Communication method and device, electronic equipment and related product

Abstract

The invention provides a communication method and device, electronic equipment and related products. The communication method includes the steps that an initiator receives an ADV-RESP frame from responders, the ADV-RESP frame is used for indicating the number N of the responders who are to participate in multi-millisecond (MMS) ranging, N is larger than or equal to 1, and the ADV-RESP frame is used for indicating the number N of the responders who are to participate in multi-millisecond (MMS) ranging. And the initiator sends a start of ranging (SOR) frame to the responder according to the ADV-RESP frame, where the SOR frame is used to provide a time offset at which a first distance measurement period is to start. According to the scheme, the initiator obtains the number of the responders to participate in MMS ranging through the ADV-RESP frames sent by the responders, and then sends the SOR frames according to the number of the responders to participate in MMS ranging. Therefore, once the responders send the ADV-RESP frame to the initiator, the initiator obtains the number of the responders to participate in MMS ranging, which is beneficial to normal operation of MMS ranging.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application. The application number of the original application is 202380069968.7, and the original application date is May 26, 2023. The entire content of the original application is incorporated into this application by reference. Technical Field

[0002] The embodiments of the present disclosure generally relate to the field of ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, and more specifically, to a communication method and apparatus, electronic equipment, and related products. Background Art

[0003] Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology is increasingly being used for indoor positioning and other location-based services, such as access control and asset location. In addition to traditional ranging applications, other applications, such as device-free sensing, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), and long-range ranging, are also being actively researched.

[0004] To address long-range ranging scenarios, 802.15.4ab introduced multi-millisecond (MMS) ranging (see 15-21-0409-01-04ab-narrowband-assisted-multi-millisecond-uwb). During the initialization and establishment phases of MMS ranging, the initiator and responder can negotiate the ranging configuration. For example, the initiator sends an advertising poll (ADV-POLL) frame, and the responder can listen for incoming ADV-POLL frames. If the responder is interested in participating in MMS ranging, it responds with an advertising response (ADV-RESP) frame.

[0005] To ensure the normal operation of MMS ranging, the initiator needs to obtain the number of responders that want to participate in MMS ranging. Therefore, a corresponding solution is needed. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide a communication method and apparatus, an electronic device, and related products according to the independent claims.

[0007] The above and other objects are achieved by the subject matter of the independent claims. Other implementations are apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the drawings.

[0008] Particular embodiments are outlined in the accompanying independent claims, further embodiments are outlined in the dependent claims.

[0009] According to a first aspect, the present disclosure relates to a communication method, comprising:

[0010] The initiator receives an advertising-response (ADV-RESP) frame from the responder, wherein the ADV-RESP frame is used to indicate the number N of responders to participate in multi-millisecond (MMS) ranging, where N≥1;

[0011] The initiator sends a start of ranging (SOR) frame to the responder according to the ADV-RESP frame, wherein the SOR frame is used to provide a time offset for starting a first distance measurement cycle.

[0012] In the above communication method, the initiator obtains the number of responders to participate in MMS ranging through the ADV-RESP frame sent by the responder, and then sends a SOR frame based on the number of responders to participate in MMS ranging. Therefore, once the responder sends the ADV-RESP frame to the initiator, the initiator obtains the number of responders to participate in MMS ranging, which facilitates the normal operation of MMS ranging.

[0013] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner of the method, the ADV-RESP frame includes a first indication, where the first indication is used to indicate the number N.

[0014] The number N may be indicated in an explicit manner, that is, the number N is directly indicated by the first indication in the ADV-RESP frame, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0015] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the ADV-RESP frame includes a second indication, where the second indication is used to indicate the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames to be sent after the ADV-RESP frame, and the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames included in the i-th ADV-RESP frame is N–i, 1≤i≤N.

[0016] The number N can be indicated explicitly. Specifically, it can be indirectly indicated by a second indication in the ADV-RESP frame, which indicates that the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames included in the i-th ADV-RESP frame is N–i. Given N–i and i, the number N can be indirectly determined. Furthermore, because the initiator knows the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames, the accuracy of the SOR frame transmission time can be improved even if frame loss occurs.

[0017] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner of the method, the number N is indicated by the number of the ADV-RESP frames received by the initiator.

[0018] The number N may be indicated in an implicit manner, that is, the number N is indicated by the number of ADV-RESP frames received by the initiator, thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0019] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, N≥2, and the initiator receiving the ADV-RESP frame from the responder includes:

[0020] The initiator receives N ADV-RESP frames from N responders in sequence according to a predetermined order, wherein the predetermined order is coordinated by the N responders.

[0021] ADV-RESP frames are received one after another in a coordinated manner, ensuring that ADV-RESP frames do not conflict with each other. When the initiator receives an ADV-RESP frame indicating that N responders want to participate in MMS ranging, the initiator knows that the N responders will send ADV-RESP frames and therefore does not send a SOR frame. This prevents conflicts between ADV-RESP frames or between ADV-RESP frames and SOR frames.

[0022] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the ADV-RESP frame includes a first indication and a second indication, the first indication is used to indicate the number N, and the second indication is used to indicate the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames to be sent after the ADV-RESP frame, and the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames included in the i-th ADV-RESP frame is N–i, 1≤i≤N.

[0023] This combined indication method is suitable for scenarios where a responder sends a single ADV-RESP frame to an initiator. The first indication can be used to indicate the number of responders to participate in MMS ranging. The second indication can be used to indicate that the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames is zero. Therefore, after receiving an ADV-RESP frame containing both the first and second indications, the initiator knows it's time to send a SOR frame.

[0024] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner of the method, N≥2, and the ADV-RESP frame further includes a third indication, where the third indication is used to indicate that the N responders are synchronized with each other.

[0025] In the case where one of the N responders sends an ADV-RESP frame including the third indication to the initiator, upon receiving the ADV-RESP frame, the initiator will understand that this is the only ADV-RESP frame and will continue to send SOR frames.

[0026] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the initiator receiving the ADV-RESP frame from the responder includes:

[0027] The initiator receives an ADV-RESP frame from a responder, wherein the responder is predetermined or dynamically selected from the responders to participate in the MMS ranging.

[0028] During the initialization and establishment phases, only one responder sends one ADV-RESP frame to the initiator, rather than multiple responders sending their own ADV-RESP frames to the initiator. This improves the processing efficiency of the initialization and establishment phases and implements a unified initialization and establishment process.

[0029] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, before the initiator receives the ADV-RESP frame from the responder, the method further includes:

[0030] The initiator sends an advertising-poll (ADV-POLL) frame to the responder, wherein the ADV-POLL frame is used to indicate a maximum number K of responders supporting the MMS ranging, where K≥1.

[0031] The maximum number of responders K supporting MMS ranging can be used to indicate whether the initiator supports one-to-many MMS ranging. When K is a value greater than 1, it indicates that the initiator supports one-to-many MMS ranging.

[0032] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the initiator sending the SOR frame to the responder includes:

[0033] When the initiator receives the Nth ADV-RESP frame, it sends the SOR frame to the responder.

[0034] Upon receiving the Nth ADV-RESP frame (i.e., the last ADV-RESP frame (used to indicate zero remaining ADV-RESP frames)), the initiator sends a SOR frame to indicate when MMS ranging begins. This prevents collisions between ADV-RESP frames or between ADV-RESP frames and SOR frames.

[0035] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the initiator sending the SOR frame to the responder includes:

[0036] Estimate the expected sending time of N ADV-RESP frames;

[0037] The initiator sends the SOR frame to the responder when the expected sending time ends.

[0038] If the initiator has not received the last ADV-RESP frame, it will send a SOR frame once the total expected transmission time of all ADV-RESP frames has expired. This prevents collisions between ADV-RESP frames or between ADV-RESP frames and SOR frames.

[0039] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the initiator sending the SOR frame to the responder includes:

[0040] The initiator sends the SOR frame to the one responder.

[0041] Upon receiving an ADV-RESP frame from the responder, the initiator determines that only one responder has sent an ADV-RESP frame and then sends a SOR frame, thereby preventing collisions between ADV-RESP frames or between ADV-RESP frames and SOR frames.

[0042] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, before the initiator sends the SOR frame to the responder, the method further includes:

[0043] The initiator determines the number M of responders for MMS ranging according to the number of received ADV-RESP frames, where M≤N;

[0044] The initiator sends the SOR frame including a fourth indication, wherein the fourth indication is used to indicate the number M.

[0045] Before the MMS ranging starts, the initiator may select a responder for MMS ranging among responders that send an ADV-RESP frame to the initiator.

[0046] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a fifth indication, and the fifth indication is used to indicate that the POLL frame does not exist in the ranging control phase other than the first access timeslot in the MMS ranging.

[0047] The POLL frame does not exist in the ranging control phase except the first access slot in the MMS ranging, so a measurement cycle can be completed in less time, thereby shortening the ranging duration.

[0048] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation manner of the method, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a sixth indication, and the sixth indication is used to indicate that the RESP frame does not exist in the ranging control phase except the first access timestamp.

[0049] The RESP frame does not exist in the ranging control phase except the first access slot in MMS ranging, so a measurement cycle can be completed in less time, thereby shortening the ranging duration.

[0050] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a seventh indication, where the seventh indication is used to indicate a request for the initiator to send a measurement report; and the method further includes:

[0051] The initiator sends a report frame.

[0052] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, N≥2, the ADV-RESP frame further includes an eighth indication, where the eighth indication is used to request a combined measurement report; and the method further includes:

[0053] The initiator generates the combined measurement report according to the measurements of the N responders;

[0054] The initiator sending the report frame includes:

[0055] The initiator sends the report frame carrying the combined measurement report.

[0056] When a combined measurement report is requested, the measurement reporting phase is not included in the access slot. The initiator reserves a slot at the end of a ranging round to send the combined measurement reports of all responders. That is, there is no need to send a measurement report in each access slot, thus reducing the ranging time and thus shortening the ranging duration.

[0057] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a ninth indication, where the ninth indication is used to request a double-sided two-wayranging (DS-TWR) measurement in the measurement report, and the seventh indication is included in the ADV-RESP frame and is used to indicate a request for the initiator to send a measurement report; the method further includes:

[0058] The initiator sends the measurement report including a first round trip time and a first reply time.

[0059] Both the round-trip time and the reply time are measured by the initiator, and then DS-TWR is implemented.

[0060] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a tenth indication, where the tenth indication is used to request the initiator to send other MMS packets; and the method further includes:

[0061] The initiator sends the other MMS packets.

[0062] According to the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the method, no other MMS packets are requested in the ADV-RESP frame; and the method further includes:

[0063] The initiator determines that the MMS packet used for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging tag;

[0064] The initiator sets an eleventh indication for requesting the initiator to send other MMS packets in the SOR frame to be valid;

[0065] The initiator sends the other MMS packets.

[0066] In scenarios where the MMS packet used for MMS ranging includes a single segment with an RMARKER, implementing DS-TWR may require additional MMS packets from the initiator. If no additional MMS packets are requested in the ADV-RESP frame, the Final MMS Packet Requested field in the SOR frame may be set to 1. Therefore, implementing DS-TWR may still require requesting additional MMS packets from the initiator. In other words, even if the responder does not request additional MMS packets, the initiator may determine to send additional MMS packets based on the type of the MMS packets.

[0067] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the method further includes:

[0068] The initiator records a first sending time of a first ranging marker of a first segment of a first MMS packet from the initiator to the Nth responder, a first receiving time of a second ranging marker of a first segment of a second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and a second sending time of a third ranging marker of the first segment of the other MMS packet;

[0069] The initiator calculates the first round-trip time and the first reply time according to the first sending time, the first receiving time, and the second sending time.

[0070] When the MMS packet for MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging flag, DS-TWR of the Nth responder (the last responder) may be implemented based on other MMS packets.

[0071] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a twelfth indication, where the twelfth indication is used to request inversion of segment interleaving in a last access slot in the MMS ranging; and the method further includes:

[0072] After receiving the first fragment of the MMS packet sent by the Nth responder, the initiator sends the MMS packet in the last access slot.

[0073] By reversing the order of MMS packet exchanges in the last access slot, no further MMS packets from the initiator may be required, while still achieving DS-TWR.

[0074] According to the first aspect, in one possible implementation of the method, in the ADV-RESP frame, no request is made to reverse segment interleaving in the last access slot in the MMS ranging; the method further includes:

[0075] The initiator determines that the MMS packet used for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging tag;

[0076] The initiator sets the thirteenth indication in the SOR frame for requesting to reverse segment interleaving in the last access slot in the MMS ranging to be valid;

[0077] After receiving the first fragment of the MMS packet sent by the Nth responder, the initiator sends the MMS packet in the last access slot.

[0078] In the scenario where an MMS packet for MMS ranging includes a single segment with RMARKER, implementing DS-TWR may require reversing segment interleaving in the last access slot in MMS ranging. If reversing segment interleaving in the last access slot in MMS ranging is not requested in the ADV-RESP frame, the thirteenth indication in the SOR frame may be set to valid, so implementing DS-TWR may still require reversing segment interleaving in the last access slot in MMS ranging.

[0079] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the method further includes:

[0080] The initiator records a third sending time of a first ranging marker of a first segment of a first MMS packet from the initiator to an (N-1)th responder, a second receiving time of a second ranging marker of a first segment of a second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and a fourth sending time of a third ranging marker of a first segment of a third MMS packet from the initiator to the Nth responder;

[0081] The initiator calculates the first round-trip time and the first reply time according to the third sending time, the second receiving time, and the fourth sending time.

[0082] When the MMS packet for MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging flag, DS-TWR of the Nth responder (the last responder) can be achieved by inverting segment interleaving in the last access slot.

[0083] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the method further includes:

[0084] The initiator records the fifth sending time of the first ranging marker of the first segment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the mth responder, the third receiving time of the second ranging marker of the first segment of the second MMS packet from the mth responder to the initiator, and the sixth sending time of the third ranging marker of the first segment of the third MMS packet from the initiator to the (m+1)th responder, where 1≤m <N;

[0085] The initiator calculates the first round-trip time and the first reply time according to the fifth sending time, the third receiving time, and the sixth sending time.

[0086] DS-TWR of the mth responder (not the last responder) can be implemented.

[0087] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the MMS packet of the initiator is skipped in access slots other than the first access slot and the last access slot in the MMS ranging, and the method further includes:

[0088] The initiator sends a final MMS packet in the last access slot in the MMS ranging.

[0089] The initiator does not send an MMS packet in every access slot within the measurement period, thereby reducing the ranging time.

[0090] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, N is an even number; and the method further includes:

[0091] The initiator determines that the MMS packet used for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging tag;

[0092] After receiving the first fragment of the MMS packet sent by the Nth responder, the initiator sends the final MMS packet in the last access slot in the MMS ranging.

[0093] By reversing the order of MMS packet exchanges in the last access slot, no further MMS packets from the initiator may be required, while still achieving DS-TWR.

[0094] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the method further includes:

[0095] The initiator records the seventh sending time of the first ranging marker of the first fragment of the first MMS packet of the initiator in the first access time slot, the fourth receiving time of the second ranging marker of the first fragment of the second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and the eighth sending time of the third ranging marker of the first fragment of the third MMS packet of the initiator in the last access time slot;

[0096] The initiator calculates the first round-trip time and the first reply time according to the seventh sending time, the fourth receiving time, and the eighth sending time.

[0097] When the MMS packet used for MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging flag and N is an even number, DS-TWR can be implemented by reversing the order of final MMS packet exchange in the last access slot.

[0098] According to the first aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the method further includes:

[0099] The initiator determines that the MMS packet used for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including at least two segments with ranging tags;

[0100] The initiator records a ninth sending time of a first ranging marker of a first segment of a first MMS packet from the initiator to an nth responder, a fifth receiving time of a second ranging marker of a first segment of a second MMS packet from the nth responder to the initiator, and a tenth sending time of a third ranging marker of a second segment of the first MMS packet carrying a ranging marker, where 1≤n≤N;

[0101] The initiator calculates the first round-trip time and the first reply time according to the ninth sending time, the fifth receiving time, and the tenth sending time.

[0102] When the MMS packet used for MMS ranging is an MMS packet including at least two segments with a ranging flag, DS-TWR of all responders can be achieved.

[0103] According to a second aspect, the present disclosure relates to a communication method, comprising:

[0104] The responder sends an advertising-response (ADV-RESP) frame to the initiator, wherein the ADV-RESP frame is used to indicate the number N of responders to participate in multi-millisecond (MMS) ranging, where N≥1;

[0105] The responder receives a start of ranging (SOR) frame from the initiator, wherein the SOR frame is used to provide a time offset at which a first distance measurement cycle is to start.

[0106] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner of the method, the ADV-RESP frame includes a first indication, where the first indication is used to indicate the number N.

[0107] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the ADV-RESP frame includes a second indication, which is used to indicate the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames to be sent after the ADV-RESP frame, and the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames included in the i-th ADV-RESP frame is N–i, 1≤i≤N.

