRRM may be a message sent by a UWB device to report ranging results. CUM may be a message sent by a controller to update control information. CUM may be referred to as a ranging control update message (RCUM).

[0138] 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 ranging round set specified by an RCM. RCUM may be a message sent by the controller to update the ranging parameters for the next ranging round. RCUM may be sent in the last time slot of a ranging round specified by an RCM. The RCUM may include some or all of the information elements (IEs) used by the RCM to update parameter values.

[0139] 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 facilitate synchronization between devices participating in ranging or to update the interval between ranging blocks. The RIUM includes a scheduled time for the first RIUM. The RIUM may include a scheduled time for the next RIUM before the start of the next ranging block.

[0140] If desired, multiple predetermined UWB messages may be combined into one message. For example, an RCM may be combined with a RIM and delivered in a RIP. For example, in the case of non-delayed DS-TWR ranging, an RFM may be combined with an MRM and sent in an RFP.

[0141] Figure 4 Various examples of UWB ranging methods according to embodiments of the present disclosure are shown.

[0142] Figure 4 Part (a) shows an example of a two-way ranging (TWR) scheme, Figure 4 Part (b) of FIG. 1 shows an example of an uplink TDoA (UL-TDoA) scheme as an OWR type, and Figure 4 Part (c) of FIG. 4 shows an example of a downlink TDoA (DL-TDoA) scheme as an OWR type.

[0143] Reference Figure 4 In part (a), the user's UWB device 420a can perform ranging with at least one UWB anchor point 410a through ranging exchanges using multiple ranging messages. Through the ranging exchanges, the time of flight (ToF) can be calculated and the distance between the two devices can be estimated.

[0144] The UWB device 420a may perform single-sided two-way ranging (SS-TWR) or dual-sided two-way ranging (DS-TWR) with the UWB anchor point 410a. When performing TWR, the UWB device 420a may function as an initiator or a responder.

[0145] In an embodiment, TWR may be performed according to a contention-based mode and / or a scheduling-based mode.

[0146] refer to Figure 4 In part (b), the user's UWB device (UWB tag) 420a may send (broadcast) a ranging message to at least one UWB anchor point 410b, and the at least one UWB anchor point 410b may obtain a TDoA based on the received ranging message and estimate the position of the UWB device 420b based on the TDoA. Figure 4 The TDoA scheme of the embodiment of part (b) may be referred to as an uplink TDoA (UL-TDoA) scheme.

[0147] refer to Figure 4 In part (c), the user's UWB device (UWB tag or DT-tag) 420c can estimate its position by receiving ranging messages sent / received by at least one UWB anchor point 410c. Figure 5a and 5b An example of this DL-TDoA scheme is described.

[0148] Figure 5a A method for a UWB device to perform UWB ranging in a DL-TDoA scheme according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0149] Figure 5a The embodiment assumes one initiator anchor point (initiator DT-anchor point) 510 and n responder anchor points 530a, ..., 530n operating as UWB anchor points (DT-anchor points). However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the number of initiator anchor points and responder anchor points may vary according to the embodiment.

[0150] In operation S502, the initiator anchor point 510 may initiate a DL-TDoA round by sending or broadcasting a polling DTM received by the responder anchor points in the cluster. The polling DTM may include scheduling information for each responder anchor point to send a response DTM in an allocated ranging slot.

[0151] In an embodiment, all responder anchor points 530a, ..., 530n may refer to the scheduling information in the polling DTM to know whether to send a response DTM and a time slot (time slot index) for sending the response DTM.

[0152] In operations S504a, ..., S504n, all responder anchor points 530a, ..., 530n receiving the polling DTM may use the response DTM in the ranging slot allocated by the polling DTM to respond to the initiator anchor point 510. For example, each responder anchor point 530a, ..., 530n may send or broadcast the response DTM in its ranging slot allocated by the polling DTM.

[0153] In operation S506, the initiator anchor point 510 receiving the response DTM may additionally send the final DTM to the responder anchor points 530a, ..., 530n. For example, the initiator anchor point 510 may send or broadcast the final DTM after receiving the response DTM from the responder anchor points 530a, ..., 530n.

