Secure ranging and interference suppression for ultra wide band

Abstract

In some implementations, an ultra wide band (UWB) transmitter may generate a data packet for performing UWB ranging, where: the data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and the data packet further includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more respective pseudo-random locations of the plurality of symbols. The UWB transmitter may transmit a data packet via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal during a UWB ranging session between the UWB transmitter and the UWB receiver.

Description

[0001] Related Applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Application No. 17 / 934,066, filed on September 21, 2022, entitled “SECURE RANGING AND INTERFERENCEMITIGATION FOR UWB,” which is assigned to the assignee of the present application and is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety. Technical Field

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

[0004] The positioning of devices can have a wide range of consumer, industrial, commercial, military and other applications. UWB-based positioning (e.g., as defined in IEEE 802.15.4ab and / or other wireless specifications) provides a highly accurate, low-power positioning solution relative to other RF-based positioning technologies for wireless electronic devices. Such UWB-based positioning can implement some features to help suppress problems caused by interference or attacks. However, in some aspects, UWB-based positioning may still be susceptible to such attacks and / or interference. Summary of the invention

[0005] According to the present disclosure, an example method for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging may include generating a data packet for performing UWB ranging at a UWB transmitter, wherein the data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and the data packet also includes one or more zero-power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols. The method may also include transmitting the data packet via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal by the UWB transmitter during a UWB ranging session between the UWB transmitter and the UWB receiver.

[0006] According to the present disclosure, an example method for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging may include receiving a data packet at a UWB receiver from a UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein the data packet is received during a UWB ranging session between the UWB receiver and the UWB transmitter, the data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and the data packet also includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols. The method may also include determining an RF interference level based on one or more RF signal measurements performed at the UWB receiver during the one or more zero power symbols. The method may also include providing an output at the UWB receiver indicating the RF interference level.

[0007] According to the present disclosure, an example ultra-wideband (UWB) transmitter for implementing secure UWB ranging may include a transceiver, a memory, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to generate a data packet for performing UWB ranging, wherein: the data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and the data packet also includes one or more zero-power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols. The one or more processors may also be configured to transmit the data packet via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal using the transceiver during a UWB ranging session between the UWB transmitter and the UWB receiver.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, an example ultra-wideband (UWB) receiver for implementing secure UWB ranging may include a transceiver, a memory, and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to receive a data packet from a UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal using the transceiver, wherein: the data packet is received during a UWB ranging session between the UWB receiver and the UWB transmitter, the data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and the data packet also includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols. The one or more processors may also be configured to determine an RF interference level based on one or more RF signal measurements performed at the UWB receiver during the one or more zero power symbols. The one or more processors may also be configured to provide an output indicating the RF interference level.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, an example apparatus for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging may include means for generating, at a UWB transmitter, a data packet for performing UWB ranging, wherein the data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and the data packet also includes one or more zero-power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols. The apparatus may also include means for transmitting the data packet via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal during a UWB ranging session between the UWB transmitter and the UWB receiver.

[0010] According to the present disclosure, an example apparatus for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging may include a component for receiving a data packet at a UWB receiver from a UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein: the data packet is received during a UWB ranging session between the UWB receiver and the UWB transmitter, the data packet including a plurality of symbols, and the data packet also includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols. The apparatus may also include a component for determining an RF interference level based on one or more RF signal measurements performed at the UWB receiver during the one or more zero power symbols. The apparatus may also include a component for providing an output at the UWB receiver, the output indicating the RF interference level.

[0011] According to the present disclosure, an example non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the instructions including code for generating, at a UWB transmitter, a data packet for performing UWB ranging, wherein the data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and the data packet also includes one or more zero-power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols. The instructions may also include code for transmitting the data packet by the UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal during a UWB ranging session between the UWB transmitter and the UWB receiver.

[0012] According to the present disclosure, an example non-transitory computer-readable medium stores instructions for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the instructions including code for receiving a data packet at a UWB receiver from a UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein the data packet is received during a UWB ranging session between the UWB receiver and the UWB transmitter, the data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and the data packet also includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols. The instructions may also include code for determining an RF interference level based on one or more RF signal measurements performed at the UWB receiver during the one or more zero power symbols. The instructions may also include code for providing an output at the UWB receiver, the output indicating the RF interference level.

[0013] The present summary is neither intended to identify the key or essential features of the claimed subject matter nor is it intended to be used alone to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood by reference to appropriate portions of the entire specification of the present disclosure, any or all of the drawings, and each claim. The foregoing and other features and examples will be described in more detail below in the following specification, claims, and drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] Figure 1A and1B is a simplified diagram showing an example of how Ultra Wideband (UWB) positioning / ranging may be performed in a network of UWB devices.

[0015] Figure 2A and 2B is a flow chart illustrating the roles that different UWB devices may assume with respect to a UWB ranging session, which includes a control phase and a ranging phase.

[0016] Figure 3 is a timing diagram of how time may be measured and utilized within a UWB positioning session.

[0017] Figure 4A is an illustration of different packet configurations that may be used in a UWB session at the UWB physical (PHY) layer.

[0018] Figure 4B is an illustration of a deterministic random bit generator (DRBG) that may be used to generate a scrambled timestamp sequence (STS).

[0019] Figure 5A and 5B is a timing diagram illustrating an example of how zero power symbols or interference measurement resources (IMRs) may be used in STS packet configuration 0 according to some embodiments.

[0020] Fig. 6A and 6B is a timing diagram showing an example of how zero power symbols or IMRs may be used in STS packet configuration 3 according to some embodiments.

[0021] Fig. 7A is a timing diagram showing a range of possible narrowband (NB) assisted UWB communications.

[0022] Figure 7B is to show how the Fig. 7A A series of NB-assisted UWB communications in FIG. 1 include timing diagrams for zero-power symbols / IMR.

[0023] Figure 8 is a block diagram of processing components of a UWB receiver according to an embodiment.

[0024] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of a method 900 for implementing secure UWB ranging according to an embodiment.

[0025] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a method 1000 for implementing secure UWB ranging according to an embodiment.

[0026] Fig.11is a block diagram of an embodiment of a UWB device.

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

[0028] The following description is directed to certain implementations for the purpose of describing the innovative aspects of various embodiments. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will readily recognize that the teachings herein can be applied in a variety of different ways. The described implementations can be implemented in any device, system, or network capable of transmitting and receiving radio frequency (RF) signals according to any communication standard, such as the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4 standard for ultra-wideband (UWB), IEEE 802.11 standards (including those standards identified as Wi-Fi® technology), Bluetooth® standards, code division multiple access (CDMA), frequency division multiple access (FDMA), time division multiple access (TDMA), global system for mobile communications (GSM), GSM / general packet radio service (GPRS), enhanced data GSM environment (EDGE), terrestrial trunked radio (TETRA), wideband CDMA (W-CDMA), evolution data optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B. High Speed ​​Packet Data (HRPD), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), High Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA), High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), Evolved High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Advanced Mobile Phone System (AMPS), or any other known signal used for communicating within a wireless, cellular or Internet of Things (IoT) network (such as a system utilizing 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G or further implementations thereof).

[0029] As used herein, an "RF signal" includes an electromagnetic wave (or multiple electromagnetic waves) that transmits information through space between a transmitter (or transmitting device) and a receiver (or receiving device). As used herein, a transmitter may send a single "RF signal" or multiple "RF signals" to a receiver. However, due to the propagation characteristics of RF signals through multiple channels or paths, for example, when a transmitted RF signal reaches a receiver via two or more different spatial paths, for example, due to reflection, the receiver may receive multiple "RF signals" corresponding to each transmitted RF signal.

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

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

[0032] UWB-based positioning of UWB devices (such as IOT devices, mobile phones, etc.) can be an important feature of the functionality of the device. For example, knowing the precise location of an IOT device on a factory floor may be key to ensuring the correct operation of the IOT device. The positioning of devices such as shipping tags or location tags for items or people (e.g., patients in a hospital) can also be key to the functionality of such devices. Other devices such as cellular phones may also use UWB positioning to perform various functions. Therefore, the security and stability of such positioning may be important to the overall functionality of these devices. The embodiments of this article are directed to ensuring and suppressing interference in UWB-based positioning. After reviewing the relevant UWB-based positioning technology, the details are as follows.

[0033] Figure 1A and Figure 1B1 is a simplified diagram showing how UWB positioning is performed in a network (e.g., an ad-hoc network) of UWB anchors 110. As referred to herein, a "UWB anchor" (or simply "anchor") may include a UWB device with a known location that may be used to determine the location of a target 120 or "tag" using UWB RF signals. UWB positioning may be performed using relevant standards (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4ab), which enables high-precision, low-power positioning.