[0108] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner of the method, the number N is indicated by the number of the ADV-RESP frames sent by the responder.

[0109] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, N≥2, and the method further includes:

[0110] N responders coordinate a predetermined order for sending N ADV-RESP frames;

[0111] The responding party sending the ADV-RESP frame to the initiating party includes:

[0112] The N responders sequentially send N ADV-RESP frames to the initiator according to the predetermined order.

[0113] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the ADV-RESP frame includes a first indication and a second indication, the first indication is used to indicate the number N, and the second indication is used to indicate the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames to be sent after the ADV-RESP frame, and the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames included in the i-th ADV-RESP frame is N–i, 1≤i≤N.

[0114] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, N≥2, and the ADV-RESP frame further includes a third indication, where the third indication is used to indicate that the N responders are synchronized with each other.

[0115] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the responding party sending the ADV-RESP frame to the initiating party includes:

[0116] A responder sends an ADV-RESP frame to the initiator, wherein the responder is predetermined or dynamically selected from the responders to participate in the MMS ranging.

[0117] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, before the responder sends the ADV-RESP frame to the initiator, the method further includes:

[0118] The responder receives an advertising-poll (ADV-POLL) frame from the initiator, wherein the ADV-POLL frame is used to indicate a maximum number K of responders supporting the MMS ranging, where K≥1.

[0119] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the responder receiving the SOR frame from the initiator includes:

[0120] The responder receives the SOR frame including a fourth indication, wherein the fourth indication is used to indicate the number M of responders used for MMS ranging, where M≤N.

[0121] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a fifth indication, and the fifth indication is used to indicate that the POLL frame does not exist in the ranging control phase other than the first access timeslot in the MMS ranging.

[0122] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation manner of the method, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a sixth indication, and the sixth indication is used to indicate that the RESP frame does not exist in the ranging control phase except the first access timestamp.

[0123] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a fourteenth indication, where the fourteenth indication is used to indicate a request for the responder to send a measurement report; and the method further includes:

[0124] The responder sends a report frame.

[0125] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, N≥2, the ADV-RESP frame further includes an eighth indication, where the eighth indication is used to request a combined measurement report; and the method further includes:

[0126] The responder collects measurement reports of N responders;

[0127] The responder generates the combined measurement report according to the measurement reports of the N responders;

[0128] The responder sending the report frame includes:

[0129] The responder sends the report frame carrying the combined measurement report.

[0130] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a ninth indication, where the ninth indication is used to request a double-sided two-wayranging (DS-TWR) measurement in the measurement report; a fourteenth indication is included in the ADV-RESP frame and is used to indicate a request for the responder to send a measurement report; and the method further includes:

[0131] The responder sends the measurement report including the second round trip time and the second reply time.

[0132] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a tenth indication, where the tenth indication is used to request the initiator to send other MMS packets; and the method further includes:

[0133] The responder receives the other MMS packets from the initiator.

[0134] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, no other MMS packets are requested in the ADV-RESP frame, and when the MMS packet used for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging tag, the eleventh indication in the SOR frame for requesting the initiator to send other MMS packets is set to valid.

[0135] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the method further includes:

[0136] The Nth responder records the sixth reception time of the first ranging marker of the first fragment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the Nth responder, the eleventh sending time of the second ranging marker of the first fragment of the second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and the seventh reception time of the third ranging marker of the first fragment of the other MMS packet;

[0137] The Nth responder calculates the second round trip time and the second reply time according to the sixth receiving time, the eleventh sending time, and the seventh receiving time.

[0138] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a twelfth indication, where the twelfth indication is used to request inversion of segment interleaving in a last access slot in the MMS ranging; and the method further includes:

[0139] The Nth responder sends the first fragment of the MMS packet to the initiator;

[0140] The Nth responder receives an MMS packet from the initiator in the last access slot in the MMS ranging.

[0141] According to the second aspect, in one possible implementation of the method, segment interleaving reversal in the last access slot in the MMS ranging is not requested in the ADV-RESP frame; when the MMS packet used for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging flag, a thirteenth indication in the SOR frame for requesting segment interleaving reversal in the last access slot in the MMS ranging is set to valid; and the method further includes:

[0142] The Nth responder sends the first fragment of the MMS packet to the initiator;

[0143] The Nth responder receives an MMS packet from the initiator in the last access slot in the MMS ranging.

[0144] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the method further includes:

[0145] The Nth responder records an eighth reception time of a first ranging marker of a first segment of a first MMS packet from the initiator to the (N-1)th responder, a twelfth sending time of a second ranging marker of a first segment of a second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and a ninth reception time of a third ranging marker of a first segment of a third MMS packet from the initiator to the Nth responder;

[0146] The Nth responder calculates the second round trip time and the second reply time according to the eighth receiving time, the twelfth sending time, and the ninth receiving time.

[0147] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the method further includes:

[0148] The mth responder records the tenth reception time of the first ranging marker of the first segment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the mth responder, the thirteenth transmission time of the second ranging marker of the first segment of the second MMS packet from the mth responder to the initiator, and the eleventh reception time of the third ranging marker of the first segment of the third MMS packet from the initiator to the (m+1)th responder, where 1≤m <N;

[0149] The mth responder calculates the second round trip time and the second reply time according to the tenth receiving time, the thirteenth sending time, and the eleventh receiving time.

[0150] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the MMS packet of the initiator is skipped in access slots other than the first access slot and the last access slot in the MMS ranging, and the method further includes:

[0151] The responder receives a final MMS packet in the last access slot in the MMS ranging.

[0152] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, N is an even number, and the MMS packet used for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging tag; the method further includes:

[0153] The Nth responder sends the first fragment of the MMS packet to the initiator;

[0154] The Nth responder receives the final MMS packet from the initiator in the last access slot in the MMS ranging.

[0155] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the method further includes:

[0156] The Nth responder records the twelfth reception time of the first ranging marker of the first fragment of the first MMS packet of the initiator in the first access time slot, the fourteenth sending time of the second ranging marker of the first fragment of the second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and the thirteenth reception time of the third ranging marker of the first fragment of the third MMS packet of the initiator in the last access time slot;

[0157] The Nth responder calculates the second round trip time and the second reply time according to the twelfth receiving time, the fourteenth sending time, and the thirteenth receiving time.

[0158] According to the second aspect, in a possible implementation of the method, the MMS packet used for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including at least two segments with a ranging tag; and the method further includes:

[0159] The nth responder records the fourteenth reception time of the first ranging marker of the first segment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the nth responder, the fifteenth sending time of the second ranging marker of the first segment of the second MMS packet from the nth responder to the initiator, and the fifteenth reception time of the third ranging marker of the second segment of the first MMS packet carrying the ranging marker, where 1≤n≤N;

[0160] The nth responder calculates the second round trip time and the second reply time according to the fourteenth receiving time, the fifteenth sending time and the fifteenth receiving time.

[0161] According to a third aspect, the present disclosure relates to a communication device, comprising units configured to execute the method according to the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0162] According to a fourth aspect, the present disclosure relates to a communication device, comprising units configured to execute the method according to the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0163] According to a fifth aspect, the present disclosure relates to an electronic device, comprising a processing circuit for executing the method according to the first aspect or any possible implementation manner of the first aspect.

[0164] According to a sixth aspect, the present disclosure relates to an electronic device, comprising a processing circuit for executing the method according to the second aspect or any possible implementation manner of the second aspect.

[0165] According to a seventh aspect, the present disclosure relates to a chip comprising an input / output (I / O) interface and a processor, wherein the processor is used to call and run a computer program stored in a memory so that a device equipped with the chip can execute the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0166] According to an eighth aspect, the present disclosure relates to a chip comprising an input / output (I / O) interface and a processor, wherein the processor is used to call and run a computer program stored in a memory so that a device equipped with the chip can execute the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0167] According to the ninth aspect, the present disclosure relates to an electronic device, which includes one or more processors and a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium, wherein the non-temporary computer-readable storage medium is coupled to the one or more processors and stores a program for execution by the processors, and when the program is executed by the processor, the processor is used to execute the method described in the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0168] According to the tenth aspect, the present disclosure relates to an electronic device, which includes one or more processors and a non-temporary computer-readable storage medium, wherein the non-temporary computer-readable storage medium is coupled to the one or more processors and stores a program for execution by the processors, and when the program is executed by the processor, the processor is used to execute the method described in the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0169] According to an eleventh aspect, the present disclosure relates to a communication system, comprising the electronic device according to the ninth aspect and the electronic device according to the tenth aspect.

[0170] According to a twelfth aspect, the present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium carrying program code, which, when executed by a computer device, causes the computer device to perform the method according to the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0171] According to a thirteenth aspect, the present disclosure relates to a non-transitory computer-readable medium carrying program code, which, when executed by a computer device, causes the computer device to perform the method according to the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0172] According to a fourteenth aspect, the present disclosure relates to a computer program product comprising a program code for executing the method according to the first aspect or any possible implementation of the first aspect.

[0173] According to a fifteenth aspect, the present disclosure relates to a computer program product comprising a program code for executing the method according to the second aspect or any possible implementation of the second aspect.

[0174] The present disclosure provides communication methods and apparatuses, electronic devices, and related products. The initiator obtains the number of responders participating in MMS ranging through an ADV-RESP frame sent by a responder, and then sends a SOR frame based on the number of responders participating in MMS ranging. Therefore, once the responder sends the ADV-RESP frame to the initiator, the initiator obtains the number of responders participating in MMS ranging, which facilitates the normal operation of MMS ranging. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0175] The embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0176] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the block-based ranging mode.

[0177] Figure 2 It is a schematic diagram of UWB MMS ranging.

[0178] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the DS-TWR operation.

[0179] Figure 4 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a one-to-many SS-TWR ranging process using Narrow Band Assisted (NBA) UWB MMS ranging. FIG.

[0180] Figure 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a conflict occurring during the initialization and establishment phase of one-to-many MMS ranging.

[0181] Figure 6 It is a schematic flow chart of a communication method provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0182] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a vehicle digital key provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0183] Figure 8 It is a schematic diagram of one-to-many ranging provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0184] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of a message flow in one-to-many ranging provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0185] Figure 10 Schematic diagram of an ADV-POLL frame provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0186] Figure 11 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an ADV-RESP frame provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0187] Figure 12 Schematic diagram of a SOR frame provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0188] Figure 13 It is a schematic diagram of a RIM frame provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0189] Figure 14 It is a schematic diagram of an RPRT frame provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0190] Figure 15 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one-to-one MMS ranging applicable to DS-TWR provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0191] Figure 16 Schematic diagram of a POLL frame provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0192] Figure 17 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of one-to-many MMS ranging applicable to DS-TWR provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0193] Figure 18 This is a schematic diagram of UWB MMS packet exchange between an initiator and a final responder provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0194] Figure 19 This is a schematic diagram of UWB MMS packet exchange between an initiator and a responder provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0195] Figure 20 This is a schematic diagram of a scenario of a digital key for a garage door provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0196] Figure 21 It is a schematic diagram of one-to-many ranging provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0197] Figure 22 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of one-to-many MMS ranging adapted to DS-TWR provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0198] Figure 23 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an ADV-RESP frame provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0199] Figure 24 This is a schematic diagram of UWB MMS packet exchange between an initiator and a last responder applicable to an odd number of responders, provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0200] Figure 25 This is a schematic diagram of UWB MMS packet exchange between an initiator and a last responder applicable to an even number of responders, provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0201] Figure 26 This is a schematic diagram of another vehicle digital key application scenario provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0202] Figure 27 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of one-to-many MMS ranging applicable to DS-TWR provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0203] Figure 28 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an ADV-RESP frame provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0204] Figure 29 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of UWB MMS packet exchange between an initiator and a responder provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0205] Figure 30 It is a block diagram of a communication device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0206] Figure 31 It is a block diagram of a communication device provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0207] Figure 32 It is a structural diagram of an electronic device provided by an embodiment of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0208] In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form part of the present disclosure, which illustrate, by way of illustration, specific aspects of the embodiments of the present disclosure or specific aspects in which the embodiments of the present disclosure may be used. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present disclosure may be used in other aspects and include structural or logical changes not depicted in the accompanying drawings. Therefore, the following detailed description should not be understood in a restrictive sense, and the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims.

[0209] For example, it is understood that the disclosure related to describing a method may also be applicable to a corresponding device or system for performing the method, and vice versa. For example, if one or more specific method steps are described, the corresponding device may include one or more units (e.g., functional units) to perform the one or more method steps described (e.g., one unit performs one or more steps, or multiple units perform one or more of the multiple steps respectively), even if such one or more units are not explicitly described or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. On the other hand, for example, if a specific device is described based on one or more units (e.g., functional units), the corresponding method may include a step to perform the function of one or more units (e.g., one step performs the function of one or more units, or multiple steps perform the function of one or more of the multiple units respectively), even if such one or more steps are not explicitly described or illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In addition, it is understood that, unless otherwise expressly stated, the features of the various exemplary embodiments and / or aspects described herein may be combined with each other.

[0210] Ultra-wideband (UWB) technology is increasingly being used for indoor positioning and other location-based services, such as access control and asset location. In addition to dedicated devices and tags, UWB radios are becoming increasingly common in high-end smartphones. The UWB physical layer (PHY) and media access control (MAC) are standardized by the IEEE, with the latest IEEE publications being IEEE 802.15.4-2020 and IEEE 802.15.4z. Recently, a new task group, 802.15.4ab, is actively working to improve UWB technology.

[0211] In addition to traditional ranging applications, other application scenarios, such as device-awareness-free, downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDOA), and long-range ranging, are also under active research. To address long-range ranging scenarios, 802.15.4ab introduced multi-millisecond (MMS) ranging (see 15-21-0409-01-04ab-narrowband-assisted-multi-millisecond-uwb). The key concept behind MMS ranging is to split the UWB ranging frame into multiple segments and transmit them over multiple milliseconds (ms), thereby breaking the 37nJ / ms transmission energy limit. High-performance narrowband (NB) radios can further enhance MMS ranging by providing time synchronization for UWB radios and also for control signaling. This is called NBA-UWB MMS ranging. In MMS ranging, the number of segments required for ranging depends on the distance to be measured and the channel conditions, so the number can be adjusted dynamically even within the same ranging session.

[0212] Block-based ranging mode and other ranging technologies can be used in various scenarios, such as tags, smartphones, laptops, remote keys, vehicles, door locks, garages, hotel rooms, elevators, etc. Figure 1 As shown, 802.15.4z defines a block-based time structure for block-based ranging mode. Each ranging block consists of an integer number of ranging rounds, where a ranging round is a period of time sufficient to complete a full range measurement cycle involving a set of enhanced ranging capable devices (ERDEVs) participating in a ranging exchange. Each ranging round is further subdivided into an integer number of ranging slots, where a ranging slot is a period of time sufficient to transmit at least one ranging frame (RFRAME). Block-based mode uses a structured timeline, and by default, the ranging block structure is periodic.

[0213] Figure 2Ultra-wideband (UWB) multi-millisecond (MMS) ranging, as discussed in IEEE 802.15.4ab, is shown. An MMS ranging session may include an initialization and setup phase, followed by one or more measurement periods. During the initialization and setup phases, frames are transmitted on an initialization channel, while during the measurement period, frames are transmitted on a ranging channel. While the same channel can be used for both the initialization and ranging channels, it is more likely that one or more well-known channels will be used as the initialization channel.

[0214] During the initialization and establishment phases, the initiator and responder can negotiate a different ranging configuration than the default configuration defined by 802.15.4ab. The initiator sends advertising poll (ADV-POLL) frames at intervals and at its discretion, while one or more responders can listen for incoming ADV-POLL frames. If a responder is interested in participating in a ranging session with the initiator, it responds with an advertising response (ADV-RESP) frame. Once the initiator receives the ADV-RESP packet, it sends a start of ranging (SOR) packet, which provides the time offset at which the first distance measurement cycle is to begin.

