Wireless positioning of devices using beamforming

Abstract

Described herein is a method for locating a device (110, 120), the method comprising: i) forming, at a transmitter device (120), a beam (150) from a first wireless transmitter signal and a second wireless transmitter signal; ii) performing a scanning operation for the receiver device (110) using the formed beam (150); iii) evaluating at least one criterion associated with the scanning operation of the formed beam (150); and iv) positioning the device (110, 120) based on the evaluated at least one criterion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a method for a positioning device, the method comprising:

[0002] A beam is formed at a transmitter device from a first wireless transmitter signal and a second wireless transmitter signal. A scanning operation is performed on a receiver device using the formed beam. At least one criterion associated with the scanning operation of the formed beam is evaluated, and the device is located based on the evaluated at least one criterion. Furthermore, this disclosure relates to a transmitter device and a wireless communication system. Background Technology

[0003] For example, radio frequency (RF) devices, such as ultra-wideband (UWB) devices, can be used for positioning operations such as secure ranging and distance estimation. UWB may be particularly suitable, for instance, because it can generate timestamps from received RF signals with high accuracy. In one example, multiple UWB devices can operate together and thereby locate another device, such as a key card in a vehicle or a smartphone.

[0004] Figure 5A An example of a standard positioning operation is shown. The use case is for key card 210 internal / external detection for vehicle access. The vehicle is equipped with four UWB anchors 260 in corresponding corners. A typical setup at a Tier 1 / OEM location is: four anchors 260 on the outside at the bumper and one anchor 220 on the inside at the center. The vehicle determines whether the key card 210 is inside or outside before the driver can start the engine. For illustration, the key card 210 is placed at the passenger seat shown in the diagram, and all anchors 220, 260 perform distance measurement together with the key card 210. Finally, the range value (distance) is processed in a central computer node to locate the key card 210.

[0005] However, in this example, multiple signal paths 250 will overlap, thus generating errors in timestamp generation and ranging. Multipath reflections will strongly affect i) ranging results from the internal anchor 220 due to the dense multipath environment (seats, dashboard, etc.), and ii) ranging results from the external anchor 260 due to attenuation and reflections from the vehicle body.

[0006] The internal anchor 220 has a single antenna and is connected to a single transmitter TX. The measured beam pattern is only the antenna gain pattern (single TX), indicating that the gain is high towards the driver's seat, center console, and front passenger seat. Therefore, when the RFRAME radiates uniformly within the antenna's beamwidth, strong multipath reflections will overlap at the key card 210, resulting in distance estimation errors.

[0007] Accurate timestamp generation is highly dependent on the environment because RF signals reflected from objects such as walls or surfaces can overlap at the receiver and cause distortion of the received signal, leading to incorrect timestamp estimation and thus ranging and distance errors. For example, due to dense multipath environments, positioning key cards (such as...) inside a car... Figure 5A As shown, this remains a significant challenge.

[0008] Conventionally, several methods exist to improve ranging / positioning accuracy in such environments, such as increasing the number of anchor devices, using additional angle of arrival (AoA) information, or applying machine learning to the channel impulse response to filter out poor ranging estimates, for example. However, positioning based on RF (especially UWB) devices remains a challenge, particularly in highly reflective multipath environments such as inside a car. Summary of the Invention

[0009] It may be necessary to locate wireless devices in an efficient and reliable manner. A method, a transmitter device, and a wireless communication system are provided.

[0010] According to one aspect of this disclosure, a method for locating / localizing (RF) devices (e.g., transmitter devices or receiver devices, in a particular example, key cards) is described, the method comprising:

[0011] i) A (common) beam (especially having a main lobe) is formed from (at least) the first wireless transmitter signal and the second wireless transmitter signal (especially from the antenna array) (especially at the transmitter device, and even more especially at the transceiver device);

[0012] ii) Perform a scanning operation (beam steering) on ​​the formed beam to the (RF) receiver device (especially the transceiver device) (e.g., use different transmission angles for the formed beam);

[0013] iii) Evaluate (e.g., at the receiver device) at least one criterion (e.g., received power) associated with the scanning operation of the formed beam (e.g., comparing the strength of different beam transmission locations); and

[0014] iv) Positioning (e.g., by a transmitter device, receiver device, or another entity) of a device based on at least one criterion evaluated (e.g., selecting the optimal beam path) (the transmitter device may position the receiver device and / or the receiver device may position the transmitter device).

