Communication, positioning and calibration method, base station, system and equipment

Abstract

The embodiment of the invention relates to the technical field of communication, and discloses a communication method, a positioning method, a calibration method, a base station, a system and equipment. The calibration method is used for calibrating a UWB positioning system, the UWB positioning system at least comprises a pair of a first base station and a second base station, and the method comprises the following steps: monitoring positioning packet groups mutually sent between the first base station and the second base station; calculating an error of a flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station by using timestamp data obtained by monitoring the positioning packet group; wherein the error is used for representing the error of the flight time difference when each positioning packet arrives at the same monitoring position when the pair of the first base station and the second base station send each positioning packet in the positioning packet group to each other. And the positioning accuracy can be improved at least.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present application relate to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication, positioning and calibration method, base station, system, and equipment. Background Art

[0002] Traditional wireless positioning systems use technologies such as Wi-Fi, Bluetooth and Zigbee to roughly estimate the location of the object to be positioned based on the received signal strength indication (RSSI). The positioning accuracy is low and it is easily interfered with. The positioning stability is difficult to adapt to applications with high positioning accuracy requirements such as indoors. Wireless positioning technology based on ultra-narrow pulse technology improves positioning stability.

[0003] Wireless ultra-narrow pulse electromagnetic waves use wireless pulse signals with a pulse width of nanoseconds (ns) as positioning carriers. In the frequency domain, it is called Ultra Wide Band (UWB) technology because it occupies a wider frequency band, and the wireless power density is low. It is equivalent to a noise signal for other wireless devices and will not interfere with them, which also enhances its own anti-interference ability.

[0004] Most positioning solutions using UWB technology use ToF (Time-of-Flight) technology. However, during the time-of-flight measurement process, the sending and receiving timestamps of the positioning packet are affected by the non-constant delays of the analog circuits in the UWB device, resulting in errors. Therefore, the positioning accuracy of some UWB-based positioning solutions needs to be improved. Summary of the invention

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a communication, positioning and calibration method, base station, system, and device, which are at least beneficial to improving the accuracy of positioning.

[0006] According to some embodiments of the present application, on the one hand, the embodiments of the present application provide a calibration method for UWB positioning, which is used to calibrate the UWB positioning system, wherein the UWB positioning system includes at least a pair of a first base station and a second base station, and the method includes: monitoring the positioning package group sent to each other between the first base station and the second base station; using the timestamp data obtained by monitoring the positioning package group, calculating the error of the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station; wherein the error is used to characterize: when the first base station and the second base station send each positioning package in the positioning package group to each other, the error of the flight time difference when each positioning package arrives at the same monitoring position.

[0007] According to some embodiments of the present application, on the other hand, the embodiments of the present application further provide a UWB positioning system, including: a first base station, a second base station, and a monitoring device; the first base station and the second base station send positioning package groups to each other; the monitoring device monitors the positioning package group; and uses the timestamp data obtained by monitoring the positioning package group to calculate the error of the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station; wherein the error is used to characterize: when the first base station and the second base station send each positioning package in the positioning package group to each other, the error of the flight time difference when each positioning package arrives at the same monitoring position; the monitoring device also converts the error into a compensation value and sends it, so that the receiving device can compensate for the flight time difference of the subsequent mutual transmission of the positioning package group by the first base station and the second base station.

[0008] According to some embodiments of the present application, on the other hand, the embodiments of the present application also provide a UWB positioning method for locating a device to be located based on a UWB positioning system, wherein the UWB positioning system includes a first base station and at least two second base stations, and the first base station and each of the second base stations form a pair of base stations; each pair of base stations sends positioning package groups to each other; the method includes: respectively listening to the positioning package groups sent by each pair of base stations to each other to obtain at least two groups of timestamp data groups of the positioning package groups; using at least two groups of timestamp data, determining the location information of the device to be located in the UWB positioning system; wherein the location information is determined after compensating for the error of the flight time difference of each pair of base stations obtained through calibration.

[0009] According to some embodiments of the present application, on the other hand, the embodiments of the present application further provide a communication method for UWB positioning, comprising: obtaining a compensation value obtained by executing the calibration method for UWB positioning as described in any of the above items; sending a positioning packet to a first base station, wherein the positioning packet includes a sending timestamp compensated by the compensation value.

[0010] According to some embodiments of the present application, on the other hand, the embodiments of the present application further provide a base station, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute the calibration method for UWB positioning as described in any one of the above items, or execute the communication method for UWB positioning as described above.

[0011] According to some embodiments of the present application, on the other hand, an electronic device is provided, characterized in that it includes: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute any of the UWB positioning methods described.

[0012] The technical solution provided in the embodiment of the present application has at least the following advantages:

[0013] Through the positioning packets sent between the first base station and the second base station, the monitoring device can determine the error of the flight time difference between the positioning packets sent by the first base station and the second base station to the same location. The error is used to compensate the sending timestamp of the positioning packets between the pair of base stations, which is conducive to improving the accuracy of positioning. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0014] One or more embodiments are exemplarily described by pictures in the corresponding drawings, and these exemplified descriptions do not constitute limitations on the embodiments. Elements with the same reference number labels in the drawings are represented as similar elements, and unless otherwise stated, the figures in the drawings do not constitute proportional limitations.

[0015] Figure 1 It is a structural diagram of an existing UWB positioning system provided by the present application;

[0016] Figure 2 It is an interactive flow chart of the existing UWB positioning system in the positioning process provided by the present application;

[0017] Figure 3 is a flow chart of a calibration method for UWB positioning provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0018] Figure 4 is a flow chart of a calibration method for UWB positioning provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0019] Figure 5 is a flow chart of a calibration method for UWB positioning provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0020] Figure 6 is a flow chart of a calibration method for UWB positioning provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0021] Figure 7 is a flow chart of a calibration method for UWB positioning provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 8-1A schematic diagram of a data format for sending in a flight time difference error involved in a calibration method for UWB positioning provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0023] Figure 8-2 Another schematic diagram of a data format for sending in a flight time difference error involved in a calibration method for UWB positioning provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Fig. 9 is a flow chart of a UWB positioning method provided by another embodiment of the present application;

[0025] Fig.10 It is a flowchart of a communication method for UWB positioning provided in another embodiment of the present application. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] In order to make the purpose, technical scheme and advantages of the embodiments of the present application clearer, the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, it will be appreciated by those skilled in the art that in the embodiments of the present application, many technical details are provided in order to enable the reader to better understand the present application. However, even without these technical details and various changes and modifications based on the following embodiments, the technical scheme claimed in the present application can be implemented.

[0027] The division of the following embodiments is for the convenience of description and shall not constitute any limitation on the specific implementation of the present application. The embodiments may be combined with each other and referenced to each other without contradiction.

[0028] In applications such as indoor positioning or in-cabin positioning, there are more scenarios where different permissions can be configured based on the location range. Therefore, positioning accuracy becomes increasingly important. Since UWB technology has narrower pulses and wider bandwidth, it can provide more accurate positioning than Bluetooth positioning.

[0029] In the solution of using ToF for measurement between multiple UWB devices, each UWB device marks the sending timestamp of the positioning packet sent for measurement, as well as the receiving timestamp of the positioning packet received from another UWB device. The flight time of the positioning packet is measured by marking and transmitting the timestamps required by different UWB devices to each other.