[0215] The distance measurement cycle includes a ranging control phase, a ranging phase, and an optional measurement reporting phase. The ranging control phase starts at the beginning of the distance measurement cycle. The initiator starts the ranging control phase by sending a POLL frame to the responder at the beginning of the first ranging time slot of a ranging round. The responder that successfully receives the POLL frame sends a RESP frame back to the initiator. The POLL frame and the RESP frame enable the initiator and the responder to achieve time and frequency synchronization. The initiator can also provide other control information to the responder in the POLL frame. During the ranging phase, the initiator and the responder can exchange zero or more MMS UWB packets. The MMS UWB packet consists of multiple fragments, which can include zero or more ranging sequence fragments (RSF) and optionally one or more ranging integrity fragments (RIF). The RSF is used to perform ranging measurements, while the RIF is used to check the integrity of the ranging measurements. An MMS UWB packet can be an RSF-only MMS UWB packet, an RIF-only MMS UWB packet, or a hybrid MMS UWB packet. In the hybrid MMS UWB packet format for ranging integrity, the RIF can be located after the RSF. A RIF-only MMS UWB packet only includes the RIF. After the initiator or responder completes receiving all UWB fragments in the ranging phase, the reporting phase begins. During this phase, the initiator and / or responder generates a ranging measurement report and sends an RPRT frame carrying the ranging measurement report to the peer device. The reported timestamp is measured with reference to a ranging marker (RMARKER). For all legacy physical layers (PHY), the RMARKER is defined as the start time of the first symbol after the start-of-frame delimiter (SFD) of the RFRAME on the local antenna. For MMS UWB packets, the RMARKERs of RSF and RIF are called RSF-RMARKER and RIF-RMARKER, respectively. For RSF-only or mixed MMS packets, the RSF-RMARKER is defined as the peak value of the first pulse in the first RSF. For RIF-only or mixed MMS packets, each RIF consists of two RIF-MARKERS, defined as the peak value of the first and last pulses in each RIF, respectively. When a RIF is used for SS-TWR or DS-TWR time measurement, the first RIF-RMARKER of the RIF is used as the RMARKER for the time measurement.

[0216] There are two flavors of MMS ranging: (1) UWB-only MMS ranging, in which UWB is used to transmit control frames and ranging segments; and (2) Narrowband assisted UWB multi-millisecond (NBA-UWB MMS) ranging, in which UWB is used to transmit ranging segments, while narrowband (e.g., using the O-QPSK PHY specified in IEEE802.15.4-2020) is used to transmit control frames.

[0217] Several ranging and positioning methods are described in IEEE 802.15.4z. Single-sided two-way ranging (SS-TWR) involves measuring the round-trip delay of a single message from one device to another, and sending a response back to the original device. Double-sided two-way ranging (DS-TWR) is an extension of SS-TWR that uses and combines two round-trip time measurements to provide a time of flight (TOF) result with reduced error in the presence of uncorrected clock frequency offsets, even when the response delay is quite long. Figure 3 FIG2 shows a DS-TWR operation, wherein device A initiates the first round-trip time measurement, device B responds to it, and then device B initiates the second round-trip time measurement, device A responds to it, completing the complete DS-TWR exchange, T prop is the propagation time of the RMARKER between devices.

[0218] Each device accurately measures the sending and receiving time of the message, and the resulting TOF can be estimated by the following equation: :

[0219]

[0220] Among them, T round is the round trip time, T reply It's response time.

[0221] above Figure 2The figure shows the UWBMMS ranging process discussed in IEEE 802.15.4ab (see IEEE 802.15-22 / 0381r2). IEEE 802.15.4ab (see IEEE 802.15-22 / 00151r2) also discusses a one-to-many SS-TWR ranging process using MMS ranging. It is divided into two types depending on whether the narrowband assistance method (NBA-UWB) is used. When NBA-UWB is not used, all frames are transmitted in the UWB band. When NBA-UWB is used, control frames are transmitted in the NB channel, while MMS ranging frames are transmitted in the UWB band. Figure 4 A one-to-many SS-TWR ranging process using NBA-UWB MMS ranging is shown. The frames exchanged using the NB radio and the UWB radio are represented by two different lines; the frames sent by the initiator are above the line, and the frames sent by one or more responders are below the line. The initiator starts the ranging exchange by sending a broadcast ranging initiation message (RIM). The RIM may include configuration parameters for one-to-many ranging rounds, which divide the ranging slots in a ranging round into multiple access slots, with one responder assigned to one access slot. In each access slot, the ranging control, ranging, and measurement reporting phases are the same as the one-to-one MMS described above. Specifically, in access slot 0, the ranging initiation message also provides time synchronization functionality like the polling message. In Figure 4 In the example shown, each responder sends a measurement report back to the initiator in its allocated access slot, and the initiator calculates the distance based on the measurement report.

[0222] The above and Figure 2 The UWB MMS ranging initialization and setup phases shown only consider one-to-one MMS ranging and may not be suitable for one-to-many MMS ranging. During the initialization and setup phases of one-to-many MMS ranging, multiple responders can receive ADV-POLL frames sent by the initiator, and multiple responders can simultaneously send ADV-RESP frames in response, causing ADV-RESP frames to collide on the initiator's side, preventing the initiator from receiving any ADV-RESP frames. Even if the responder uses a mechanism such as listen before talk (LBT) and successfully sends an ADV-RESP frame, the SOR frame sent by the initiator in response to the ADV-RESP frame may still collide with ADV-RESP frames sent later by some responders. Figure 5 This is shown.

[0223] for Figure 4 The one-to-many SS-TWR ranging process using NBA-UWB MMS ranging is shown in Figure 1.round (round trip time) and T reply The reply time is measured independently by the initiator and responder using their respective local clocks. However, there is some clock frequency offset error between the local clocks and the nominal frequency. This leads to a significant error in the TOF estimate, which increases with the reply time. In fact, this problem also exists in one-to-one MMS ranging.

[0224] The present disclosure aims to solve the above problems and proposes a technical solution for enhancing the initialization and establishment phases of UWB MMS ranging and enhancing the ranging phases and reporting phases of (one-to-one or one-to-many) UWB MMS ranging to achieve DS-TWR.

[0225] The present disclosure is applicable to any application scenario using UWB MMS ranging.

[0226] Before describing the technical solutions in the present disclosure, the following related terms are introduced.

[0227] Controller: A device that controls a UWB session and defines session parameters.

[0228] Slave: A device that participates in a UWB session using session parameters received from a controller.

[0229] Initiator: A device that follows the controller's instructions and initiates a UWB exchange by sending the first message. Either the controller or the controlled party can be the initiator.

[0230] Responder: A device that responds to the first message received from the initiator and participates in a UWB exchange. Either the controller or the controlled party can be a responder.

[0231] NB-UWB module: A module that includes a UWB radio and a NB radio that are tightly coupled (e.g., housed in the same hardware component).

[0232] Synchronous One-to-Many Ranging: One-to-Many Ranging where all responders are connected to each other and can coordinate their respective actions.

[0233] The embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The present disclosure provides a communication method involving interaction between an initiator and a responder. Figure 6 , the communication method may include the following steps.

[0234] Step 601: The initiator sends an ADV-POLL frame to the responder.

[0235] The ADV-POLL frame can be used to indicate the maximum number of responders, K, that support MMS ranging, where K ≥ 1. The structure of the ADV-POLL frame will be described later. The maximum number can be specified by the Maximum Responders field in the ADV-POLL frame. The maximum number of responders, K, that supports MMS ranging can indicate whether the initiator supports one-to-many MMS ranging. When K is greater than 1, it indicates that the initiator supports one-to-many MMS ranging.

[0236] Step 602: The responder sends an ADV-RESP frame to the initiator.

[0237] The ADV-RESP frame is used to indicate the number N of responders to participate in MMS ranging, where N ≥ 1. The structure of the ADV-RESP frame will be described later.

[0238] The number N can be indicated explicitly. For example, in one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame includes a first indication indicating the number N. In another possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame includes a second indication indicating the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames to be sent after the ADV-RESP frame, where the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames included in the i-th ADV-RESP frame is N–i, where 1 ≤ i ≤ N. The number N can be indicated directly by the first indication in the ADV-RESP frame, thereby reducing signaling overhead. It can also be indicated indirectly by the second indication in the ADV-RESP frame, where the second indication indicates the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames included in the i-th ADV-RESP frame is N–i. Given N–i and i, the number N can be indirectly determined. Furthermore, because the initiator knows the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames, the accuracy of the SOR frame transmission time can be improved even in the event of frame loss. The first indication may be the Number of Responders field in the ADV-RESP frame, and the second indication may be the Remaining ADV-RESP field in the ADV-RESP frame. It should be noted that the first indication and the second indication may also be the same field in the ADV-RESP frame. In this case, the ADV-RESP frame should include other fields to indicate which indication to use.

[0239] The number N may also be indicated implicitly. For example, in one possible implementation, the number N is indicated by the number of ADV-RESP frames received by the initiator (ie, the number of ADV-RESP frames sent by the responder), thereby saving signaling overhead.

[0240] In one possible implementation, where N ≥ 2, the N responders can coordinate a predetermined order for sending N ADV-RESP frames. Each of the N responders then sends these N ADV-RESP frames to the initiator in sequence according to the predetermined order. ADV-RESP frames are sent one after another in a coordinated manner, ensuring that they do not conflict with each other. When the initiator receives an ADV-RESP frame indicating that the N responders intend to participate in MMS ranging, the initiator is aware that the N responders intend to send ADV-RESP frames and therefore does not send a SOR frame. This prevents conflicts between ADV-RESP frames or between ADV-RESP frames and SOR frames.

[0241] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a fifth indication indicating that the POLL frame is absent from the ranging control phases other than the first access timeslot in the MMS ranging. The fifth indication may be the POLL Absent In Control Phases field in the ADV-RESP frame. The absence of the POLL frame from the ranging control phases other than the first access timeslot in the MMS ranging can shorten a measurement cycle and thereby shorten the ranging duration.

[0242] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a sixth indication indicating that the RESP frame is absent from ranging control phases other than the first access timeslot. The sixth indication may be a "RESP Absent In ControlPhases" field in the ADV-RESP frame. The RESP frame is absent from ranging control phases other than the first access timeslot in MMS ranging. Therefore, a measurement cycle can be completed in less time, thereby shortening the ranging duration.

[0243] The ADV-RESP frame also includes a field for requesting a measurement report. This allows the responder or initiator to send a measurement report, as needed. Furthermore, when a combined measurement report is requested, the measurement reporting phase is not included in the access slot. The initiator reserves a slot at the end of a ranging round to send combined measurement reports for all responders. This eliminates the need to send a measurement report in every access slot, thus reducing ranging time and, consequently, the duration of the ranging cycle.

[0244] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a seventh indication, which is used to indicate a request for the initiator to send a measurement report. The method further includes: the initiator sending a report frame. The seventh indication may be an Initiator Report Requested field in the ADV-RESP frame.

[0245] In one possible implementation, N ≥ 2, the ADV-RESP frame further includes an eighth indication for requesting a consolidated measurement report; the method further includes: the initiator generating a consolidated measurement report based on measurements of the N responders, and sending a report frame carrying the consolidated measurement report. The eighth indication may be a Consolidated Measurement Report field in an RPRT frame.

[0246] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a fourteenth indication for indicating a request for the responder to send a measurement report, and the method further includes: the responder sending a report frame. The fourteenth indication may be a Responder Report Requested field in the ADV-RESP frame.

[0247] In one possible implementation, N ≥ 2, the ADV-RESP frame further includes an eighth indication for requesting a consolidated measurement report; the method further includes: the responder collecting measurement reports from the N responders, generating a consolidated measurement report based on the measurement reports from the N responders, and sending a report frame carrying the consolidated measurement report. The eighth indication may be a Consolidated Measurement Report field in the RPRT frame.

[0248] Next, we will introduce the specific implementation of DS-TWR. The round-trip time and reply time are both measured by the initiator or responder, thus making up for the above-mentioned shortcomings of SS-TWR. The specific implementation of DS-TWR provided in this disclosure can be applied to one-to-one or one-to-many MMS ranging.

[0249] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a ninth indication for requesting a double-sided two-way ranging (DS-TWR) measurement in a measurement report, and the seventh indication is included in the ADV-RESP frame and is used to indicate a request for the initiator to send a measurement report; the above method further includes: the initiator sends a measurement report including a first round-trip time and a first reply time. The ninth indication may be a DS-TWR field in the ADV-RESP frame, and the seventh indication may be an Initiator Report Requested field in the ADV-RESP frame. For example, if the DS-TWR field is set to 1, it indicates that DS-TWR is implemented.

[0250] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a tenth indication for requesting the initiator to send additional MMS packets (also referred to as additional MMS packets). The method further includes: the initiator sending the additional MMS packets. The tenth indication may be a "Final MMS Packet Requested" field in the ADV-RESP frame. For example, if the "Final MMS Packet Requested" field is set to 1, it indicates that the initiator is requested to send additional MMS packets.

[0251] In one possible implementation, no additional MMS packets are requested in the ADV-RESP frame. The method further includes: the initiator determining that the MMS packet used for MMS ranging is an MMS packet containing a single segment with a ranging flag, setting an eleventh indication in a SOR frame requesting the initiator to send additional MMS packets to active, and sending the additional MMS packets. The eleventh indication may be the Request Final MMS Packet Requested field in the SOR frame. The MMS packet containing a single segment with a ranging flag may be an MMS packet containing only the RIF or only the RSF of the single segment. In scenarios where the MMS packet used for MMS ranging contains a single segment with a RMARRER, implementing DS-TWR may require additional MMS packets from the initiator. If no additional MMS packets are requested in the ADV-RESP frame, for example, if the Request Final MMS Packet field is set to 0 in the ADV-RESP frame, the Request Final MMS Packet field in the SOR frame may be set to 1, so that implementing DS-TWR may still require requesting additional MMS packets from the initiator. That is, even if the responder does not request other MMS packets, the initiator may determine to send other MMS packets according to the type of the MMS packets.

[0252] The following describes how to obtain the first round-trip time and first response time from the initiator's measurement report, and the second round-trip time and second response time from the responder's measurement report. These first round-trip time, first response time, second round-trip time, and second response time are used to estimate the time of flight (TOF) described in Equation 1, thereby estimating the distance to the peer device.

[0253] When the MMS packet used for MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging tag (for example, an MMS packet including only the RIF or only the RSF of a single segment). For the last access slot, in one possible implementation, the initiator records the first sending time of the first ranging tag of the first segment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the Nth responder, the first receiving time of the second ranging tag of the first segment of the second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and the second sending time of the third ranging tag of the first segment of the other MMS packets; and calculates the first round-trip time and the first reply time based on the first sending time, the first receiving time, and the second sending time. In one possible implementation, the Nth responder records the sixth receiving time of the first ranging tag of the first segment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the Nth responder, the eleventh sending time of the second ranging tag of the first segment of the second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and the seventh receiving time of the third ranging tag of the first segment of the other MMS packets; and calculates the second round-trip time and the second reply time based on the sixth receiving time, the eleventh sending time, and the seventh receiving time. When the MMS packet for MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging flag, DS-TWR of the Nth responder (the last responder) may be implemented based on other MMS packets.

[0254] For a non-last access time slot, in a possible implementation, the initiator records the fifth transmission time of the first ranging tag of the first fragment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the m-th responder, the third reception time of the second ranging tag of the first fragment of the second MMS packet from the m-th responder to the initiator, and the sixth transmission time of the third ranging tag of the first fragment of the third MMS packet from the initiator to the (m + 1)-th responder, where 1 ≤ m < N; calculates the first round-trip time and the first reply time according to the fifth transmission time, the third reception time, and the sixth transmission time. In a possible implementation, the m-th responder records the tenth reception time of the first ranging tag of the first fragment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the m-th responder, the thirteenth transmission time of the second ranging tag of the first fragment of the second MMS packet from the m-th responder to the initiator, and the eleventh reception time of the third ranging tag of the first fragment of the third MMS packet from the initiator to the (m + 1)-th responder, where 1 ≤ m < N; calculates the second round-trip time and the second reply time according to the tenth transmission time, the thirteenth reception time, and the eleventh reception time. Therefore, DS-TWR of the m-th responder (non-last responder) can be implemented.

[0255] When the MMS packet for MMS ranging is an MMS packet including at least two fragments with ranging tags, for example, when a hybrid MMS packet including at least two fragments or an MMS packet with only RIF is used for MMS ranging, DS-TWR only requires a single MMS packet exchange. For the process of obtaining the first round-trip time and the first reply time in this case, in a possible implementation, the initiator determines that the MMS packet for MMS ranging is an MMS packet including at least two fragments with ranging tags; records the ninth transmission time of the first ranging tag of the first fragment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the n-th responder, the fifth reception time of the second ranging tag of the first fragment of the second MMS packet from the n-th responder to the initiator, and the tenth transmission time of the third ranging tag of the second fragment of the first MMS packet carrying the ranging tag, where 1 ≤ n ≤ N; calculates the first round-trip time and the first reply time according to the ninth transmission time, the fifth reception time, and the tenth transmission time.

[0256] Regarding the process of obtaining the second round-trip time and the second reply time in the above situation, in one possible implementation, the nth responder records the fourteenth reception time of the first ranging tag of the first segment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the nth responder, the fifteenth transmission time of the second ranging tag of the first segment of the second MMS packet from the nth responder to the initiator, and the fifteenth reception time of the third ranging tag of the second segment of the first MMS packet carrying the ranging tag, where 1≤n≤N. The second round-trip time and the second reply time are calculated based on the fourteenth reception time, the fifteenth transmission time, and the fifteenth reception time. Therefore, when the MMS packet used for MMS ranging is an MMS packet including at least two segments with ranging tags, DS-TWR can be achieved for all responders.

