Method of UWB positioning for privacy protection
By generating unique identifiers and random ranging information using virtualized sensors, the privacy leakage problem in UWB positioning technology is solved, achieving privacy protection and positioning accuracy of UWB positioning information.
Patent Information
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-11-12
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-27
AI Technical Summary
Existing UWB positioning technology poses a risk of privacy breaches, as malicious or unauthorized applications may exploit highly accurate location information to attack user privacy.
By employing virtualized sensor randomization technology, unique identifiers and random ranging information are generated. Through communication between the virtual UWB sensor and the physical UWB tag, bilateral bidirectional ranging is performed to prevent malicious applications from obtaining the device's exact location.
It achieves privacy protection for UWB location information, prevents malicious applications from obtaining accurate location information, and ensures the positioning accuracy of the host system.
Smart Images
Figure CN121751323A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This disclosure relates to systems and methods for privacy-preserving UWB positioning. Background Technology
[0002] This summary provides an overview of the background of this disclosure. The work of the currently nominated inventors, to the extent described in this summary and in aspects not otherwise defined as prior art at the time of filing, is neither an explicit nor an implicit admission of prior art to this disclosure.
[0003] UWB technology is increasingly being used in location-based applications. It leverages the high-precision ranging capabilities of UWB to provide centimeter-level positioning accuracy for tracking devices to deliver value-added services and applications. However, this highly accurate location information can be exploited by malicious applications to attack user privacy, such as obtaining very detailed locations visited by the device. Therefore, there is a need to develop a privacy-preserving UWB positioning technology to provide accurate device positioning for host systems (such as vehicles or infrastructure) while preventing such accurate location information from being used on the device by malicious or any unauthorized applications. Summary of the Invention
[0004] This disclosure describes a method and system for privacy-preserving UWB positioning. The system utilizes virtualized sensor randomization, where positioning can be inferred and calculated on a host system (e.g., a vehicle or infrastructure). However, malicious / unauthorized applications on the device will only receive random ranging information, which is insufficient to infer the device's exact location relative to the host system. In one aspect of this disclosure, the method includes receiving a ranging request from a physical UWB tag by a virtual ultra-wideband (UWB) sensor. The physical UWB tag is part of a mobile device (e.g., a smartphone). The method also includes generating a unique identifier by the virtual UWB sensor in response to receiving the ranging request. The unique identifier collectively identifies a plurality of physical UWB anchors. Each of the plurality of physical UWB anchors is part of a vehicle. The method also includes transmitting the unique identifier to the UWB tag by the virtual UWB sensor. Furthermore, the method includes establishing communication between the physical UWB tag and the virtual UWB sensor in response to the UWB tag receiving the unique identifier. The method also includes, in response to establishing communication between a virtual UWB sensor and a physical UWB tag, commanding at least one of a plurality of physical UWB anchors to activate. The method further includes performing bilateral two-way ranging (DS0-TWR) between the UWB tag and at least one of the activated physical UWB anchors to locate the mobile device relative to the vehicle. The method described in this paragraph improves UWB ranging technology by providing accurate positioning of the mobile device to a host system (e.g., a vehicle) while protecting the privacy of the positioning information from malicious or unauthorized use by the mobile device.
[0005] In some aspects of this disclosure, the unique identifier is a Media Access Control (MAC) address. The unique identifier is one of many unique identifiers. Thus, the first unique identifier can be a MAC address, and the second unique identifier can be a scrambled timestamp sequence (STS). The method may include generating an activation schedule for physical UWB anchors based on multiple distances from a physical UWB label to each of a plurality of physical UWB anchors. The method may include randomly assigning unique identifiers to a subset of physical UWB anchors. The method may include activating a subset of physical UWB anchors and deactivating the remaining physical UWB anchors based on multiple distances from a physical UWB label to each of the plurality of physical UWB anchors.
[0006] This disclosure also describes a system for ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning. The system includes multiple physical UWB anchors and one physical UWB tag. The physical UWB anchors are part of a vehicle, and the physical UWB tag is part of a mobile device. The system also includes a controller that operates virtual UWB sensors. The controller is programmed to perform the methods described above.
[0007] This disclosure also describes a tangible, non-transitory machine-readable medium comprising machine-readable instructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to perform the methods described above.