[0030] There are some time errors in the above measurements, which limits the accuracy of positioning. For example, the sending timestamp and receiving timestamp marked by each UWB device are determined based on a built-in or external public timing system. Among them, for the built-in public timing system, the UWB device relies on integrated circuits such as GPS (Global Positioning System) as a local timing system. The purpose of using the local timing system as a public timing system is achieved through timing calibration between each UWB device. The public timing system of different UWB devices theoretically provides unified timing. However, due to the fact that the reference clock frequency of each chip is not completely consistent, the clock frequency output by the oscillation circuit in each chip is not completely consistent, and the ambient temperature, power supply, and manufacturing process of each chip are not completely consistent, at least one factor causes the various timestamps marked by different UWB devices to have a type of error related to time.

[0031] For example, the transceiver circuits and even antennas of each UWB device have unstable delays, which means that any timestamp will also compensate for the circuit delay. When PVT changes, another type of time-related error will occur between the compensated delay and the actual delay.

[0032] In other words, if ToF positioning is used between UWB devices, there may be first-type errors caused by time differences between public timing systems, and / or second-type errors caused by delays in analog devices such as transceiver circuits and antennas.

[0033] In order to reduce the impact of the above errors on positioning accuracy, some positioning solutions using UWB devices at least eliminate the positioning accuracy problems caused by some analog circuits, such as the positioning method based on DL-TDOA (downlink time difference of flight).

[0034] like Figure 1 As shown, the UWB base stations in the pre-deployed UWB positioning system include: Initiator DT-Anchor, Responder DT-Anchor#1, Responder DT-Anchor#2, and Responder DT-Anchor#3, etc. Among them, the coordinates of the Initiator DT-Anchor base station in the UWB positioning system are (x0, y0, z0); the coordinates of the Responder DT-Anchor#1 base station in the UWB positioning system are (x1, y1, z1); the coordinates of the Responder DT-Anchor#2 base station in the UWB positioning system are (x2, y2, z2); the coordinates of the Responder DT-Anchor#3 base station in the UWB positioning system are (x3, y3, z3).

[0035] The device to be located uses the time difference of arrival (TDOA) between the above-mentioned responder UWB base stations and the initiator UWB base station to characterize the distance difference between the above-mentioned different base stations and the location of the device to be located. The following equation is constructed using the distance from different base stations to the device to be located and the distance difference obtained above, so that the location coordinates (x, y, z) of the terminal to be located can be obtained by solving the solution of the equation:

[0036] TDOA1={[(x1-x)^2+(y1-y)^2+(z1-z)^2]^1 / 2-[(x0-x)^2+(y0-y)^2+(z0-z)^2]^1 / 2} / c;

[0037] TDOA2={[(x2-x)^2+(y2-y)^2+(z2-z)^2]^1 / 2-[(x0-x)^2+(y0-y)^2+(z0-z)^2]^1 / 2} / c;

[0038] TDOA3={[(x3-x)^2+(y3-y)^2+(z3-z)^2]^1 / 2-[(x0-x)^2+(y0-y)^2+(z0-z)^2]^1 / 2} / c;

[0039] Among them, TDOA1 ​​represents the flight time difference between the signals transmitted by the Responder DT-Anchor #1 base station from the position (x1, y1, z1) and the Initiator DT-Anchor base station from the position (x0, y0, z0) to the position (x, y, z) of the device to be located, TDOA2 represents the flight time difference between the signals transmitted by the Responder DT-Anchor #2 base station from the position (x2, y2, z2) and the Initiator DT-Anchor base station from the position (x0, y0, z0) to the position (x, y, z) of the DT-Tag of the device to be located, TDOA3 represents the flight time difference between the signals transmitted by the Responder DT-Anchor #3 base station from the position (x3, y3, z3) and the Initiator DT-Anchor base station from the position (x0, y0, z0) to the position (x, y, z) of the DT-Tag of the device to be located, and c represents the signal transmission speed.

[0040] From the above equation, it can be seen that the coordinate point position (x, y, z) of the object to be located is related to the values ​​of TDOA1, TDOA2, and TDOA3. Among them, the method of determining TDOA1, TDOA2, and TDOA3 can be obtained by using the various timestamps marked by the above-mentioned UWB base stations and the device to be located for the positioning packet group transmitted in the air.

[0041] For example, combined with Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown in the figure, the positioning packet group sent by the Initiator DT-Anchor and the Responder DT-Anchor#1 to each other is taken as an example. Figure 2 In order to realize the positioning of DT-Tag, an interactive process based on the positioning package occurs. Figure 2 In the figure, the Initiator DT-Anchor sends a positioning packet (Poll DTM) at T0, the DT-Tag listens to the Poll DTM at (T0+ToF0), and the Responder DT-Anchor#1 receives the Poll DTM at (T0+ToF_IR1). The Responder DT-Anchor#1 responds to the Poll DTM at T1 and sends the corresponding positioning packet (Response DTM), the DT-Tag listens to the Response DTM at (T1+ToF1), and the Initiator DT-Anchor receives the positioning packet Response DTM at (T1+ToF_RI1). The flight time difference between the positioning packet (Poll DTM) and the positioning packet (Response DTM) arriving at the DT-Tag position is TDOA1=ToF1-ToF0.

[0042] In this way, using the actual air interface sending time when the Initiator DT-Anchor and the Responder DT-Anchor#1 send the positioning packet respectively, and the actual air interface receiving time when the DT-Tag monitors the corresponding positioning packet, ToF1 and ToF0 can be calculated, and then TDOA1 ​​can be obtained. That is, TODA1=(RX1-RX0)–(T1-T0). Among them, RX1 is the air interface receiving time when the DT-Tag receives the positioning packet (ResponseDTM), RX0 is the air interface receiving time when the DT-Tag receives the positioning packet (Poll DTM), T1 is the air interface sending time when the Responder DT-Anchor#1 sends the positioning packet (Response DTM), and T0 is the air interface sending time when the Initiator DT-Anchor sends the positioning packet (Poll DTM). And so on, TDOA2 and TDOA3 are obtained.

[0043] From the above formula TODA1 = (RX1-RX0) – (T1-T0), it can be seen that DT-Tag can perform positioning by monitoring the air interface time of each positioning packet sent by a pair of base stations. However, there is a delay between the timestamp actually obtained by DT-Tag for positioning calculation and the corresponding air interface time. The above flight time difference formula is derived as follows:

[0044] TODA1=(RX1-RX0)–(T1-T0)

[0045] =[(RX1_ST-RX_delay_delta)-(RX0_ST-RX_delay_delta)]-(T1_ST+T1_delay_delta-T0_ST-T0_delay_delta)

[0046] =(RX1_ST-RX0_ST)-(T1_ST-T0_ST)-(T1_delay_delta-T0_delay_delta)

[0047] Among them, RX0_ST represents the receiving timestamp of the positioning packet (Poll DTM) marked by the DT_Tag using the local timing system. RX1_ST represents the receiving timestamp of the positioning packet (Response DTM) marked by the DT_Tag using the local timing system. T0_ST represents the sending timestamp of the positioning packet (Poll DTM) marked by the Initiator DT-Anchor using the local timing system. T1_ST represents the sending timestamp of the positioning packet (Response DTM) marked by the Responder DT-Anchor#1 using the local timing system. RX_delay_delta represents the delay from the actual air interface receiving time to the marking receiving timestamp of the DT-Tag. T1_delay_delta represents the delay from the marking sending timestamp of the positioning packet to the actual air interface transmitting time of the Responder DT-Anchor#1. T0_delay_delta represents the delay from the marking sending timestamp of the positioning packet to the actual air interface transmitting time of the Initiator DT-Anchor.