[0257] Step 603: The initiator sends a start of ranging (SOR) frame to the responder according to the ADV-RESP frame.

[0258] The SOR frame is used to provide a time offset at which the first distance measurement cycle is to start. The structure of the SOR frame will be described later.

[0259] In one possible implementation, upon receiving the Nth ADV-RESP frame, the initiator sends a SOR frame to the responder. Upon receiving the Nth ADV-RESP frame (i.e., the last ADV-RESP frame (indicating zero remaining ADV-RESP frames)), the initiator sends a SOR frame indicating when MMS ranging should begin. This prevents conflicts between ADV-RESP frames or between ADV-RESP and SOR frames.

[0260] In another possible implementation, the initiator estimates the expected transmission time of N ADV-RESP frames and sends a SOR frame to the responder when the expected transmission time has expired. If the initiator has not received the last ADV-RESP frame, it will send a SOR frame once the total expected transmission time of all ADV-RESP frames has expired. This prevents conflicts between ADV-RESP frames or between ADV-RESP frames and SOR frames.

[0261] In one possible implementation, before the initiator sends an SOR frame to the responder, the initiator determines the number M of responders to be used for MMS ranging based on the number of received ADV-RESP frames, where M≤N, and sends an SOR frame including a fourth indication, where the fourth indication is used to indicate the number M. That is, before the MMS ranging starts, the initiator can select a responder to be used for MMS ranging from among the responders that send ADV-RESP frames to the initiator.

[0262] In the communication method provided herein, the initiator obtains the number of responders participating in MMS ranging through an ADV-RESP frame sent by a responder, and then sends a SOR frame based on the number of responders participating in MMS ranging. Therefore, once a responder sends an ADV-RESP frame to the initiator, the initiator obtains the number of responders participating in MMS ranging, which facilitates the normal operation of MMS ranging. Since the N responders are interconnected and able to communicate with each other, upon receiving an ADV-POLL frame, the N responders can coordinate their responses and send ADV-RESP frames one after another in a coordinated manner, ensuring that their respective ADV-RESP frames do not conflict with each other. Furthermore, when the initiator receives an ADV-RESP frame indicating that the N responders intend to participate in MMS ranging, the initiator is informed that the N responders intend to send ADV-RESP frames and therefore does not send an SOR frame. This prevents conflicts between ADV-RESP frames or between ADV-RESP and SOR frames. Furthermore, DS-TWR can be implemented by setting the Request Final MMS Packet field to valid.

[0263] by Figure 7The vehicle digital key application scenario shown is Example 1, and there may be other scenarios, which are not limited here. Today, many mobile devices (e.g., smartphones) and vehicles support digital keys, which can be used to lock and unlock authorized vehicles (e.g., cars), start / stop the engine of the vehicle, and even share digital keys with friends and family to enter the vehicle. Many of these modern mobile devices and vehicles also support UWB radio devices, allowing the vehicle to accurately determine the location and even the direction of the mobile device. When used in combination with a digital key, this can enable a digital key application that can lock / unlock the door even if the user holding the mobile device is several meters away from the car. As mentioned above, in order to cope with long-distance ranging application scenarios, MMS ranging is introduced in 802.15.4ab, and high-performance narrowband (NB) radio equipment can further enhance MMS ranging to provide time synchronization for UWB radio equipment and also for control signaling. UWB radio equipment and NB radio equipment can also be installed in the same hardware component that constitutes the NB-UWB module. Several such NB-UWB modules can be installed at different locations in a vehicle (e.g., a car) to act as responders. One or more Bluetooth radio devices can also be installed. All of these radio devices can also be connected to each other through, for example, an on-board wired network and can communicate with each other. There may be a central device in the vehicle that can control and coordinate all radio devices. A compatible mobile device (e.g., a smartphone) supports one each of the UWB radio devices, NB radio devices, and Bluetooth radio devices and acts as the initiator of MMS ranging. The Bluetooth radio device is used for initial discovery, connection establishment, and credential verification, while the NB radio device and UWB radio device are used for MMS ranging.

[0264] During the initialization and establishment phase of MMS ranging, the initiator sends advertising poll (ADV-POLL) frames at intervals based on its own judgment, and one or more responders can listen for incoming ADV-POLL frames. If the responder intends to participate in the ranging session with the initiator, it will respond with an advertising response (ADV-RESP) frame. Once the initiator receives the ADV-RESP packet, it will send a start of ranging (SOR) packet, which provides the time offset for the start of the first distance measurement cycle. However, if multiple responders receive the ADV-POLL frame sent by the initiator, multiple responders can send ADV-RESP frames in response at the same time, causing the ADV-RESP frames to collide on the initiator side, resulting in the initiator not being able to receive any ADV-RESP frames. Even if the responder uses a mechanism such as listen before talk (LBT) and manages to successfully send an ADV-RESP frame, the SOR frame sent by the initiator in response to the ADV-RESP frame may still conflict with some ADV-RESP frames sent by the responder with delay, such as Figure 5 However, in applications where multiple responders are connected and can communicate with each other, upon receiving an ADV-POLL frame, these responders can coordinate their respective responses and send ADV-RESP frames one after another in a coordinated manner, ensuring that their respective ADV-RESP frames do not conflict with each other, as shown in FIG. Figure 8 Each ADV-RESP frame also indicates the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames to be sent after the frame, which depends on the number of responders interested in participating in MMS ranging.

[0265] When the initiator receives an ADV-RESP frame indicating that one or more ADV-RESP frames remain, the initiator is informed that more responders will send ADV-RESP frames, thereby avoiding sending an SOR frame. The initiator can also estimate the expected total transmission time of all ADV-RESP frames when receiving an ADV-RESP frame indicating the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames. Upon receiving the last ADV-RESP frame (indicating zero remaining ADV-RESP frames), the initiator sends an SOR frame indicating when MMS ranging will begin. If the initiator has not received the last ADV-RESP frame, the initiator will send an SOR frame once the expected total transmission time of all ADV-RESP frames has expired. In this way, conflicts between ADV-RESP frames or between ADV-RESP frames and SOR frames are prevented.

[0266] Figure 9 An exemplary message flow involved in a one-to-many UWB MMS ranging application with multiple coordinated responders applicable to DS-TWR is shown. The MMS UWB ranging session begins with the controller and the controlled party performing session establishment, in which long-term session parameters such as UWB channel number, preamble, block structure (number of blocks, block duration), etc. are negotiated. In a vehicle digital key application, a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone) is used as the controller, and the NB-UWB module in the vehicle is used as the controlled party. When security functions are implemented, one or more security keys are also exchanged between the controller and the controlled party. For NBA-UWB MMS ranging, narrowband-related parameters (e.g., NB channel number, number of MMS fragments, etc.) can also be negotiated in the session establishment. In addition, the roles of initiator and responder are also assigned in the session establishment. During the session, it is expected that long-term parameters will not change. Figure 9 The controller is shown as the initiator, while the controlled party is designated as the responder. However, in different applications, it is also possible that the controlled party can be designated as the initiator, while the controller plays the responder role. Conversely, parameters related to the measurement period, such as the round / slot duration, the number of MMS segments, and the reporting mode, can be considered short-term parameters and can be modified during the session. Session establishment can be performed out-of-band using a Bluetooth radio or Wi-Fi radio, or in-band using a narrowband radio or UWB radio.

[0267] Once the session is established, the initiator will send ADV-POLL frames at intervals based on its own judgment, and one or more responders can listen to the incoming ADV-POLL frames. If the responder intends to participate in the ranging session with the initiator, it will respond with an ADV-RESP frame. Figure 10 FIG. 4 shows an ADV-POLL frame, and some key fields in the ADV-POLL frame are described below. It should be noted that the ID field in each frame can be used to identify the specific type of the frame.

[0268] The Initialization and Setup Modes field indicates the allowed initialization and setup modes for MMS ranging and can be set to one of the following values:

[0269] 0 = Single responder: only supports one-to-one ranging

[0270] 1 = Contention-based multiple responders: Supports contention-based one-to-many ranging

[0271] 2 = Synchronous multiple responders: supports simultaneous one-to-many ranging

[0272] 3 = Reserved.

[0273] The Maximum Responders Presence bit indicates whether the Maximum Responders field exists.

[0274] The Maximum Responders field specifies the maximum number of responders that the initiator can support for MMS ranging (e.g., K ≥ 1). To indicate that the initiator supports one-to-many MMS ranging, the Maximum Responders field in the ADV-POLL frame is set to a value greater than 1, which is not present in one-to-one ranging.

[0275] Upon receiving the ADV-POLL frame, the responders can coordinate their responses and select N (N≤K) responders to participate in the MMS ranging. The selected N responders send their respective ADV-RESP frames one after another in a coordinated manner, ensuring that their respective ADV-RESP frames do not conflict with each other. The ADV-RESP frame is used by the responder to request parameters for MMS ranging and Figure 11 As shown, its key fields are as follows:

[0276] Ranging Mode: Indicates the mode of the MMS ranging request, where:

[0277] 0 = One-to-one

[0278] 1 = Serial One-to-Many (in this example, the Ranging Mode field is set to 1)

[0279] 2 = Time-efficient one-to-many

[0280] 3 = Reserved.

[0281] Ranging Frame Sequence Decider: Indicates whether the responder determines the order in which ranging frames are sent during the ranging phase of one-to-many ranging. This order can be the same as the order in which ADV-RESP frames are sent during the initialization and setup phases. Furthermore, this bit is reserved for one-to-one ranging.

[0282] DS-TWR: Indicates that DS-TWR related fields are requested in the measurement report.

[0283] Remaining ADV-RESPs: Indicates the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames to be sent after this frame during the initialization and setup phases. This field is present only when one-to-many ranging is requested. This bit is reserved for one-to-one ranging.

[0284] Ranging Parameters: Carries parameters specific to the ranging mode, including:

[0285] ■ POLL Absent In ControlPhases: Indicates whether to skip the POLL frame in the ranging control phase except the first access slot. This bit is reserved for one-to-one ranging.

[0286] ■Consolidated Measurement Report: Only a single consolidated measurement report is sent after the last access slot. This bit is reserved for one-to-one ranging.

[0287] ■Initiator Report Requested: Requests the initiator to send a measurement report.

[0288] ■ Final MMS Packet Requested: Requests the initiator to send additional MMS packets at the end of the last ranging phase.

[0289] All responders send ADV-RESP frames with the same content, but the remaining ADV-RESP fields are different for each responder. Based on the number of ADV-RESP frames received, the initiator knows how many responders to participate in the ranging phase.

[0290] Upon receipt of the last ADV-RESP frame (indicating zero remaining ADV-RESP frames), or once the estimated total transmission time for all ADV-RESP frames has expired, the initiator sends an SOR frame indicating the status of the MMS ranging request; if the status is successful, the time at which the first measurement cycle of the MMS ranging will begin is sent, and the number of responders with which the initiator wants to perform ranging in multiple rounds of MMS ranging. In the SOR frame, the initiator also confirms the MMS ranging parameters requested by the responder and may also suggest MMS ranging parameters that the responder did not request. For example, in some application scenarios, the initiator may decide to implement DS-TWR for MMS ranging and may set the DS-TWR field in the SOR frame to 1, even if the responder did not request DS-TWR in the ADV-RESP frame. Figure 12 The SOR frame is shown, and its key fields are as follows:

[0291] Ranging Mode: Confirmed as the mode of MMS ranging request:

[0292] 0 = One-to-one

[0293] 1 = Serial one-to-many

[0294] 2 = Time-efficient one-to-many

[0295] 3 = Reserved.

[0296] Status: Indicates whether the ranging request is successful. The remaining fields in the SOR frame are present only if the status is successful, otherwise they are absent.

[0297] Ranging Parameters: Confirms the ranging parameters requested by the responder. In addition, it also includes:

[0298] ■Responder Report Requested: Requests the responder to send a measurement report.

[0299] Number of Responders: Indicates the number of responders confirmed for ranging. For one-to-many MMS ranging, this may be based on the number of ADV-RESP frames received by the initiator (e.g., N). This field is not present in one-to-one ranging.

[0300] At the time indicated by the time offset in the SOR frame, the initiator sends a Ranging Initiation Message (RIM) frame (for one-to-one ranging, the RIM frame is replaced by a POLL frame), for example, at the beginning of the first ranging slot in a ranging round. The RIM frame indicates the start of MMS ranging, and the initiator reconfirms the parameters requested by the responder and the initiator (in the ADV-RESP frame and the SOR frame, respectively), and may also include other control information of the responder. Figure 13 The RIM frame is shown, and its key fields are as follows:

[0301] Ranging Mode: Confirms the MMS ranging mode, where:

[0302] 0 = One-to-one

[0303] 1 = Serial one-to-many

[0304] 2 = Time-efficient one-to-many

[0305] 3 = Reserved.

[0306] DS-TWR: Indicates that DS-TWR related fields are requested in the measurement report.

[0307] Ranging Frame Sequence Decider: Indicates whether the responder decides the order of sending ranging frames during the ranging phase of one-to-many ranging. This bit is reserved for one-to-one ranging.

[0308] Ranging Parameter: Specifies parameters specific to the ranging mode, including:

[0309] ■ POLL AbsentIn ControlPhases: Indicates whether to skip the POLL frame in the ranging control phase except the first access slot. This bit is reserved for one-to-one ranging.

[0310] ■Consolidated Measurement Report: Only a single consolidated measurement report is sent after the last access slot. This bit is reserved for one-to-one ranging.

[0311] ■Initiator Report Requested: Requests the initiator to send a measurement report.

[0312] ■Responder Report Requested: Requests the responder to send a measurement report.

[0313] Final MMS Packet Requested: Requests the initiator to send another MMS packet at the end of the last ranging phase.

[0314] ■ Number of Responders: Specifies the number of responders to participate in MMS ranging. This bit is not present in one-to-one ranging.

[0315] In the RIM frame, the initiator reconfirms the parameters requested by the responder. The RIM also includes configuration parameters for one-to-many ranging rounds. These configuration parameters divide the ranging slot in a ranging round into multiple access slots, with one access slot reserved for each responder. Each access slot may also include the ranging control phase, ranging phase, and optional measurement reporting phase, as described above. Specifically, in access slot 0 (i.e., the first access slot), the RIM frame also provides time synchronization, similar to the POLL frame. In the case of synchronous one-to-many ranging, the RIM frame indicates the number of responders participating in the ranging measurement, but does not provide a transmission order for the responders, i.e., responders are not assigned to access slots. Responders determine their own transmission order and access slot allocation. This order can be the same as the transmission order of ADV-RESP frames during the initialization and establishment phases. The ranging parameter field in the RIM frame also confirms the ranging parameters requested by the responder (POLL is not present in the control phase, merged measurement reports, request for initiator report, request for final MMS packet). In addition, the Request Responder Report field is set to indicate whether one or more measurement reports of the responder are requested, and the Number of Responders field specifies the number of responders that can participate in the one-to-many MMS ranging (e.g., N). When the Combined Measurement Report bit in the RIM frame is set to 1, the measurement reporting phase is not included in the access slot, and the initiator reserves a slot at the end of a ranging round to send the combined measurement reports of all responders.

[0316] When a RIM frame is received in the first ranging control phase, in synchronous one-to-many ranging, the responders can coordinate with each other and decide which responders to participate in ranging (if the number of responders indicated in the RIM frame is less than the number of available responders) and their response order, that is, the order in which the responders perform MMS ranging with the initiator. The responder that is to perform the first MMS ranging with the initiator is called the first responder, the responder that is to perform the second MMS ranging is called the second responder, and so on, and the responder that is to perform the last MMS ranging is called the last responder. The first responder sends back the first RESP frame to the initiator. The RIM frame and the RESP frame enable the initiator and the responder to achieve time and frequency synchronization. In the ranging phase of the first access slot, the initiator and the first responder perform MMS ranging by exchanging MMS packets including zero or more UWB ranging sequence fragments (RSFs) and zero or more UWB ranging integrity fragments (RIFs). The type of MMS packets exchanged and the total number of segments in each MMS packet (e.g., M) may be negotiated in advance (e.g., in session establishment, or in the initialization and establishment phase). RSF is used to perform ranging measurements, while RIF is used to check the integrity of ranging measurements. Figure 9In the example shown, the Combined Measurement Report bit in the RIM frame is set to 1, so the Measurement Reporting Phase is not included in the access slot. In synchronous one-to-many ranging, since all responders are interconnected, they can maintain clock and frequency synchronization. Therefore, in the second and subsequent access slots, the responder can request the initiator to skip sending POLL frames (by setting the POLL Not Present in Control Phase bit in the ADV-RESP frame to 1). In this case, the ranging control phase of the second and subsequent access slots is allocated only for RESP frames. Therefore, in the second and subsequent access slots, only the responder sends RESP frames in the ranging control phase (i.e., skipping POLL frames), and each responder performs MMS ranging with the initiator in the ranging phase according to the determined response order. If the Request Final MMS Packet bit in the ADV-RESP frame and RIM frame is set to 1, that is, if the responder requests the initiator to send another MMS packet at the end of the last ranging phase, the initiator sends the other MMS packet at the end of the last ranging phase. The other MMS packet is the final packet used for performing DS-TWR measurements.