[0034] If the location of one or more UWB anchors 110 is not yet known, such as in an ad hoc network, initial provisioning of the UWB anchors 110 may be performed. During provisioning, the UWB anchors 110 may perform ranging measurements to determine the relative distances (l1-l6) between the UWB devices 110, such as Figure 1A As shown. This can enable the UWB anchors 110 to determine the relative positions of each other, and if the absolute position of any UWB anchor 110 is known, determine the absolute position (e.g., relative to a coordinate system). Once the position of the UWB anchor 110 is known, the position of the target 120 can be determined by determining the distance (d1-d6) between the UWB anchor 110 and the target 120. These distances can be determined using various positioning related measurements and / or processes. This can include, for example, reference signal time difference (RSTD), time of arrival (ToA), two-way ranging (TWR) (e.g., including single-sided TWR (SS-TWR) and / or dual-sided TWR (DS-TWR)), time difference of arrival (TDoA), etc. In addition or alternatively, angle-based measurements can be made for positioning of the target 120, including angle of arrival (AoA) and / or angle of departure (AoD).

[0035] The UWB anchor 110 may vary in form and function. In some embodiments, for example, the UWB anchor 110 may include a mobile device, such as a mobile phone with UWB capabilities. Similarly, the anchor 110 may include other personal electronic devices, such as laptops, tablet computers, personal media players, and the like. In addition, as described above, the UWB device may include a vehicle, a drone, a robot, or other mobile device that can move autonomously, and may be used for consumer, industrial, military, and / or other applications. The UWB anchor 110 may also include a proprietary and / or dedicated RF beacon deployed at a known location for monitoring the location of a tag or device used in a logistics application. For example, this may be used to track packages, shipping containers, and the like. The UWB anchor 110 may be used in proximity applications, such as to unlock a door when a user (e.g., an authorized user) approaches. The UWB anchor 110 may also be deployed in a factory setting to monitor robots, assembly parts, and the like. The UWB anchor 110 may also be used in other applications and / or device types.

[0036] A group of UWB anchors 110 may conduct a session, in which the UWB anchors 110 perform a series of operations to determine the location of one or more devices, and during which the UWB anchors 110 participate in direct communication (e.g., D2D communication) to coordinate data exchange, synchronization (e.g., for TDoA positioning). (As used herein, a "session" between devices may include a series of coordinated operations performed by the devices to perform a task (e.g., positioning). Different types of sessions may include different operations. Sessions may be conducted according to relevant standards, may be identified by a session ID, may be conducted in parallel with other tasks (e.g., other sessions), or any combination thereof) A group of UWB anchors 110 may be referred to as a "cluster", and a network of UWB devices may include multiple clusters. Each cluster may include any number of UWB anchors 110, and different clusters may overlap, such that one or more UWB anchors 110 may be part of one or more different clusters.

[0037] Figure 2A is a flow chart illustrating the roles that different devices may assume with respect to a UWB ranging session (or simply, a "UWB session"), which may be conducted in accordance with a relevant UWB positioning standard (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4ab). Here, each UWB device may be referred to as an enhanced ranging device (ERDEV). ERDEV may be referred to by different terms at different layers of the network stack (e.g., initiator / responder or controller / controllede). The terms initiator and responder (described below) will be used at lower layers (e.g., at the UWB physical (PHY) and media access control (MAC) layers), while the terms controller and controllede (also described below) may be used at higher layers (e.g., the application layer of the ERDEV).

[0038] As shown, for a pair of ERDEVs communicating with each other, controller 210 is the ERDEV that sends control information 225 to a receiving ERDEV (designated as controlled party 220). Control information 225 may include parameters of the UWB ranging session, such as timing, channel, etc. Although not shown, controlled party 220 may send an acknowledgment of control information 225, may negotiate changes in parameters, etc.

[0039] Prior to the ranging phase, the exchanges between the controller 210 and the controlled party 220 may be conducted out-of-band (OOB) using different wireless communication technologies (e.g., Bluetooth or Wi-Fi), including the transmission of control information 225 and the subsequent related exchanges between the controller 210 and the controlled party 220 regarding the control information. In other words, a UWB session may be associated with a control phase and a ranging phase, wherein the control phase (which may occur over the OOB link) includes a preliminary exchange of parameter values ​​for the ranging phase between the controller 210 and the controller 220, and the subsequent ranging phase includes a portion of the UWB session in which the devices exchange messages for ranging measurements within the UWB band. (However, it may be noted that some control information may be exchanged within the UWB band (e.g., a "ranging control phase" occurring in the first time slot of a UWB round). Therefore, some aspects of the control phase may be considered to occur in the band after the preliminary OOB exchange between the controller 210 and the controller 220.)

[0040] The UWB session may occur later based on the parameters provided in the control information. During the ranging phase of the UWB session, one ERDEV may take on the role of initiator 230 and another ERDEV may take on the role of responder 240. Figure 2A As shown, the initiator 230 may initiate UWB ranging by sending a ranging initiation message 245 to the responder 240, the responder 240 may reply to the ranging initiation message 245 with a ranging response message 250, and timing measurements may be made on these messages (by the device receiving the message) to perform two-way ranging (TWR). Depending on the parameters of the control information 225, additional exchanges may be made during the ranging phase between the initiator 230 and the responder 240 to allow additional ranging measurements.

[0041] The roles of the initiator 230 and the responder 240 may be indicated in the control information 225. Figure 2A As shown, the controller 210 in the control phase may be the initiator 230 in the ranging phase of the UWB session. Figure 2B As shown, the controller 210 in the control phase may be the responder 240 in the ranging phase. Determining which device is the initiator 230 and which is the responder 240 may depend on the parameters set forth in the control information 225, in which case the controlled party 220 becomes the responder 240 or the initiator 230 accordingly. According to some embodiments, the controller / initiator may perform ranging with multiple controlled parties / responders.

[0042] Figure 33 is a diagram showing how time may be segmented and utilized within a UWB positioning session, which may be used in some embodiments. A UWB session may occur within a time period that is divided into sub-portions according to a hierarchical structure. The timing includes one or more consecutive ranging blocks 310, which may have a configurable duration (e.g., 200 ms). (For simplicity, Figure 3 Only one ranging block 310 is shown in FIG. 1 . However, a UWB session may utilize multiple ranging blocks, which may occur consecutively. Each ranging block 310 may be split into one or more consecutive rounds 320 (e.g., N rounds). The number and length of the rounds may be configurable. The rounds 320 may be further split into different time slots 330, which may also have a configurable number and length. According to some embodiments, to help reduce RF conflicts, each cluster of UWB anchors may use a single round for UWB positioning in each ranging block 310. Adjacent clusters may utilize different rounds.

[0043] The time slots within a round 320 may be allocated for different purposes. For example, an initial time slot may be dedicated to a ranging control phase 340, in which an initiator UWB anchor or initial anchor for a cluster transmits control information for other UWB anchors in the cluster. This information may include, for example, time slot allocations between different UWB anchors of the cluster. During a subsequent ranging phase 350, different UWB anchors may transmit according to the allocated time slots. That is, each anchor may be allocated a corresponding time slot in the ranging phase 350 to transmit one or more ranging signals. The ranging phase 350 may be followed by a measurement reporting phase 360, in which the UWB anchors in the cluster may report measurements (e.g., measurements of the signals measured during the ranging phase 350).

[0044] Figure 4Ais an illustration of different packet configurations that can be used in a UWB session at the UWB physical (PHY) layer, which can be used in some embodiments. These packet configurations can be defined and / or used in relevant UWB standards (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4z). As shown, the ranging function can be based on channel estimation using a SYNC preamble, which is included in each of the possible configurations (e.g., configurations 0-3) used in the current configuration. (Configuration 0 is currently used as the default configuration.) The SYNC preamble may include a bit sequence (such as an Ipatov ternary sequence, a Gold sequence, a Golay sequence, a polyphase sequence (such as a Zadoff-Chu sequence), etc.) that exhibits good autocorrelation properties (e.g., sufficient for ranging measurements). As shown, different packet configurations may also include a frame start delimiter (SFD) for helping to distinguish the SYNC preamble from the rest of the packet, a PHY payload for transmitting data (e.g., for communication, timestamp information, etc.), and / or a scrambled timestamp sequence (STS). STS is a security feature with a unique sequence known to both the transmitter and receiver that can authenticate the source of data packets and help prevent over-the-air attacks that can falsify ToA estimates used for ranging in UWB sessions. Figure 4B This aspect of UWB ranging is described in more detail.

[0045] Figure 4B 4 is an illustration of a deterministic random bit generator (DRBG) 400 that may be used to generate an STS, which may be used in some embodiments. Here, the DRBG 400 is based on the Advanced Encryption Standard (AES)-128 in counter mode. As shown, the DRBG 400 uses a 96-bit value, a 32-bit counter, and an STS key. The STS key may be securely exchanged between the ERDEVs (e.g., an initiator and one or more responders) prior to a UWB session. For example, the STS key may be generated by a controller (e.g., Figure 2A or 2B controller 210) is provided, for example, at an application layer over a secure link (eg, an OOB link).

[0046] Although STS provides a measure of security, STS is not used in all STS grouping configurations (e.g., STS grouping configuration 0). Even when STS is present, security can be further enhanced. Figure 3 The interference suppression process described by Figure 3 A UWB session with any STS grouping configuration may still be susceptible to interference. Interference may be particularly problematic in environments that employ multiple simultaneous UWB connections.

