Apparatus for ultra-wideband ranging

Abstract

An apparatus for ultra-wideband ranging, comprising: an ultra-wideband device comprising a transmitter and a receiver; one or more processors configured to control the transmitter and the receiver to perform a UWB ranging round with a remote UWB device, the UWB ranging round comprising receiving one or more ranging frames and transmitting one or more responses for determining a ranging-based distance, wherein the processors are additionally configured to cause transmission of one or more radar frames during the UWB ranging round and determine one or more radar-based distances between the UWB device and the remote UWB device based on corresponding one or more received reflections of the one or more radar frames, wherein the processors are configured to validate the ranging-based distance by determining whether the one or more radar-based distances violate a predetermined minimum possible distance or a predetermined maximum possible distance.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an apparatus for ultra-wideband ranging, and more particularly, to an apparatus configured to verify a distance determined by transmitting ultra-wideband radar frames using a distance determined through ultra-wideband ranging rounds. In some aspects, the apparatus is configured to detect physical manipulation of a reference clock frequency that affects the ultra-wideband ranging results. This disclosure also relates to an associated method. Background Technology

[0002] Ultra-wideband (UWB) devices can support accurate ranging (distance measurement) with security against relay attacks. However, security can be a challenge. Summary of the Invention

[0003] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, an apparatus is provided, comprising:

[0004] At least one ultra-wideband (UWB) device, comprising a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter being used to transmit ultra-wideband (UWB) frames;

[0005] One or more processors are configured to control the transmitter and receiver of the at least one UWB device to perform UWB ranging rounds using a remote UWB device. The UWB ranging rounds include receiving one or more ranging frames and transmitting one or more responses for determining a ranging-based distance between the device and the remote UWB device. The one or more processors are further configured to transmit one or more radar frames during the UWB ranging rounds and determine one or more radar-based distances between the at least one UWB device and the remote UWB device based on corresponding one or more received reflections of the one or more radar frames.

[0006] The one or more processors are configured to verify range-based distances by determining whether the one or more radar-based distances violate one or both of a predetermined minimum possible distance or a predetermined maximum possible distance associated with the at least one UWB device.

[0007] In one or more embodiments, the one or more processors are configured to:

[0008] If the distance based on the distance measurement passes verification, then the function activated based on the distance based on the distance measurement is activated; and

[0009] If the distance based on the distance measurement fails to pass verification, the activation of functions based on the distance based on the distance measurement is prevented from being activated.

[0010] In one or more embodiments,

[0011] (a) The one or more processors are configured to control the transmitters of the one or more UWB devices to transmit the one or more radar frames; or

[0012] (b) The one or more processors are configured to control a remote UWB device to transmit the one or more radar frames.

[0013] In one or more examples, the function activated based on distance-based ranging includes one of the following:

[0014] Control of locks on vehicles or premises; or

[0015] Control of home automation systems; or

[0016] Control of the vehicle-to-X (V2X) system; or

[0017] Control over the payment system.

[0018] In one or more embodiments, the one or more UWB devices are configured to limit the transmission range of the one or more radar frames transmitted during a UWB ranging round relative to the transmission range used for the UWB ranging round.

[0019] In some cases, the transmission range can be limited by implementing a lower power transmission.

[0020] In one or more embodiments, the one or more processors are configured to control the transmitter and receiver of the at least one UWB device to perform UWB ranging rounds using the remote UWB device by means of the following operations.

[0021] (a) In response to receiving one or more ranging frames from a remote UWB device, the transmitter of the at least one UWB device transmits one or more responses to the remote UWB device to determine a ranging-based distance between the device and the remote UWB device; or

[0022] (b) Implement the transmission of one or more ranging frames to a remote UWB device and implement the processing of one or more responses from the remote UWB device for determining the ranging-based distance between the device and the remote UWB device.

[0023] In one or more embodiments, a UWB ranging round includes a plurality of ranging frames, and the one or more UWB devices are configured to transmit the one or more radar frames between at least two of the plurality of ranging frames.

[0024] In one or more embodiments, the one or more processors are configured such that each of the at least one UWB device is configured to determine a corresponding ranging distance to a remote UWB device and to determine a corresponding radar-based distance, wherein each of the at least one UWB device is configured to verify its corresponding ranging distance by determining whether its one or more corresponding radar-based distances violate one or both of a predetermined minimum possible distance or a predetermined maximum possible distance associated with the corresponding at least one UWB device.