[0154] In operation S508, the tag device (DT-tag) 520 may receive (or overhear) the polling DTM, the response DTM, and the final DTM, and calculate the TDoA value through the information included in the message and the reception timestamp. The tag device 520 may obtain (or estimate) its position based on the calculated TDoA value. Therefore, the tag device 520 may estimate its own position without exposing its own position.

[0155] Figure 5b An example of a ranging block structure for a downlink TDoA scheme according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0156] Figure 5b The ranging block structure can be used to perform Figure 5a An example of a ranging block structure for a ranging scheme.

[0157] refer to Figure 5b , a ranging block may include multiple ranging rounds.

[0158] As an embodiment, the ranging block may include a plurality of ranging rounds allocated to each of the plurality of clusters. For example, when n clusters are deployed, the ranging block may include a first ranging round allocated to the first cluster, a second ranging round allocated to the second cluster, ..., and an nth ranging round allocated to the nth cluster. Figure 5b However, according to an embodiment, a plurality of ranging rounds may be allocated to one cluster, or one ranging round may be allocated to a plurality of clusters.

[0159] In an embodiment, a ranging round may include multiple ranging slots. A ranging round may include multiple ranging slots allocated for each ranging message sent by an anchor device belonging to a cluster associated with the ranging round. For example, if a first cluster includes one initiator anchor and three responder anchors, a ranging round of the first cluster may include a first ranging slot (e.g., ranging slot index 0) allocated for transmission / reception of a polling message of an initiator anchor included in the first cluster, a second ranging slot allocated for transmission / reception of a response message of a responder anchor, a third ranging slot allocated for transmission / reception of a response message of a second responder anchor, a fourth ranging slot allocated for transmission / reception of a response message of a third responder anchor, and a fourth ranging slot allocated for transmission / reception of a final message of the initiator anchor.

[0160] In this scheme, ranging slots can be allocated to the ranging round of each cluster.

[0161] Through Figure 5bIn the ranging block structure of the embodiment, the anchor devices of each cluster can exchange ranging messages in one cycle through their own ranging rounds in one ranging block, and the UE (tag device) can receive these ranging messages and calculate its position. Such operations can be repeated for each ranging block. Therefore, the position of the UE can be updated in the period of the ranging block.

[0162] On the other hand, depending on the installation and / or attachment environment (e.g., relatively low installation density) of the UWB anchor point in the service area during DL-TDoA operation, at least one UWB device (or mobile terminal) in the service area may belong to a shadow area, in which it may not be possible to temporarily receive (or repair) the anchor point signal.

[0163] The present disclosure proposes a method in which a UWB device located in a shadow area that may not temporarily receive an anchor signal during a DL-TDoA operation receives at least one of ranging information and positioning information by communicating with at least one peripheral device, and obtains (or estimates) its position based on the received information.

[0164] Figure 6 The process of a UWB device that has failed in positioning to calculate its position using TWR-based collaborative positioning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0165] During DL-TDoA operation, a pre-ranging process may be configured for a UWB device located in a shadow area where an anchor signal may not be received to communicate with at least one peripheral device. According to an embodiment, a UWB device located in a shadow area may form a ranging group to communicate with at least one peripheral device without a discovery process. According to an embodiment, a scheduling scheme for UWB devices in a ranging group may be pre-set.

[0166] refer to Figure 6 , multiple UWB devices can perform DL-TDoA based positioning (e.g., obtain (or estimate) their positions).

[0167] A user equipment (UE) that fails in DL-TDoA based positioning (or positioning failed UE) may broadcast a group polling message (GPM). According to an embodiment, a DL-TDoA operation round may be excluded during the GPM broadcast.

[0168] A UE that succeeds in DL-TDoA-based positioning (or a successfully positioned UE) may receive a GPM broadcasted by a failed positioning UE, and send a ranging response message (RRM) containing its own location information to the failed positioning UE in response to the GPM. According to an embodiment, a successfully positioned UE may send an RRM to a failed positioning UE using any time slot in a random access manner (based on contention). According to an embodiment, a successfully positioned UE may use an STS configured to mitigate interference and / or conflict during RRM transmission.