[0047] To address these and other issues, embodiments herein utilize zero-power symbols for UWB-based positioning when transmitting data packets (e.g., STS packets). Depending on the desired functionality, the number, length, or placement, or any combination thereof, may be random (or, more accurately, pseudo-random, since they are known by the initiator and responder), thereby helping to suppress attacks and / or periodic interference. The random features (number, length, and / or placement) may be fixed by higher layer parameters, or may be generated using a random seed, and may be generated using a method similar to Figure 4B The DRBG 400 algorithm generates. In addition, because these additional symbols are zero power, the receiving device can make measurements during the symbol to determine the presence of attack and / or interference. As described below, these zero power symbols (also described herein as interference measurement resources (IMR)) can be inserted into one or more different components of the STS packet (PHR, payload, etc.) depending on the desired function.

[0048] Figure 5A and 5B is a timing diagram showing an example of how IMR is used in STS packet configuration 0. Figure 5A A conventional STS packet 500 is shown having the components used in STS packet configuration 0: preamble 510, SFD 520, PHR 530, and payload 540. With respect to PHR 530 and payload 540, individual symbols within these components are shown to help illustrate the relationship between the various packet components and the individual symbols. Callouts are provided to show a close-up of the first two PHR symbols at block 550 and the last two payload symbols at block 560, thereby illustrating the sequential nature of the symbols within the packet components.

[0049] Figure 5B shows how the Figure 5A As shown, the modified STS packet 565 has the same composition as the conventional STS packet 500. However, a plurality of IMRs 570 have been inserted into the PHR 530 and the payload 540. As previously described, a receiving device (e.g., a responder) can listen during the zero-power IMRs 570 to determine if an aggressor and / or interferer is present. For example, if the measured power during one or more IMRs 570 exceeds a threshold (e.g., a threshold related to the noise floor), the presence of an interferer and / or an aggressor can be inferred.

[0050] Fig. 6A and 6B is a timing diagram showing an example of how to use IMR in STS packet configuration 3. Figure 5A , Fig. 6AA conventional STS packet 600 is shown having the components used in STS packet configuration 3: preamble 610, SFD 620, and STS 630. Here, the individual symbols of the STS 630 are shown, along with gaps 640 and 650 before and after the STS 630. Callouts are provided to show a close-up of the first gap 640 followed by the first STS symbol 660 and the last STS symbol 670 before the second gap 650. As described in more detail below, these gaps can be used as a timing reference for the IMR.

[0051] Figure 6B shows how the Fig. 6A As shown, the modified STS packet 680 has the same composition as the conventional STS packet 600. However, a plurality of IMRs 690 have been inserted into the STS 630. It can be noted that in Figure 5B and 6B In the modified STS packet 680, the insertion of zero power symbols can extend the length of the STS packet. For example, inserting seven IMRs 690 in the modified STS packet 680 can make the packet seven symbols longer. In other words, the modified STS packet 680 retains all the data from the STS packet 600, but further includes additional symbols containing the IMRs 690.

[0052] It should be understood that Figures 5A-6B This is provided as an example only, and the number, length, and location of IMRs 570 and 690 may vary from instance to instance. Figures 5A-6B The example in shows STS configurations 0 and 3, but STS configurations 1 and 2 can be modified in a similar manner. Therefore, the embodiments can be applied to any STS configuration.

[0053] Furthermore, IMR may be used in narrowband (NB) assisted UWB according to some embodiments. NB assisted UWB is a feature being developed to utilize a different packet structure than STS configurations 0-3 to perform time and frequency synchronization, which may be used for ranging, for example. Fig. 7A A timing diagram 700 is shown illustrating a conventional series of NB-assisted UWB communications including an initial NB packet 710 for timing and frequency synchronization estimation, followed by a series of periodically repeating packets including a preamble 720 . Figure 7B 7 shows a similar timing diagram 730 modified to include IMR 740 according to embodiments herein. Figure 7B As shown in , each preamble 720 in the modified sequence may include a unique set of IMRs 740 with a corresponding unique number, position, or duration of the IMRs 740, or any combination thereof.

[0054] The position, length or number (or any combination thereof) of the IMRs used to modify the STS packets may be pseudo-random according to an algorithm known to the transmitter and receiver. For example, AES-128 may be used to generate a random number known to the transmitter and receiver due to the same random seed. Then, any arbitrary rule may be used to obtain the position, length and / or number of the IMRs from the generated random number. (For example, according to a random 128-bit number, the first 42 bits may be used for the position, the second 42 bits for the length, and the last 44 bits for the number of IMRs) According to some embodiments, the length may be defined as a multiple of the minimum length. In some embodiments, the minimum length may be defined by the symbol length, for example, in which case the duration of each IMR may be a multiple of the symbol (e.g., one symbol long, two symbols long, etc.). Additionally or alternatively, the gap between the SFD and the STS (e.g., gap 640) may be used as a reference length, in which case the duration of each IMR may be defined with reference to the gap (e.g., 0.25, 0.5, 2 or 3 times long, etc.). Similar to AES-128 for STS, for example, a seed or key may be transmitted in advance between devices via an OOB communication link (eg, from an initiator to a responder or from a controller to a controlled party).

[0055] For its part, a receiver of the modified packet (e.g., a responder in a UWB session) may perform one or more operations to supplement the functionality of the transmitter. As previously described, the receiver may perform measurements of the RF signal (e.g., received power) during one or more IMRs to determine if interference is present, for example, if the received power exceeds a noise floor threshold. (The noise floor threshold may be determined from measurements of amplifier (e.g., RFA) characteristics as a calibration step, and / or estimated by measuring the received power of an interference-free IMR as a calibration step. There are also many signal processing algorithms that may measure this noise floor power during a calibration step.) In some embodiments, these measurements may be performed on multiple IMRs, in which case the average measurement may be compared to a threshold to determine the presence of an aggressor or other interferer.

[0056] If interference is present, as determined based on these measurements, the receiver may engage in one or more responses. For example, if interference is determined to be present during transmission of a packet (again, based on measurements made during the packet's IMR), the receiver may simply ignore the packet. This may involve, for example, behaving as if the receiver did not receive the packet or was unable to decode the packet due to interference. Such behavior may be governed, for example, by an applicable standard for transmitting UWB packets, such as IEEE 802.15.4ab.

[0057] Additionally or alternatively, the receiver may notify the transmitter of the packet and / or apply mitigation techniques. Notifying the transmitter of interference may allow the transmitter to perform mitigation techniques, such as using a different channel, a different time slot / round, etc., which may be communicated to the receiver, for example, during a control phase. The receiver may also apply mitigation techniques, such as interference whitening based on a covariance matrix. Thus, in addition to or in lieu of notifying the transmitter of the packet, the receiver may provide an internal notification of detected interference to enable the receiver to perform such interference mitigation techniques. Figure 8 Provides additional details about interference detection.

[0058] Figure 8 800 is a block diagram of a processing component 800 of a UWB receiver according to an embodiment, which enables the UWB receiver to process STS packets modified in the manner shown in the previous embodiments. These processing components 800 can be used in UWB devices (such as Fig.11 Specifically, the processing component 800 may be implemented in the UWB transceiver 1135 of the wireless communication interface 1130, one or more processors 1110, an independent digital signal processor (DSP) 1120, or any combination thereof. Figure 8 In the processing component 800, the processing is divided into two different parts: security level processing, which may be performed by the STS post-processing unit 810, and demodulation, which may be performed by the demodulator 815. Depending on the desired functionality, the duplicate components (e.g., the channel estimation unit 820 and / or the interference measurement unit 825) may be separate (as shown) or shared.

[0059] The STS post-processing unit 810 outputs a security level 830 indicating a security or integrity level. This output is based on various inputs. The channel estimation unit 820 receives an RF signal 840 of a legacy (non-zero power symbol) symbol and outputs a channel estimate 845 indicating a metric of the transmitted symbol. This can be done, for example, by estimating the channel using non-zero power resources such as a preamble and / or an STS region. The channel estimate 845 can be used with the IMR to estimate the noise floor for a particular packet. For example, one metric that can be used is the SINR, which is defined as

[0060] (1)

[0061] Among them, h k is the channel estimation by using the preamble and / or STS, and is a measure of the noise floor.

[0062] The interference measurement unit 825 can do something similar, but utilizes IMR instead of traditional symbols. That is, the interference measurement unit 825 can receive the Rx signal measured during the IMR (Rx signal on IMR 850) and output an interference estimate 855 indicating a measure of the zero power symbol. By comparing the channel estimate 845 and the interference estimate 855, the STS post-processing unit 810 can then determine whether there is interference. For example, using an estimate of the average symbol power from the channel estimate 845 and an estimate of the average power received during the zero power symbol from the interference estimate 855, the STS post-processing unit 810 can determine a signal-to-interference-and-noise ratio (SINR) that can be used to derive the security level 830. The Rx signal 860 can be provided directly to the STS post-processing unit 810 so that the STS post-processing unit 810 can provide a reliability metric that can be based in part on the Rx signal 860. For example, mutual information can include such a reliability metric utilizing the Rx signal. The mutual information can be used as a parameter for determining the security level of 830. The detailed equation of the mutual information is given by the following formula:

[0063] (2)

[0064] Among them, h k * is the channel estimate, y k is the Rx signal, is the modulation data, and It is an interference measurement.