[0025] In one or more embodiments, the at least one UWB device includes at least a first UWB device configured to be located in a first position and a second UWB device configured to be located in different second positions, and

[0026] The one or more processors are configured to control the transmitters and receivers of the first and second UWB devices to each perform a UWB ranging round, the UWB ranging round including receiving one or more ranging frames from a remote UWB device and transmitting one or more responses to the remote UWB device for determining a corresponding ranging-based distance between the respective first and second UWB devices and the remote UWB device, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the transmitter of each of the first and second UWB devices to determine at least one or both of a first radar-based distance from the first UWB device to the remote UWB device and a second radar-based distance from the second UWB device to the remote UWB device.

[0027] The one or more processors are configured to verify the corresponding range-based distance by determining whether one or both of the following conditions exist:

[0028] The first radar-based range violates one or both of the first predetermined minimum possible range or the first predetermined maximum possible range associated with the first UWB device; or

[0029] The second radar-based range violates one or both of the second predetermined minimum possible range or the second predetermined maximum possible range associated with the second UWB device.

[0030] In one or more embodiments, one or more of the following conditions exist:

[0031] The radar frame is transmitted on a different channel than the ranging frame;

[0032] Radar frames are transmitted using a different antenna than ranging frames;

[0033] Radar frames are transmitted using a different code than ranging frames; or

[0034] Radar frames are transmitted using a different protection time interval than ranging frames.

[0035] In one or more embodiments, determining the one or more radar-based distances to the remote UWB device includes determining at least two radar-based distances, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the speed of the remote UWB device based on changes in the at least two radar-based distances and the time between determining the radar-based distances or the time between determining each two radar-based distances.

[0036] The one or more processors are configured to verify that the distance based on ranging is based on a comparison between the determined speed of the remote UWB device and a predetermined maximum permissible speed.

[0037] In one or more embodiments, determining the one or more radar-based distances to the remote UWB device includes determining at least three radar-based distances, and wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine the acceleration of the remote UWB device based on the at least three radar-based distances and the time between their determination.

[0038] The one or more processors are configured to verify that the distance based on ranging is based on a comparison of the determined acceleration of the remote UWB device with a predetermined maximum permissible acceleration.

[0039] In one or more embodiments, the one or more processors are configured to verify that the range-based distance is based on a comparison of the received power of the received reflections of the one or more radar frames with a predetermined maximum expected signal power.

[0040] In one or more embodiments, the one or more processors are configured to verify radar-based distance based on a comparison of the received power of the received reflected signal from the one or more radar frames with a predetermined maximum expected signal power.

[0041] In one or more embodiments, the one or more processors are configured to verify that the range-based distance is further based on a comparison of the channel impulse response (CIR) determined from the received reflections of the one or more radar frames with a predetermined expected CIR.

[0042] According to a second aspect of this disclosure, a method is provided for controlling a device including at least one UWB device, said at least one UWB device including a transmitter and a receiver, said transmitter being used to transmit ultra-wideband UWB frames, the method comprising:

[0043] The transmitter and receiver of the at least one UWB device are controlled to perform a UWB ranging round using a remote UWB device, the UWB ranging round including receiving one or more ranging frames and transmitting one or more responses;

[0044] The distance between the device and the remote UWB device is determined based on the UWB ranging rounds.

[0045] To enable the transmission of one or more radar frames during a UWB ranging cycle, and

[0046] Based on one or more received reflections corresponding to the one or more radar frames, determine one or more radar-based distances between the at least one UWB device and a remote UWB device.

[0047] The range-based distance is verified by determining whether the one or more radar-based distances violate one or both of a predetermined minimum possible distance or a predetermined maximum possible distance associated with the at least one UWB device.

[0048] While this disclosure allows for various modifications and alternatives, details thereof have been illustrated by way of example in the drawings and will be described in detail. However, it should be understood that other embodiments besides the specific embodiments described are also possible. All modifications, equivalents, and alternative embodiments falling within the spirit and scope of the appended claims are also covered.