[0169] The UE that failed to locate can perform SS-TWR based on the RRM received from the successfully located UE. The UE that failed to locate can use the calculated information (TDoA to the anchor point or the distance between UEs) to calculate its own position. (i.e., use the successfully located UE as the time anchor point)

[0170] Figure 7 The process of calculating the position of a UWB device that has failed in positioning by using DL-TDoA-based collaborative positioning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0171] During DL-TDoA operation, a pre-ranging process may be configured for a UWB device located in a shadow area where an anchor signal may not be received to communicate with at least one peripheral device. According to an embodiment, a UWB device located in a shadow area may form a ranging group to communicate with at least one peripheral device without a discovery process. According to an embodiment, a scheduling scheme for UWB devices in a ranging group may be pre-set.

[0172] Reference Figure 7 , multiple UWB devices can perform DL-TDoA based positioning (e.g., obtain (or estimate) their positions).

[0173] The initiator anchor point may treat a DL-TDoA message (DTM) (eg, a polling message or a final message) as a virtual initiation message and send it.

[0174] The successfully located UE (regarded as a time anchor) may send a DTM response message to the failed located UE, the DTM response message including its location information and at least one of the timestamp lists of polling and final messages received from several nearby anchors. According to an embodiment, the successfully located UE may send the DTM response message to the failed located UE using any time slot in a random access manner (based on contention). According to an embodiment, the successfully located UE may use an STS configured to mitigate interference and / or conflict when sending a DTM response message.

[0175] The positioning failure UE may calculate the TDoA based on the DTM response message received from the positioning success UE. The positioning failure UE may use the calculated information (TDoA with the anchor UE and the peripheral UE) to calculate its position (ie, using the positioning success UE as the time anchor).

[0176] Figure 8 An example is shown in which a UWB device that has failed in positioning performs cooperative positioning using an in-band channel according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0177] Reference Figure 8 , each of the plurality of UWB anchor points 810 to 840 in the cluster may send and receive UWB DL-TDoA messages, and each of the plurality of UWB devices 850 to 880 may send and receive ranging messages using a UWB in-band channel.

[0178] According to an embodiment, an anchor point signal (eg, a polling DTM, a responding DTM, or a final DTM) may be transmitted and received between a plurality of UWB anchor points 810 to 840 in a cluster.

[0179] According to an embodiment, the first UWB device 850 may receive (or hear) anchor signals (e.g., polling DTM, response DTM, or final DTM) between multiple UWB anchor points 810 to 840, and calculate the TDoA value through the information included in the message and the reception timestamp to try to locate its current position. When the first UWB device 850 does not receive a sufficient number of anchor signals required for positioning calculation, the first UWB device 850 may fail in positioning for the current position.

[0180] According to an embodiment, the first UWB device 850 may request cooperative positioning from at least one of the peripheral devices 860 to 880 using a UWB in-band channel. The first UWB device 850 may attempt to locate its current position based on a ranging result value obtained through a UWB TWR with at least one of the peripheral devices 860 to 880 and / or a result value of performing DL-TDoA using at least one of the UWB anchor points 810 to 840 as a positioning infrastructure. According to an embodiment, the first UWB device 850 may calculate TDoA using, for example, the position of a peripheral UE that has been successfully located and a ranging value (used as a time anchor point) with the peripheral UE.

[0181] Each of the first to fourth UWB devices 860 to 880 can receive (or hear) an anchor signal (e.g., polling DTM, response DTM, or final DTM) between multiple UWB anchor points 810 to 840, and calculate a TDoA value by using the information included in the message and the reception timestamp. Each of the second to fourth UWB devices 860 to 880 can obtain (or estimate) its position using the calculated TDoA value. Therefore, each of the second to fourth UWB devices 860 to 880 can estimate its position without exposing its position and successfully locate the current position.

[0182] According to an embodiment, at least one of the second to fourth UWB devices 860 to 880 may correct its position secondarily based on a message from a peripheral UWB device and a value of a result of performing DL-TDoA using at least one of the UWB anchor points 810 to 840 as a positioning infrastructure. According to an embodiment, at least one of the second to fourth UWB devices 860 to 880 may calculate a DL-TDoA-based position by regarding a successfully positioned peripheral UWB device (or UE) as a virtual DL-TDoA anchor point.

[0183] Fig. 9 An example is shown in which a UWB device that has failed in positioning uses a NB channel to perform cooperative positioning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0184] Reference Fig. 9 , each of the plurality of UWB anchor points 910 to 940 in the cluster may send and receive UWB DL-TDoA messages, and each of the plurality of UWB devices 950 to 980 may send and receive ranging messages and / or data messages using a narrowband (NB) channel.