[0317] After the initiator and all responders complete the MMS packet exchange, the measurement reporting phase begins. During this phase, the initiator and each responder generate a ranging measurement report and send an RPRT frame carrying the measurement report to the opposite device. In the case of synchronous one-to-many ranging, when a report is requested from a responder (i.e., the request responder report bit is set to 1) and a merged measurement report is indicated (i.e., the merged measurement report bit in the RIM frame is set to 1), one of the responders (for example, through the vehicle wired network) collects the relevant measurement reports of all responders, generates a merged measurement report, and sends an RPRT frame carrying the merged measurement report in the first time slot of the measurement reporting phase. Similarly, when a report is requested from the initiator (i.e., the request initiator report bit is set to 1), the initiator collects the relevant measurements of all responders, generates a merged measurement report, and sends an RPRT frame carrying the merged measurement report in the second time slot of the measurement reporting phase. Figure 14 The RPRT frame is shown, and its key fields are as follows:

[0318] Report Size: Indicates the size of the Reply Time field and the Round-trip Time field:

[0319] 0: 1 octet

[0320] 1: 2 octets

[0321] 2: 4 octets

[0322] 3: 5 octets

[0323] DS-TWR: Indicates that DS-TWR related fields exist in the measurement report.

[0324] Consolidated Measurement Report: Indicates that the RPRT frame carries more than one measurement report. This bit is reserved for one-to-one ranging.

[0325] Number of Reports: Indicates the number of measurement reports in the Measurement Report List field. The Number of Reports field is present if the Combined Measurement Report bit is 1. This field is not present in one-to-one ranging.

[0326] Measurement Report List: Contains one or more Measurement Report fields. For one-to-one ranging, there is only a single Measurement Report field. For one-to-many ranging, there are two or more Measurement Report fields, one for each responder. These fields are arranged in the same order as they are sent by the corresponding responders in a ranging round.

[0327] Measurement Report: Each report carries a measurement report of the responding party, where:

[0328] Reply Time: The time difference between the reception time of the responded MMS packet and the sending time of the response MMS packet.

[0329] Round-trip time (RTT): The time difference between the transmission time of the MMS packet initiating the round-trip time measurement and the reception time of the response MMS packet from the peer device completing the round-trip time measurement. The time unit is the ranging counter time unit specified in IEEE 802.14ab (e.g., 15.65 ps (used by the HRP UWB PHY in 802.15.4z) or a smaller unit, such as 1 ps).

[0330] If the DS-TWR bit is 0 (e.g., one-to-many ranging using SS-TWR):

[0331] For the RPRT frame of the responder: the reply time field exists; the round-trip time field does not exist;

[0332] For the initiator's RPRT frame: the round-trip time field is present; the reply time field is not present.

[0333] If the DS-TWR bit is 1 (e.g., one-to-many ranging using DS-TWR):

[0334] Both the reply time field and the round trip time field are present.

[0335] If both the DS-TWR bit and the combined measurement report bit are 0 (e.g., one-to-one ranging using SS-TWR), the report quantity field does not exist and the RPRT frame carries a single measurement report in the measurement report list. Alternatively, the DS-TWR bit is not used, and the presence of the reply time field and the round-trip time field is indicated by separate presence bits (e.g., Reply Time Presence and Round-trip Time Presence).

[0336] When there is only one controlled party, Figure 9 The message flow shown is applicable to one-to-one MMS ranging, and the RIM frame is replaced by the POLL frame. Figure 15 A graphical illustration of one-to-one MMS ranging for DS-TWR is provided. Figure 10 The responder uses the ADV-RESP frame (as shown) by setting the ranging mode field to 0 (i.e., one-to-one). Figure 11 The ADV-RESP frame and the SOR frame are used to request parameters for one-to-one MMS ranging. If DS-TWR is requested, the DS-TWR bit is set to 1. The remaining ADV-RESP fields are set to 0. For one-to-one MMS ranging, the one-to-many ranging-related fields in the ADV-RESP frame and the SOR frame are retained.

[0337] At the time indicated by the time offset in the SOR frame, the initiator sends a POLL frame, for example, at the beginning of the first ranging slot of a ranging round. The POLL frame indicates the start of a one-to-one MMS ranging, and the initiator reconfirms the parameters requested by the responder and the initiator (in the ADV-RESP frame and the SOR frame, respectively), and may also include other control information of the responder. Figure 16 The POLL frame is shown, and its key fields are as follows:

[0338] Ranging Mode: Confirms the MMS ranging mode, including:

[0339] 0 = One-to-one

[0340] 1 = Serial One-to-Many (in this example, the Ranging Mode field is set to 1)

[0341] 2 = Time-efficient one-to-many

[0342] 3 = Reserved.

[0343] DS-TWR: Indicates that DS-TWR related fields are requested in the measurement report.

[0344] Ranging Parameter: Specifies parameters specific to the ranging mode, including:

[0345] ■Initiator Report Requested: Requests the initiator to send a measurement report.

[0346] ■Responder Report Requested: Requests the responder to send a measurement report.

[0347] ■ Final MMS Packet Requested: Requests the initiator to send additional MMS packets at the end of the last ranging phase.

[0348] Upon receiving the POLL frame, the responder sends a RESP frame back to the initiator. The POLL and RESP frames enable the initiator and responder to achieve time and frequency synchronization. During the ranging phase, the initiator and responder perform MMS ranging by exchanging MMS packets. In this example, each MMS packet consists of two fragments. If the Request Final MMS Packet bit in the ADV-RESP and POLL frames is set to 1, that is, if the responder requests the initiator to send additional MMS packets at the end of the last ranging phase, the initiator sends additional MMS packets at the end of the ranging phase. Alternatively, when only the RSF MMS packet is used for MMS ranging and a DS-TWR measurement is requested (i.e., the DS-TWR bit in the ADV-RESP frame is set to 1), the initiator may send additional MMS packets and set the Request Final MMS Packet bit in the SOR and POLL frames to 1, even if the responder does not explicitly request a final MMS packet (i.e., the Request Final MMS Packet bit in the ADV-RESP frame is not set to 1). When only the RSF MMS packet is used for MMS ranging, and the DS-TWR bit in the ADV-RESP frame is set to 1, the remaining MMS packets are the final packets used for DS-TWR measurements. After the initiator and responder complete the MMS packet exchange, the measurement reporting phase begins. During this phase, the initiator (if the Request Initiator Report bit is set to 1) and the responder (if the Request Responder Report bit is set to 1) generate ranging measurement reports and send RPRT frames carrying the measurement reports to the peer device. When the DS-TWR bit in the ADV-RESP frame is set to 1, both the round-trip time field and the reply time field are included in the measurement report.

[0349] Figure 17 Shown in time domain format Figure 9 Here, the number of responders (N) is equal to 8, and the number of segments in the MMS packet (M) is 2. Within the measurement period, each bar on the horizontal line represents a time slot (e.g., a duration of 0.5 ms). The key points related to the present disclosure can be as follows:

[0350] ■ During the initialization and establishment phases, the responders coordinate their responses and send their ADV-RESP frames in a coordinated manner. Each ADV-RESP frame indicates the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames. The initiator sends a SOR frame after the last ADV-RESP frame.

[0351] ■ In the ranging control phase of access slots other than the first access slot, if the POLL Not Present in Control Phase bit in the applicable frame is set to 1, the POLL frame is skipped and only RESP frames are sent. If the POLL Not Present in Control Phase bit is not set to 1, then Figure 16 The POLL frame shown is to be sent by the initiator in two time slots prior to the sending time of the RESP frame.

[0352] ■ If additional MMS packets are requested (e.g., the Request Final MMS Packet bit in the ADV-RESP frame is set to 1 to implement DS-TWR), the initiator sends one additional MMS packet after receiving an MMS packet from the last responder during the ranging phase of the last access slot. Alternatively, when RSF-only MMS packets are used for MMS ranging using RSF-only MMS packets and DS-TWR measurements are requested (i.e., the DS-TWR bit in the ADV-RESP frame is set to 1), the initiator may send additional MMS packets and set the Request Final MMS Packet bit in the SOR frame and RIM frame to 1 as needed, even if the responder does not explicitly request a final MMS packet (i.e., the Request Final MMS Packet bit in the ADV-RESP frame is not set to 1).

[0353] ■ RPRT (Report) frames are sent only after the last access slot. If a combined measurement report is requested from the responder, the uplink RPRT frame can carry the combined measurement reports of all responders. If a combined measurement report is requested from the initiator, the downlink RPRT frame can carry the combined measurement reports of all responders.

[0354] from Figure 17 As can be seen from the figure, a measurement cycle can be completed within 62 time slots (31ms). Without taking any special measures (for example, not skipping POLL frames or not using combined measurement reports), if Figure 4For the default serial one-to-many ranging shown, a measurement cycle can only be completed within 80 time slots (40ms), which means it takes 9ms longer. Figure 4 The default serial one-to-many ranging shown may not support DS-TWR.

[0355] Next, the present disclosure describes how to make and report ranging measurements that implement DS-TWR (e.g., if the DS-TWR bit in the ADV-RESP frame or the SOR frame is set to 1). Three MMS segments with RMAKERS are required to make a DS-TWR time measurement. A mixed MMS packet including at least two segments or a RIF-only MMS packet has at least two RMAKERS that can be used to calculate the DS-TWR time measurement. This means that when a mixed MMS packet including at least two segments or a RIF-only MMS packet is used for MMS ranging, a single MMS packet exchange between the initiator and the responder is sufficient to make a DS-TWR time measurement. In this case, no additional MMS packets from the initiator (such as Figure 17 ).

[0356] Figure 18 The initiator and the last responder (ie responder 8) are shown in Figure 17 A close up view of a UWB MMS packet exchange in the 8th access slot of the UEFI 1000. In this example, the MMS packet can be a mixed MMS packet or a RIF-only MMS packet. In either case, as described above and as Figure 18 As shown, both fragments of the MMS packet include RMArkers that can be used for time measurement. For a mixed MMS packet including a single RIF, the first RMArker is the RSF-RMARKER in the first RSF of the MMS packet from the initiator to the responder, the second RMArker is the RSF-RMARKER in the first RSF of the MMS packet from the responder, and the third RMArker is the RIF-RMARKER in the first RIF of the MMS packet from the initiator to the responder. For a mixed MMS packet including more than one RIF, it is safer to use RIF-RMARKER for time measurement. Therefore, the RIF-RMARKERs of the first two RIFs of the MMS packet from the initiator are used as the first and third RMArkers, while the RIF-MARKER of the first RIF of the MMS packet from the responder is used as the second RMArker. For a RIF-only MMS packet, the RIF-RMARKERs of the first two fragments of the initiator's MMS packet are used as the first and third RMARKERs, and the RIF-MARKER of the first fragment of the responder's MMS packet is used as the second RMARKER.

[0357] When a mixed MMS packet including at least two fragments or an MMS packet with only RIF is used for MMS ranging, DS-TWR requires only a single MMS packet exchange because each MMS packet includes at least two RMarkers that can be used for time measurement. The initiator records the time of the relevant RMarkers and calculates the time required for each responder (round trip time (Tround1_Rn), reply time (Treply2_Rn)) as described below. Each responder records the time of the relevant RMarkers and calculates the time required (reply time (Treply1_Rn), round trip time (Tround2_Rn)) as described below. The fields in each measurement report (see Figure 14 ) are set as follows:

[0358] ■Initiator's measurement report (for responder n):

[0359] o Round trip time (Tround1_Rn) = the time difference between the sending time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet from the initiator to the responder n and the receiving time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet from the responder n.

[0360] o Reply time (Treply2_Rn) = the time difference between the reception time of the RMarker of the first fragment of the MMS packet of the responder n and the sending time of the RMarker of the next fragment of the MMS packet carrying the RMarker of the initiator.

[0361] ■Responder's measurement report (from responder n):

[0362] o Reply time (Treply1_Rn) = the time difference between the reception time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet from the initiator to the responder n and the sending time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet from the responder n.

[0363] o Round trip time (Tround2_Rn) = the time difference between the sending time of the RMarker of the first fragment of the MMS packet of the responder n and the receiving time of the RMarker of the next fragment of the MMS packet carrying the RMarker of the initiator.

[0364] As mentioned above, for mixed MMS packets containing more than one RIF, it is safer to use RIF-RMARKER for time measurement. In this case, the field in each measurement report (see Figure 14 ) are set as follows:

[0365] ■Initiator's measurement report (for responder n):

[0366] o Round trip time (Tround1_Rn) = the time difference between the sending time of the RMarker of the first RIF of the MMS packet from the initiator to the responder n and the receiving time of the RMarker of the first RIF of the MMS packet from the responder n.

[0367] o Reply time (Treply2_Rn) = the time difference between the reception time of the RMarker of the first RIF of the MMS packet of the responder n and the transmission time of the RMarker of the second RIF of the MMS packet of the initiator.

[0368] ■Responder's measurement report (from responder n):

[0369] ○ Reply time (Treply1_Rn) = the time difference between the reception time of the RMarker of the first RIF of the MMS packet from the initiator to the responder n and the transmission time of the RMarker of the first RIF of the MMS packet from the responder n.

[0370] o Round trip time (Tround2_Rn) = the time difference between the sending time of the RMarker of the first RIF of the MMS packet of the responder n and the receiving time of the RMarker of the second RIF of the MMS packet of the initiator.

[0371] When DS-TWR is requested, that is, when the DS-TWR bit in the ADV-RESP frame or SOR frame is set to 1, both the round-trip time field and the reply time field are included in one or more measurement reports. Otherwise, the initiator's measurement report only includes the round-trip time field, and the responder's measurement report only includes the reply time field. Once a device (initiator or responder) receives a measurement report from the peer device, it can calculate the DS-TWR TOF using Equation 1 to estimate the distance to the peer device.

[0372] Next, the present disclosure describes a scenario where an MMS packet for MMS ranging includes a single segment with a RMARKER (e.g., an MMS packet using only RSF, or an MMS packet using only RIF including a single segment). In this case, implementing DS-TWR may require additional MMS packets from the initiator. Figure 19 It shows the initiator and the first two responders and the last responder (ie responder 8) in ( Figure 17 A close up view of an MMS packet exchange in the 8th access slot of FIG. In this example, the MMS packet is an RSF-only MMS packet. In this case, as described above and as Figure 19As shown, only the first fragment (RSF) of the MMS packet includes a RMAKER that can be used to make time measurements. Three RMAKERS are required to make DS-TWR time measurements. In this case, for all responders except the last one, the first RMAKER is the RMAKER in the first fragment of the MMS packet from the initiator to the responder (i.e., the I-1 fragment at the beginning of the corresponding access slot) (e.g., the RSF-RMARKER in the first RSF or the first RIF-RMARKER in the first RIF). The second RMAKER is the RMAKER in the first fragment of the MMS packet from the responder to the initiator (i.e., the Rn-1 fragment), and the third RMAKER is the RMAKER in the first fragment of the MMS packet from the initiator to the next responder (i.e., the I-1 fragment at the beginning of the next access slot) (e.g., the RSF-RMARKER in the first RSF or the first RIF-RMARKER in the first RIF). This is in Figure 19 However, for the last responder, since the next responder does not exist, the implementation of DS-TWR time measurement requires other MMS packets from the initiator (such as Figure 17 The final MMS packet in Figure 19 For the last responder, the first RMAKER is the RSF-RMARKER (in the first RSF) of the initiator's MMS packet for the last responder (i.e., the I-1 segment at the beginning of access slot 8), the second RMAKER is the RMAKER in the first segment of the last responder's MMS packet for the initiator (i.e., the R8-1 segment), and the third RMAKER is the RSF-RMARKER (in the first RSF) of the initiator's other MMS packets (i.e., the I-1 segment at the end of access slot 8). This is in Figure 19 is shown in the right half of .

[0373] When an MMS packet used for MMS ranging includes a single segment with a RMARKER (e.g., when an RSF-only MMS packet is used or an RIF-only MMS packet including a single segment is used), the RMARKER is determined as described above, the initiator records the time of the associated RMARKER, and calculates the time required for each responder (round trip time (Tround1_Rn), reply time (Treply2_Rn)) as described below. Each responder records the time of the associated RMARKER, and calculates the time required (reply time (Treply1_Rn), round trip time (Tround2_Rn)) as described below. Fields in each measurement report (see Figure 14 ) are set as follows:

[0374] ■Initiator's measurement report (for responder n except the last responder):

[0375] o Round trip time (Tround1_Rn) = the time difference between the sending time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet from the initiator to the responder n and the receiving time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet from the responder n.