[0049] The foregoing discussion is not intended to represent every exemplary embodiment or every implementation within the scope of the present or future claims. The drawings and the following detailed description also illustrate various exemplary embodiments. A more comprehensive understanding of the various exemplary embodiments can be achieved by considering the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0050] One or more embodiments will now be described by way of example only with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0051] Figure 1 Example equipment is shown to illustrate UWB secure ranging;

[0052] Figure 2 This shows the standard UWB ranging rounds;

[0053] Figure 3 This illustrates an example UWB ranging cycle of the present disclosure;

[0054] Figure 4 Another example of UWB ranging rounds is shown in this disclosure; and

[0055] Figure 5 Example methods are shown. Detailed Implementation

[0056] Ultra-wideband (UWB) devices can utilize secure ranging solutions for wireless access or feature activation based on proximity. For example, UWB devices can be used as part of a system for secure access to vehicles or buildings, where a door is unlocked or a function is activated if the distance between specific UWB devices is below a threshold. However, UWB devices providing secure ranging are vulnerable not only to radio attacks but also to physical attacks. Attackers could attempt to alter the printed circuit board (PCB) components of the UWB device, affecting its temperature, injecting electromagnetic faults, interfering with the UWB device's power supply, and so on. UWB devices providing secure ranging are often designed for partially hostile environments because they are susceptible to physical security attacks to some extent, such as behind a vehicle's bumper.

[0057] A UWB device can determine its proximity to another or "remote" UWB device through UWB ranging rounds, which are the process of calculating the time-of-flight measurements of ranging frame exchanges between UWB devices. The UWB device can be coupled to a crystal oscillator, which can be external to the UWB device, providing a reference clock for use in UWB ranging. The crystal oscillator can be located external to the integrated circuit (IC) on which the UWB device is mounted. Specifically, the external oscillator provides a time reference for calculating the time-of-flight of messages exchanged between UWB ranging devices and thus the distance between them. The crystal oscillator can be external to the IC because the specific and stringent clock frequency accuracy and precision requirements of crystal oscillators make them difficult to integrate into the UWB device circuitry within the IC.

[0058] Because the oscillator is external to the IC, it is easily accessible by physical means, such as using probes on an oscilloscope or signal generator. Therefore, UWB secure ranging can be vulnerable to physical attacks that manipulate the operating clock frequency of the external oscillator, which in turn adjusts the time-of-flight measurement and thus the calculated proximity. Deceptive proximity estimations could ultimately allow an attacker to maliciously trigger proximity-based system outputs (e.g., unlocking a door) when the UWB ranging system is not actually close.

[0059] Figure 1 An example system 100 for UWB ranging is shown. The system includes a first device 110 comprising two UWB devices, although in other examples one or more UWB devices may be provided. The UWB devices may be positioned, for example, at different locations within a vehicle.

[0060] In this example, device 100 includes a first UWB device 111. The first UWB device 111 includes or controls a transmitter for transmitting UWB frames and a receiver for receiving signals including the transmitted UWB frames from the environment (e.g., from either the first or second UWB device). The first UWB device may have an associated antenna 117. Similarly, device 100 includes a second UWB device, which includes or is configured to control a transmitter for transmitting UWB frames and a receiver for receiving signals including the transmitted UWB frames from the environment (e.g., from either the first or second UWB device). The second UWB device 112 may have an associated antenna 118. The first UWB device 111 and the second UWB device 112 may be located at different locations on a vehicle or building or other entity to which they are applied.

[0061] Device 100 further includes one or more processors 113, 114 configured to control the transmitters and receivers of the first and second UWB devices 111, 112. It should be understood that the one or more processors may include the processors of the at least one UWB device. In some examples, one processor may be provided for each UWB device 111, 112. In other examples, one or more central processing units may be present to provide control for the UWB devices 111, 112. Numerous processor arrangements are possible. In the present example, device 100 includes a memory (not shown) for storing computer program code that will be executed by the one or more processors to perform the operations described herein and / or storing predetermined values ​​for use in the described operations. Furthermore, the first UWB device 111 is shown having its associated clock 115 (which is typically external to the UWB device), which the first UWB device 111 uses to at least determine time-of-flight measurements performed as part of a ranging round. In addition, the second UWB device includes a clock 116, which is used by the second UWB device to at least determine the time-of-flight measurement performed as part of a ranging round.