[0185] In the present disclosure, a NB channel may be a channel having a narrower bandwidth than a UWB channel. According to an embodiment, a NB channel may be a channel allocated for a communication technology other than UWB communication. According to an embodiment, a NB channel may be a subchannel of one of the candidate UWB channels allocated for UWB communication. According to an embodiment, a NB channel may be used for notification, device discovery, and / or connection establishment for additional parameter negotiation / authentication. For example, a NB channel may be used for sending and receiving notification messages, additional notification messages, connection request messages, and / or connection confirmation messages.

[0186] According to an embodiment, an anchor signal (eg, a polling DTM, a responding DTM, or a final DTM) may be transmitted and received between a plurality of UWB anchor points 910 to 940 in a cluster.

[0187] According to an embodiment, the first UWB device 950 may receive (or hear) anchor signals (e.g., polling DTM, response DTM, or final DTM) between multiple UWB anchor points 910 to 940, and calculate the TDoA value through the information included in the message and the reception timestamp to try to locate its current position. When the first UWB device 950 does not receive a sufficient number of anchor signals required for positioning calculation, the first UWB device 950 may fail in positioning for the current position.

[0188] According to an embodiment, the first UWB device 950 may request cooperative positioning from at least one of the peripheral devices 960 to 980 using the NB channel. The first UWB device 950 may exchange location information and / or scheduling information with at least one of the peripheral devices 960 to 980. The first UWB device 950 may perform ranging in the UWB channel using the information (scheduling information, UE location) obtained from the NB channel. The first UWB device 950 may attempt to locate its current location based on the ranging result value on the UWB channel and / or the result value of performing DL-TDoA using at least one of the UWB anchor points 910 to 940 as the positioning infrastructure.

[0189] Each of the first to fourth UWB devices 960 to 980 can receive (or hear) an anchor signal (e.g., polling DTM, response DTM, or final DTM) between multiple UWB anchor points 910 to 940, and calculate a TDoA value by using the information included in the message and the reception timestamp. Each of the second to fourth UWB devices 960 to 980 can obtain (or estimate) its position using the calculated TDoA value. Therefore, each of the second to fourth UWB devices 960 to 980 can estimate its position without exposing its position and successfully locate the current position.

[0190] Fig.10 An example is shown in which a UWB device that has failed in positioning uses a Wi-Fi NAN to perform collaborative positioning according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0191] Reference Fig.10 , each of the multiple UWB anchor points 1010 to 1040 in the cluster can send and receive UWB DL-TDoA messages, and each of the multiple UWB devices 1050 to 1080 can send and receive ranging messages and / or data messages using fine time measurement (FTM) based on Wi-Fi Neighbor Awareness Networking (NAN).

[0192] According to an embodiment, an anchor point signal (eg, a polling DTM, a responding DTM, or a final DTM) may be transmitted and received between the plurality of UWB anchor points 1010 to 1040 in the cluster.

[0193] According to an embodiment, the first UWB device 1050 may receive (or hear) anchor signals (e.g., polling DTM, response DTM, or final DTM) between multiple UWB anchor points 1010 to 1040, and calculate a TDoA value through the information included in the message and the reception timestamp to attempt to locate its current location. When the first UWB device 1050 does not receive a sufficient number of anchor signals required for positioning calculation, the first UWB device 1050 may fail in positioning for the current location.

[0194] According to an embodiment, the first UWB device 1050 may request cooperative positioning from at least one of the peripheral devices 1060 to 1080 using the Wi-Fi NAN-based FTM. The first UWB device 1050 may exchange location information and / or scheduling information with at least one of the peripheral devices 1060 to 1080. The first UWB device 1050 may attempt positioning for its current location based on a ranging result value obtained through the Wi-Fi NAN-based FTM and / or a result value of performing DL-TDoA using at least one of the UWB anchor points 1010 to 1040 as a positioning infrastructure.