[0065] In addition, as indicated by the dashed arrow 880, the embodiment can selectively provide the demodulated data 870 to the STS post-processing unit 810, because the demodulated data 870 can provide information to the security level 830. For example, the number of decision errors is a measure of the reliability of the check (bit error or symbol error). In addition, the distance commitment protocol is defined in the relevant IEEE standard. Both of them can use the demodulated data 880.

[0066] The content of security level 830 may vary depending on the desired functionality. According to some embodiments, the security level may include a single bit indicating whether interference (e.g., relative to signal power) has exceeded a certain threshold. If the interference is above the threshold, security level 830 may indicate a "low" security level. If the interference is below the threshold, security level 830 may indicate a "high" security level. Some embodiments may include multiple security levels (e.g., indicated by two or more bits), which may indicate the level or degree of interference measured by the receiver, which may be relative to signal power. Therefore, security level 830 may be an indication of the integrity of the data received via the Rx signal.

[0067] Also like Figure 8As shown, the demodulator 815 may process the RF signal 860 using the same input to provide demodulated data 870. In the event that interference has been detected and the receiver implements interference suppression, the demodulator 815 may implement interference suppression, such as interference whitening, using the channel estimate 845 and the interference estimate 855. The demodulated data 870 may include the contents of the payload received from the STS packet and may be used to signal an ACK or NACK response of the receiver.

[0068] The security level 830 and the demodulated data 870 may be used, for example, by a higher level function or additional component (not shown) to determine whether to further process the demodulated data. For example, if the security level 830 indicates that interference is present and the integrity of the demodulated data 870 may be compromised (e.g., the security level has fallen below a threshold), the receiver may choose to discard the demodulated data (and / or notify the transmitter, implement interference mitigation techniques, etc.), as previously discussed.

[0069] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of a method 900 for implementing secure UWB ranging according to an embodiment. Fig. 9 The components of the functions shown in one or more blocks shown in the figure may be performed by hardware and / or software components of the UWB device. The method 900 may occur as part of a UWB ranging session, for example, as described with respect to FIGS. 1-3 and may correspond to the functions of a UWB transmitter. Example components of a UWB device are shown in FIG. Fig.11 , which is described in more detail below.

[0070] At block 910, functionality includes generating, at a UWB transmitter, a data packet for performing UWB ranging, wherein the data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and the data packet also includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols. As previously described, the UWB transmitter may include a controller (e.g., Figure 2A or 2B controller 210) and / or initiator (e.g. Figure 2A or 2B initiator 230) UWB device. Figures 5A-6B As described, the data packet may include a UWB STS packet (e.g., any one of STS packet configurations 0-3) having a corresponding UWB STS packet composition. Thus, in some embodiments of method 900, the data packet may include a UWB STS packet, and one or more zero power symbols may be included in a PHR of the data packet, a payload of the data packet, an STS portion of the data packet, or any combination thereof. Additionally or alternatively, as described with respect to Figure 7A-7B As described, in some embodiments, a data packet may include a narrowband (NB) assisted UWB preamble.

[0071] Means for performing the functions at block 910 may include bus 1105, processor 1110, DSP 1120, wireless communication interface 1130 (including UWB transceiver 1135), memory 1160, and / or other components of UWB device 1100, such as Fig.11 As described in .

[0072] At block 920, the function includes transmitting a data packet via a UWB RF signal using a UWB transmitter during a UWB ranging session between a UWB transmitter and a UWB receiver. As described in the above embodiments, the data packet can be measured by the UWB receiver to perform ranging measurements. In addition, as also described above, characteristics of zero-power symbols (e.g., IMRs), such as quantity, position, and duration, can be indicated by using one or more algorithms. In some embodiments, a single algorithm can be capable of providing multiple pseudo-random characteristics (e.g., a single algorithm can be used to generate one or more pseudo-random numbers to determine quantity, position, and duration, or any combination thereof). In other embodiments, different algorithms can be used to generate different pseudo-random characteristics. Thus, some embodiments of method 900 may include determining characteristics of one or more zero-power symbols according to a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristics include the number of one or more zero-power symbols, the corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of one or more zero-power symbols within a data packet, the corresponding length of each zero-power symbol in one or more zero-power symbols, or any combination thereof. Such an embodiment may also include determining a seed value for a predetermined algorithm and sending the seed value to a UWB receiver. As previously described, sending the seed value to the UWB receiver may occur prior to the UWB ranging session and / or may be communicated to the UWB receiver via OOB communications.

[0073] Some embodiments may also involve responding to detected interference. For example, some embodiments of method 900 may include: after transmitting a data packet, receiving a message from a UWB receiver indicating that RF interference has been detected, and in response to receiving a message from a UWB receiver indicating that RF interference has been detected, increasing the number of STS symbols, providing auxiliary data about a priori distance to the UWB receiver, providing an indication of RF interference to the application layer, ending the UWB ranging session, or any combination thereof. Depending on the desired functionality, the content of the message may vary. In some embodiments, the UWB receiver may indicate a specific interference level. In some embodiments, the new UWB receiver may simply indicate that interference has been detected. With respect to ending the UWB ranging session, the UWB transmitter may end the UWB ranging session in accordance with any applicable regulatory standard or protocol. With respect to increasing the number of STS symbols, this may enable the UWB receiver to suppress interference by, for example, averaging interference. By providing auxiliary information about a priori distance, this may be used by the UWB receiver as a constraint on distance measurement. Finally, providing RF interference detection as feedback information to the application layer may allow one or more applications to make decisions themselves.

[0074] Means for performing the functions at block 920 may include bus 1105, processor 1110, DSP 1120, wireless communication interface 1130 (including UWB transceiver 1135), memory 1160, and / or other components of UWB device 1100, such as Fig.11 As described in .

[0075] Fig.10 is a flow chart of a method 1000 for implementing secure UWB ranging according to an embodiment. Fig.10 The components of the functions shown in one or more blocks shown in the figure may be performed by hardware and / or software components of the UWB device. Fig. 9 The method 900 of the present invention may occur as part of a UWB ranging session, such as described with respect to FIGS. 1-3, and may correspond to the functionality of a UWB receiver. Example components of a UWB device are shown in FIG. Fig.11 , which is described in more detail below.

[0076] At block 1010, functionality includes receiving, at a UWB receiver, a data packet from a UWB transmitter via a UWB RF signal, wherein the data packet is received during a UWB ranging session between the UWB receiver and the UWB transmitter, the data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and the data packet also includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols. In some embodiments, the data packet may include a UWB STS packet, and wherein the one or more zero power symbols are included in a PHR of the data packet, a payload of the data packet, an STS portion of the data packet, or any combination thereof. In some embodiments, the data packet may include a NB-assisted UWB preamble.

[0077] Similar to the UWB transmitter, the UWB receiver may use a predetermined algorithm to determine one or more pseudo-random characteristics of the zero-power symbol (e.g., IMR). Thus, some embodiments of method 1000 may further include determining the characteristics of the one or more zero-power symbols according to the predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristics include the number of the one or more zero-power symbols, the corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero-power symbols within the data packet, the corresponding length of each of the one or more zero-power symbols, or any combination thereof. In such an embodiment, method 1000 may further include receiving a seed value of the predetermined algorithm from the UWB transmitter.

[0078] Means for performing the functions at block 1010 may include bus 1105, processor 1110, DSP 1120, wireless communication interface 1130 (including UWB transceiver 1135), memory 1160, and / or other components of UWB device 1100, such as Fig.11 As described in .

[0079] At block 1020, the functionality includes determining an RF interference level based on one or more RF signal measurements performed at the UWB receiver during one or more zero power symbols. As noted in the previously described embodiments, this may be done to determine if RF interference is present. The measurements may include, for example, a maximum power level, an average power level, a power spectral density (PSD), etc. of the RF signal measured during one or more zero power symbols. According to some embodiments, statistical information may further be obtained, such as covariance and / or related information between samples in time and / or samples in multiple antennas.

[0080] Means for performing the functions at block 1020 may include bus 1105, processor 1110, DSP 1120, wireless communication interface 1130 (including UWB transceiver 1135), memory 1160, and / or other components of UWB device 1100, such as Fig.11 As shown in .

[0081] At block 1030, the functionality includes providing an output at the UWB receiver that indicates the RF interference level. Figure 8 As described, the output may be internal to the UWB receiver. For example, in some embodiments, providing the output includes an STS post-processing unit (e.g., Figure 8 The STS post-processing unit 810 of the UWB receiver provides an output. As described above, the STS post-processing unit of the UWB receiver may include hardware and / or software components of the UWB receiver for processing UWB signals. Thus, the STS post-processing unit may be implemented in a UWB transceiver (e.g., UWB transceiver 1135) and / or a wireless communication interface (e.g., wireless communication interface 1130) of the UWB device.