[0048] As can be seen from the above formula, during the positioning process, although there is a delay between the actual air interface reception time of the DT-Tag and the tag reception timestamp, this delay does not reduce the positioning accuracy. The factor that causes the inaccurate positioning of the DT-Tag is the error of the flight time difference (T1_ST-T0_ST): (T1_delay_delta-T0_delay_delta).

[0049] In the UWB positioning system, the error (T1_delay_delta-T0_delay_delta) is generated from at least two aspects: 1) The values ​​of T1_ST and T0_ST are neither the transmission timestamps of the same UWB base station nor necessarily obtained by the same timing system. Therefore, (T1_delay_delta-T0_delay_delta) includes the first type of error caused by the differences between the timing systems of different UWB devices. 2) There are electrical delays of analog devices such as transceiver circuits and antennas between the values ​​of T1_ST and T0_ST and their actual air interface transmission times T1 and T0, respectively. Therefore, (T1_delay_delta-T0_delay_delta) also includes the second type of error caused by the electrical delay of UWB devices.

[0050] In order to solve the above-mentioned error of flight time difference. In some examples, each UWB base station in the UWB positioning system uses a public timing system to provide a public timing signal. Then, the error of flight time difference is mainly characterized by: the first transmission time delay of the Initiator DT-Anchor base station and the second transmission time delay of the Responder DT-Anchor#1 base station, and the time difference between the two. Among them, the first transmission time delay is the delay between the transmission timestamp recorded by the Initiator DT-Anchor base station transmission positioning package (PollDTM) and its actual air interface transmission time; the second transmission time delay is the delay between the transmission timestamp recorded by the Responder DT-Anchor#1 base station transmission positioning package (Response DTM) and its actual air interface transmission time.

[0051] In some other examples, when the common timing signal used by each UWB base station in the UWB positioning system is locally generated by other UWB base stations using the timing signal provided by the local timing system in the Initiator DT-Anchor base station; and when each UWB base station in the UWB positioning system accurately estimates the transmission delay, the error of the flight time difference mainly represents the error between the common timing signal of the Initiator DT-Anchor base station and the common timing signal of the Responder DT-Anchor#1 base station. Each common timing signal is used for the two base stations to determine the sending timestamp of each sending the positioning packet.

[0052] Still Figure 1For example, the Response DTM sent by Responder DT-Anchor#1 will carry the transmission time T1 of Response DTM. In order to enable DT-Tag to perform positioning calculations, T1 is pre-converted to the public timing of the timing system of Initiator DT-Anchor. That is, T1 = Clock_offset + Local_tx_clock, where T1 represents the antenna port time (also known as the air interface transmission time) when Response DTM leaves Responder DT-Anchor#1, and is expressed in the public timing of Initiator DT-Anchor based on the conversion calculation; Local_tx_clock represents the local clock time when Responder DT-Anchor#1 sends Response DTM; Clock_offset represents the difference between the clock of Responder DT-Anchor#1 and the clock of Initiator DT-Anchor.

[0053] Clock_offset=T0+ToF_IR1-Local_rx_clock.

[0054] Among them, ToF_IR1 represents the flight time required for the signal transmitted by the Initiator DT-Anchor to reach the Responder DT-Anchor#1; T0 represents the time when the Poll DTM leaves the antenna port of the Initiator DT-anchor; and the receiving timestamp of the local timing system of Local_rx_clock represents the receiving timestamp of the Poll DTM received by Responder DT-Anchor#1.

[0055] In the positioning system, ToF_IR1 can be obtained through the position information of the Initiator DT-Anchor and the Responder DT-Anchor#1, that is, ToF_IR1=s1 / c, where s1 is the distance between the Initiator DT-Anchor and the Responder DT-Anchor#1.

[0056] In order to obtain Clock_offset, in some examples, the Responder DT-Anchor#1 base station uses the CFO (Carrier Frequency Offset) algorithm to estimate the timestamp provided by the local timing system to the timestamp provided by the public timing system of the Initiator DT-Anchor. The difference between the estimated timestamp and the actual timestamp will be introduced into the aforementioned formula TODA1 = (RX1-RX0) – (T1-T0). When the temperature changes, the pre-estimated Clock_offset may cause unstable errors in the calculation results of TDOA.

[0057] In another example, the error of the flight time difference may also represent the time error caused by the common timing signal of different UWB base stations and the transmission delay of different UWB base stations. The above examples all mention information related to the generation of the error, which will not be described in detail here.

[0058] Although the above-mentioned exemplary solutions partially solve the error of the DT-Tag device in the UWB positioning system, there are still other time errors, which affect the positioning accuracy.

[0059] The present application also provides a calibration method for UWB positioning. The calibration method can be performed by a monitoring device, and examples of the monitoring device include a UWB base station in a UWB positioning system, or an independent device, etc. Among them, the independent device is exemplified by a network server for managing and maintaining the positioning system, or a dedicated calibration UWB device, etc. The UWB base station can be any UWB base station in the positioning system that can monitor the mutual transmission of positioning packets between two UWB base stations. It can be a UWB base station that participates in the mutual transmission of positioning packets, or an independent UWB base station within the signal coverage range of the two UWB base stations. For example, the monitoring device is the Initiator DT-Anchor base station or the Responder DT-Anchor#i base station mentioned in the above example, where i is a positive integer, and according to the application requirements of the positioning system, the number of Responder DT-Anchors in the UWB positioning system is at least 2, that is, i=1, 2,...

[0060] Any of the UWB base stations mentioned above includes a UWB chip and an antenna array. Among them, the UWB chip includes a digital circuit and a transceiver circuit. The digital circuit is a circuit that can perform calculations, data reading and writing, data processing, etc. under the control of a clock signal, including but not limited to: registers, multipliers, adders, AND gates, NOT gates, triggers, digital switches, microprocessors, non-volatile memory, memory, etc. The digital circuit includes a timing system to provide timestamps for UWB chip communication and positioning services. The transceiver circuit includes a transmitting circuit and a receiving circuit. Among them, the transmitting circuit is used to convert the data packets generated by the digital circuit according to protocols such as IEEE.802.15.4, or the signals used for synchronization into radio frequency signals, and transmit them to free space through the antenna array. The receiving circuit is used to convert the radio frequency signals received by the antenna array from the free space into intermediate frequency digital signals, so that the digital circuit can parse the data packets according to protocols such as IEEE.802.15.4, or determine the synchronization period of the signal.

[0061] In order to improve the positioning accuracy of the positioning system, the positioning system including the monitoring device is pre-deployed in places where positioning is required, such as indoor places, in the cabin of a car, or around the body of a car, to provide plane-based or three-dimensional positioning applications. For example, in an application that provides plane positioning, the positioning system includes at least 2 Responder DT-Anchor base stations. For another example, in an application that provides 3D positioning, the positioning system includes at least 3 Responder DT-Anchor base stations, and the UWB base stations in the UWB positioning system are not located in the same plane.