[0008] Other applicable areas of this disclosure will become apparent from the detailed description provided below. It should be understood that the detailed description and specific examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure.
[0009] The above-described features and advantages, as well as other features and advantages, of the currently disclosed systems and methods will become apparent when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and the detailed description including the claims and exemplary embodiments. Attached Figure Description
[0010] This disclosure will be more fully understood through detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:
[0011] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a vehicle that includes a UWB positioning system for privacy protection.
[0012] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of a method for UWB positioning used for privacy protection.
[0013] Figure 3 This is a flowchart of a method for virtual UWB scheduling.
[0014] Figure 4 This is a flowchart of a method for random addressing. Detailed Implementation
[0015] Reference will now be made in detail to several examples of this disclosure shown in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same or similar reference numerals are used in the drawings and description to refer to the same or similar parts or steps.
[0016] refer to Figure 1 Vehicle 10 typically includes a body 12 and a plurality of wheels 14 coupled to the body 12. The body 12 defines a passenger compartment. Vehicle 10 may be an autonomous vehicle. In the depicted embodiments, vehicle 10 may be a sedan, truck, coupe, SUV, or RV.
[0017] System 13 may be part of or work with vehicle 10. System 13 may be referred to as a system for privacy-preserving UWB positioning and may include controller 34, etc. Controller 34 includes at least one processor 44 and a non-transitory computer-readable storage device or medium 46. Processor 44 may be a custom or commercially available processor, a central processing unit (CPU), a graphics processing unit (GPU), an auxiliary processor among a plurality of processors associated with controller 34, a semiconductor-based microprocessor (in the form of a microchip or chipset), a macroprocessor, a combination thereof, or generally a device for executing instructions. Computer-readable storage device or medium 46 may include volatile and non-volatile storage devices such as read-only memory (ROM), random access memory (RAM), and keep-alive memory (KAM). KAM is persistent or non-volatile memory that can be used to store various operational variables when processor 44 is powered off. The computer-readable storage device or medium 46 may be implemented using multiple memory devices, such as PROM (Programmable Read-Only Memory), EPROM (Electrically Erasable PROM), EEPROM (Electrically Erasable PROM), flash memory, or other electrical, magnetic, optical, or combined memory devices capable of storing data, some of which represents executable instructions used by the controller 34 when controlling the vehicle 10. The controller 34 operates a virtual UWB sensor and is specifically programmed to perform method 100, which is described in detail below. Figure 2 Although system 13 is shown in vehicle 10, system 13 may alternatively be part of another host system (e.g., infrastructure).
[0018] These instructions may include one or more separate programs, each including an ordered list of executable instructions for implementing logical functions. When executed by processor 44, these instructions receive and process signals from sensors, execute logic, calculations, methods, and / or algorithms for automatically controlling components of vehicle 10, and generate control signals based on the logic, calculations, methods, and / or algorithms to automatically control components of vehicle 10.
[0019] Vehicle 10 also includes a plurality of ultra-wideband (UWB) sensors 16 coupled to vehicle body 12. The UWB sensors 16 coupled to vehicle 10 serve as UWB anchor points and are thus fixed in position relative to vehicle 10. Specifically, the UWB sensors 16 are coupled to vehicle 10 such that these UWB sensors 16 remain stationary relative to vehicle 10. Any suitable fastener, such as screws, bolts, etc., can be used to secure the UWB sensors 16 to vehicle body 12. Each of the UWB sensors 16 can be configured to include a chipset with a UWB transceiver. The UWB sensors 16 communicate with controller 34 and use bidirectional ranging to locate mobile device 50. Mobile device 50 includes the UWB sensors 16 as UWB tags. The UWB sensors 16 of mobile device 50 can be configured to include a chipset with a UWB transceiver. Mobile device 50 can be a smartphone, tablet, key card, or any other device not physically connected to vehicle 10 that includes the UWB sensors 16. In this disclosure, the term "mobile device" refers to a portable electronic device capable of communicating with another device at least via UWB signals. A UWB sensor 16, acting as a UWB tag, initializes a ranging message, calculates the distance between the UWB tag and each of the said UWB anchor points, and publishes this distance and location information in real time. The UWB anchor points listen for UWB signals transmitted by the UWB tags and provide feedback. In the depicted embodiment, the UWB sensor 16 fixed to the vehicle body 12 is referred to as a physical UWB anchor point, while the UWB sensor 16 as part of the mobile device 50 is referred to as a physical UWB tag.