[0062] Figure 1 A remote UWB device 121 is also shown, which may be part of a remote device 120. It should be understood that the remote UWB device 120 may include more than one UWB device. The remote UWB device 121 may also have a transmitter and receiver, as well as associated circuitry and / or a processor, to participate in ranging rounds. In the following description, an attacker may attempt to modify the determined distance 130 between each of the first and second UWB devices 111, 112 and UWB device 121 by taking steps to manipulate the crystal oscillator or clock 115 and / or 116 or a reference clock signal generated therefrom.

[0063] Figure 1 An example implementation 100 for UWB secure ranging is shown. The figure illustrates a device 110 including two UWB devices 111, 112. However, the device may include one or more UWB devices. Figure 1 Remote device 120, or more specifically remote UWB device 121, is also shown.

[0064] Device 110 and remote UWB device 121 are configured to participate in one or more ranging rounds to determine the distance 130 between each of UWB devices 111, 112 and 121 and / or their associated devices 110, 120.

[0065] Figure 2 The diagram shows a standard UWB ranging cycle 200 between a device 110, including a first UWB device 111 and a second UWB device 112, and a remote UWB device 121. Figure 2 The UWB ranging wheel 210 shown can be a UWB ranging wheel defined by the Consortium for Vehicle Connectivity Digital Key Version 3 (CCC DK R3) standard. Figure 2 The exchange of ranging frames 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, and 206 between device 110, which includes UWB devices 111 and 112, and the corresponding remote UWB device 121 is shown as arrows.

[0066] The ranging rounds are shown in the example where a pre-polling ranging frame 201 is sent from a remote UWB device 121, but in other examples, any UWB ranging system or UWB device can initiate a ranging round. The pre-polling ranging frame 201 is received by UWB devices 111 and 112, thus informing all UWB devices 111, 112, and 121 that a ranging round has begun. The ranging round initiator (in this example, the remote UWB device 121) then sends a first polling ranging frame 202 for both the first UWB device 111 and the second UWB device 112 to receive. The first UWB device 111 is configured to respond with a first response ranging frame 203. The second UWB device 112 is configured to respond with a first response ranging frame 204. It should be understood that two or more UWB devices may be included in the UWB ranging system 110 and configured to respond with a first response-type ranging frame similar to 203, 204. UWB device 121 transmits a final-type ranging frame 205 and a final-data-type ranging frame 206, each received by both the first UWB device 111 and the second UWB device 112, as well as any other UWB device of device 110. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the ranging-based distances between UWB devices 111-121 and 112-121 can be calculated pairwise using the described ranging rounds, based on the content of the ranging frames (specifically 202, 203, 204, and 205) and the timing between the transmission of the ranging frames. The ranging-based distances are determined by one or both of the one or more UWB devices 111, 112 of device 110 (or some or all of them if more UWB devices are present). Based on these pairwise distances between UWB devices, the distance 130 between device 110 and remote device 120 can be determined.

[0067] However, manipulating the reference clocks 115 and / or 116 associated with the first UWB device 111 and the second UWB device 112 between ranging frames 202 and 205 may result in incorrect distances determined by the one or more processors between the remote UWB device 121 and one or both of the first UWB device 111 and the second UWB device 112. Furthermore, such manipulation may result in incorrect distances determined between device 110 and remote device 120.

[0068] Figure 3The UWB devices 111 and 112 of device 110 are shown to advantageously use radar frames in addition to ranging frames. It should be understood that ranging frames can be used to determine distance by the exchange of ranging frames between active UWB devices and the determination of the time-of-flight of said ranging frames, while radar frames can be used to determine the distance to a passive object or party without a response frame actively transmitted from said object or party. In many cases, distance-based activation of access control functions controlled by device 110 requires the distance between UWB devices 111 and 112 and remote UWB device 121, or between devices 110 and 120, to be less than a predefined threshold. Therefore, using radar frames to verify the presence of an object (e.g., a person holding a key card or smartphone in the form of a remote device 120) within the expected or reasonable distance from device 110 can improve the security of UWB secure ranging.

[0069] Figure 3 A series of time slots 300 (one is marked) are shown, in which ranging frames and radar frames are being transmitted. In this example, ranging round frames 201, 202, 203, 204, 205, and 206 can be... Figure 2 The same as in.

[0070] Therefore, the one or more processors 113, 114 are configured to control the transmitters and receivers of each of the UWB devices 111, 112 and any other UWB devices of device 110 to perform UWB ranging rounds, which can be initiated by any of the UWB devices constituting device 110 or the UWB devices constituting remote device 120 (which is more common in some embodiments) via pre-polling frame 201.