[0015] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a transmitter device (particularly a transceiver device) is described, comprising:

[0016] i) A first transmitter antenna for transmitting a first wireless transmitter signal;

[0017] ii) A second transmitter antenna for transmitting signals from a second wireless transmitter; and

[0018] iii) A transmitter control device (in the transmitter device, coupled to the transmitter device, or located away from the transmitter device), which is configured to:

[0019] a) A beam is formed from the first wireless transmitter signal and the second wireless transmitter signal (e.g., using an antenna array), and

[0020] b) Transmit the formed beam / or redirect the formed beam to perform a scanning operation against the receiver device, such that the device is located based on an evaluation of at least one criterion associated with the scanning operation of the formed beam (the transmitter device can locate the receiver device and / or the receiver device can locate the transmitter device).

[0021] According to another aspect of this disclosure, a wireless communication system is described, comprising:

[0022] i) The transmitter device as described above, and

[0023] ii) Receiver device (in particular, a beam formed by a receiver device configured to receive a transmitter device).

[0024] In the context of this document, the term "transmitter device" may specifically refer to a wireless RF device having transmitter functionality. For example, a transmitter device may include an antenna array having at least two antennas. In a preferred example, the transmitter device is configured to form a beam from at least two transmitted signals. The transmitter device may be a transceiver, i.e., also configured to receive RF signals. For example, the transmitter device may receive an evaluation report, for instance, from a receiver device. The transmitter device may also be referred to as an "initiator" device.

[0025] In the context of this document, the term "receiver device" may specifically refer to a wireless RF device (e.g., a mobile device such as a smartphone or key card) that has receiver functionality. For example, a receiver device may include one or more antennas for receiving transmitted signals, particularly formed beams. In a preferred embodiment, the receiver device may be configured to receive formed beams from different transmission locations. The receiver device may include receiver control configured to evaluate the received formed beams at different transmission locations relative to criteria. The receiver device may also be configured to receive transmission configuration information, thereby preparing for signal reception. The receiver device may be a transceiver, i.e., also configured to transmit RF signals. For example, the receiver device may transmit an evaluation report to, for example, a transmitter device. The receiver device may also be referred to as a "responder" device.

[0026] In the context of this paper, the term “beamforming” (or “beam steering”) may specifically refer to existing techniques for controlling the phase and / or amplitude of a transmitted signal to create patterns of constructive and / or destructive interference in the wavefront. In this example, by manipulating the phase and / or amplitude of the transmitter, the beam (antenna pattern) of the entire configuration can be formed and altered.

[0027] In the context of this paper, the term "scanning operation" can specifically refer to a sweep of the formed beam across two or more transmission positions. For example, the first transmission position may be at an angle of 20°, the second transmission position may be at an angle of 0°, and the third transmission position may be at an angle of -20°. Therefore, turning the beam toward these positions (sweeping across multiple transmission positions / angles) can be considered a scanning operation of the formed beam. From these transmission positions, a transmission position can be selected for positioning operations based on predefined criteria (e.g., the highest power at the receiver device).

[0028] In the context of this paper, the term "criteria associated with scanning operation" can specifically refer to particular signal characteristics, such as signal strength, transmitted power, signal-to-noise ratio, etc. This criterion can be evaluated for different transmission positions of the formed beam during scanning operation (relative to the receiver device). In other words, criteria measured for different transmission positions during scanning operation can be compared with each other. Based on the evaluation, one of the transmission positions can be selected, preferably the optimal beam path. This could be, for example, the transmission position that produces the highest signal strength at the receiver device.

[0029] In this document, the term "control device" may specifically refer to hardware and / or software configured to perform at least one of the steps specified above, such as beamforming, scanning operations, evaluation, positioning, etc. The control device may be implemented as one or more processors / circuits. Furthermore, the control device may be a controller for an RF device. The control device may be (at least partially) located within an RF device (e.g., a module for a vehicle, a smartphone, etc.) or may be (at least partially) operated remotely. For example, in a wireless communication system, at least one of the following may be present: a transmitter control device, a receiver control device, a common control device, or another physical control device.