[0020] Figure 2 This is a flowchart of method 100 for privacy-preserving UWB positioning. Method 100 begins at box 102. In box 102, a physical UWB tag (i.e., UWB sensor 16, which is part of mobile device 50) sends a ranging request to a virtual sensor operating in controller 34. The physical UWB tag can wirelessly communicate with controller 34 via a wireless network such as Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) wireless network. The physical UWB tag wirelessly connects to controller 34 (and thus to the virtual UWB sensor) via a secure wireless channel. Method 100 then continues to box 104.
[0021] In box 104, in response to receiving a ranging request from mobile device 50, the virtual UWB sensor generates a first unique identifier, such as a Media Access Control (MAC) address or a Short MAC address (SMAC). In box 104, the virtual UWB sensor may also generate a ranging session key. Method 100 then continues to box 106.
[0022] In box 106, the virtual UWB sensor sends a unique identifier (e.g., a MAC address) and a ranging session key to the physical UWB tag. Method 100 then continues to box 108.
[0023] In box 108, the virtual UWB sensor negotiates with the mobile device 50 and establishes a secure ranging session between the UWB tag and the virtual UWB sensor. Then, method 100 continues to box 110.
[0024] In box 110, the virtual UWB sensor derives a scrambled timestamp sequence (STS) index from the ranging session key. The virtual UWB sensor then generates an STS based on the STS index. Next, method 100 continues to box 112.
[0025] In box 112, the virtual UWB sensor assigns a unique identifier (e.g., a MAC address or short MAC address), STS, and wake-up schedule to the physical UWB anchor. Method 100 then continues to box 114.
[0026] In box 114, at least one of the physical UWB anchors is activated based on a wake-up schedule. Then, method 100 continues to box 116.
[0027] In box 116, bilateral two-way ranging (DS-TWR) is performed between a physical UWB tag and at least one of the multiple physical UWB anchor points that have been activated to locate the mobile device 50 relative to the vehicle 10.
[0028] This disclosure also describes a method 200 for virtual UWB scheduling. Method 200 schedules UWB communication for each individual physical UWB sensor 16 to communicate with the mobile device 50 and begins at block 202. A controller 34 is then programmed to execute method 200. At block 202, the controller 34 updates the UWB sensor 16 schedule according to an initially predetermined order or an order provided later. Method 200 then continues to block 204.
[0029] In box 204, controller 34 updates the unique identifier (e.g., MAC address or SMAC) and STS for each ranging time slot. Method 200 then proceeds to box 206. In box 206, bilateral two-way ranging (DS-TWR) is performed between the UWB tag and at least one activated physical UWB anchor. It is envisioned that multiple ranging sessions can be performed using the UWB tag and several UWB anchors. Each ranging session generates ranging data. Method 200 then continues to box 208. In box 208, the mobile device 50 is located relative to vehicle 10 (or infrastructure) using the ranging data and tracking is initiated. Controller 34 also uses Bayesian tracking to predict the location of mobile device 50 at the current timestamp. Method 200 then proceeds to box 210.
[0030] In box 210, the distance between the UWB tag and each activated UWB anchor point is determined. Next, method 200 continues to box 212. In box 212, three or more UWB anchor points with similar distances (e.g., distances differing from each other by ±5%) are selected. For example, controller 34 can sort these distance measurements and identify the three UWB anchor points with the closest measurements and lowest variance among every three adjacent sensors based on the measurements. The virtual UWB sensor activates the three selected anchor points and deactivates all other UWB anchor points for distance measurement. Next, method 200 continues to box 214. In box 214, controller 34 determines whether the set of UWB anchor points selected in box 212 must be updated. For example, the set of UWB anchor points may need to be updated based on the movement of mobile device 50 relative to vehicle 10. If an update of the UWB anchor point set is not required, method 200 returns to box 206. If an update of the UWB anchor point set is required, method 200 returns to box 202.