[0071] For reference Figure 2 As explained, a UWB ranging session includes receiving one or more ranging frames 202, 205 from a remote UWB device 121 and transmitting one or more response ranging frames 203, 204 to the remote UWB device 121 (i.e., in the current example, transmitting one response ranging frame from each of the UWB devices 111, 112). The one or more processors 113, 114 can use known techniques to determine the ranging-based distances (as determined and so named as the ranging session) between device 110 and remote device 120, and more specifically between each of the UWB devices 111, 112 and remote UWB device 121.

[0072] In this disclosure, the one or more processors 113, 114 are further configured to control one or more of UWB devices 111 and 112 to transmit one or more radar frames during UWB ranging rounds. Figure 3In this example, three radar frames are transmitted in a dedicated time slot between time slots 300 of the ranging rounds. Figure 4 In the example, the radar frames are instead transmitted in time slots with expanded sizes.

[0073] Specifically, the first UWB device 111 transmits a first radar frame 301. The first radar frame is received by the UWB device 111, for example, from a reflection of the remote device 120 or a person or object holding it, as shown by arrow 302, and by the second UWB device 112, as shown by arrow 303. Furthermore, the first UWB device 111 transmits a second radar frame 304. The second radar frame is received by the first UWB device 111, for example, from a reflection of the remote device 120 or a person holding it, as shown by arrow 305, and by the second UWB device 112, as shown by arrow 306. Furthermore, the second UWB device 112 transmits a third radar frame 307. The third radar frame is received by the first UWB device 111, for example, from a reflection of the remote device 120 or a person holding it, as shown by arrow 308, and by the second UWB device 112, as shown by arrow 309.

[0074] Based on the received reflections 302, 303, 305, 306, 308, and 309 from radar frames 301, 304, and 307, the one or more processors 113 and 114 are configured to determine one or more (three in this example) radar-based distances between device 110 and the remote UWB device 120. It should be understood that the distance is “radar-based” because it is determined based on radar frames. Similarly, the range-based distance is determined based on a ranging frame. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that both the ranging measurement and the radar measurement can be determined based on the same reference clocks 115 and 116 according to time-of-flight measurements. Therefore, manipulation of the ranging measurement will also affect the radar measurement, and vice versa.

[0075] It should be understood that any radar frame during a ranging cycle may be transmitted by any one of the UWB devices 111, 112. It should also be understood that more than one UWB device 111, 112 may typically use different radio configurations (e.g., frequencies, codes) for each transmitting UWB device to transmit any radar frame simultaneously.

[0076] It should be understood that radar frame reflections may be received by any of UWB devices 111 and 112, and not necessarily by the UWB device that transmitted the radar frame. It should also be understood that more than one UWB device 111 and 112 may simultaneously receive any radar frame reflections (so-called multistatic radar), and not necessarily only the UWB device that transmitted the radar frame.

[0077] It should be understood that, depending on the configuration, there may be zero, one, or more radar frames before or after each ranging frame in each ranging round, and each ranging round may use a different configuration. For simplicity, Figure 3 The drawing in the diagram shows a radar frame at each step.

[0078] Figure 4 Another example is shown. In this example, ranging round frames 201, 202, 203, 204, 204, 205, 206 and Figure 2 The same applies to multistatic radar. In the example described, each radar frame reflection is received only by the UWB device that transmitted the radar frame (so-called monostatic radar). It should be understood that monostatic radar and multistatic radar are simply different and equally effective embodiments regarding how radar frames can be transmitted and received by one or more UWB devices.

[0079] Therefore, one or more of the following radar frames can be provided:

[0080] A first radar frame 401 from a first UWB device 111, wherein a reflection 402 (e.g., only or at least) is received by the first UWB device 111 after a pre-polling ranging frame 201 and before a polling ranging frame 202.

[0081] A second radar frame 403 from the second UWB device 112, wherein reflection 404 (e.g., only or at least) is received by the second UWB device 112 after polling ranging frame 202 and before the first responsive ranging frame 203;

[0082] A third radar frame 405 from the first UWB device 111, wherein reflection 406 (e.g., only or at least) is received by the first UWB device 111 after the first responsive ranging frame 203 and before the second responsive ranging frame 204.