[0062] Here, the number of base stations in the above positioning system is only an example. The positioning system can include more UWB base stations, and can be grouped into 3 or 4 base stations; or more base stations can be grouped into a group to improve the calculation accuracy. The base stations between different groups achieve seamless positioning by covering overlapping positioning areas. In each group of base stations, the base stations containing the Initiator DT-Anchor role provide public timing. The base stations with the Responder DT-Anchor#i role and the Initiator DT-Anchor base stations locate the devices to be positioned (such as DT-Tag devices). In order to reduce the public timing deviation between different groups in the positioning system, the positioning system tries to use UWB base stations that can cover overlapping areas as the Initiator DT-Anchor role.

[0063] For ease of description, we refer to the Initiator DT-Anchor base station and the i-th Responder DT-Anchor#i base station as a pair of UWB base stations to calculate the error of the flight time difference between the two base stations. Among them, any base station in a pair of base stations can be called the first UWB base station (referred to as the first base station), and the other base station is called the second base station (referred to as the second base station). For example, in the above positioning system, the Initiator DT-Anchor base station in any pair is called the first UWB base station; and the i-th Responder DT-Anchor#i base station is called the second UWB base station. In order for each group of UWB base stations to have a more unified public timing system, each pair of UWB base stations in each group contains the same Initiator DT-Anchor base station.

[0064] like Figure 1 , 2 As shown, each pair of UWB base stations can provide a positioning packet group (such as Poll DTM and Response DTM) for measurement for the device to be positioned entering the positioning system. The positioning packet group refers to a protocol packet group sent between the first base station and the second base station to measure the distance between each other, or a data packet group carrying data that can be used for ranging. The positioning packet group includes a first positioning packet sent by the first base station, and a second positioning packet sent by the second base station. The data used for ranging includes a sending timestamp for a positioning packet to be sent or has been sent; and / or a receiving timestamp for a positioning packet that has been received. As can be seen from the foregoing description, any timestamp is provided by a public timing system, and optionally, is preliminarily corrected according to the circuit delay of each UWB base station itself.

[0065] To facilitate the implementation of the calibration scheme in the present application, in some examples, the first positioning packet may be actively sent by the first base station, and the second positioning packet is the response of the second base station after receiving the first positioning packet. For example, the first base station sends a polling positioning packet (i.e., the first positioning packet) to each second base station paired with it according to a preset polling mechanism; each second base station responds to the first positioning packet within its own polling cycle and sends a corresponding response positioning packet (i.e., the second positioning packet) to the first base station. In other examples, the first base station and the paired second base station transmit a positioning packet group through point-to-point communication. For example, the request positioning packet (i.e., the first positioning packet) sent by the first base station, and the response positioning packet (i.e., the second positioning packet) responded by the second base station. For any of the above example methods, the first base station and the second base station provide their own marked information including at least the sending timestamp to the monitoring device, so that the monitoring device calculates the error of the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station.

[0066] Here, the first base station and the second base station may provide the sending timestamp to the monitoring device in the same or different manners. Examples of the transmission manner of the sending timestamp include any of the following:

[0067] 1) Using the dedicated communication channel between the first base station, the second base station, and the monitoring device in the positioning system, the sending timestamp is transmitted. For example, the first base station transmits the packet information and the sending timestamp of the first positioning packet to the monitoring device through the dedicated channel, so that the monitoring device can match the first positioning packet received from the free space with its sending timestamp.

[0068] 2) The first base station or the second base station uses the data bits in the positioning packet to make the current positioning packet or the subsequent positioning packet carry the sending timestamp of the current positioning packet. For example, the monitoring device parses the positioning packet transmitted by the first base station in the positioning packet group to obtain the first sending timestamp; and parses the positioning packet transmitted by the second base station to obtain the second sending timestamp. The parsing method is based on the preset protocol format of the positioning packet, which can be set by a private protocol or with the help of a communication standard.

[0069] The monitoring device performs the following Figure 3 The process shown in the figure is used to calculate the error of the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station. In this way, when the error of the pair of base stations is determined, the positioning system or the device to be positioned can compensate the sending timestamp of the data packet sent by the second base station in the pair of base stations to obtain an accurate flight time difference, so that the device to be positioned can achieve more accurate positioning based on the accurate flight time difference, that is, improve the accuracy of positioning.

[0070] Step 310: monitor the positioning packet groups sent between the first base station and the second base station.

[0071] Here, the monitoring device monitors the positioning packet group sent by a pair of base stations (including a first base station and a second base station) to obtain the sending timestamp of the positioning packet marked by the pair of base stations and the receiving timestamp marked by the monitoring device when the corresponding positioning packet is transmitted to the monitoring device. Among them, the way in which the monitoring device obtains each sending timestamp has been described above and will not be repeated here. During the monitoring of the positioning packet group, the monitoring device records the receiving timestamp when the positioning packet from the first base station is monitored, and the receiving timestamp when the positioning packet from the second base station is monitored. The monitoring device uses a local timing system to mark the receiving timestamp. The local timing system of the monitoring device does not necessarily belong to the public timing system of the pair of base stations. In order to reduce the timing error between each receiving timestamp and each sending timestamp due to the difference in clock frequency between the local timing system and the public timing system, the monitoring device and each pair of base stations monitored are timed (such as CFO algorithm) so that the local timing system of the monitoring device becomes a public timing system. When the monitoring device is the first base station in a pair of base stations (such as Initiator DT-Anchor), the monitoring device uses the local timing system as the common timing system, and the second base station performs timing calibration based on the timing system of the monitoring device. In this way, the calibration error of this solution is more accurate.

[0072] The monitoring device monitors the positioning packet groups sent between the pair of base stations according to a preset pair of base stations. Alternatively, the monitoring device determines a pair of base stations by analyzing the positioning packets sent by each base station in the positioning system, and monitors the positioning packet groups sent between the pair of base stations to perform step 320.

[0073] In step 320, the error of the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station is calculated using the timestamp data obtained by monitoring the positioning packet group.

[0074] The error is used to characterize: when the first base station and the second base station send each positioning package in the positioning package group to each other, the error of the flight time difference when each positioning package arrives at the same monitoring position. From the analysis of the flight time difference calculation formula required for DT_Tag positioning, it can be known that the error can compensate for the positioning error of the device to be positioned within the coverage of the positioning system.

[0075] The timestamp data is the time value required for the monitoring device to perform error calculation. For example, the timestamp data includes: a first sending timestamp for indicating when the first base station transmits the first positioning packet in the positioning packet group; a second sending timestamp for indicating when the second base station transmits the second positioning packet in the positioning packet group; a first receiving timestamp for indicating when the first positioning packet is monitored; and a second receiving timestamp for indicating when the second positioning packet is monitored.

[0076] The monitoring device pre-stores a reference data set related to the flight time difference of each pair of base stations that can be used for calibration. The reference data set is pre-measured by other measurement methods when the positioning system is deployed. For example, the reference data set selectively includes: the position relationship between the monitoring device and the first base station in a pair of base stations; the position relationship between the monitoring device and the second base station in a pair of base stations; the position information of each pair of base stations to be calibrated between the monitoring device and each pair of base stations to be calibrated; and the reference flight time difference between each pair of base stations to be calibrated and the monitoring device, etc.

[0077] It should be noted that in order to improve the positioning accuracy after calibration, the accuracy of the pre-measured reference data set must be greater than the measurement accuracy of the current UWB ranging technology. Examples of pre-measurement methods include: laser measurement, scale measurement, etc.