[0030] According to exemplary embodiments, this disclosure can be based on the concept that when a transmitter device is forming a beam (e.g., using an antenna array) and scanning the environment by beam steering towards a receiver device, a wireless device can be located efficiently and reliably by evaluating the scanning operation based on criteria, allowing the location of the wireless device to be performed using a beam position with optimal criteria. In other words, beams are formed for different transmission positions (e.g., angles), and the optimal transmission position relative to the receiver device is selected. In a basic embodiment, the transmitter device can locate the receiver device in this manner. However, the method can also be advantageously used in other ways, such that the transmitter device is searching for the receiver device to locate itself.

[0031] While conventional methods (see above) can offer some improvements, this paper describes a novel approach that utilizes beamforming in the context of (UWB) ranging. By using beamforming, due to its inherent directivity, the RF signal is transmitted only in the desired direction (e.g., to a receiver device such as a key card or smartphone), thereby significantly reducing multipath reflections and improving ranging accuracy.

[0032] The aspects defined above and other aspects of this disclosure will be apparent from examples of embodiments described below, and will be illustrated with reference to these examples of embodiments. This disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to examples of embodiments, but this disclosure is not limited to these examples of embodiments.

[0033] Exemplary embodiments

[0034] In one embodiment, performing a scanning operation includes transmitting the formed beam at two or more different transmission locations, specifically at transmission angles. This provides the advantage of being able to perform an effective scanning operation. The beam can be spread across / scanned / swept at two or more transmission locations, allowing the optimal transmission location to be selected from the different transmission locations in a straightforward manner (based on criteria). In a specific embodiment, the transmitter device is configured for beam sweeping and begins transmitting a sequence of beam sweep messages (BMs), i.e., so-called beam bursts. Each BM can be oriented by the (initiating) antenna array toward the configured beam angle.

[0035] In one embodiment, the method further includes receiving the formed beam at at least one transmission position (particularly a specific angle) at the receiver device. This provides the advantage that evaluation can be based on the received signal (of the formed beam at the specific transmission position) at the receiver device. The receiver device can thus act as a sensor to measure criteria for different transmission positions for scanning operations.

[0036] In one embodiment, the evaluation includes comparing criteria associated with scanning operations of the formed beam at the two or more transmission locations. By comparing (measured) criteria, a preferred / optimal transmission location best suited for positioning (ranging operations) can be selected. In particular, the most reliable and accurate timestamp can be generated for this transmission location. In one example, the evaluation can be performed at a receiver device. In another example, the evaluation can be performed at a transmitter device or another entity. In the latter case, the receiver device can (wirelessly) transmit the received data / signal information to provide criteria to another device.

[0037] In one embodiment, the evaluation includes selecting a transmission location based on a comparison of criteria associated with scanning operations of the formed beam in the two or more transmission locations. In a particular embodiment, once the beam quality index (BQI) is determined, the responder (e.g., a receiver device) then selects the optimal beam (transmission location). This selection can be based on processing the BQI. For example, if the BQI is given by the total received power, the responder can select the beam with the highest BQI (i.e., the highest received power). Generally, the beam with the highest BQI is expected to provide the most reliable ranging results.

[0038] In one embodiment, the method further includes providing transmission configuration information, particularly from the transmitter device to the receiver device. In one embodiment, the transmission configuration information includes information about at least one of the formed beam, transmission positions (e.g., α1, α2, αn) (particularly transmission angles), scanning operations, and transmission timing. In one embodiment, receiving and / or evaluating the formed beam includes taking the transmission configuration information into account.

[0039] In an exemplary embodiment, the transmission configuration information includes: initially, the initiator transmits a beam configuration message (CM) to the responder, the CM containing information about subsequent beam sweeping and measurements. For example, the transmission configuration information may include at least one of the following: message number N, beam angle α1, ..., α N The time interval between two consecutive messages, the timestamp of the first message, the complex weights applied to the transmitted messages for beamforming, the channel frequency, the number of antennas used, beam characteristics (main lobe beamwidth, number of side lobes, side lobe level), beam pattern (including directions with null values), beam index (e.g., an integer used to index the beam), and the number of times the beam sweep is repeated.