[0195] Each of the first UWB device 1060 to the fourth UWB device 1080 can receive (or hear) an anchor signal (e.g., polling DTM, response DTM, or final DTM) between multiple UWB anchor points 1010 to 1040, and calculate a TDoA value through the information included in the message and the reception timestamp. Each of the second UWB device 1060 to the fourth UWB device 1080 can use the calculated TDoA value to obtain (or estimate) its position. Therefore, each of the second UWB device 1060 to the fourth UWB device 1080 can estimate its position without exposing its position and successfully locate the current position.

[0196] In Wi-Fi-NAN, the procedures required to support the following steps are defined: 1) discovering peripheral UEs, 2) configuring the NAN cluster, and then 3) performing FTM-based ranging.

[0197] Fig.11a is a view showing a Wi-Fi NAN ranging architecture according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0198] Reference Fig.11a , the NAN cluster may include first to fourth NAN devices 1110 to 1140, and, for example, the third NAN device 1130 and the fourth NAN device 1140 may perform FTM-based ranging.

[0199] NAN ranging may be performed between two NAN devices to determine the distance between two NAN devices in a NAN cluster. To perform NAN ranging, the NAN devices may be configured with one or more time blocks for performing a distance measurement protocol. The FTM protocol may be used to estimate the distance between two NAN devices.

[0200] Fig.11b An example of performing FTM-based ranging according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0201] refer to Fig.11b , a fine time measurement (FTM) protocol may be performed between two NAN devices to determine a distance between two NAN devices 1150 and 1160 within a NAN cluster.

[0202] One of the two NAN devices used to determine the distance in the NAN cluster may operate as an FTM initiator 1150 , while the other NAN device may operate as an FTM responder 1160 .

[0203] The FTM initiator 1150 may send an FTM request message to the FTM responder 1160 , and the FTM responder 1160 may send an ACK message of the FTM request message to the FTM initiator 1150 .

[0204] The FTM responder 1160 may send an FTM_1 message to the FTM initiator 1150, and the FTM initiator 1150 may send an ACK message for the FTM_1 message to the FTM responder 1160. The FTM responder 1160 may send an FTM_2 message to the FTM initiator 1150, and the FTM initiator 1150 may send an ACK message for the FTM_2 message to the FTM responder 1160.

[0205] The FTM initiator 1150 and the FTM responder 1160 exchange FTM messages and ACK messages therefor to calculate a round trip time (RTT) and a distance therebetween.

[0206] Figures 12a to 12d An example of a message field regarding anchor point location information according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0207] refer to Fig.12a , shows an example of anchor point location information included in a polling DTM or a response DTM. The anchor point location information in the polling DTM or the response DTM may include a "type of coordinate system" parameter and a "type-dependent coordinate field" parameter.

[0208] The "coordinate system type" parameter may indicate the type of the coordinate system and may be composed of, for example, 8 bits. For example, if the "coordinate system type" parameter is "0x00", the type of the coordinate system may be the WGS-84 coordinate system. For example, if the "coordinate system type" parameter is "0x01", the type of the coordinate system may be a relative coordinate.

[0209] Type-dependent coordinate fields are coordinate fields that depend on the type of coordinate system indicated by the "Coordinate System Type" parameter. For example, if the "Coordinate System Type" parameter is "0x00", you can use Figure 12b For example, if the "Type of Coordinate System" parameter is "0x01", you can use Fig.12c Type-dependent coordinate fields.

[0210] refer to Figure 12b , showing the inclusion of Fig.12a Example of type-dependent coordinate fields in a poll DTM or response DTM.

[0211] If the "type-related coordinate field" is in WGS-84 format, the "type-related coordinate field" may include anchor latitude, anchor longitude, and anchor altitude fields. The anchor latitude field may indicate the latitude of the DT anchor point, the anchor longitude field may indicate the longitude of the DT anchor point, and the anchor altitude field may indicate the altitude of the anchor point.

[0212] refer to Fig.12c , showing the inclusion of Fig.12a Example of type-dependent coordinate fields in a poll DTM or response DTM.

[0213] if Figure 12b If the "type-dependent coordinate field" is in (X, Y, Z) coordinate format, the "type-dependent coordinate field" may include anchor point X, anchor point Y, and anchor point Z fields. The anchor point X field represents the X coordinate value in millimeters in a given coordinate system, the anchor point Y field represents the Y coordinate value in millimeters in a given coordinate system, and the anchor point Z field represents the Z coordinate value in millimeters in a given coordinate system.