[0078] like Figure 4 As shown, the monitoring device uses the monitored timestamp data and some known parameters, such as part or all of the reference data in the reference data set, to calculate the error of the flight time difference between the first base station and each of the at least one second base station, which can be achieved by the following steps:

[0079] Step 321: Calculate the flight time difference between the monitoring location and the first base station and the second base station respectively using the timestamp data.

[0080] Different from the air interface time used for positioning, during the calibration process, the monitoring device substitutes the timestamp data into the formula of the time difference of flight TDOA to calculate the error of the time difference of flight between the monitoring position and the first base station and the second base station respectively.

[0081] Specifically, the calibration formula is: TDOA' = (RX1_ST-RX0_ST)-(T1_ST-T0_ST), where TDOA' is the flight time difference calculated by the monitoring device through timestamp data. RX0_ST is the first reception timestamp when the monitoring device monitors the first positioning packet. RX1_ST is the second reception timestamp when the monitoring device monitors the second positioning packet. T0_ST is the first transmission timestamp when the first base station transmits the first positioning packet obtained by the monitoring device. T1_ST is the second transmission timestamp when the second base station transmits the second positioning packet obtained by the monitoring device. At this time, there is an error between the flight time difference TDOA' and the ideal flight time difference obtained using the actual air interface transmission time and air interface reception time.

[0082] Step 322: Calculate the difference between a preset reference flight time difference corresponding to the first base station and the second base station and the calculated flight time difference to obtain an error in the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station.

[0083] The reference flight time difference can be directly read from the reference data set pre-stored in the monitoring device; or the monitoring device can calculate it using the location information in the pre-stored reference data set. For example, the reference flight time difference TDOA'' = (||AO||-||BO||) / v. Wherein, TDOA'' represents the reference flight time difference, A is the coordinate point of the first base station recorded in the reference data set, B is the coordinate point of the second base station recorded in the reference data set, O represents the coordinate point of the monitoring device recorded in the reference data set, v is the transmission speed of the signal, ||AO||, ||BO|| respectively represent the distance between the first base station and the monitoring device, and the distance between the second base station and the monitoring device. The difference (TDOA''-TDOA') is the calculated error.

[0084] In order to facilitate those skilled in the art to have a deeper understanding of the above embodiments, they will be described below.

[0085] by Figure 2 The Initiator DT-Anchor shown is the first base station and the Responder DT-Anchor#1 is the second base station as an example:

[0086] During the calibration phase, the air interface transmission time of the positioning packet Poll DTM actually sent by the Initiator DT-Anchor is still set to T0, and the sending timestamp of the positioning packet Poll DTM sent by the Initiator DT-Anchor is Initiator_estimate_TX_delay_value, and the delay between T0 and Initiator_estimate_TX_delay_value is T0_delay_delta', that is: T0_delay_delta'=T0–Initiator_estimate_TX_delay_value;

[0087] Similarly, for Responder DT-Anchor#1:

[0088] T1_delay_delta'=T1-Respond1_estimate_TX_delay_value; wherein, T1 represents the air interface transmission time when Responder DT-Anchor#1 actually sends the positioning packet Response DTM, and Respond1_estimate_TX_delay_value represents the sending timestamp of Response DTM sent by Responder DT-Anchor#1.

[0089] During the calibration phase, the flight time difference between the Initiator DT-Anchor and the Responder DT-Anchor#1 reaching the monitoring device is expressed as:

[0090] TDOA1'=(RX1_ST-RX0_ST)–(T1_ST-T0_ST)

[0091] =[(T1_ST+T1_delay_delta'+ToF1+RX_delay_delta')–(T0_ST+T0_delay_delta'+ToF0+

[0092] RX_delay_delta')]–(T1_ST-T0_ST);

[0093] =(ToF1-ToF0)+(T1_delay_delta'–T0_delay_delta')

[0094] Among them, RX_delay_delta' represents the delay between the air interface receiving time of the monitoring device and the receiving timestamp. Since the delay is caused by the circuit delay of the monitoring device, it is regarded as a constant during the monitoring of different positioning packets.

[0095] Combining the error in the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station during positioning: (T1_delay_delta-T0_delay_delta), and the error in the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station during calibration (T1_delay_delta'-T0_delay_delta'), it can be seen that since the two errors are independent of the position of the listening device or the device to be located and represent the same error, then if the error (T1_delay_delta'-T0_delay_delta') is calculated more accurately during the calibration stage, the error in the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station during positioning can be compensated: (T1_delay_delta-T0_delay_delta).

[0096] Therefore, the error (T1_delay_delta'-T0_delay_delta') is calculated using the formula (TDOA''-TDOA'), thereby completing the error calibration of the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station.

[0097] Take the monitoring device as an independent UWB base station in the UWB positioning system as an example. Figure 5As shown, according to the above description, the monitoring device determines the error of the flight time difference between the first base station and each second base station through the positioning packet transmission and reception of the first base station and at least one second base station. The implementation method is exemplified as follows:

[0098] Step 3211: The first base station sends a polling positioning packet.

[0099] Step 3212: at least one second base station sends a response positioning packet based on the polling positioning packet received from the first base station.

[0100] In step 3213, the monitoring device respectively marks the reception timestamp of the polling positioning packet and the reception timestamp of the response positioning packet sent by each second base station, and parses each positioning packet to obtain the corresponding transmission timestamp; uses the formula (TDOA''-TDOA') to calculate the error (T1_delay_delta'-T0_delay_delta') of the flight time difference between each pair of the first base station and the second base station.

[0101] That is, the reference base station is used as a point with a known position to determine the flight time difference error between each second base station and the first base station, so that the flight time difference error can be determined in a simple and low-difficulty manner.

[0102] Take the monitoring device as the second base station in the UWB positioning system (such as the Responder DT-Anchor base station) as an example. Figure 6 As shown, the second base station participates in responding to the polling positioning packet sent by the first base station and feeds back the response positioning packet; on the other hand, it monitors the polling positioning packets and response positioning packets sent between the first base station and other polled second base stations; on the other hand, it also uses the sending and receiving timestamps of each monitored polling positioning packet and the corresponding response positioning packet to calculate the error of the flight time difference between each second base station and the first base station, which is specifically implemented in the following way:

[0103] Step 3214: The first base station sends multiple polling positioning packets.

[0104] Step 3215: at least one second base station including the monitoring device sends a response positioning packet according to the polling positioning packet sent by the first base station. The monitoring device uses its own receiving antenna and receiving circuit to receive the response positioning packet sent by itself.

[0105] In step 3216, the monitoring device marks the transmit and receive timestamps of each pair of base stations by monitoring the polling positioning packets and response positioning packets of each pair of first base stations and second base stations; and calculates the error (T1_delay_delta'–T0_delay_delta') of the flight time difference between each pair of first base stations and second base stations using the formula (TDOA''-TDOA').

[0106] When the second base station determines the error of the flight time difference between itself and the first base station through monitoring, the error can be converted into a compensation value so as to compensate the corresponding sending timestamp when sending the positioning packet subsequently.

[0107] Take the monitoring device as the first base station in the UWB positioning system (such as the Initiator DT-Anchor base station) as an example. Figure 7 As shown, the first base station, on the one hand, participates in polling and sends a polling positioning packet to each of at least one second base station, and receives each polling positioning packet; on the other hand, the error of the flight time difference between each second base station and the first base station is calculated by using the sending and receiving timestamps of each polling positioning packet and the corresponding response positioning packet, which is specifically implemented in the following manner:

[0108] Step 3217: The monitoring device sends multiple polling positioning packets. The monitoring device uses its own receiving antenna and receiving circuit to receive each polling positioning packet sent by itself.