[0040] In the example, the beam angle α provides directional information about the beam transmitted from the initiator toward the responder, and can be given, for example, as a pair of azimuth angles relative to the coordinate system of the initiator's antenna array. And the angle of elevation θ; for example: Where k = 1, ..., N.

[0041] In one embodiment, the method further includes providing an evaluation report / information / raw data, particularly from the receiver device to the transmitter device. In this way, the results or raw data used for evaluation can be flexibly transmitted to the transmitter device or another entity. Preferably, the receiver device can measure criteria for different transmission locations. The evaluation of this data can be flexibly performed in different ways, for example, at the receiver device, the transmitter device, or another entity. In an example, the responder sends a beam report message (RM) to the initiator, the RM including, for example, a selected beam given by a beam index or beam angle.

[0042] In an exemplary embodiment, the responder transmits BQI to the initiator, and the initiator selects the optimal beam. In other words, the receiver device sends an evaluation report / information to the transmitter device, causing the transmitter device to perform the selection. In this example, this transmission can also be performed via a message on an out-of-band link / channel (e.g., Bluetooth).

[0043] In one embodiment, the criteria include at least one of strength, power, energy, quality, and signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) of the beam formed at a specific transmission location at the receiver device. In an exemplary embodiment, for each BM, the responder measures the BQI, which contains information about the extent to which the BM is received via the beam, such as received power, first path power, SNR, and channel impulse response characteristics (e.g., the ratio of first path power to maximum path power and / or the number of peaks (an indication of a multipath environment)). The BQI is, for example, composed of Q1, ..., Q... NGiven.

[0044] In one embodiment, a pre-positioning operation is performed, particularly using the Angle of Arrival (AoA) method. This can provide the advantages of increased efficiency and time savings. In an exemplary embodiment, the initiator first receives a frame from the responder, then determines the AoA, and uses this AoA as the first beam angle for beam sweeping, thereby reducing the number of beam angles required to determine the optimal beam during the sweeping procedure.

[0045] In certain embodiments, in addition to transmitting the formed beam, the initiator can also receive the formed beam, for example, by processing multiple received signals and forming a beam in the direction of a given beam angle. The combination of transmit and receive beamforming can improve, for example, the positioning of key cards or smartphones.

[0046] In one embodiment, the method is performed in the context of Ultra Wideband (UWB). Specifically, it is performed in the context of UWB MMS or UWB NBA-MMS. In one embodiment, the wireless communication system operates in the context of UWB (e.g., the transmitter and / or receiver devices are UWB devices).

[0047] In the context of this article, the term "ultra-wideband communication" (or UWB) can refer to radio technology that can perform short-range, high-bandwidth communication using very low energy levels across most of the radio spectrum. UWB can refer to a technology used to transmit information across a wide bandwidth (>500MHz). UWB can be defined as antenna transmission with a transmitted signal bandwidth exceeding the lesser of 500MHz or 20% of the arithmetic center frequency. UWB transmission transmits information by generating radio energy at specific time intervals and occupying a large bandwidth, thus enabling pulse positioning or time modulation. The range of UWB can be, for example, within 10 meters.

[0048] UWB (RF) ranging systems can use the time-of-flight principle to determine the distance between an initiating device and a responding device and / or an anchor device (marker). Typically, a first transceiver emits a waveform, usually a chirp or pulse, that is reflected by the object or retransmitted by a second transceiver. The distance between the objects can be calculated based on the amount of time it takes for the reflected or retransmitted waveform to reach the receiver of the initiating transceiver. The range between the receiver and the transmitter thus determined is then used as a control point (to enable access). In the same way, UWB can be used to transmit payloads. UWB communication can include, for example, pulse radio ultra-wideband (IR-UWB) (see, for example, standards IEEE 802.15.4a and IEEE 802.15.4z).

[0049] In another embodiment, another wireless communication scheme (particularly according to a certain standard) may be applied, such as WiFi, NFC, RFID, 5G, 6G, etc. In one embodiment, positioning includes applying ranging methods, particularly time of flight and / or angle of arrival.