[0214] refer to Fig.12d , showing Figure 12b An example of the anchor latitude and anchor longitude bit format.

[0215] refer to Figure 12b and 12d , each of the anchor latitude parameter and the anchor longitude parameter can be configured as 33 bits. Fig.12d, LSBs 0-23 in the anchor latitude parameter (or anchor longitude parameter) may be configured as a fractional part, LSBs 24-31 may be configured as an integer part, and LSB 32 may be configured as a sign.

[0216] Fig.13 The structure of a first UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0217] Fig.13 The first UWB device may be Figure 6 Positioning failed UE, Figure 7 Positioning failure UE, Figure 8 The first UWB device 850, Fig. 9 The first UWB device 950 and Fig.10 any one of the first UWB devices 1050 .

[0218] Reference Fig.13 , the first UWB device may include a transceiver 1310, a controller 1320, and a storage unit 1330. In the present disclosure, the controller may be defined as a circuit or an application specific integrated circuit or at least one processor.

[0219] The transceiver 1310 may transmit and receive signals to and from other entities and may also be referred to as a transmitting / receiving unit.

[0220] The controller 1320 may control the overall operation of the UWB device (or UE) according to the embodiments proposed in the present disclosure, and may also be referred to as a processor. For example, the controller 1320 may control the inter-block signal flow to perform operations according to the above flowchart. Specifically, the controller 1320 may control the above reference Figures 1 to 12c The operation of a first UWB device is described.

[0221] The controller 1320 may control to receive a downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDoA) message from at least one UWB anchor point through a UWB channel. The controller 1320 may identify a failure in the position measurement of the first UWB device based on the DL-TDoA message. The controller 1320 may control to receive a ranging message including position information about the second UWB device from the second UWB device. The controller 1320 may measure the position of the first UWB device based on the position information about the second UWB device and the DL-TDoA message.

[0222] The controller 1320 may control to transmit a message requesting cooperative positioning to the second UWB device.

[0223] According to an embodiment, the ranging message may be received through a UWB channel. According to an embodiment, the ranging message may be received through a narrowband (NB) channel. According to an embodiment, the ranging message may be received through a fine time measurement (FTM) based on a Wi-Fi Neighborhood Awareness Network (NAN).

[0224] According to an embodiment, the location information about the second UWB device may include the latitude of the second UWB device, the longitude of the second UWB device, and the altitude of the second UWB device. According to an embodiment, the location information about the second UWB device may include an X-axis coordinate value in a set coordinate system in millimeters, a Y-axis coordinate value in a coordinate system in millimeters, and a Z-axis value in a coordinate system in millimeters.

[0225] The storage unit 1330 may store at least one of information transmitted / received via the transceiver 1310 and information generated via the controller 1320. For example, the storage unit 1330 may store the above-referenced Figures 1 to 12d Describe the information and data required for the method.

[0226] Fig.14 The structure of a second UWB device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0227] Fig.14 The second UWB device can be Figure 6 The positioning is successful UE, Figure 7 The positioning is successful UE, Figure 8 any one of the second UWB device 860 to the fourth UWB device 880, Fig. 9 Any one of the second UWB device 960 to the fourth UWB device 980 or Fig.10 Any one of the second UWB device 1060 to the fourth UWB device 1080.

[0228] Reference Fig.14 , the second UWB device may include a transceiver 1410, a controller 1420, and a storage unit 1430. In the present disclosure, the controller may be defined as a circuit or an application specific integrated circuit or at least one processor.

[0229] The transceiver 1410 may transmit and receive signals to and from other entities and may also be referred to as a transmitting / receiving unit.

[0230] The controller 1420 may control the overall operation of the UWB device (or UE) according to the embodiments proposed in the present disclosure, and may also be referred to as a processor. For example, the controller 1420 may control the inter-block signal flow to perform operations according to the above flowchart. Specifically, the controller 1420 may control the above reference Figures 1 to 12c The operation of the second UWB device is described.

[0231] The controller 1420 may control to receive a downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDoA) message from at least one UWB anchor point through a UWB channel. The controller 1420 may recognize the success of the position measurement of the second UWB device based on the DL-TDoA message. The controller 1420 may control to send a ranging message including the position information about the second UWB device to the first UWB device that failed in the position measurement based on the DL-TDoA message.