[0376] o Reply time (Treply2_Rn) = the time difference between the reception time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet of responder n and the transmission time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet from the initiator to the next responder (n+1).

[0377] ■Responder measurement report (from responder n except the last responder):

[0378] o Reply time (Treply1_Rn) = the time difference between the reception time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet from the initiator to the responder n and the sending time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet from the responder n.

[0379] o Round trip time (Tround2_Rn) = the time difference between the sending time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet of responder n and the receiving time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet from the initiator to the next responder (n+1).

[0380] ■ For the last responder, the initiator's other MMS packets are used as MMS packets to the next responder (n+1) to calculate the DS-TWR time measurement (i.e., the reply time from the initiator to the last responder and the round trip time of the last responder).

[0381] In Example 1 above, each of the multiple responders sends an ADV-RESP frame to the initiator during the initialization and establishment phases. In one possible implementation, a responder can be predetermined or dynamically selected from multiple responders to participate in MMS ranging. One responder sends an ADV-RESP frame to the initiator, and then the initiator sends an SOR frame to this responder, thereby improving the processing efficiency of the initialization and establishment phases and achieving a unified initialization and establishment process. Upon receiving an ADV-RESP frame from this responder, the initiator determines that only one responder has sent an ADV-RESP frame and then sends an SOR frame. In this way, conflicts between ADV-RESP frames or between ADV-RESP frames and SOR frames are prevented.

[0382] Regarding the method for indicating the number N indicated by the ADV-RESP frame, in one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame may include a first indication and a second indication. The first indication indicates the number N, and the second indication indicates the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames to be sent after the ADV-RESP frame. The number of remaining ADV-RESP frames included in the i-th ADV-RESP frame is N – i, where 1 ≤ i ≤ N. The first indication may be the Number of Responders field in the ADV-RESP frame, and the second indication may be the Remaining ADV-RESP field in the ADV-RESP frame. Specifically, the second indication indicates that the number of remaining first frames is zero. This combined indication method is applicable to scenarios where a responder sends a single ADV-RESP frame to the initiator. On the one hand, the first indication may indicate the number of responders to participate in MMS ranging. On the other hand, the second indication may indicate that the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames is zero. Therefore, after receiving the ADV-RESP frame including the first and second indications, the initiator can know that it is time to send a SOR frame.

[0383] In one possible implementation, the initiator's MMS packet skips access slots other than the first and last access slots in the MMS ranging measurement. The communication method further includes: the initiator sending the final MMS packet in the last access slot in the MMS ranging measurement. In other words, the initiator does not send an MMS packet in every access slot within the measurement period, thereby reducing ranging time.

[0384] In one possible implementation, when N is an even number, the communication method further includes: the initiator determining that the MMS packet used for MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging flag; and after receiving the first segment of the MMS packet sent by the Nth responder, sending a final MMS packet in the last access slot of the MMS ranging. The MMS packet including the single segment with the ranging flag may be an MMS packet including only the RIF or only the RSF of the single segment. By reversing the order of MMS packet exchange in the last access slot, further MMS packets from the initiator may be unnecessary while still achieving DS-TWR.

[0385] Accordingly, it is necessary to modify the process of obtaining the first round trip time and first response time in the initiator's measurement report and the second round trip time and second response time in the responder's measurement report.

[0386] In one possible implementation, the initiator records the seventh sending time of the first ranging marker of the first segment of the first MMS packet of the initiator in the first access time slot, the fourth receiving time of the second ranging marker of the first segment of the second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and the eighth sending time of the third ranging marker of the first segment of the third MMS packet of the initiator in the last access time slot; and calculates the first round-trip time and the first reply time based on the seventh sending time, the fourth receiving time, and the eighth sending time. In one possible implementation, the Nth responder records the twelfth receiving time of the first ranging marker of the first segment of the first MMS packet of the initiator in the first access time slot, the fourteenth sending time of the second ranging marker of the first segment of the second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and the thirteenth receiving time of the third ranging marker of the first segment of the third MMS packet of the initiator in the last access time slot; and calculates the second round-trip time and the second reply time based on the twelfth receiving time, the fourteenth sending time, and the thirteenth receiving time. When the MMS packet used for MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging flag and N is an even number, DS-TWR can be implemented by reversing the order of final MMS packet exchange in the last access slot.

[0387] The above mainly describes the implementation of a specific scenario that is different from Example 1. It should be noted that some similar processes of MMS ranging in Example 1 can also be applied to specific scenarios and will not be described in detail here.

[0388] by Figure 20 Another vehicle digital key application scenario shown (for example, a digital key for opening a garage door or front door) is Example 2, and there may be other scenarios, which are not limited here. Several NB-UWB modules can be installed in different locations (for example, the four corners of a garage) to serve as responders. One or more Bluetooth radio devices can also be installed. All these radio devices can also be interconnected by means of an internal wired network and can communicate with each other. There may be a central device that can control and coordinate all radio devices. One of the NB-UWB modules can also be used as a proxy responder. The responder used as a proxy responder can be statically selected based on the device capabilities and / or its location in the garage. Alternatively, the proxy responder can be dynamically selected based on the signal strength of the ADV-POLL frame received during the initialization and establishment phases. The responder that receives the ADV-POLL frame with the highest signal power can be used as the proxy responder.

[0389] UWB radios, NB radios, and Bluetooth radios can be installed directly in vehicles (e.g., cars), such as Figure 7As shown, one of the NB-UWB modules acts as the initiator. Alternatively, a compatible mobile device (e.g., a smartphone) supporting each of the UWB radio, NB radio, and Bluetooth radio and carried by the car driver acts as the initiator of MMS ranging. The Bluetooth radio is used for initial discovery, connection establishment, and credential verification, while the NB radio and UWB radio are used for MMS ranging. Because NBA-UWB MMS ranging is designed for long-range ranging, it is suitable for applications requiring ranging from a longer distance. For example, a ranging process can be initiated to open a garage door / gate while the car is still 50 meters or more away. When the car approaches the garage / gate (e.g., 10 meters away), it can be verified as an authorized vehicle (based on the digital key information and distance, etc.), and appropriate action can be taken, such as opening the garage door or front door, without requiring the car to slow down or stop to wait for the door / gate to open.

[0390] During the initialization and establishment phase of MMS ranging, the initiator sends advertising poll (ADV-POLL) frames at intervals based on its own judgment, and one or more responders can listen for incoming ADV-POLL frames. In this scenario, only the proxy responder responds to the ADV-POLL frame with an ADV-RESP frame, such as Figure 21 The ADV-RESP frame is used to indicate the number of responders to participate in MMS ranging. The number of responders can be determined based on, for example, the number of responders that received the ADV-POLL frame. The ADV-RESP frame can also indicate that the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames to be sent after this frame is zero, as this is the only ADV-RESP frame.

[0391] When the initiator receives the ADV-RESP frame, it can determine whether to request a one-to-one or one-to-many MMS ranging based on the Number of Responders field. When the Number of Responders field is set to a value greater than 1, the initiator knows that a one-to-many MMS ranging is being requested and that more than one responder will participate in the MMS ranging. Because the ADV-RESP frame also indicates zero remaining ADV-RESP frames, the initiator sends a SOR frame to indicate when MMS ranging will begin. This prevents conflicts between ADV-RESP frames or between ADV-RESP and SOR frames.

[0392] Figure 22 An exemplary time domain message flow for a one-to-many UWB MMS ranging application with multiple coordinated responders and proxy responders applicable to DS-TWR is shown.

[0393] The message flow is similar to Figure 9The message flow is similar to the one described previously and will not be repeated here. Here, we will only describe the differences. The module in the car (either the NB module in the car or a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone)) acts as the controller and initiator, while the NB-UWB module in the garage acts as the controlled and responder.

[0394] Once the session is established, the initiator will send ADV-POLL frames at intervals based on its own judgment. One or more responders can listen for incoming ADV-POLL frames. If a responder is interested in participating in a ranging session with the initiator, it will respond with an ADV-RESP frame. The Maximum Responders field in the ADV-POLL frame specifies the maximum number of responders that the initiator can support for MMS ranging (for example, K ≥ 1). To indicate that the initiator supports one-to-many MMS ranging, the Maximum Responders field in the ADV-POLL frame is set to a value greater than 1.

[0395] Upon receiving the ADV-POLL frame, the proxy responder may select N (N≤K) responders to participate in the MMS ranging and send an ADV-RESP frame to request parameters for the MMS ranging. Figure 23 shows the ADV-RESP frame, with Figure 11 The different key fields are as follows:

[0396] Remaining ADV-RESPs: Always set to 0, indicating that this is the only ADV-RESP frame to be sent during the initialization and establishment phases.

[0397] Ranging Parameters: Carries MMS ranging-specific parameters, including:

[0398] ■RESP Absent In Control Phases: Set to 1, indicating that the RESP frame is skipped in the ranging control phase except the first access slot.

[0399] ■Number of Responders: Indicates the number of responders to participate in ranging.

[0400] Here, the ADV-RESP frame also requests the POLL frame to skip in the ranging control phase except for the first access slot, and also requests the DS-TWR time measurement and combined measurement report.

[0401] Upon receiving the ADV-RESP frame, the initiator sends a SOR frame indicating the status of the MMS ranging request. If the status is successful, it also sends the time when the first measurement cycle of the MMS ranging will begin and the number of responders with which the initiator intends to perform ranging in multiple rounds of MMS ranging. The SOR frame also confirms the MMS ranging parameters requested by the responder.

[0402] At the time indicated by the time offset in the SOR frame, the initiator sends a POLL frame (e.g. Figure 16 The POLL frame indicates the start of a one-to-many MMS ranging operation. The initiator reconfirms the parameters requested by the responder and the initiator (in the ADV-RESP frame and SOR frame, respectively). It may also include other control information of the responder.

[0403] Upon receiving a POLL frame in the first access slot, the proxy responder sends a RESP frame back to the initiator. POLL and RESP frames enable time and frequency synchronization between the initiator and the proxy responder. Since all responders are interconnected, this also allows other responders to achieve time and frequency synchronization with the initiator. During the ranging phase of the first access slot, the initiator and proxy responder perform MMS ranging by exchanging MMS packets. Since the initiator and all responders have already achieved synchronization in the first access slot using POLL and RESP frames, POLL and RESP frames (as well as the ranging control phase) are skipped in subsequent access slots. During the ranging phase of access slots other than the first and last access slots, the initiator's MMS packets are also skipped. Only the responder sends MMS packets, and the MMS segments of the two responders are interleaved within a 1ms period. The order and sequence of the responder's MMS segments can be determined by the proxy responder or by the central controller. During the ranging phase of the last access slot, when requesting DS-TWR, the initiator sends the final MMS packet. If there are an even number of responders, the last responder also sends its MMS packet in the last access slot, and the MMS fragments are interleaved with the initiator's MMS fragments, but if there are an odd number of responders, the last access slot consists only of the initiator's MMS packet, as shown in Figure 22As shown. This means that the access time slots other than the first access time slot consist of only the ranging phase. When the ranging phase of all access time slots is completed, time slots are allocated for the measurement reporting phase. In this phase, if a report is requested (i.e., the request responder report bit in the SOR frame and the POLL frame is set to 1) and a combined measurement report is indicated (i.e., the combined measurement report bit in the POLL frame is set to 1), the proxy responder (for example, through a home wired network) collects relevant measurement reports from all responders, generates a combined measurement report, and sends an RPRT frame carrying the combined measurement report in the first time slot of the measurement reporting phase. Similarly, when a report is requested from the initiator (i.e., the request initiator report bit is set to 1), the initiator collects relevant measurements of all responders, generates a combined measurement report, and sends an RPRT frame carrying the combined measurement report in the second time slot of the measurement reporting phase. From Figure 22 As can be seen from FIG, one measurement cycle can be completed in 24 time slots (ie, 12 ms), which is much shorter than the time required for one measurement cycle in Example 1.

[0404] Next, this disclosure describes how to make and report ranging measurements that implement DS-TWR (if the DS-TWR bit in the ADV-RESP frame or the SOR frame is set to 1). Figure 24 Shown Figure 22 A close-up of the UWB MMS packet exchange between the initiator and responder in Figure 1.

[0405] As described above, when there is an odd number of responders, the last access slot consists only of the initiator's MMS packets, so the last MMS packet always comes from the initiator. Here, regardless of the MMS packet type, the RMARRER of the first fragment of the initiator's last MMS packet is used as the third RMARRER for all DS-TWR time measurements. The initiator records the time of the relevant RMARRER and calculates the time required for each responder (round-trip time (Tround1_Rn), reply time (Treply2_Rn)) as described below. Each responder records the time of the relevant RMARRER and calculates the time required (reply time (Treply1_Rn), round-trip time (Tround2_Rn)) as described below. Fields in each measurement report (see Figure 14 ) are set as follows:

[0406] ■Initiator's measurement report (for responder n):

[0407] ○ Round trip time (Tround1_Rn) = the time difference between the sending time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the initiator's first MMS packet (for example, the I-1 fragment at the beginning of access time slot 0) and the receiving time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet of responder n (for example, R7-1 of responder 7).

[0408] ○ Reply time (Treply2_Rn) = the time difference between the reception time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet of responder n (for example, R7-1 of responder 7) and the sending time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the final MMS packet of the initiator (for example, the I-1 fragment at the beginning of access time slot 4).

[0409] ■Responder's measurement report (from responder n):

[0410] ○ Reply time (Treply1_Rn) = the time difference between the reception time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the first MMS packet of the initiator (for example, the I-1 fragment at the beginning of access time slot 0) and the sending time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet of the responder n (for example, R7-1 of responder 7).

[0411] ○ Round trip time (Tround2_Rn) = the time difference between the sending time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the MMS packet of responder n (for example, R7-1 of responder 7) and the receiving time of the RMARKER of the first fragment of the final MMS packet of the initiator (for example, the I-1 fragment at the beginning of access time slot 4).

[0412] When DS-TWR is requested (i.e., the DS-TWR bit is set to 1), both the round-trip time field and the response time field are present in the measurement report field. Otherwise, the initiator's measurement report only includes the round-trip time, and the responder's measurement report only includes the response time. Once a device (initiator or responder) receives a measurement report from a peer device, it can calculate the DS-TWR TOF using Equation 1 to estimate the distance to the peer device.

[0413] Next, this disclosure describes how to make and report ranging measurements that implement DS-TWR when there is an even number of responders (if the DS-TWR bit in the ADV-RESP frame or the SOR frame is set to 1). Figure 25 Shown is the case for an even number of responders. Figure 22A close-up view of the UWB MMS packet exchange between the initiator and responder in Figure 1. When there is an even number of responders, the last responder also sends its MMS packet in the last access slot, with its MMS fragments interleaved with those of the initiator. The order of the initiator and responder MMS packets is unimportant for mixed MMS packets containing at least two fragments with RMarkers and RIF-only MMS packets, as both packet formats consist of at least two RMarkers that can be used for time measurement. However, when using MMS packets containing a single fragment with RMarkers (e.g., RSF-only MMS packets or RIF-only MMS packets containing a single fragment) and there is an even number of responders, since each MMS packet contains a single fragment with RMarkers, the initiator only needs to send its final MMS packet after receiving the first fragment of the MMS packet sent by the last responder. This means that the final ranging fragment is sent by the initiator in the last access slot, meaning that the fragment interleaving is reversed (responder sends first, initiator sends later). This enables DS-TWR measurement of the last responder, regardless of the type of MMS packet. If fragment interleaving is not reversed, then as described in Example 1 above, additional MMS packets from the initiator are required to achieve DS-TWR if RSF-only MMS packets are used. Time measurement is the same as for the odd number of responders.

[0414] Example 2 primarily describes a method for implementing DS-TWR in which only one responder sends an ADV-RESP frame during the initialization and establishment phases, and does not require the initiator to send additional MMS packets. In Example 2, the combined indication is implemented using a first indication (e.g., the number of responders field) and a second indication (e.g., the remaining ADV-RESP field). Other combined indication methods are possible, as follows.

[0415] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame includes a first indication indicating a number N. When N ≥ 2, the ADV-RESP frame also includes a third indication indicating that the N responders are synchronized with each other. The first indication may be a Number of Responders field in the ADV-RESP frame, and the third indication may be a Synchronous Responders field in the ADV-RESP frame. In this case, one of the N responders sends an ADV-RESP frame with the third indication valid (e.g., the Synchronous Responders field is set to 1) to the initiator. Upon receiving this ADV-RESP frame, the initiator understands that it is the only ADV-RESP frame and continues to send SOR frames.

[0416] In addition, there may be other scenarios in which DS-TWR is achieved without requesting the initiator to send additional MMS packets. In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame also includes a twelfth indication, which is used to request that segment interleaving be reversed in the last access slot in the MMS ranging; the above-mentioned communication method also includes: after receiving the first segment of the MMS packet sent by the Nth responder, the initiator sends an MMS packet in the last access slot. The twelfth indication can be the End With Initiator Packet field in the ADV-RESP frame. For example, if the End With Initiator Packet field is set to 1, segment interleaving is requested to be reversed in the last access slot in the MMS ranging. By reversing the order of MMS packet exchange in the last access slot, additional MMS packets from the initiator may not be required, while still achieving DS-TWR.