[0050] In one embodiment, the receiver device includes a receiver antenna for receiving the formed beam at at least one transmission location. In another embodiment, the wireless communication system further includes an evaluation device, particularly a receiver control device, configured to evaluate the received formed beam relative to criteria associated with scanning operations of the formed beam.

[0051] In one embodiment, the wireless communication system further includes a positioning device, particularly a positioning device for a transmitter control device or a receiver control device, which is configured to locate the transmitter device and / or receiver device based on at least one evaluated criterion.

[0052] In one embodiment, referring to a scenario with an anchor device, an external anchor and a key card can perform beam sweeping. In one embodiment, beam management can be implemented based on the modified Car-to-Everything Consortium (CCC) specification. In one embodiment, the roles of the initiator and responder can be changed, and can be roles such as advertiser and observer as defined in the FiRa standard. In one embodiment, once the optimal beam has been selected, the sweep can be refined using beam angles within the near range of the selected beam angle. Furthermore, beam tracking can be performed.

[0053] In an exemplary embodiment, UWB beamforming can reduce the effects of multipath by orienting radio signals toward a desired direction. Beam management for UWB secure ranging is proposed, making beamforming particularly suitable for UWB devices implementing ranging standards such as FiRa, IEEE 802.15.4a, IEEE 802.15.4z, or IEEE 802.15.4ab. Specific aspects can be seen in UWB beamforming and associated beam management (configuration, sweeping, measurement, selection, and reporting of the optimal UWB secure beam) on secure ranging frames. The application of the described methods can be detected by listening to the air interface and determining whether beam sweeping is performed across multiple messages / frames and / or using secure messages / frames (e.g., frames compliant with IEEE 802.15.4z). In a specific example, beam management for UWB secure ranging includes: UWB beam configuration, UWB beam sweeping and measurement, UWB beam selection, and UWB beam reporting. Attached Figure Description

[0054] Figure 1 A wireless communication system according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0055] Figure 2A transmitter apparatus according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0056] Figure 3 An embodiment using RF frames according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0057] Figures 4A to 4C This illustrates a reduction in the complexity of RF frames according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0058] Figure 5A The illustration shows a conventional example of positioning according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure, while Figures 5B to 5D The following are examples of positioning devices in a vehicle according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0059] Before referring to the drawings, embodiments will be described in more detail, and some basic considerations will be outlined based on which embodiments of this disclosure have been developed.

[0060] Figure 1 A wireless communication system 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated. The wireless communication system 100 includes a transmitter device 120 (here, the initiator) and a receiver device 110 (here, the responder). First, the transmitter device 120 sends transmission configuration information 140 (configuration message, CM) to the receiver device 110, thereby indicating which signals will be transmitted; for example, when, at which transmission location, and with what strength. Then, the transmitter device 120 performs beamforming / steering operations and transmits the formed beam (scanning operation) at three different transmission locations. The formed beam is thus shown by the positions of the main lobes 150A, 150B, and 150C.

[0061] The first transmission position is characterized by a first angle α1 and a first main lobe 150A. The second transmission position is characterized by a second angle α2 and a second main lobe 150B. The third transmission position is characterized by a third angle α3 and a third main lobe 150C. Each of these formed beams is received during scanning operations at the receiver device 110.

[0062] In this example, receiver device 110 includes receiver control configured to evaluate each formed beam relative to a quality criterion (here, beam quality index, BQI). Receiver device 110 then selects the optimal beam based on a comparison of the quality criterion for each transmission location. The selected transmission location is then transmitted from receiver device 110 to transmitter device 120 as an evaluation report 170 (RM). Alternatively, the evaluation criteria and / or selection of the optimal beam can also be performed at transmitter device 120 or another entity.

[0063] The wireless communication system 100 further includes a positioning device, particularly a positioning device for a transmitter control device or a receiver control device, which is configured to locate the transmitter device 120 or the receiver device 110 based on at least one evaluated criterion (i.e., selecting a beam), for example using an existing ranging scheme.

[0064] In other words, assuming initiator 120 communicates with responder 110, beam management includes the following steps: UWB beam configuration, UWB beam sweeping and measurement, UWB beam selection, and UWB beam reporting. The concept is that initiator 120 first configures responder 110 to perform beam sweeping, and then allows multiple beams 150 to be swept sequentially across responder 110. For each beam 150, responder 110 measures the beam quality index (BQI), selects the best beam based on the BQI, and reports the selected beam back to initiator 120.