[0031] This disclosure also describes a method 300 for random addressing. Method 300 can be executed by controller 34 and begins at block 302. In block 302, a virtual UWB sensor negotiates with mobile device 50 to establish a connection between controller 34 and mobile device 50. Method 300 then continues to block 304. In block 304, the virtual UWB sensor distributes tuples (e.g., STS, STS index, SMAC, and / or MAC) to physical UWB anchors. Method 300 then continues to block 306. In block 306, controller 34 determines whether a node is in the active set of the physical UWB anchor. If the node is not in the active set of the physical UWB anchor, method 300 returns to block 304. If the node is in the active set of the physical UWB anchor, method 300 continues to block 308. In block 308, the virtual UWB sensor updates the STS. Next, method 300 continues to block 310.
[0032] In box 310, bilateral two-way ranging (DS-TWR) is performed between the UWB tag and at least one activated physical UWB anchor point. It is envisioned that multiple ranging sessions can be performed using the UWB tag and several UWB anchor points. Each ranging session generates ranging data. Method 300 then proceeds to box 312. In box 312, the ranging data is used to locate the mobile device 50 relative to vehicle 10 (or infrastructure) and tracking is initiated. Controller 34 also uses Bayesian tracking to predict the location of the mobile device 50 at the current timestamp. Method 300 then proceeds to box 314.
[0033] In box 314, the distance between the UWB tag and each activated UWB anchor point is determined. Next, method 300 proceeds to box 316. In box 316, three or more UWB anchor points with similar distances (e.g., distances differing from each other by ±5%) are selected. For example, controller 34 may sort these distance measurements and identify the three UWB anchor points with the closest measurements and lowest variance among every three adjacent sensors based on the measurements. The virtual UWB sensor activates the three selected anchor points and deactivates all other UWB anchor points for distance measurement. Next, method 300 proceeds to box 318. In box 318, controller 34 determines whether the set of UWB anchor points selected in box 316 must be updated. For example, the set of UWB anchor points may need to be updated based on the movement of mobile device 50 relative to vehicle 10. If an update of the UWB anchor point set is not required, method 300 returns to box 304. If an update of the UWB anchor point set is required, method 300 returns to box 306.
[0034] While exemplary embodiments have been described above, it is not intended that these embodiments describe all possible forms covered by the claims. The language used in this specification is descriptive and not restrictive, and it should be understood that various changes may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of this disclosure. As previously stated, features of various embodiments may be combined to form further embodiments of the currently disclosed systems and methods that may not be explicitly described or shown. While various embodiments may have been described as providing advantages over or being preferred over other embodiments or prior art implementations with respect to one or more desired characteristics, those skilled in the art will recognize that trade-offs may be made to one or more features or characteristics to achieve the desired overall system properties, depending on the specific application and implementation. These properties may include, but are not limited to, cost, strength, durability, lifecycle cost, merchantability, appearance, packaging, size, suitability, weight, manufacturability, ease of assembly, etc. Therefore, embodiments described as less desirable with respect to one or more characteristics than other embodiments or prior art implementations are within the scope of this disclosure and may be desired for a particular application.
[0035] The accompanying drawings are simplified and not drawn to scale. Directional terms such as top, bottom, left, right, upper, above, above, below, under, back, and front may be used with respect to the drawings for convenience and clarity only. These and similar directional terms should not be construed as limiting the scope of this disclosure in any way.
[0036] This document describes embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that the disclosed embodiments are merely examples, and other embodiments may take various and alternative forms. The drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale; some features may be enlarged or minimized to show details of particular components. Therefore, the specific structural and functional details disclosed herein should not be construed as limiting, but only as a representative basis for teaching those skilled in the art to employ the currently disclosed systems and methods in different ways. As will be understood by those skilled in the art, various features shown and described with reference to any of the drawings may be combined with features shown in one or more other figures to produce embodiments not explicitly shown or described. The combinations of features shown provide representative embodiments of typical applications. However, various combinations and modifications of features consistent with the teachings of this disclosure may be required for a particular application or implementation.