[0417] In one possible implementation, when segment interleaving reversal in the last access slot of MMS ranging is not requested in the ADV-RESP frame, the communication method further includes: the initiator determining that the MMS packet used for MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging flag; setting a thirteenth indication in the SOR frame for requesting segment interleaving reversal in the last access slot of MMS ranging to valid; and transmitting the MMS packet in the last access slot after receiving the first segment of the MMS packet sent by the Nth responder. The thirteenth indication may be the End of Initiator Packet field in the SOR frame. The MMS packet including the single segment with the ranging flag may be an MMS packet including only the RIF or only the RSF of the single segment. In a scenario where the MMS packet used for MMS ranging includes a single segment with a RMARKER, implementing DS-TWR may require segment interleaving reversal in the last access slot of MMS ranging. If segment interleaving reversal is not requested in the ADV-RESP frame in the last access slot in MMS ranging, for example, the End with Originator Packet field in the ADV-RESP frame is set to 0, then the End with Originator Packet field in the SOR frame may be set to 1, so that implementation of DS-TWR may still require requesting segment interleaving reversal in the last access slot in MMS ranging.

[0418] For the last access slot, in one possible implementation, the initiator records the third transmission time of the first ranging marker of the first segment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the (N–1)th responder, the second reception time of the second ranging marker of the first segment of the second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and the fourth transmission time of the third ranging marker of the first segment of the third MMS packet from the initiator to the Nth responder; and calculates the first round-trip time and the first reply time based on the third transmission time, the second reception time, and the fourth transmission time. In one possible implementation, the Nth responder records the eighth reception time of the first ranging marker of the first segment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the (N–1)th responder, the twelfth transmission time of the second ranging marker of the first segment of the second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and the ninth reception time of the third ranging marker of the first segment of the third MMS packet from the initiator to the Nth responder; and calculates the second round-trip time and the second reply time based on the eighth reception time, the twelfth transmission time, and the ninth reception time. When the MMS packet for MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging flag, DS-TWR of the Nth responder (the last responder) can be achieved by inverting segment interleaving in the last access slot.

[0419] The above mainly describes the implementation of a specific scenario that is different from Example 1 and Example 2. It should be noted that some similar processes of MMS ranging in Example 1 and Example 2 can also be applied to specific scenarios and will not be described in detail here.

[0420] by Figure 26 Another vehicle digital key application scenario shown is Example 3. The key difference here is that the NB radio device and the UWB radio device are not installed together in a single module. Multiple UWB radio devices are located in different locations in the vehicle (e.g., a car) and act as responders. There is also a single Bluetooth radio device and a single NB radio device. All radio devices are connected to each other via a wired link. The UWB radio device in the car acts as a responder. The initiator device (e.g., a smartphone) includes each radio device in the UWB radio device, the NB radio device, and the Bluetooth radio device. If there is no NB radio device, this is simplified to a one-to-many ranging scenario of UWB only, where both control frames and ranging packets are transmitted using the UWB radio device.

[0421] Figure 27 An exemplary time domain message flow for a one-to-many UWB MMS ranging application with multiple coordinated responders and proxy responders applicable to DS-TWR is shown. Figure 9 and Figure 22The message flow is similar to that described previously and will not be repeated here. Only the aspects specific to this scenario are described here. The initialization and establishment phases are the same as in Example 2. Since all responders share a single NB radio, all NB control frames are transmitted by the same radio. The main difference is in the ranging phase, which uses a time-efficient one-to-many ranging mode (i.e., the ranging mode field is set to 2). Compared to Example 1, in each access slot, the initiator's MMS packets are interleaved with the MMS packets of multiple (e.g., two) responders.

[0422] In this case, the time measurement to achieve DS-TWR is performed in the same way as explained in Example 1, except that when using RSF-only MMS packets, the responder can request the initiator (in the last access slot) to reverse the order of sending the last MMS packet, i.e., reverse the segment interleaving (responder sends first, initiator sends later), instead of having the initiator send other MMS packets. This enables the DS-TWR measurement of the last group of responders regardless of the type of MMS packets. Figure 27 As can be seen from the figure, one measurement cycle can be completed in 22 time slots (ie, 11 ms), which is even shorter than the time required for one measurement cycle in Example 2.

[0423] The responder can request the initiator to reverse the order of sending the last MMS packet by setting the End with Initiator Packet field in the ADV-RESP frame to 1, such as Figure 28 The Synchronous Responder field indicates that the N responders requested for one-to-many ranging (as indicated by the Ranging Mode field) are synchronized with each other. When the initiator receives an ADV-RESP frame with the Synchronous Responder field set to 1, if the Remaining ADV-RESP field is not present in the ADV-RESP frame, the initiator understands that this is the only ADV-RESP frame sent by any of the N responders and can continue to send SOR frames upon receiving the ADV-RESP frame.

[0424] Alternatively, when DS-TWR is requested and only RSF MMS packets are used for MMS ranging, the initiator may reverse the sending order of the last MMS packet at its own discretion.

[0425] If mixed MMS packets or RIF-only MMS packets are used, fragments of the interleaved MMS packets of the initiator and responder are used for the time calculation of DS-TWR (same as Example 1). When mixed MMS packets or RIF-only MMS packets are used for MMS ranging, DS-TWR only requires a single MMS packet exchange. The initiator records the time of the relevant RMARKER and calculates the time required for each responder (round-trip time (Tround1_Rn), reply time (Treply2_Rn)) as described in Example 1. Each responder records the time of the relevant RMARKER and calculates the time required (reply time (Treply1_Rn), round-trip time (Tround2_Rn)) as described in Example 1.

[0426] However, if an MMS packet including a single fragment with RMARRER is used (e.g., an RSF-only MMS packet or an RIF-only MMS packet including a single fragment), the first RMARRER in the first fragment of the previous MMS packet of the initiator and the first RMARRER in the first fragment of the next MMS packet of the initiator are used as the first RMARRER and the third RMARRER, respectively, and the first RMARRER in the first fragment of the MMS packet of the responder is used as the second RMARRER for all time calculations of DS-TWR. This is in Figure 29 In this case, only the first fragment of the MMS packet includes a RMAKER that can be used to make a time measurement, whereas three RMAKERS are required to make a DS-TWR time measurement. For all responders except the last one, the first RMAKER is the RMAKER in the first fragment of the MMS packet from the initiator to the responder, the second RMAKER is the RMAKER in the first fragment of the MMS packet from the responder to the initiator, and the third RMAKER is the RMAKER in the first fragment of the MMS packet from the initiator to the next group of responders. This is shown in Figure 29 However, for the last group of responders, since the sending order of the last MMS packet is reversed, the first RMAKER is the RMAKER in the first fragment of the initiator's MMS packet for the previous group of responders (for example, the I-1 fragment at the beginning of access slot 2), the second RMAKER is the RMAKER in the first fragment of the responder's MMS packet for the initiator (for example, the R7-1 or R8-1 fragment), and the third RMAKER is the RMAKER in the first fragment of the initiator's last MMS packet (for example, the I-1 in access slot 3). This is shown in Figure 29 is shown in the right half of .

[0427] When DS-TWR is requested (i.e., the DS-TWR bit in the applicable frame is set to 1), both the round-trip time field and the reply time field are included in one or more measurement reports. Otherwise, the initiator's measurement report only includes the round-trip time, and the responder's measurement report only includes the reply time. Once a device (initiator or responder) receives a measurement report from a peer device, it can calculate the DS-TWR TOF using Equation 1 to estimate the distance to the peer device.

[0428] This method of implementing the DS-TWR time measurement of the last responder by reversing the transmission order of the last MMS packet (i.e., reversing the segment interleaving (responder sends first, initiator sends later)) when using an MMS packet including a single segment with RMARKER (e.g., an MMS packet of only RSF or an MMS packet including a single segment of only RIF) is also applicable to the serial one-to-many ranging described in Example 1. Reference Figure 19 In access slot 8, if responder 8 sends the first fragment of its own MMS packet before the first fragment of the initiator's last MMS packet, then the initiator's final MMS packet is not required for DS-TWR measurement. Instead, for DS-TWR time measurement, for the last responder, the first RMarker is the RSF-RMARKER (in the first RSF) of the initiator's MMS packet for the previous responder (e.g., responder 7) or the last responder (e.g., responder 8) for the initiator's MMS packet, and the second RMarker is the RSF-RMARKER (in the first RSF) of the initiator's last MMS packet.

[0429] Next, an embodiment of a product related to the above-mentioned communication method will be described.

[0430] Figure 30 3 is a block diagram of a communication device 3000 provided in one embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device 3000 includes units for implementing the steps or processes of the above method embodiments on the initiator side. Figure 30 As shown, the communication device 3000 includes:

[0431] A first receiving unit 3002 is configured to receive an advertising-response (ADV-RESP) frame from a responder, wherein the ADV-RESP frame is used to indicate the number N of responders to participate in multi-millisecond (MMS) ranging, where N≥1;

[0432] The first sending unit 3004 is configured to send a start of ranging (SOR) frame to the responder according to the ADV-RESP frame, wherein the SOR frame is used to provide a time offset for starting a first distance measurement cycle.

[0433] In a possible implementation manner, the ADV-RESP frame includes a first indication, where the first indication is used to indicate the number N.

[0434] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame includes a second indication, where the second indication is used to indicate the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames to be sent after the ADV-RESP frame, and the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames included in the i-th ADV-RESP frame is N–i, 1≤i≤N.

[0435] In a possible implementation, the number N is indicated by the number of the ADV-RESP frames received by the initiator.

[0436] In a possible implementation, N≥2, and the first receiving unit 3002 is specifically configured to: sequentially receive N ADV-RESP frames from N responders in a predetermined order, wherein the predetermined order is coordinated by the N responders.

[0437] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame includes a first indication and a second indication, wherein the first indication is used to indicate the number N, and the second indication is used to indicate the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames to be sent after the ADV-RESP frame, and the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames included in the i-th ADV-RESP frame is N–i, 1≤i≤N.

[0438] In a possible implementation, N≥2, and the ADV-RESP frame further includes a third indication, where the third indication is used to indicate that the N responders are synchronized with each other.

[0439] In a possible implementation, the first receiving unit 3002 is specifically configured to receive an ADV-RESP frame from a responder, where the responder is predetermined or dynamically selected from the responders to participate in the MMS ranging.

[0440] In a possible implementation, the communication device 3000 further includes: a second sending unit 3001, configured to send an advertising-poll (ADV-POLL) frame to the responder, wherein the ADV-POLL frame is used to indicate a maximum number K of responders supporting the MMS ranging, where K≥1.

[0441] In a possible implementation manner, the first sending unit 3004 is specifically configured to: upon receiving the Nth ADV-RESP frame, send the SOR frame to the responder.

[0442] In a possible implementation, the first sending unit 3004 is specifically configured to: estimate an expected sending time of N ADV-RESP frames; and send the SOR frame to the responder when the expected sending time ends.

[0443] In a possible implementation manner, the first sending unit 3004 is specifically configured to send the SOR frame to the one responding party.

[0444] In one possible implementation, the communication device 3000 further includes a unit configured to: determine the number M of responders for MMS ranging based on the number of received ADV-RESP frames, where M≤N; and send the SOR frame including the fourth indication, where the fourth indication is used to indicate the number M.

[0445] In a possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a fifth indication, where the fifth indication is used to indicate that the POLL frame does not exist in the ranging control phase other than the first access timeslot in the MMS ranging.

[0446] In a possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a sixth indication, where the sixth indication is used to indicate that the RESP frame does not exist in the ranging control phase except the first access timeslot.

[0447] In a possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a seventh indication, where the seventh indication is used to indicate a request for the initiator to send a measurement report; and the communication apparatus 3000 further includes a third sending unit 3006 for sending a report frame.

[0448] In one possible implementation, N≥2, the ADV-RESP frame also includes an eighth indication, and the eighth indication is used to request a combined measurement report; the device also includes a generation unit, and the generation unit is used to generate the combined measurement report based on the measurements of N responders; the third sending unit 3006 is specifically used to send the report frame carrying the combined measurement report.

[0449] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame also includes a ninth indication, which is used to request a double-sided two-way ranging (DS-TWR) measurement in the measurement report, and the seventh indication is included in the ADV-RESP frame and is used to indicate a request for the initiator to send a measurement report; the device also includes a unit, which is used to send the measurement report including a first round-trip time and a first reply time.

[0450] In a possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a tenth indication, where the tenth indication is used to request the initiator to send other MMS packets; and the method apparatus further includes a unit for sending the other MMS packets.

[0451] In one possible implementation, no other MMS packets are requested in the ADV-RESP frame; the apparatus further comprises a unit configured to: determine that the MMS packet used for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging tag; set an eleventh indication for requesting the initiator to send the other MMS packets in the SOR frame to be valid; and send the other MMS packets.

[0452] In one possible implementation, the device further includes a unit configured to: record a first sending time of a first ranging marker of a first fragment of a first MMS packet from the initiator to the Nth responder, a first receiving time of a second ranging marker of a first fragment of a second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and a second sending time of a third ranging marker of the first fragment of the other MMS packets; and calculate the first round-trip time and the first reply time based on the first sending time, the first receiving time, and the second sending time.

[0453] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a twelfth indication, which is used to request reversal of segment interleaving in the last access slot in the MMS ranging; the device further includes a unit, which is used to send an MMS packet in the last access slot after receiving the first segment of the MMS packet sent by the Nth responder.

[0454] In a possible implementation, in the ADV-RESP frame, it is not requested to reverse the segment interleaving in the last access slot of the MMS ranging; the device further includes a unit configured to: determine that the MMS packet for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging tag; set the thirteenth indication for requesting to reverse the segment interleaving in the last access slot of the MMS ranging in the SOR frame to be valid; and after receiving the first segment of the MMS packet sent by the Nth responder, send the MMS packet in the last access slot.

[0455] In a possible implementation, the device further includes a unit configured to: record the third transmission time of the first ranging tag of the first segment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the (N–1)th responder, the second reception time of the second ranging tag of the first segment of the second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and the fourth transmission time of the third ranging tag of the first segment of the third MMS packet from the initiator to the Nth responder; and calculate the first round-trip time and the first reply time according to the third transmission time, the second reception time, and the fourth transmission time.

[0456] In a possible implementation, the device further includes a unit configured to: record the fifth transmission time of the first ranging tag of the first segment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the mth responder, the third reception time of the second ranging tag of the first segment of the second MMS packet from the mth responder to the initiator, and the sixth transmission time of the third ranging tag of the first segment of the third MMS packet from the initiator to the (m + 1)th responder, where 1 ≤ m < N; and calculate the first round-trip time and the first reply time according to the fifth transmission time, the third reception time, and the sixth transmission time.

[0457] In a possible implementation, the MMS packet of the initiator is skipped in the access slots other than the first access slot and the last access slot in the MMS ranging, and the device further includes a unit configured to send the final MMS packet in the last access slot of the MMS ranging.

[0458] In a possible implementation, N is an even number; the device further includes a unit configured to: determine that the MMS packet for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging tag; and after receiving the first segment of the MMS packet sent by the Nth responder, send the final MMS packet in the last access slot of the MMS ranging.

[0459] In one possible implementation, the apparatus further includes a unit configured to: record a seventh sending time of a first ranging marker of a first fragment of a first MMS packet of the initiator in the first access time slot, a fourth receiving time of a second ranging marker of a first fragment of a second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and an eighth sending time of a third ranging marker of a first fragment of a third MMS packet of the initiator in the last access time slot; and calculate the first round-trip time and the first reply time based on the seventh sending time, the fourth receiving time, and the eighth sending time.

[0460] In one possible implementation, the apparatus further includes a unit configured to: determine that the MMS packet used for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including at least two fragments with ranging tags; record a ninth sending time of a first ranging tag of a first fragment of a first MMS packet from the initiator to the nth responder, a fifth receiving time of a second ranging tag of a first fragment of a second MMS packet from the nth responder to the initiator, and a tenth sending time of a third ranging tag of a second fragment of the first MMS packet carrying the ranging tag, where 1≤n≤N; and calculate the first round-trip time and the first reply time based on the ninth sending time, the fifth receiving time, and the tenth sending time.

[0461] Figure 31 FIG2 shows a block diagram of a communication device 3100 provided by another embodiment of the present disclosure. The communication device 3100 includes a module for implementing the steps or processes of the above method embodiment from the initiator side. Figure 31 As shown, the communication device 3100 includes:

[0462] The fourth sending unit 3102 is configured to send an advertising-response (ADV-RESP) frame to the initiator, wherein the ADV-RESP frame is used to indicate the number N of responders to participate in multi-millisecond (MMS) ranging, where N≥1;

[0463] The second receiving unit 3104 is configured to receive a start of ranging (SOR) frame from the initiator, wherein the SOR frame is used to provide a time offset for starting a first distance measurement cycle.