[0065] Figure 2 A transmitter device 120 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. The transmitter device 120 includes a first transmitter antenna 121 (coupled to a first transmitter unit 123) for transmitting a first wireless transmitter signal and a second transmitter antenna 122 (coupled to a second transmitter unit 124) for transmitting a second wireless transmitter signal. In this example, the number of transmitters is therefore equal to two (M = 2). A transmitter control device 130 may be configured to form a beam from the first and second wireless transmitter signals and transmit the formed beam to thereby perform a scanning operation against a receiver device 110, such that the devices 110 and 120 can be located based on an evaluation of at least one criterion associated with the scanning operation of the formed beam.

[0066] In an exemplary embodiment, in order to orient the UWB beam 150 toward the responder 110 at a certain angle, the transmitter device 120 requires an antenna array having at least two antennas (transmitters) 121, 122 (M>=2). Depending on the antenna arrangement (uniform / circular / rectangular spacing, etc.), the beam will have desired spatial characteristics, such as those given by the main lobe beamwidth, sidelobe ratio, etc. The antenna array is connected to multiple transmission chains TX1 to TX2. M Each chain "m" can assign an amplitude weight A. k,m and phase shift The BM is applied to the input of each chain so that at the beam angle α k Transmit (or deflect) in the direction of.

[0067] Figure 3An embodiment using RF frames (a modified FiRa ranging scheme for UWB beam sweeping and measurement) according to an exemplary embodiment of this disclosure is shown. The FiRa Consortium's PYH and MAC specifications define a one-way ranging (OWR) scheme used to determine the AoA between the advertiser and the observer. In a similar manner, the proposed UWB beam sweeping can be implemented based on the OWR in the modified FiRa ranging scheme.

[0068] In this scheme, each BM (compare) Figure 1 () is a ranging frame (RFRAME), which can be

[0069] -SP1 frame

[0070] -SP3 frames

[0071] As given in the IEEE 802.15.4z standard (SP = STS packet configuration, STS = scrambling timestamp sequence), the time between two consecutive RFRAMEs is the inter-frame period, and a series of N RFRAMEs defines the beamburst period. To improve performance, beambursts can be repeated at a rate given by the beamburst repetition period. Similar to the FiRa specification, these time periods can be referred to as the inter-frame interval; beam sweep and measurement ranging rounds; and beam blocking duration.

[0072] Figures 4A to 4C This illustrates a reduction in the complexity of RF frames according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure. Figures 4A to 4C This illustrates the common RFRAMEs in IEEE 802.15.4z / FiRa and how they can be used for beam sweeping. Depending on the SP configuration, an RFRAME may include a SYNC field, STS, Start-of-Frame Delimiter (SFD), Physical Layer Header (PHR), and / or payloads as defined in IEEE 802.15.4z. Specifically, an RFRAME may contain multiple STS segments. Furthermore, an RFRAME may contain only STS, for example, to implement UWB Multi-Millisecond Ranging (MMS) or Narrowband Assisted Multi-Millisecond Ranging (NBA-MMS) as defined in the IEEE 802.15.4ab standard.

[0073] Depending on the CM, beamforming can be applied to any or all segments of a frame. In one implementation (see...), Figure 4C Beamforming can be applied only to STS, thereby saving power while making the beam inherently secure.

[0074] Figures 5B to 5D The locations of devices 110 (e.g., receiver devices in the form of key cards) in a vehicle according to exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown respectively.

[0075] The internal anchor is now configured as transmitter device 120 (initiator) and the key card is configured as receiver device 110 (responder) for beam sweeping and measurement. The configuration in this specific example is as follows:

[0076] Number of RFRAMEs: 3

[0077] -RFRAME type: SP3 frame

[0078] - Beam angle: α1 = -20°, α2 = 0°, α3 = 20° (i.e., beam angle index k = 1, 2, 3; compare respectively) Figure 5B , 5C and 5D)

[0079] - Frame period: 1ms

[0080] - Number of beam bursts: 1

[0081] - Number of transmission links: M = 2(TX1, TX2)

[0082] Number of antennas: 2

[0083] - Antenna spacing: λ / 2

[0084] -UWB Channel: CH5 (6.5GHz)

[0085] -Amplitude weighted:

[0086] ○A k,1 =A k,2 =1 (for all beam angle indices k = 1, 2, 3)

[0087] - Local oscillator phase shift:

[0088] ○

[0089] ○

[0090] ○

[0091] For simplicity, assume the elevation angle is zero.