[0082] Means for performing the functions at block 1030 may include bus 1105, processor 1110, DSP 1120, wireless communication interface 1130 (including UWB transceiver 1135), memory 1160, and / or other components of UWB device 1100, such as Fig.11 As described in .

[0083] As described in the embodiments of this document, the UWB receiver may implement one or more additional features. For example, according to some embodiments of method 1000, performing one or more RF signal measurements may include performing one or more measurements of RF signal power during one or more zero power symbols. In such embodiments, method 1000 may also include performing one or more measurements of RF signal power during one or more non-zero power symbols, and determining the RF interference level by comparing the RF signal power during one or more zero power symbols with the RF signal power during one or more non-zero power symbols. Here, the non-zero power symbol may include one or more symbols of the data packet that are not zero power symbols. This may include symbols of symbols from components (e.g., payload, STS, PHR, preamble) of a data packet that also includes a zero power symbol, and / or symbols from the entire data packet.

[0084] As described above, the UWB receiver may take one or more actions upon determining whether RF interference is present. Thus, some embodiments of method 1000 may also include determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold, and in response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds the minimum threshold, (i) sending a message to the UWB transmitter indicating that RF interference has been detected, (ii) ignoring demodulated data from the data packet, (iii) implementing interference suppression for processing the data packet, or any combination of (i)-(iii).

[0085] Fig.11is a block diagram of an embodiment of a UWB device 1100 that may be used as described herein, including a UWB transmitter, receiver, initiator, responder, controller, controlled party, or any combination thereof. It should be noted that Fig.11 It is intended only to provide a generalized description of the various components, any or all of which may be utilized as appropriate. For example, a more basic / simple type of UWB device may omit various components that may be included in a more advanced / complex UWB device. A mobile UWB device may include some components that are not in a fixed UWB device (e.g., a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver 1180), and vice versa. Furthermore, as previously mentioned, the functionality of the UE discussed in the previously described embodiments may be provided by Fig.11 One or more of the hardware and / or software components shown in FIG.

[0086] Mobile UWB device 1100 is shown as including hardware elements that may be electrically coupled via bus 1105 (or may otherwise communicate as appropriate). The hardware elements may include a processor 1110, which may include (but is not limited to) one or more general-purpose processors (e.g., application processors), one or more special-purpose processors (e.g., digital signal processor (DSP) chips, graphics acceleration processors, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), and / or the like), and / or other processing structures or components. Processor 1110 may include one or more processing units, which may be housed in a single integrated circuit (IC) or multiple ICs. Fig.11 As shown, some embodiments may have a separate DSP 1120, depending on the desired functionality. Position determination and / or other determinations based on wireless communications may be provided in the processor 1110 and / or the wireless communication interface 1130 (discussed below). The mobile UWB device 1100 may also include one or more input devices 1170, which may include, but are not limited to, one or more keyboards, touch screens, touch pads, microphones, buttons, dials, switches, etc.; and one or more output devices 1115, which may include (but are not limited to) one or more displays (e.g., touch screens), light emitting diodes (LEDs), speakers, and / or the like.

[0087] The mobile UWB device 1100 may also include a wireless communication interface 1130, which may include, but is not limited to, a modem, a network card, an infrared communication device, a wireless communication device and / or a chipset (such as a Bluetooth® device, an IEEE 802.11 device, an IEEE 802.15.4 device, a Wi-Fi device, a WiMAX device, a WAN device and / or various cellular devices, etc.), etc., which may enable the mobile UWB device 1100 to communicate with other devices as described herein. The wireless communication interface 1130 may allow data and signaling to be communicated (e.g., transmitted and received) with access points, various base stations and / or other access node types and / or other network components, computer systems and / or any other electronic devices coupled thereto in communication. Communication may be performed via one or more wireless communication antennas 1132 that transmit and / or receive wireless signals 1134. According to some embodiments, the wireless communication antenna 1132 may include multiple discrete antennas, antenna arrays, or any combination thereof. The antenna 1132 may be capable of transmitting and receiving wireless signals using beams (e.g., Tx beams and Rx beams). Beamforming may be performed using digital and / or analog beamforming techniques and corresponding digital and / or analog circuits. The wireless communication interface 1130 may include such circuits.

[0088] As shown, the wireless communication interface 1130 may also include a UWB transceiver 1135. The UWB transceiver 1135 may be operated to perform the UWB operations described herein, and / or may implement the UWB operations described previously (e.g., Figure 8 ) may include the functions shown in the UWB hardware and / or software components described in the accompanying drawings. In addition, the wireless communication interface 1130 may include one or more additional communication technologies, and any OOB functions described herein may be performed using the one or more additional communication technologies. According to some embodiments, the UWB transceiver 1135 may be one of multiple UWB transceivers of the mobile UWB device 1100. In addition, the UWB transceiver may be used for functions other than the UWB ranging or positioning functions described herein. Although shown as part of the wireless communication interface 1130, in some embodiments, the UWB transceiver 1135 may be separated from the wireless communication interface 1130.

[0089] Depending on the desired functionality, the wireless communication interface 1130 may include a separate receiver and transmitter, or any combination of transceivers, transmitters, and / or receivers to communicate with base stations (e.g., ng-eNBs and gNBs) and other ground transceivers (e.g., wireless devices and access points). The mobile UWB device 1100 may communicate with different data networks that may include various network types. For example, a wireless wide area network (WWAN) may be a CDMA network, a time division multiple access (TDMA) network, a frequency division multiple access (FDMA) network, an orthogonal frequency division multiple access (OFDMA) network, a single carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) network, a WiMAX (IEEE 802.16) network, and the like. A CDMA network may implement one or more RATs, such as CDMA2000®, WCDMA, and the like. CDMA2000® includes IS-95, IS-2000, and / or IS-856 standards. A TDMA network may implement GSM, a digital advanced mobile phone system (D-AMPS), or some other RAT. OFDMA networks may employ LTE, Advanced LTE, 5G NR, etc. 5G NR, LTE, Advanced LTE, GSM, and WCDMA are described in documents from 3GPP. CDMA2000® is described in documents from an alliance named "3rd Generation Partnership Project 2" (3GPP2). 3GPP and 3GPP2 documents are publicly available. A wireless local area network (WLAN) may also be an IEEE 802.11x network, and a wireless personal area network (WPAN) may be a Bluetooth network, IEEE 802.15x, or some other type of network. The techniques described herein may also be used for any combination of WWAN, WLAN, and / or WPAN.

[0090] The mobile UWB device 1100 may also include a sensor 1140. The sensor 1140 may include, but is not limited to, one or more inertial sensors and / or other sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, cameras, magnetometers, altimeters, microphones, proximity sensors, light sensors, barometers, etc.), some of which may be used to obtain location-related measurements and / or other information.

[0091] Embodiments of the mobile UWB device 1100 may also include a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) receiver 1180 capable of receiving signals 1184 from one or more GNSS satellites using an antenna 1182 (which may be the same as the antenna 1132). Positioning based on GNSS signal measurements may be used to supplement and / or incorporate the techniques described herein. The GNSS receiver 1180 may extract the location of the UWB device 1100 from GNSS satellites of a GNSS system using conventional techniques, such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), Galileo, GLONASS, the Quasi-Zenith Satellite System (QZSS) over Japan, the IRNSS over India, the Beidou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) over China, and the like. In addition, the GNSS receiver 1180 may be used with various storage devices, solid-state storage devices (such as random access memory (RAM) and / or read-only memory (ROM)), which may be programmable, flash-updatable, and / or the like. Such storage devices may be configured to implement any appropriate data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, and / or the like.

[0092] The memory 1160 of the mobile UWB device 1100 may also include software elements ( Fig.11 1100 ), including an operating system, device drivers, executable libraries, and / or other code, such as one or more application programs, which may include computer programs provided by various embodiments, and / or may be designed to implement methods provided by other embodiments and / or configure systems provided by other embodiments, as described herein. Merely by way of example, one or more processes described with respect to the methods discussed above may be implemented as code and / or instructions in memory 1160, which may be executed by mobile UWB device 1100 (and / or processor 1110 or DSP 1120 within mobile UWB device 1100). Then, in some embodiments, such code and / or instructions may be used to configure and / or adapt a general purpose computer (or other device) to perform one or more operations according to the described methods.

[0093] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that substantial variations may be made depending on specific requirements. For example, custom hardware may also be used and / or specific elements may be implemented in hardware, software (including portable software, such as applets, etc.), or both. In addition, connections to other computing devices such as network input / output devices may be employed.