[0109] Step 3218: At least one second base station sends a response positioning packet based on the polling positioning packet sent by the monitoring device.

[0110] Step 3219, the monitoring device marks the sending and receiving timestamps of each positioning packet sent between itself and each second base station; and uses the formula (TDOA''-TDOA') to calculate the flight time difference error (T1_delay_delta'-T0_delay_delta') between itself and each second base station.

[0111] As shown in the above examples, in the positioning system, when the positions of the monitoring device, the first base station and the second base station are all known, the UWB base stations in the positioning system can be fully utilized to implement error calibration between the two base stations. This is conducive to reducing costs and simplifying the topology of UWB.

[0112] When the positioning system includes multiple groups of UWB base stations, each first base station performs any calibration operation of the above examples with each second base station paired with it, so that each pair of base stations in each group of UWB base stations determines the error of the flight time difference.

[0113] For most monitoring devices, the errors of multiple pairs of base stations obtained through monitoring need to be sent to the corresponding base station pairs so that the corresponding base station pairs can compensate the errors into the corresponding sending timestamps, thereby improving the positioning accuracy.

[0114] Therefore, in some embodiments, the calibration method further includes step S330 (not shown).

[0115] Step 330: convert the error into a compensation value and send it so that the receiving device can compensate for the flight time difference of the subsequent positioning packet groups sent between the first base station and the second base station.

[0116] In some cases, the above compensation value may be error-related. For example, the monitoring device directly sends the error, that is, the error is used as the compensation value; or, the compensation value is an integer multiple of a preset compensation unit. The compensation unit is a unit duration related to the positioning accuracy of the positioning system, or a unit duration related to the time accuracy that can be resolved by the UWB base station. For example, the monitoring device sends a compensation value of at least 1 compensation unit in a step-by-step compensation manner, and gradually calibrates after multiple monitoring of the positioning package groups of the same pair of base stations. For another example, the monitoring device determines the corresponding compensation value according to the maximum integer multiple of the compensation unit corresponding to the error, and sends the compensation value.

[0117] In some cases, the receiving device includes a device that performs a compensation operation, examples of which include: a second base station, or a device to be positioned.

[0118] The monitoring device can utilize the UWB communication mechanism to execute in point-to-point, multicast, or broadcast communication modes, that is, to send the compensation value in an in-band manner. Alternatively, the monitoring device is also configured with other communication modes, and the error can be sent in an out-of-band manner, such as sending via WiFi, sending via wired Ethernet, sending the compensation value via Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE), etc.

[0119] The monitoring device may forward the error to the second base station through the first base station according to the configuration of the actual positioning system. Alternatively, the monitoring device sends at least one error to the second base station. Alternatively, the monitoring device sends the compensation value and its corresponding base station pair information to the device to be positioned, etc., by broadcasting or other means.

[0120] When the monitoring device or the first base station transmits the compensation value using the UWB communication protocol, the corresponding protocol configuration can be preset for the sending operation so that the error can be transmitted to the receiving device by means of the sending mechanism of the positioning package. For example, the monitoring device or the first base station notifies each second base station or the terminal to be located by broadcasting the final positioning package (final DTM) through signaling. The protocol configuration can be a private protocol, or can be configured using the fields of the relevant protocol in IEEE.

[0121] In some examples, the data format used when sending the flight time difference error can be as follows: Figure 8-1 As shown. The parameters in rows 1 to 13 in the table are data carried in the positioning package to assist in ToF measurement. According to actual needs, parameters can be selected or all retained. The parameters in row 14 are the parameters added for transmitting compensation values. Figure 8-1 The illustrated protocol configuration may be used in a scenario where the monitoring device sends the compensation value to the first base station so that the first base station distributes it to each second base station paired with the first base station.

[0122] In some other examples, the data format used to send the flight time difference error can be as follows: Figure 8-2 As shown. The parameters in rows 1 to 12 in the table are data carried in the positioning package to assist in ToF measurement. According to actual needs, parameters can be selected or all retained. The 13th row field is the added parameter for transmitting the compensation value. Figure 8-2 The protocol configuration shown may be used in a scenario where a monitoring device (or a first base station) sends a compensation value to each second base station (or a device to be located).

[0123] It should be noted that the above embodiment does not limit the timing of sending the compensation value of the flight time difference. The compensation value of the calculated flight time difference between each pair of base stations may be updated during the deployment of the UWB positioning system or periodically.

[0124] In some examples, the monitoring device determines the error of the flight time difference between the first base station and each of the second base stations when monitoring the mutual transmission of the positioning package group between the first base station and each of the paired second base stations, and sends the Final DTM to each pair of base stations that have completed the mutual transmission of the positioning package group, so as to send the compensation value of the error to one of the base stations in the corresponding base station pair. In this way, it is helpful to reduce the number of times the flight time difference error is determined, improve positioning efficiency, and reduce resource waste.

[0125] In some other examples, the monitoring device broadcasts the Final DTM package group containing the error of the flight time difference of each pair of base stations for the devices to be located within the coverage of the positioning system to receive and compensate for the flight time difference in the received positioning package group sent between the same pair of base stations according to the base station pair information and compensation value in the Final DTM package group. In this way, when the device to be located monitors the positioning package group of the first base station and at least three second base stations, the sending timestamp in the positioning package sent by each second base station is compensated to improve the positioning accuracy. In this way, the influence of various factors can be fully considered, and even if these influences are included in the flight time difference error, it is beneficial to further improve the accuracy of positioning.

[0126] It can be seen from the above embodiments that by sending the positioning packets of the first base station and the second base station, it is possible to determine the error of the flight time difference for the positioning packets sent by the first base station and the second base station to arrive at the same location based on the timestamp. When the error of the flight time difference for the positioning packets sent by the first base station and the second base station to arrive at the same location is determined, the flight time difference for the positioning packets sent by the first base station and the second base station to arrive at the same terminal to be located can be calibrated accordingly, so that the terminal to be located can be accurately located based on the accurate flight time difference. Therefore, it is conducive to improving the accuracy of positioning.

[0127] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for UWB positioning, which is applied to a device to be positioned. Examples of the device to be positioned are terminal devices with UWB chips, such as mobile phones, UWB tags, or car keys, portable computers, etc. Within the range covered by the UWB positioning system, the device to be positioned can be positioned by monitoring the positioning packet groups sent between multiple UWB base stations in the positioning system, and based on the sending timestamp of each positioning packet group and the receiving timestamp marked during monitoring. Among them, the UWB positioning system is exemplified by the above-mentioned system that can perform the above-mentioned calibration process.

[0128] like Fig. 9 As shown, the positioning method performs positioning by monitoring the positioning packet groups sent between multiple pairs of base stations. The device to be positioned selects the monitored base station pairs and the number of base station pairs according to the number of variables that need to be solved for positioning. In order to reduce the problem of low positioning accuracy caused by the different public timing systems used by different base station pairs, each pair of monitored base stations includes the same UWB base station, and the same UWB base station included can be used as an Initiator DT-Anchor base station, and the other UWB base station in each pair of base stations is used as a Response DT-Anchor base station. Specifically, the positioning method includes the following steps:

[0129] Step 910: respectively monitor the positioning packet groups sent between each pair of base stations to obtain time stamp data groups of at least two groups of positioning packets.