[0232] The controller 1420 may control to receive a message requesting cooperative positioning from the first UWB device.

[0233] The storage unit 1430 may store at least one of information transmitted / received via the transceiver 1410 and information generated via the controller 1420. For example, the storage unit 1430 may store the information described above with reference to Figures 1 to 12d Describe the information and data required for the method.

[0234] In the above specific embodiments, the components included in the present disclosure are expressed in singular or plural form, depending on the specific embodiment proposed. However, the singular or plural form is selected to be sufficient for the context suggested for ease of description, and the present disclosure is not limited to singular or plural components. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" are intended to include plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0235] Although specific embodiments of the present invention have been described above, various changes may be made thereto without departing from the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of the present disclosure should not be limited to the above embodiments, but should be defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method performed by a first ultra-wideband (UWB) device, comprising: receiving a downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDoA) message from at least one UWB anchor point via a UWB channel; Based on the DL-TDoA message, identifying a failure in the location measurement of the first UWB device; receiving, from a second UWB device, a ranging message including location information about the second UWB device; as well as The location of the first UWB device is measured based on the location information about the second UWB device and the DL-TDoA message.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: A message requesting collaborative positioning is sent to the second UWB device.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The ranging message is received through the UWB channel, the ranging message is received through a narrowband (NB) channel, or the ranging message is received through fine time measurement (FTM) based on a Wi-Fi Neighbor Awareness Network (NAN).

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The location information about the second UWB device includes the latitude of the second UWB device, the longitude of the second UWB device, and the altitude of the second UWB device.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The position information about the second UWB device includes an X-axis coordinate value in millimeters in a set coordinate system, a Y-axis coordinate value in millimeters in the coordinate system, and a Z-axis value in millimeters in the coordinate system.

6. A method performed by a second ultra-wideband (UWB) device, comprising: receiving a downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDoA) message from at least one UWB anchor point via a UWB channel; identifying success of the location measurement of the second UWB device based on the DL-TDoA message; and Based on the DL-TDoA message, a ranging message including location information about the second UWB device is transmitted to the first UWB device that failed in location measurement. 7 . The method of claim 6 , further comprising receiving a message requesting cooperative positioning from the first UWB device.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The ranging message is sent through the UWB channel, the ranging message is sent through a narrowband (NB) channel, or the ranging message is sent through fine time measurement (FTM) based on a Wi-Fi Neighbor Awareness Network (NAN).

9. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The location information about the second UWB device includes the latitude of the second UWB device, the longitude of the second UWB device, and the altitude of the second UWB device.

10. The method according to claim 6, wherein: The position information about the second UWB device includes an X-axis coordinate value in millimeters in a set coordinate system, a Y-axis coordinate value in millimeters in the coordinate system, and a Z-axis value in millimeters in the coordinate system.

11. A first ultra-wideband (UWB) device, comprising: Transceiver; as well as A processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receiving a downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDoA) message from at least one UWB anchor point via a UWB channel; Based on the DL-TDoA message, identifying a failure in the location measurement of the first UWB device; receiving, from a second UWB device, a ranging message including location information about the second UWB device; as well as The location of the first UWB device is measured based on the location information about the second UWB device and the DL-TDoA message.

12. The first UWB device according to claim 11, wherein: The processor is configured to control to send a message requesting cooperative positioning to the second UWB device.

13. The first UWB device according to claim 11, wherein: The ranging message is received through the UWB channel, the ranging message is received through a narrowband (NB) channel, or the ranging message is received through fine time measurement (FTM) based on a Wi-Fi Neighbor Awareness Network (NAN).

14. A second ultra-wideband (UWB) device, comprising: Transceiver; as well as A processor, wherein the processor is configured to: receiving a downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDoA) message from at least one UWB anchor point via a UWB channel; identifying success of the location measurement of the second UWB device based on the DL-TDoA message; and Based on the DL-TDoA message, a ranging message including location information about the second UWB device is transmitted to the first UWB device that failed in location measurement.

15. The second UWB device according to claim 14, wherein: The ranging message is sent through the UWB channel, the ranging message is sent through a narrowband (NB) channel, or the ranging message is sent through fine time measurement (FTM) based on a Wi-Fi Neighbor Awareness Network (NAN).

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