[0094] With reference to the accompanying drawings, the components that may include memory may include non-temporary machine-readable media. As used herein, the terms "machine-readable medium" and "computer-readable medium" refer to any storage medium that participates in providing data that enables a machine to operate in a particular manner. In the embodiments provided above, various machine-readable media may involve providing instructions / codes to a processor and / or other devices for execution. Additionally or alternatively, machine-readable media may be used to store and / or carry such instructions / codes. In many embodiments, computer-readable media are physical and / or tangible storage media. Such media may take many forms, including but not limited to non-volatile media and volatile media. Common forms of computer-readable media include, for example, magnetic and / or optical media, any other physical media with hole patterns, RAM, programmable ROM (PROM), erasable PROM (EPROM), FLASH-EPROM, any other memory chip or box, or any other medium from which a computer can read instructions and / or codes.

[0095] The methods, systems and devices discussed herein are examples. Various embodiments may appropriately omit, replace or add various processes or components. For example, features described with respect to certain embodiments may be combined in various other embodiments. Different aspects and elements of the embodiments may be combined in a similar manner. The various components of the accompanying drawings provided herein may be embodied in hardware and / or software. In addition, technology develops, and therefore many elements are examples that do not limit the scope of the present disclosure to those specific examples.

[0096] It has proven convenient at times, primarily for reasons of common usage, to refer to such signals as bits, information, values, elements, symbols, characters, variables, terms, numbers, quantities, and the like. It will be understood, however, that all of these or similar terms are associated with the appropriate physical quantities and are merely convenient labels. Unless otherwise specifically stated, as will be apparent from the above discussion, it will be understood that throughout this specification, discussions utilizing terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining," "ascertaining," "identifying," "correlating," "measuring," "performing," and the like refer to the actions or processes of a specific apparatus, such as a special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device. Thus, in the context of this specification, a special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device is capable of manipulating or transforming signals, typically represented as physical electronic, electrical, or magnetic quantities within a memory, register, or other information storage device, transmission device, or display device of the special purpose computer or similar special purpose electronic computing device.

[0097] The terms "and" and "or" as used herein may include multiple meanings, which are also expected to depend at least in part on the context in which the terms are used. Generally, "or", if used in an associative list, such as A, B, or C, is intended to mean A, B, and C (used here in an inclusive sense), as well as A, B, or C (used here in an exclusive sense). In addition, the term "one or more" as used herein may be used to describe any feature, structure, or characteristic in a singular form, or may be used to describe a certain combination of features, structures, or characteristics. However, it should be noted that this is merely an illustrative example and the claimed subject matter is not limited to this example. In addition, if used in an associative list (such as A, B, or C), the term "at least one of" may be interpreted to mean any combination of A, B, and / or C, such as A, AB, AA, AAB, AABBCCC, etc.

[0098] Several embodiments have been described, and various modifications, alternative configurations, and equivalents may be used without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. For example, the above elements may be merely components of a larger system, where other rules may take precedence over or otherwise modify the application of the various embodiments. In addition, multiple steps may be performed before, during, or after considering the above elements. Therefore, the above description does not limit the scope of the present disclosure.

[0099] In view of this description, embodiments may include different combinations of features. Implementation examples are described in the following numbered clauses:

[0100] Clause 1. A method of implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the method comprising: generating, at a UWB transmitter, a data packet for performing UWB ranging, wherein: the data packet comprises a plurality of symbols, and the data packet further comprises one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols; and transmitting, by the UWB transmitter, the data packet via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal during a UWB ranging session between the UWB transmitter and a UWB receiver.

[0101] Clause 2. The method of clause 1, wherein the data packet comprises a UWB scrambled time stamp sequence (STS) packet, and wherein the one or more zero power symbols are included in: a physical layer header (PHR) of the data packet, a payload of the data packet, an STS portion of the data packet, or any combination thereof.

[0102] Clause 3. A method as described in any of clauses 1-2, wherein the data packet comprises a narrowband (NB) assisted UWB preamble.

[0103] Clause 4. The method of any one of clauses 1-3, further comprising determining a characteristic of the one or more zero power symbols according to a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristic comprises: a number of the one or more zero power symbols, corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero power symbols within the data packet, a corresponding length of each of the one or more zero power symbols, or any combination thereof.

[0104] Clause 5. The method of clause 4, further comprising: determining a seed value for the predetermined algorithm; and sending the seed value to a UWB receiver.

[0105] Clause 6. A method according to any of clauses 1-5, further comprising, after transmitting the data packet, receiving a message from the UWB receiver indicating that RF interference has been detected; and in response to receiving the message from the UWB receiver indicating that RF interference has been detected: increasing the number of STS symbols, providing assistance data regarding a priori range to the UWB receiver, providing an indication of RF interference to an application layer, terminating the UWB ranging session, or any combination thereof.

[0106] Clause 7. A method of implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the method comprising: receiving, at a UWB receiver, a data packet from a UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein: the data packet is received during a UWB ranging session between the UWB receiver and the UWB transmitter, the data packet comprising a plurality of symbols, and the data packet further comprises one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols; determining an RF interference level based on one or more RF signal measurements performed at the UWB receiver during the one or more zero power symbols; and providing an output at the UWB receiver, the output being indicative of the RF interference level.

[0107] Clause 8. The method of Clause 7, wherein performing one or more RF signal measurements comprises performing one or more measurements of RF signal power during one or more zero power symbols.

[0108] Clause 9. The method of clause 8, wherein the one or more measures of RF signal power include: maximum power level, average power level, power spectral density (PSD), or any combination thereof.

[0109] Clause 10. The method of any of clauses 8-9, further comprising performing one or more measurements of RF signal power during one or more non-zero power symbols; and determining the RF interference level by comparing the RF signal power during the one or more zero power symbols to the RF signal power during the one or more non-zero power symbols.

[0110] Clause 11. A method according to any of clauses 7-10, wherein providing an output comprises providing an output at a scrambled time stamp sequence (STS) post-processing unit of the UWB receiver.

[0111] Clause 12. The method of any of clauses 7-11, further comprising: determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; and in response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds the minimum threshold, sending a message to the UWB transmitter indicating that RF interference has been detected.

[0112] Clause 13. The method of any of clauses 7-12, further comprising: determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; and responsive to determining that the RF interference level exceeds the minimum threshold, ignoring the demodulated data from the data packet.

[0113] Clause 14. The method of any of clauses 7-13, further comprising: determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; and in response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds the minimum threshold, implementing interference mitigation for processing the data packet.

[0114] Clause 15. A method according to any of clauses 7-14, wherein the data packet comprises a UWB STS packet, and wherein the one or more zero power symbols are included in: a physical layer header (PHR) of the data packet, a payload of the data packet, an STS portion of the data packet, or any combination thereof.

[0115] Clause 16. A method according to any of clauses 7 to 15, wherein the data packet comprises a narrowband (NB) assisted UWB preamble.

[0116] Clause 17. A method according to any one of clauses 7 to 16, further comprising determining a characteristic of the one or more zero power symbols according to a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristic comprises: a number of the one or more zero power symbols, corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero power symbols within the data packet, a corresponding length of each of the one or more zero power symbols, or any combination thereof.

[0117] Clause 18. The method of clause 17, further comprising receiving a seed value of the predetermined algorithm from the UWB transmitter.

[0118] Clause 19. A UWB transmitter for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the UWB transmitter comprising: a transceiver; a memory; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: generate a data packet for performing UWB ranging, wherein: the data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and the data packet also includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols; and transmit the data packet via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal using the transceiver during a UWB ranging session between the UWB transmitter and a UWB receiver.

[0119] Clause 20. The UWB transmitter of clause 19, wherein, to generate the data packet, the one or more processors are configured to generate a UWB scrambled time stamp sequence (STS) packet such that one or more zero power symbols are included in: a physical layer header (PHR) of the data packet, a payload of the data packet, an STS portion of the data packet, or any combination thereof.

[0120] Clause 21. A UWB transmitter as described in any of clauses 19-20, wherein the data packet comprises a narrowband (NB) assisted UWB preamble.

[0121] Clause 22. A UWB transmitter as recited in any of clauses 19-21, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine characteristics of the one or more zero power symbols based on a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristics include: a number of the one or more zero power symbols, corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero power symbols within a data packet, a corresponding length of each of the one or more zero power symbols, or any combination thereof.

[0122] Clause 23. The UWB transmitter of clause 22, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine a seed value for the predetermined algorithm; and send the seed value to the UWB receiver.

[0123] Clause 24. A UWB transmitter as recited in any of clauses 19-23, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: after transmitting the data packet, receive a message from the UWB receiver indicating that RF interference has been detected; and in response to receiving the message from the UWB receiver indicating that RF interference has been detected: increase the number of STS symbols, provide assistance data regarding a priori range to the UWB receiver, provide an indication of RF interference to an application layer, end the UWB ranging session, or any combination thereof.

[0124] Clause 25. A UWB receiver for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the UWB receiver comprising: a transceiver; a memory; and one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: receive, with the transceiver, a data packet from a UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein: the data packet is received during a UWB ranging session between the UWB receiver and the UWB transmitter, the data packet comprising a plurality of symbols, and the data packet further comprising one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols; determine an RF interference level based on one or more RF signal measurements performed at the UWB receiver during the one or more zero power symbols; and provide an output indicative of the RF interference level.