[0130] In order to allow the device to be located to obtain the sending timestamp for the positioning package group by using UWB communication, during the period when the positioning system provides positioning services, each positioning package sent between each base station pair carries a sending timestamp. According to the positioning application, the device to be located obtains two or three groups of timestamp data by monitoring the positioning package groups sent by at least two or three pairs of base stations. Among them, each group of timestamp data includes the sending timestamps of a group of positioning packages and the receiving timestamps of the group of positioning packages monitored by the device to be located.

[0131] In some examples, the transmission timestamps from each Response DT-Anchor base station monitored by the device to be positioned have been compensated through the calibration process, and the device to be positioned can execute step 920 accordingly to calculate the flight time difference.

[0132] In other examples, the transmission timestamp monitored by the device to be located from each Response DT-Anchor base station is at least partially not compensated through the calibration process. The device to be located can compensate for the monitored transmission timestamp by monitoring the compensation value of the corresponding Response DT-Anchor base station, and then execute step 920 to calculate the flight time difference.

[0133] Specifically, the device to be positioned further executes step 911: obtaining compensation values ​​of at least one pair of base stations that have not been calibrated, wherein the compensation values ​​are used to characterize the error of the flight time difference of a pair of base stations.

[0134] The positioning system sends the compensation value of each pair of base stations that have not been calibrated by broadcasting, and the device to be positioned receives and identifies the compensation value of at least one pair of base stations related to determining its own position, and executes step 920.

[0135] Step 920: Determine the location information of the device to be located in the UWB positioning system using at least two sets of timestamp data.

[0136] According to the plane or three-dimensional position to be positioned, the device to be positioned needs to calculate the two-dimensional position coordinates or the three-dimensional position coordinates to complete the positioning.

[0137] For example, the device to be located calculates multiple groups of time flight differences between each pair of base stations and the monitoring position; and calculates the location information according to each flight time difference.

[0138] Taking the device to be positioned to determine its own three-dimensional position coordinates as an example, the device to be positioned monitors the positioning packet group between three pairs of base stations. The three pairs of base stations are: Initiator DT-Anchor base station and Responder DT-Anchor#1 base station, Initiator DT-Anchor base station and Responder DT-Anchor#2 base station, and Initiator DT-Anchor base station and Responder DT-Anchor#3 base station. Among them, the coordinates of the Initiator DT-Anchor base station in the UWB positioning system are (x0, y0, z0); the coordinates of the Responder DT-Anchor#1 base station in the UWB positioning system are (x1, y1, z1); the coordinates of the Responder DT-Anchor#2 base station in the UWB positioning system are (x2, y2, z2); the coordinates of the Responder DT-Anchor#3 base station in the UWB positioning system are (x3, y3, z3). Among them, the device to be positioned can obtain the above coordinates through the upper-layer APP or other communication methods.

[0139] The flight time differences between the device to be located and the three pairs of base stations are as follows:

[0140] TDOA1={[(x1-x)^2+(y1-y)^2+(z1-z)^2]^1 / 2-[(x0-x)^2+(y0-y)^2+(z0-z)^2]^1 / 2} / c;

[0141] TDOA2={[(x2-x)^2+(y2-y)^2+(z2-z)^2]^1 / 2-[(x0-x)^2+(y0-y)^2+(z0-z)^2]^1 / 2} / c;

[0142] TDOA3={[(x3-x)^2+(y3-y)^2+(z3-z)^2]^1 / 2-[(x0-x)^2+(y0-y)^2+(z0-z)^2]^1 / 2} / c;

[0143] The obtained time stamp data set is used to calculate the above-mentioned flight time differences as follows:

[0144] TODA1=(RX1_ST-RX0_ST)–(T1_ST-T0_ST)

[0145] TODA2=(RX2_ST-RX0_ST)–(T2_ST-T0_ST)

[0146] TODA3=(RX3_ST-RX0_ST)–(T3_ST-T0_ST)

[0147] Using the above two sets of formulas, the three-dimensional position coordinates (x, y, z) of the device to be positioned are obtained.

[0148] Each of the above-mentioned timestamp data groups contains a sending timestamp calibrated by the device to be located or a base station in each base station pair.

[0149] Another aspect of the present application embodiment provides a communication method for UWB positioning. The communication method can be executed by the second base station. The monitoring device has been described above and will not be described here. Fig.10 As shown, the method includes:

[0150] Step 1010, obtaining a compensation value.

[0151] The compensation value is obtained by executing the calibration method for UWB positioning according to any one of claims 1 to 14.

[0152] Step 1020: Send a positioning packet to the first base station, wherein the positioning packet includes a sending timestamp compensated by a compensation value.

[0153] In this way, after receiving the positioning packet, the first base station can obtain an accurate sending timestamp, and can then accurately perform positioning through the accurate sending timestamp.

[0154] The step division of the above methods is only for the purpose of clear description. When implemented, they can be combined into one step or some steps can be split and decomposed into multiple steps. As long as they include the same logical relationship, they are all within the scope of protection of this patent; adding insignificant modifications to the algorithm or process or introducing insignificant designs without changing the core design of the algorithm and process are all within the scope of protection of this patent.

[0155] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a base station, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute the steps implemented by the first base station or the second base station in the communication method described in any of the above embodiments, or execute the positioning calibration method described in any of the above embodiments.

[0156] It is not difficult to find that this embodiment is a base station embodiment corresponding to the method embodiment, and this embodiment can be implemented in conjunction with the method embodiment. The relevant technical details mentioned in the method embodiment are still valid in this embodiment, and in order to reduce repetition, they are not repeated here. Accordingly, the relevant technical details mentioned in this embodiment can also be applied in the method embodiment.

[0157] In addition, in order to highlight the innovative part of the present application, the present embodiment does not introduce units that are not closely related to solving the technical problems proposed by the present application, but this does not mean that there are no other units in the present embodiment.

[0158] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides a UWB positioning system, including: a first base station, a second base station, and a monitoring device.

[0159] The first base station and the second base station send positioning package groups to each other; the monitoring device monitors the positioning package group; and the error of the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station is calculated using the timestamp data obtained by monitoring the positioning package group; wherein the error is used to characterize: when the first base station and the second base station send each positioning package in the positioning package group to each other, the error of the flight time difference when each positioning package arrives at the same monitoring position; the monitoring device also converts the error into a compensation value and sends it, so that the receiving device can compensate for the flight time difference of the subsequent positioning package groups sent to each other by the first base station and the second base station.

[0160] It is not difficult to find that this embodiment is a system embodiment corresponding to the method embodiment, and this embodiment can be implemented in conjunction with the method embodiment. The relevant technical details mentioned in the method embodiment are still valid in this embodiment, and in order to reduce repetition, they are not repeated here. Accordingly, the relevant technical details mentioned in this embodiment can also be applied in the method embodiment.

[0161] In addition, in order to highlight the innovative part of the present application, the present embodiment does not introduce units that are not closely related to solving the technical problems proposed by the present application, but this does not mean that there are no other units in the present embodiment.

[0162] On the other hand, an embodiment of the present application further provides an electronic device, comprising: at least one processor; and a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein the memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor so that the at least one processor can execute the UWB positioning method described in any of the above method embodiments.