[0037] Embodiments of this disclosure may be described herein in terms of functional and / or logical block components and various processing steps. It should be understood that such block components can be implemented by any number of hardware, software, and / or firmware components configured to perform specified functions. For example, embodiments of this disclosure may employ various integrated circuit components, such as memory elements, digital signal processing elements, logic elements, lookup tables, etc., which can perform various functions under the control of one or more microprocessors or other control devices. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will understand that embodiments of this disclosure can be practiced in conjunction with any number of systems, and the systems described herein are merely exemplary embodiments of this disclosure.
[0038] For the sake of brevity, techniques related to signal processing, data fusion, signaling, control, and other functional aspects of the system (as well as the system's individual operating components) may not be described in detail herein. Furthermore, the connecting lines shown in the various figures included herein are intended to illustrate exemplary functional relationships and / or physical couplings between various elements. It should be noted that many alternative or additional functional relationships or physical connections may exist in the embodiments of this disclosure.
[0039] This description is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit this disclosure, its application, or its use. The broad teachings of this disclosure can be implemented in many forms. Therefore, while this disclosure includes specific examples, its true scope should not be so limited, as other modifications will become apparent upon examination of the drawings, description, and appended claims.
Claims
1. A method for privacy-preserving UWB positioning, comprising: The ranging request is received from a physical UWB tag by a virtual ultra-wideband (UWB) sensor, wherein the physical UWB tag is part of a mobile device; In response to receiving the ranging request, a unique identifier is generated by the virtual UWB sensor, wherein the unique identifier identifies a plurality of physical UWB anchor points, and each of the plurality of physical UWB anchor points is part of the vehicle; The unique identifier is transmitted to the UWB tag by the virtual UWB sensor; In response to the UWB tag receiving the unique identifier, communication is established between the physical UWB tag and the virtual UWB sensor; In response to establishing communication between the virtual UWB sensor and the physical UWB tag, the virtual UWB sensor commands at least one of the plurality of physical UWB anchor points to activate; and Bilateral two-way ranging (DS-TWR) is performed between the UWB tag and at least one of the plurality of physical UWB anchor points that have been activated to locate the mobile device relative to the vehicle.
2. The method according to claim 1, wherein, The unique identifier is the Media Access Control (MAC) address.
3. The method according to claim 2, wherein, The unique identifier is the first unique identifier among a plurality of unique identifiers.
4. The method according to claim 3, wherein, The multiple unique identifiers include scrambled timestamp sequences (STS).
5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising: An activation schedule for the plurality of physical UWB anchors is generated based on multiple distances from the physical UWB tag to each of the plurality of physical UWB anchors.
6. The method according to claim 5, further comprising: The unique identifier is randomly assigned to a subset of the physical UWB anchor points.
7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising: A subset of physical UWB anchors is activated and the remaining physical UWB anchors are deactivated based on the plurality of distances from the physical UWB tag to each of the plurality of physical UWB anchors.
8. A system for ultra-wideband (UWB) positioning, comprising: Multiple physical UWB anchor points, wherein the multiple physical UWB anchor points are part of the vehicle; A physical UWB tag, wherein the physical UWB tag is part of a mobile device; A controller that communicates with the plurality of physical UWB anchor points and the UWB tags, wherein the controller operates the virtual UWB sensor, and the controller is programmed to: The virtual UWB sensor receives a ranging request from the physical UWB tag, wherein the physical UWB tag is part of the mobile device; In response to receiving the ranging request, the virtual UWB sensor generates at least one unique identifier, wherein the unique identifier identifies the plurality of physical UWB anchor points, wherein the plurality of physical UWB anchor points are part of the vehicle; The virtual UWB sensor transmits the at least one unique identifier to the UWB tag; In response to the UWB tag receiving the at least one unique identifier, communication is established between the physical UWB tag and the virtual UWB sensor; In response to establishing communication between the virtual UWB sensor and the physical UWB tag, the virtual UWB sensor commands at least one of the plurality of physical UWB anchor points to activate; and Bilateral two-way ranging (DS-TWR) is performed between the UWB tag and at least one of the plurality of physical UWB anchor points that have been activated to locate the mobile device relative to the vehicle.
9. The system according to claim 8, wherein, The at least one unique identifier is a Media Access Control (MAC) address.
10. The system according to claim 9, wherein, The at least one unique identifier is the first unique identifier among a plurality of unique identifiers.