[0464] In a possible implementation manner, the ADV-RESP frame includes a first indication, where the first indication is used to indicate the number N.

[0465] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame includes a second indication, where the second indication is used to indicate the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames to be sent after the ADV-RESP frame, and the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames included in the i-th ADV-RESP frame is N–i, 1≤i≤N.

[0466] In a possible implementation, the number N is indicated by the number of the ADV-RESP frames sent by the responder.

[0467] In a possible implementation, N≥2, the apparatus further includes a coordination unit configured to coordinate a predetermined order of sending N ADV-RESP frames; the ADV-RESP sending unit is specifically configured to sequentially send N ADV-RESP frames to the initiator according to the predetermined order.

[0468] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame includes a first indication and a second indication, wherein the first indication is used to indicate the number N, and the second indication is used to indicate the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames to be sent after the ADV-RESP frame, and the number of remaining ADV-RESP frames included in the i-th ADV-RESP frame is N–i, 1≤i≤N.

[0469] In a possible implementation, N≥2, and the ADV-RESP frame further includes a third indication, where the third indication is used to indicate that the N responders are synchronized with each other.

[0470] In a possible implementation, the ADV-RESP sending unit is specifically configured to send an ADV-RESP frame to the initiator, wherein the ADV-RESP frame is sent by the responder, and the responder is predetermined or dynamically selected from the responders to participate in the MMS ranging.

[0471] In one possible implementation, the communication device 3100 further includes a third receiving unit 3101, which is used to receive an advertising-poll (ADV-POLL) frame from the initiator, wherein the ADV-POLL frame is used to indicate the maximum number K of responders supporting the MMS ranging, K≥1.

[0472] In a possible implementation, the second receiving unit 3104 is specifically configured to receive the SOR frame including a fourth indication, where the fourth indication is used to indicate the number M of responders used for MMS ranging, where M≤N.

[0473] In a possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a fifth indication, where the fifth indication is used to indicate that the POLL frame does not exist in the ranging control phase other than the first access timeslot in the MMS ranging.

[0474] In a possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a sixth indication, where the sixth indication is used to indicate that the RESP frame does not exist in the ranging control phase except the first access timeslot.

[0475] In a possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a fourteenth indication, where the fourteenth indication is used to indicate a request for the responder to send a measurement report, and the communication device 3100 further includes a fifth sending unit 3106 for sending a report frame.

[0476] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame also includes an eighth indication, which is used to request a combined measurement report; the device also includes: a collection unit, used to collect measurement reports from N responders; a generation unit, used to generate the combined measurement report based on the measurement reports from the N responders; and the fifth sending unit 3106 is specifically used to send the report frame carrying the combined measurement report.

[0477] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame also includes a ninth indication, which is used to request a double-sided two-way ranging (DS-TWR) measurement in the measurement report, and a fourteenth indication is included in the ADV-RESP frame and is used to indicate a request for the responder to send a measurement report; the device also includes a unit, which is used to send the measurement report including a second round-trip time and a second reply time.

[0478] In a possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a tenth indication, where the tenth indication is used to request the initiator to send other MMS packets; and the apparatus further includes a unit configured to receive the other MMS packets from the initiator.

[0479] In a possible implementation, other MMS packets are not requested in the ADV-RESP frame, and when the MMS packet used for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging tag, the eleventh indication for requesting the initiator to send other MMS packets in the SOR frame is set to be valid.

[0480] In one possible implementation, the device further includes a unit configured to: record a sixth reception time of a first ranging marker of a first fragment of a first MMS packet from the initiator to the Nth responder, an eleventh sending time of a second ranging marker of a first fragment of a second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and a seventh reception time of a third ranging marker of a first fragment of the other MMS packets; and calculate the second round-trip time and the second reply time based on the sixth reception time, the eleventh sending time, and the seventh reception time.

[0481] In one possible implementation, the ADV-RESP frame further includes a twelfth indication, which is used to request reversal of segment interleaving in the last access slot in the MMS ranging; the apparatus further includes a unit configured to: send a first segment of an MMS packet to the initiator; and receive an MMS packet from the initiator in the last access slot in the MMS ranging.

[0482] In one possible implementation, segment interleaving reversal in the last access slot in the MMS ranging is not requested in the ADV-RESP frame; when the MMS packet used for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single segment with a ranging tag, the thirteenth indication in the SOR frame for requesting segment interleaving reversal in the last access slot in the MMS ranging is set to valid; the apparatus further includes a unit configured to: send a first segment of the MMS packet to the initiator; and receive an MMS packet from the initiator in the last access slot in the MMS ranging.

[0483] In one possible implementation, the apparatus further includes a unit configured to: record an eighth reception time of a first ranging marker of a first fragment of a first MMS packet from the initiator to the (N–1)th responder, a twelfth sending time of a second ranging marker of a first fragment of a second MMS packet from the Nth responder to the initiator, and a ninth reception time of a third ranging marker of a first fragment of a third MMS packet from the initiator to the Nth responder; and calculate the second round-trip time and the second reply time based on the eighth reception time, the twelfth sending time, and the ninth reception time.

[0484] In a possible implementation, the device further includes a unit configured to: record the tenth reception time of the first ranging tag of the first fragment of the first MMS packet from the initiator to the m-th responder, the thirteenth transmission time of the second ranging tag of the first fragment of the second MMS packet from the m-th responder to the initiator, and the eleventh reception time of the third ranging tag of the first fragment of the third MMS packet from the initiator to the (m + 1)-th responder, where 1 ≤ m < N; calculate the second round-trip time and the second reply time according to the tenth reception time, the thirteenth transmission time, and the eleventh reception time.

[0485] In a possible implementation, the MMS packets of the initiator skip in the access slots other than the first access slot and the last access slot in the MMS ranging. The device further includes a unit configured to receive the final MMS packet in the last access slot in the MMS ranging.

[0486] In a possible implementation, N is an even number, and the MMS packet for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including a single fragment with a ranging tag; the device further includes a unit configured to: send the first fragment of the MMS packet to the initiator; receive the final MMS packet from the initiator in the last access slot in the MMS ranging.

[0487] In a possible implementation, the device further includes a unit configured to: record the twelfth reception time of the first ranging tag of the first fragment of the first MMS packet of the initiator in the first access slot, the fourteenth transmission time of the second ranging tag of the first fragment of the second MMS packet from the N-th responder to the initiator, and the thirteenth reception time of the third ranging tag of the first fragment of the third MMS packet of the initiator in the last access slot; calculate the second round-trip time and the second reply time according to the twelfth reception time, the fourteenth transmission time, and the thirteenth reception time.

[0488] In one possible implementation, the MMS packet used for the MMS ranging is an MMS packet including at least two fragments with ranging tags; the apparatus further includes a unit configured to: record a fourteenth reception time of a first ranging tag of a first fragment of a first MMS packet from the initiator to the nth responder, a fifteenth sending time of a second ranging tag of a first fragment of a second MMS packet from the nth responder to the initiator, and a fifteenth reception time of a third ranging tag of a second fragment of the first MMS packet carrying the ranging tag, where 1≤n≤N; and calculate the second round-trip time and the second reply time based on the fourteenth reception time, the fifteenth sending time, and the fifteenth reception time.

[0489] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the descriptions of the above-mentioned units in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be understood in conjunction with the descriptions of the communication methods in the embodiments of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the units involved in the embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented by software or hardware. The names of the units do not constitute a limitation on the units themselves. For example, the first sending unit 3004, the second sending unit 3001, the third sending unit 3006, the fourth sending unit 3102, and the fifth sending unit 3106 can be implemented as the same transmitter. For another example, the first receiving unit 3002, the second receiving unit 3104, and the third receiving unit 3101 can be implemented as the same receiver. In addition, the functions of the transmitter and receiver can be implemented by a transceiver. In addition, functions implemented by multiple units can be implemented by a single unit, which can be designed according to actual needs.

[0490] The present disclosure also provides an electronic device, such as Figure 32 As shown. The electronic device 3200 may include a memory 3201 and a processor 3202, wherein the computer program is stored in the memory 3201 and is used to be executed by the processor 3202 to implement the corresponding steps described in the above method embodiment. The relevant description of each step can be understood in conjunction with the relevant description of the communication method in the embodiment of the present disclosure. In addition, the electronic device 3200 may further include a communication interface 3203 for communicating with other devices. The computer program (also referred to as a program, software, software application or code) includes machine instructions for a programmable processor and can be implemented by high-level procedural and parallel (subtended) programming languages ​​or assembly / machine language.

[0491] The present disclosure also provides a communication system, which includes a device for executing a communication method on an initiator side and a device for executing a communication method on a responder side.

[0492] The present disclosure also provides a computer-readable storage medium, wherein the computer-readable storage medium stores computer-executable instructions, and when the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the above-mentioned communication method is implemented.

[0493] The present disclosure also provides a computer program product comprising computer-executable instructions, wherein when the computer-executable instructions are executed by a processor, the above-mentioned communication method is implemented.

[0494] By way of example and not limitation, such computer-readable storage media may include RAM, ROM, EEPROM, CD-ROM or other optical disk storage, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, flash memory or any other medium that can be used to store the desired program code in the form of instructions or data structures and that can be accessed by a computer. In addition, any connection may also be appropriately defined as a computer-readable medium. For example, if instructions are transmitted from a website, server or other remote source via a coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, digital subscriber line (DSL) or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio and microwave, then the coaxial cable, fiber optic cable, twisted pair, DSL or wireless technologies such as infrared, radio and microwave are also included in the definition of the above medium. However, it should be understood that computer-readable storage media and data storage media do not include connections, carrier waves, signals or other transient media, but rather relate to non-temporary tangible storage media. Disks and optical disks used herein include compact discs (CDs), laser discs, optical discs, digital versatile discs (DVDs), floppy disks and Blu-ray discs, wherein disks typically reproduce data magnetically, while optical discs use lasers to reproduce data optically. Combinations of the above should also be included within the scope of computer-readable media.

[0495] Instructions can be executed by one or more processors such as one or more digital signal processors (DSPs), one or more general-purpose microprocessors, one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), one or more field programmable logic arrays (FPGAs), or other equivalent integrated or discrete logic circuits. Therefore, the term "processor" as used herein may refer to any of the above structures or any other structure suitable for implementing the techniques described herein. In addition, in some aspects, the various functions described herein may be provided within dedicated hardware and / or software modules for encoding and decoding, or incorporated into a combined codec. In addition, these techniques may be fully implemented in one or more circuits or logic elements.

[0496] The techniques of this disclosure can be implemented in a variety of devices or apparatuses, including wireless handsets, integrated circuits (ICs), or a set of ICs (e.g., chipsets). This disclosure describes various components, modules, or units to emphasize the functional aspects of the devices used to perform the disclosed techniques, but these components, modules, or units do not necessarily need to be implemented by different hardware units. Instead, as described above, the various units can be combined in a codec hardware unit in conjunction with appropriate software and / or firmware, or provided by a collection of interoperable hardware units including one or more processors as described above.

Claims

1. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The initiator receives an advertisement response ADV-RESP frame from the responder, wherein the ADV-RESP frame is used by the responder to request a multi-millisecond MMS ranging mode; The initiator sends a start ranging SOR frame to the responder according to the ADV-RESP frame.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that The ADV-RESP frame includes a first ranging mode field indicating a requested mode for the MMS ranging.

3. The method according to claim 2, characterized in that The value of the first ranging mode field includes: 0, 1 or 2, where 0 represents one-to-one ranging, 1 represents serial one-to-many ranging, and 2 represents time-efficient one-to-many ranging.

4. The method according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that The SOR frame includes a second ranging mode field, and the second ranging mode field is used to confirm a mode requested for the MMS ranging.

5. The method according to claim 4, characterized in that The value of the second ranging mode field includes: 0, 1 or 2, where 0 represents one-to-one ranging, 1 represents serial one-to-many ranging, and 2 represents time-efficient one-to-many ranging.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 3, characterized in that Before the initiator receives the ADV-RESP frame from the responder, the method further includes: The initiator sends an announcement polling ADV-POLL frame to the responder, wherein the ADV-POLL frame is used to indicate a maximum number K of responders supporting the MMS ranging, where K≥1.

7. A communication method, characterized in that: include: The responder sends an announcement response ADV-RESP frame to the initiator, wherein the ADV-RESP frame is used by the responder to request a multi-millisecond MMS ranging mode; The responder receives a start of ranging (SOR) frame from the initiator.

8. The method according to claim 7, characterized in that The ADV-RESP frame includes a first ranging mode field indicating a requested mode for the MMS ranging.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that The value of the first ranging mode field includes: 0, 1 or 2, where 0 represents one-to-one ranging, 1 represents serial one-to-many ranging, and 2 represents time-efficient one-to-many ranging.

10. The method according to claim 8 or 9, characterized in that The SOR frame includes a second ranging mode field, and the second ranging mode field is used to confirm a mode requested for the MMS ranging.

11. The method according to claim 10, characterized in that The value of the second ranging mode field includes: 0, 1 or 2, where 0 represents one-to-one ranging, 1 represents serial one-to-many ranging, and 2 represents time-efficient one-to-many ranging.

12. The method according to any one of claims 7 to 9, characterized in that Before the responder sends the ADV-RESP frame to the initiator, the method further includes: The responder receives an ADV-POLL frame from the initiator, wherein the ADV-POLL frame is used to indicate a maximum number K of responders supporting the MMS ranging, where K≥1; The responder coordinates and selects N responders to participate in the MMS ranging, and the N responders send the ADV-RESP frames in sequence in a predetermined order in a coordinated manner, where N≤K.

13. A communication device, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the processor and storing a program to be executed by the processor, wherein when the program is executed by the processor, the processor is configured to: receiving an advertisement response ADV-RESP frame from the responder, wherein the ADV-RESP frame is used by the responder to request a multi-millisecond MMS ranging mode; Sending a start of ranging SOR frame to the responder according to the ADV-RESP frame.

14. The device according to claim 13, characterized in that The ADV-RESP frame includes a first ranging mode field indicating a requested mode for the MMS ranging.

15. The device according to claim 14, characterized in that The value of the first ranging mode field includes: 0, 1 or 2, where 0 represents one-to-one ranging, 1 represents serial one-to-many ranging, and 2 represents time-efficient one-to-many ranging.

16. The device according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that The SOR frame includes a second ranging mode field, and the second ranging mode field is used to confirm a mode requested for the MMS ranging.

17. The device according to claim 16, characterized in that The value of the second ranging mode field includes: 0, 1 or 2, where 0 represents one-to-one ranging, 1 represents serial one-to-many ranging, and 2 represents time-efficient one-to-many ranging.

18. The device according to any one of claims 13 to 15, characterized in that Before receiving the ADV-RESP frame from the responder, the processor is further configured to: An announcement poll ADV-POLL frame is sent to the responder, wherein the ADV-POLL frame is used to indicate a maximum number K of responders supporting the MMS ranging, where K≥1.

19. A communication device, characterized in that: include: one or more processors; a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium coupled to the processor and storing a program to be executed by the processor, wherein when the program is executed by the processor, the processor is configured to: Sending an announcement response ADV-RESP frame to the initiator, wherein the ADV-RESP frame is used by the responder to request a multi-millisecond MMS ranging mode; A start of ranging SOR frame is received from the initiator.

20. The device according to claim 19, characterized in that The ADV-RESP frame includes a first ranging mode field indicating a requested mode for the MMS ranging.

21. The device according to claim 20, characterized in that The value of the first ranging mode field includes: 0, 1 or 2, where 0 represents one-to-one ranging, 1 represents serial one-to-many ranging, and 2 represents time-efficient one-to-many ranging.

22. The device according to claim 20 or 21, characterized in that The SOR frame includes a second ranging mode field, and the second ranging mode field is used to confirm a mode requested for the MMS ranging.

23. The device according to claim 22, characterized in that The value of the second ranging mode field includes: 0, 1 or 2, where 0 represents one-to-one ranging, 1 represents serial one-to-many ranging, and 2 represents time-efficient one-to-many ranging.

24. The device according to any one of claims 19 to 21, characterized in that Before sending the ADV-RESP frame to the initiator, the processor is further configured to: Receiving an announcement polling ADV-POLL frame from the initiator, wherein the ADV-POLL frame is used to indicate a maximum number K of responders supporting the MMS ranging, where K≥1; Coordinate with processors of other responders to select N responders to participate in the MMS ranging, wherein the ADV-RESP frames are sent sequentially by the N responders in a coordinated manner according to a predetermined order, where N≤K.

25. A non-transitory computer-readable medium carrying program code, characterized in that: When the program code is executed by a computer device, the program code causes the computer device to perform the method according to any one of claims 1 to 12.

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