[0163] Among them, the memory and the processor are connected in a bus manner, and the bus may include any number of interconnected buses and bridges, and the bus connects various circuits of one or more processors and memories together. The bus can also connect various other circuits such as peripherals, voltage regulators, and power management circuits, which are all well known in the art and are therefore not further described herein. The bus interface provides an interface between the bus and the transceiver. The transceiver can be one element or multiple elements, such as multiple receivers and transmitters, providing a unit for communicating with various other devices on a transmission medium. The data processed by the processor is transmitted on a wireless medium via an antenna, and further, the antenna also receives data and transmits the data to the processor.

[0164] The processor is responsible for managing the bus and general processing, and can also provide various functions, including timing, peripheral interfaces, voltage regulation, power management, and other control functions. Memory can be used to store data used by the processor when performing operations.

[0165] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the above embodiments are specific embodiments for implementing the present application, and in actual applications, various changes may be made thereto in form and detail without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application.

Claims

1. A calibration method for UWB positioning, characterized in that: For calibrating a UWB positioning system, the UWB positioning system comprising at least a pair of a first base station and a second base station, the method comprising: monitoring a positioning packet group sent between the first base station and the second base station; The error of the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station is calculated by using the timestamp data obtained by monitoring the positioning package group; wherein the error is used to characterize: when the first base station and the second base station send each positioning package in the positioning package group to each other, the error of the flight time difference when each positioning package arrives at the same monitoring position.

2. The calibration method for UWB positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning package group includes: A polling location packet sent by the first base station, and a response location packet responded by the second base station being queried; or The first base station sends a request positioning packet, and the second base station responds with a response positioning packet.

3. The calibration method for UWB positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that: Each positioning packet in the positioning packet group includes a respective sending timestamp.

4. The calibration method for UWB positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that: The error comprises a time difference between a first transmission time delay of the first base station and a second transmission time delay of the second base station; Among them, the first transmission time delay is the delay between the sending timestamp recorded by the first base station transmitting the positioning packet and the actual air interface transmission time; the second transmission time delay is the delay between the sending timestamp recorded by the second base station transmitting the positioning packet and the actual air interface transmission time.

5. The calibration method for UWB positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that: The error comprises an error between a common timing signal of the first base station and a common timing signal of the second base station; Among them, each public timing signal is used for the corresponding base station to determine the sending timestamp of the positioning packet sent by each base station.

6. The calibration method for UWB positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that: The monitoring of the positioning packet group sent between the first base station and the second base station includes: The positioning packet transmitted by the first base station in the positioning packet group is parsed to obtain a first sending timestamp; and the positioning packet transmitted by the second base station is parsed to obtain a second sending timestamp.

7. The calibration method for UWB positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that: The monitoring of the positioning packet group sent between the first base station and the second base station includes: During monitoring of the positioning packet group, a reception timestamp of the positioning packet from the first base station and a reception timestamp of the positioning packet from the second base station are recorded respectively.

8. The calibration method for UWB positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that: The timestamp data includes: A first sending timestamp used to indicate when the first base station transmits the first positioning packet in the positioning packet group; A second sending timestamp used to indicate when the second base station transmits the second positioning packet in the positioning packet group; used to indicate a first receiving timestamp when the first positioning packet is monitored; and Used to indicate the second receiving timestamp when the second positioning packet is monitored.

9. The calibration method for UWB positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that: The error of the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station includes: Using the timestamp data, calculating the flight time difference between the monitoring position and the first base station and the second base station respectively; The difference between a preset reference flight time difference corresponding to the first base station and the second base station and the calculated flight time difference is calculated to obtain the error of the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station.

10. The calibration method for UWB positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method is executed by the first base station, the second base station, or an independent device in the UWB positioning system.

11. The calibration method for UWB positioning according to claim 1, characterized in that: The method also includes converting the error into a compensation value and sending the compensation value so that a receiving device can compensate for the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station in subsequent mutual transmission of the positioning package group.

12. The calibration method for UWB positioning according to claim 11, characterized in that: The converting the error into the compensation value and sending the compensation value includes: converting the error into the compensation value and sending the compensation value in an out of band or in band manner.

13. The calibration method for UWB positioning according to claim 11, characterized in that: The step of converting the error into a compensation value and sending the compensation value comprises: Send the error directly; or, The error is converted into an integer multiple of a preset compensation unit and sent.

14. The calibration method for UWB positioning according to claim 11, characterized in that: The receiving device includes: the second base station, or a device to be located.

15. A UWB positioning system, characterized in that: include: A first base station, a second base station, and a monitoring device; The first base station and the second base station send positioning packet groups to each other; The monitoring device monitors the positioning package group; and calculating the error of the flight time difference between the first base station and the second base station by using the timestamp data obtained by monitoring the positioning package group; wherein the error is used to characterize: when the first base station and the second base station send each positioning package in the positioning package group to each other, the error of the flight time difference when each positioning package arrives at the same monitoring position; The monitoring device further converts the error into a compensation value and sends it so that the receiving device can compensate for the flight time difference of the positioning packet groups subsequently sent to each other by the first base station and the second base station.

16. A UWB positioning method, characterized in that: Used to locate a device to be located based on a UWB positioning system, wherein the UWB positioning system includes a first base station and at least two second base stations, wherein the first base station and each of the second base stations form a pair of base stations; each pair of base stations sends positioning packet groups to each other; the method includes: respectively monitoring the positioning packet groups sent mutually by each pair of base stations to obtain at least two groups of time stamp data groups of the positioning packet groups; Determine the location information of the device to be located in the UWB positioning system using at least two groups of the timestamp data; The location information is determined after compensating for the error of the flight time difference between each pair of base stations obtained through calibration.

17. The UWB positioning method according to claim 16, characterized in that: Each pair of monitored base stations includes the same UWB base station.

18. The UWB positioning method according to claim 17, characterized in that: The other UWB base station in each pair of base stations compensates the marked transmission time stamp.

19. The UWB positioning method according to claim 16, characterized in that: Also includes: obtaining compensation values ​​of at least one pair of base stations; The determining the location information of the device to be located in the UWB positioning system by using at least two groups of the timestamp data includes: Using the acquired compensation value, time-compensating the corresponding timestamp data; as well as, The position information of the device to be located in the UWB positioning system is determined by using each group of the compensated timestamp data.

20. The UWB positioning method according to claim 16, characterized in that: The determining the location information of the device to be located in the UWB positioning system by using at least two groups of the timestamp data includes: Calculate multiple sets of time flight differences between each pair of base stations and the listening position; The position information is calculated according to each of the flight time differences.

21. A communication method for UWB positioning, characterized in that: include: Obtaining a compensation value obtained by executing the calibration method for UWB positioning according to any one of claims 1 to 14; A positioning packet is sent to the first base station, wherein the positioning packet includes a sending timestamp compensated by the compensation value.

22. A base station, characterized in that: include: at least one processor; as well as, a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein, The memory stores instructions executable by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to execute the calibration method for UWB positioning as described in any one of claims 1 to 14, or to execute the communication method for UWB positioning as described in claim 21.

23. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: at least one processor; as well as, a memory communicatively connected to the at least one processor; wherein, The memory stores instructions that can be executed by the at least one processor, and the instructions are executed by the at least one processor to enable the at least one processor to perform the UWB positioning method according to any one of claims 16-20.

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