[0092] The measured beam pattern is now the original antenna gain pattern multiplied by the array factor, which is determined by the antenna array geometry (number of antennas, antenna spacing, etc.), amplitude weighting, and LO phase shift.

[0093] It can be clearly seen how beam 150 sweeps across key card 110 for the three beam angles (transmission positions). Multipath reflections are suppressed due to the directionality provided by beamforming. For example, at a beam angle of 20°, the beam is oriented directly towards key card 110, and multipath reflections are reduced, for example, due to null values ​​in the beam pattern towards the driver's seat.

[0094] Upon receiving three RFRAMEs, key card 110 can:

[0095] - Determine three criteria, here BQI (Q1, Q2, Q3), such as total received power or first path power associated with STS;

[0096] - Select the beam with the highest BQI (Best Criterion); and

[0097] -Return the BQI and associated beam index report to the transmitter unit 120.

[0098] In this case, key card 110 will report a beam index of 3 corresponding to Q3 and α3 = 20°, which will provide the most reliable ranging results.

[0099] Figure Labels

[0100] 100 Wireless Communication System

[0101] 110 receiver device, responder

[0102] 120 Transmitter device, initiator

[0103] 121 First Transmitter Antenna

[0104] 122 Second Transmitter Antenna

[0105] 123 First Transmitter Unit

[0106] 124 Second Transmitter Unit

[0107] 130 Transmitter Control Device

[0108] 140 Transmit configuration information

[0109] 150 beams and main lobes

[0110] 161-164 Anchoring Device

[0111] 170 Assessment Report / Results.

Claims

1. A method for positioning devices (110, 120), characterized in that, The method includes: A beam (150) is formed at the transmitter device (120) from the first wireless transmitter signal and the second wireless transmitter signal; The formed beam (150) is used to perform a scanning operation on the receiver device (110); Evaluate at least one criterion associated with the scanning operation of the formed beam (150); and The devices (110, 120) are located based on at least one of the evaluated criteria.

2. The method according to claim 1, Its features are, Performing the scanning operation includes transmitting the formed beam (150) at two or more different transmission locations (α1, α2, αn).

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, In addition, including: The formed beam (150) is received at at least one transmission location (α1, α2, αn).

4. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, Its features are, The evaluation includes comparing the criteria associated with the scanning operation of the formed beam (150) in the two or more transmission positions (α1, α2, αn).

5. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, Its features are, The evaluation includes selecting the transmission position (α1, α2, αn) based on the comparison of the criteria associated with the scanning operation of the formed beam (150) in the two or more transmission positions (α1, α2, αn).

6. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, In addition, including: Transmission configuration information (140) is provided from the transmitter device (120) to the receiver device (110). The transmission configuration information (140) includes information about at least one of the following: The formed beam (150), The transmission positions (α1, α2, αn), The scanning operation. Transmission timing.

7. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, In addition, including: An evaluation report (170) is provided from the receiver device (110) to the transmitter device (120).

8. The method according to any one of the preceding claims, Its features are, The at least one criterion includes at least one of strength, force, energy, mass, and signal-to-noise ratio.

9. A transmitter device (120), characterized in that, include: The first transmitter antenna (121) is used to transmit the first wireless transmitter signal; The second transmitter antenna (122) is used to transmit the second wireless transmitter signal; as well as Transmitter control device (130), which is configured to: A beam (150) is formed from the first wireless transmitter signal and the second wireless transmitter signal, and The transmitted beam (150) is used to perform a scanning operation on the receiver device (110) so that the device (110, 120) is located based on an evaluation of at least one criterion associated with the scanning operation of the formed beam (150).

10. A wireless communication system (100), characterized in that, include: The transmitter device (120) according to claim 9; and The receiver device (110).

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