[0125] Clause 26. The UWB receiver of clause 25, wherein to perform the one or more RF signal measurements, the one or more processors are configured to perform the one or more measurements of RF signal power during the one or more zero power symbols.

[0126] Clause 27. The UWB receiver of clause 26, wherein the one or more measurements of RF signal power include: maximum power level, average power level, power spectral density (PSD), or any combination thereof.

[0127] Clause 28. A UWB receiver according to any of clauses 26-27, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: perform one or more measurements of RF signal power during one or more non-zero power symbols; and determine the RF interference level by comparing the RF signal power during the one or more zero power symbols to the RF signal power during the one or more non-zero power symbols.

[0128] Clause 29. A UWB receiver according to any of clauses 25 to 28, wherein, to provide the output, the one or more processors are configured to provide the output at a scrambled time stamp sequence (STS) post-processing unit of the UWB receiver.

[0129] Clause 30. A UWB receiver as described in any of clauses 25-29, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; and in response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds the minimum threshold, send a message to the UWB transmitter indicating that RF interference has been detected.

[0130] Clause 31. A UWB receiver as recited in any of Clauses 25-30, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; and in response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds the minimum threshold, ignore the demodulated data from the data packet.

[0131] Clause 32. A UWB receiver as recited in any of clauses 25-31, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to: determine that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; and in response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds the minimum threshold, implement interference mitigation for processing the data packet.

[0132] Clause 33. A UWB receiver according to any of clauses 25-32, wherein, to receive the data packet, the one or more processors are configured to receive a UWB STS packet, wherein the one or more zero power symbols are included in a physical layer header (PHR) of the data packet, a payload of the data packet, an STS portion of the data packet, or any combination thereof.

[0133] Clause 34. A UWB receiver as described in any of clauses 25-33, wherein, to receive the data packet, the one or more processors are configured to receive a narrowband (NB) assisted UWB preamble.

[0134] Clause 35. A UWB receiver according to any of clauses 25-34, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to determine a characteristic of the one or more zero power symbols according to a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristic comprises: a number of the one or more zero power symbols, corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero power symbols within a data packet, a corresponding length of each of the one or more zero power symbols, or any combination thereof.

[0135] Clause 36. A UWB receiver as described in any of clauses 25-35, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to receive a seed value for the predetermined algorithm from a UWB transmitter.

[0136] Clause 37. An apparatus for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the apparatus comprising: means for generating, at a UWB transmitter, a data packet for performing UWB ranging, wherein: the data packet comprises a plurality of symbols, and the data packet further comprises one or more zero power symbols at one or more respective pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols; and means for transmitting the data packet via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal during a UWB ranging session between the UWB transmitter and a UWB receiver.

[0137] Clause 38. The apparatus of clause 37, further comprising means for determining a characteristic of the one or more zero power symbols based on a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristic comprises: a number of the one or more zero power symbols, corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero power symbols within the data packet, corresponding lengths of each of the one or more zero power symbols, or any combination thereof.

[0138] Clause 39. The apparatus of clause 38, further comprising means for determining a seed value for the predetermined algorithm; and means for transmitting the seed value to the UWB receiver.

[0139] Clause 40. An apparatus for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the apparatus comprising: means for receiving, at a UWB receiver, a data packet from a UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein: the data packet is received during a UWB ranging session between the UWB receiver and the UWB transmitter, the data packet comprising a plurality of symbols, and the data packet further comprises one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols; means for determining an RF interference level based on one or more RF signal measurements performed at the UWB receiver during the one or more zero power symbols; and means for providing an output at the UWB receiver, the output indicating the RF interference level.

[0140] Clause 41. The apparatus of Clause 40, further comprising means for performing the one or more RF signal measurements at least in part by performing one or more measurements of RF signal power during the one or more zero power symbols.

[0141] Clause 42. The apparatus of any of clauses 41, further comprising: means for performing one or more measurements of RF signal power during one or more non-zero power symbols; and means for determining an RF interference level by comparing the RF signal power during the one or more zero power symbols to the RF signal power during the one or more non-zero power symbols.

[0142] Clause 43. The apparatus of any of clauses 40-42, further comprising: means for determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; and means for, in response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds the minimum threshold, sending a message to the UWB transmitter indicating that RF interference has been detected, ignoring demodulated data from the data packet, implementing interference mitigation for processing the data packet, or any combination thereof.

[0143] Clause 44. An apparatus according to any one of clauses 40-43, further comprising means for determining a characteristic of the one or more zero power symbols according to a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristic comprises: a number of the one or more zero power symbols, a corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero power symbols within a data packet, a corresponding length of each of the one or more zero power symbols, or any combination thereof.

[0144] Clause 45. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the instructions comprising code for: generating, at a UWB transmitter, a data packet for performing UWB ranging, wherein: the data packet comprises a plurality of symbols, and the data packet further comprises one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols; and transmitting, by the UWB transmitter, the data packet via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal during a UWB ranging session between the UWB transmitter and a UWB receiver.

[0145] Clause 46. The computer-readable medium of clause 45, wherein the instructions further comprise code for determining a characteristic of the one or more zero power symbols according to a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristic comprises: a number of the one or more zero power symbols, corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero power symbols within the data packet, corresponding length of each of the one or more zero power symbols, or any combination thereof.

[0146] Clause 47. A computer-readable medium as defined in any of clauses 45-46, wherein the instructions further comprise code for: after transmitting the data packet, receiving a message from the UWB receiver indicating that RF interference has been detected; and in response to receiving the message from the UWB receiver indicating that RF interference has been detected: increasing the number of STS symbols, providing assistance data regarding a priori range to the UWB receiver, providing an indication of RF interference to an application layer, terminating the UWB ranging session, or any combination thereof.

[0147] Clause 48. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the instructions comprising code for: receiving, at a UWB receiver, a data packet from a UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein: the data packet is received during a UWB ranging session between the UWB receiver and the UWB transmitter, the data packet comprising a plurality of symbols, and the data packet further comprising one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions in the plurality of symbols; determining an RF interference level based on one or more RF signal measurements performed at the UWB receiver during the one or more zero power symbols; and providing an output at the UWB receiver, the output indicating the RF interference level.

[0148] Clause 49. The computer-readable medium of Clause 48, wherein the code for performing one or more RF signal measurements comprises code for performing one or more measurements of RF signal power during one or more zero power symbols.

[0149] Clause 50. The computer-readable medium of any of clauses 48-49, wherein the instructions further comprise code for: determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; and in response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds the minimum threshold: sending a message to the UWB transmitter indicating that RF interference has been detected, ignoring demodulated data from the data packet, or implementing interference mitigation for processing the data packet, or any combination thereof.

Claims

1. A method for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the method comprising: A data packet for performing UWB ranging is generated at a UWB transmitter, wherein: The data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and The data packet further includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions among the plurality of symbols; and The data packet is transmitted by the UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal during a UWB ranging session between the UWB transmitter and a UWB receiver.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The data packet comprises a UWB scrambled time stamp sequence (STS) packet, and wherein the one or more zero power symbols are included in: The physical layer header (PHR) of the data packet, the payload of the data packet, the STS portion of the data packet, or Any combination of them.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein: The data packet includes a narrowband (NB) assisted UWB preamble.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: The characteristics of the one or more zero power symbols are determined according to a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristics include: the number of the one or more zero power symbols, the corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero power symbols within the data packet, a respective length of each of the one or more zero power symbols, or Any combination of them.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: determining a seed value of the predetermined algorithm; as well as The seed value is sent to the UWB receiver.

6. The method according to claim 1, further comprising: After transmitting the data packet, receiving a message from the UWB receiver indicating that RF interference has been detected; as well as In response to receiving a message from the UWB receiver indicating that the RF interference has been detected: Increase the number of STS symbols, providing assistance data about a priori distance to the UWB receiver, providing an indication of said RF interference to an application layer, End the UWB ranging session, or Any combination of them.

7. A method for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the method comprising: A data packet is received at a UWB receiver from a UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein: receiving the data packet during a UWB ranging session between the UWB receiver and the UWB transmitter, The data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and The data packet further includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions among the plurality of symbols; determining an RF interference level based on one or more RF signal measurements performed at the UWB receiver during the one or more zero power symbols; and An output is provided at the UWB receiver, the output being indicative of the RF interference level.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein: Performing the one or more RF signal measurements includes performing one or more measurements of RF signal power during the one or more zero power symbols.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein: The one or more measurements of RF signal power include: Maximum power level, Average power level, Power Spectral Density (PSD), or Any combination of them.

10. The method according to claim 8, further comprising: performing one or more measurements of RF signal power during one or more non-zero power symbols; as well as The RF interference level is determined by comparing the RF signal power during one or more zero power symbols to the RF signal power during one or more non-zero power symbols.

11. The method according to claim 7, wherein: Providing the output includes providing the output at a scrambled time stamp sequence (STS) post-processing unit of the UWB receiver.

12. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; as well as In response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold, a message is sent to the UWB transmitter indicating that RF interference has been detected.

13. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; as well as In response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold, demodulated data from the data packet is ignored.

14. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; as well as In response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds the minimum threshold, interference mitigation is implemented for processing the data packet.

15. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The data packet comprises a UWB STS packet, and wherein the one or more zero power symbols are included in: The physical layer header (PHR) of the data packet, the payload of the data packet, the STS portion of the data packet, or Any combination of them.

16. The method according to claim 7, wherein: The data packet includes a narrowband (NB) assisted UWB preamble.

17. The method according to claim 7, further comprising: The characteristics of the one or more zero power symbols are determined according to a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristics include: the number of the one or more zero power symbols, the corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero power symbols within the data packet, a respective length of each of the one or more zero power symbols, or Any combination of them.

18. The method of claim 17, further comprising receiving a seed value for the predetermined algorithm from the UWB transmitter.

19. A UWB transmitter for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the UWB transmitter comprising: Transceiver; Memory; as well as one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: Generate a data packet for performing UWB ranging, wherein: The data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and The data packet further includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions among the plurality of symbols; and The data packet is transmitted via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal using the transceiver during a UWB ranging session between the UWB transmitter and a UWB receiver.

20. The UWB transmitter according to claim 19, wherein: To generate the data packet, the one or more processors are configured to generate a UWB scrambled time stamp sequence (STS) packet such that the one or more zero power symbols are included in: The physical layer header (PHR) of the data packet, the payload of the data packet, the STS portion of the data packet, or Any combination of them.

21. The UWB transmitter according to claim 19, wherein: The data packet includes a narrowband (NB) assisted UWB preamble.

22. The UWB transmitter according to claim 19, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to determine characteristics of the one or more zero power symbols according to a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristics include: the number of the one or more zero power symbols, the corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero power symbols within the data packet, a respective length of each of the one or more zero power symbols, or Any combination of them.

23. The UWB transmitter according to claim 22, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: determining a seed value for the predetermined algorithm; and The seed value is sent to the UWB receiver.

24. The UWB transmitter of claim 19, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: After transmitting the data packet, receiving a message from the UWB receiver indicating that RF interference has been detected; and In response to receiving a message from the UWB receiver indicating that RF interference has been detected: Increase the number of STS symbols, providing assistance data about a priori distance to the UWB receiver, providing an indication of said RF interference to an application layer, End the UWB ranging session, or Any combination of them.

25. A UWB receiver for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the UWB receiver comprising: Transceiver; Memory; as well as one or more processors communicatively coupled to the transceiver and the memory, wherein the one or more processors are configured to: A data packet is received by the transceiver from a UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein: receiving the data packet during a UWB ranging session between the UWB receiver and the UWB transmitter, The data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and The data packet further includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions among the plurality of symbols; determining an RF interference level based on one or more RF signal measurements performed at the UWB receiver during the one or more zero power symbols; and An output is provided indicative of the RF interference level.

26. The UWB receiver of claim 25, wherein: To perform the one or more RF signal measurements, the one or more processors are configured to perform one or more measurements of RF signal power during the one or more zero power symbols.

27. The UWB receiver of claim 26, wherein: The one or more measurements of RF signal power include: Maximum power level, Average power level, Power Spectral Density (PSD), or Any combination of them.

28. The UWB receiver of claim 26, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: performing one or more measurements of RF signal power during one or more non-zero power symbols; and The RF interference level is determined by comparing the RF signal power during one or more zero power symbols to the RF signal power during one or more non-zero power symbols.

29. The UWB receiver of claim 25, wherein: To provide the output, the one or more processors are configured to provide the output at a scrambled time stamp sequence (STS) post-processing unit of the UWB receiver.

30. The UWB receiver of claim 25, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; and In response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold, a message is sent to the UWB transmitter indicating that RF interference has been detected.

31. The UWB receiver of claim 25, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; and In response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold, demodulated data from the data packet is ignored.

32. The UWB receiver of claim 25, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to: determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; and In response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold, interference mitigation is implemented for processing the data packet.

33. The UWB receiver of claim 25, wherein: To receive the data packet, the one or more processors are configured to receive a UWB STS packet, wherein the one or more zero power symbols are included in: The physical layer header (PHR) of the data packet, the payload of the data packet, the STS portion of the data packet, or Any combination of them.

34. The UWB receiver of claim 25, wherein: To receive the data packet, the one or more processors are configured to receive a narrowband (NB) assisted UWB preamble.

35. The UWB receiver of claim 25, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to determine characteristics of the one or more zero power symbols according to a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristics include: the number of the one or more zero power symbols, the corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero power symbols within the data packet, a respective length of each of the one or more zero power symbols, or Any combination of them.

36. The UWB receiver of claim 35, wherein: The one or more processors are further configured to receive a seed value for the predetermined algorithm from the UWB transmitter.

37. An apparatus for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the apparatus comprising: Means for generating, at a UWB transmitter, a data packet for performing UWB ranging, wherein: The data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and The data packet further includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions among the plurality of symbols; and Means for transmitting the data packet via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal during a UWB ranging session between the UWB transmitter and a UWB receiver.

38. The apparatus of claim 37, further comprising: means for determining characteristics of the one or more zero power symbols according to a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristics include: the number of the one or more zero power symbols, the corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero power symbols within the data packet, a respective length of each of the one or more zero power symbols, or Any combination of them.

39. The apparatus of claim 38, further comprising: means for determining a seed value for said predetermined algorithm; as well as Means for sending the seed value to the UWB receiver.

40. An apparatus for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the apparatus comprising: Means for receiving, at a UWB receiver, a data packet from a UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein: receiving the data packet during a UWB ranging session between the UWB receiver and the UWB transmitter, The data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and The data packet further includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions among the plurality of symbols; means for determining an RF interference level based on one or more RF signal measurements performed at the UWB receiver during the one or more zero power symbols; and Means for providing an output at the UWB receiver, the output being indicative of the RF interference level.

41. The apparatus of claim 40, further comprising means for performing the one or more RF signal measurements at least in part by performing one or more measurements of RF signal power during the one or more zero power symbols.

42. The apparatus of claim 41, further comprising: means for performing one or more measurements of RF signal power during one or more non-zero power symbols; as well as Means for determining the RF interference level by comparing the RF signal power during one or more zero power symbols to the RF signal power during one or more non-zero power symbols.

43. The apparatus of claim 40, further comprising: means for determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; as well as means for, in response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold, performing: sending a message to the UWB transmitter indicating that RF interference has been detected, ignoring the demodulated data from said data packet, implementing interference mitigation for processing said data packets, or Any combination of them.

44. The apparatus of claim 40, further comprising: means for determining characteristics of the one or more zero power symbols according to a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristics include: the number of the one or more zero power symbols, the corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero power symbols within the data packet, a respective length of each of the one or more zero power symbols, or Any combination of them.

45. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the instructions comprising code for: A data packet for performing UWB ranging is generated at a UWB transmitter, wherein: The data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and The data packet further includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions among the plurality of symbols; and The data packet is transmitted by the UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal during a UWB ranging session between the UWB transmitter and a UWB receiver.

46. ​​The computer readable medium of claim 45, wherein: The instructions also include code for determining characteristics of the one or more zero power symbols according to a predetermined algorithm, wherein the characteristics include: the number of the one or more zero power symbols, the corresponding one or more pseudo-random positions of the one or more zero power symbols within the data packet, a respective length of each of the one or more zero power symbols, or Any combination of them.

47. The computer readable medium of claim 45, wherein: The instructions also include code for: After transmitting the data packet, receiving a message from the UWB receiver indicating that RF interference has been detected; and In response to receiving a message from the UWB receiver indicating that RF interference has been detected: Increase the number of STS symbols, providing assistance data about a priori distance to the UWB receiver, providing an indication of said RF interference to an application layer, End the UWB ranging session, or Any combination of them.

48. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions for implementing secure ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging, the instructions comprising code for: A data packet is received at a UWB receiver from a UWB transmitter via a UWB radio frequency (RF) signal, wherein: receiving the data packet during a UWB ranging session between the UWB receiver and the UWB transmitter, The data packet includes a plurality of symbols, and The data packet further includes one or more zero power symbols at one or more corresponding pseudo-random positions among the plurality of symbols; determining an RF interference level based on one or more RF signal measurements performed at the UWB receiver during the one or more zero power symbols; as well as An output is provided at the UWB receiver, the output being indicative of the RF interference level.

49. The computer readable medium of claim 48, wherein: The code for performing the one or more RF signal measurements includes code for performing one or more measurements of RF signal power during the one or more zero power symbols.

50. The computer readable medium of claim 48, wherein: The instructions also include code for: determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold; and In response to determining that the RF interference level exceeds a minimum threshold: sending a message to the UWB transmitter indicating that RF interference has been detected, Ignore the demodulated data from the data packet, or implementing interference mitigation for processing said data packets, or Any combination of them.

Images