[0083] A fourth radar frame 407 from the second UWB device 112, wherein reflection 408 (e.g., only or at least) is received by the second UWB device 112 after the second responsive ranging frame 204 and before the final ranging frame 205.

[0084] A fifth radar frame 409 from the first UWB device 111, wherein reflection 410 (e.g., only or at least) is received by the first UWB device 111 after the final ranging frame 205 and before the final data ranging frame 206; and / or

[0085] A sixth radar frame 411 from the second UWB device 112, wherein reflection 412 (e.g., only or at least) is received by the second UWB device 112 after the final data-type ranging frame 206.

[0086] It should be understood that, in other examples, any reference to the first UWB device 111 in the list above may be interchanged with the second UWB device 112, and vice versa. Additionally, other UWB devices may be referred to. Any reference to the first and second UWB devices is considered exemplary of the embodiments, but the application of this disclosure can be extended to any number of UWB devices.

[0087] It should be understood that, depending on the configuration, there may be zero, one, or more radar frames before or after each ranging frame in each ranging round, and each ranging round may use a different configuration. For simplicity, Figure 4 The drawing in the diagram shows a radar frame at each step.

[0088] However, it should generally be understood that the one or more radar frames are transmitted between at least two of the plurality of ranging frames 202-205, or directly before or after the polling ranging frame 202 and the final ranging frame 205 (i.e., within a predetermined time period exactly before or after).

[0089] Regarding radar time slot 300, the slot size allows radar frames and reflections to coexist in the same time slot as ranging frames. This configuration will allow for a degree of backward compatibility with existing ranging rounds standards, in which radar frames may be squeezed into (longer) delays between consecutive ranging frames. In other examples, ranging rounds can be adapted to include additional dedicated time slots for radar frames only between time slots used only for ranging frames. This configuration will allow for greater configurability for specific use cases, while potentially sacrificing backward compatibility with existing ranging rounds standards.

[0090] In some embodiments, radar frames are transmitted on a different channel than ranging frames, and / or different codes may be used to reduce interference.

[0091] In some examples, while multiple radar frames may be transmitted, the one or more processors may be configured to verify the range-based distance not based on only one of the radar-based distances determined to be less than the minimum possible distance and / or greater than the maximum possible distance. In other examples, more than one radar-based distance may need to be "unintended" relative to the minimum possible distance / maximum possible distance.

[0092] UWB ranging system 110 may have defined one or both of a predetermined minimum possible distance and / or a predetermined maximum possible distance associated with each of UWB devices 111, 112.

[0093] A minimum possible distance (e.g., 5 cm or less) can be predefined or set during the setup process. More generally, the predetermined minimum possible distance can be based on the distance between the UWB device and the housing surrounding the at least one UWB device. However, the user is free to set the predetermined minimum possible distance based on the application.

[0094] Manipulating one or more reference clock frequencies 115, 116 with malicious intent to manipulate range-based distance (typically to reduce the range-based distance) could cause the one or more UWB devices 111, 112 to detect objects that are unrealistically close (especially closer than the minimum possible distance) via radar frames based on each radar frame and its corresponding reflection, since the (manipulated) reference clocks 115, 116 are used for both range finding and radar. For example, a UWB device could be located behind a vehicle's bumper and thus be within 5 cm of it until free space is created in which an object can exist. Therefore, due to the physical constraints of the space around the UWB device, determining a radar-based distance smaller than the minimum possible distance based on any of radar frames 301, 304, 307 (when the reference clocks are maliciously manipulated) is unintended (if not impossible). If this distance is determined during a range finding cycle by calculations based on one or more radar frames and their reflections, it can be determined that device 110 has been attacked and the range-based distance cannot be verified as reliable and valid.

[0095] In a denial-of-service attack, the antenna of a UWB device can be enclosed in a Faraday cage, for example, by wrapping it in aluminum foil. Such an attack can be detected by comparing the radar distance with the minimum possible distance.

[0096] The predetermined maximum possible distance can be predefined or set during the setup procedure of each UWB device, or more specifically, during the predetermined radar configuration of the UWB device. More generally, the predetermined maximum possible distance can be based on the maximum radar operating distance, which depends on the radar configuration (e.g., transmit power and frequency), i.e., the maximum range of objects from which a radar frame can still be reflected and successfully received by one or more UWB devices that are part of the same UWB ranging system that transmitted the radar frame. However, the user is free to set the predetermined maximum possible distance based on the application.

[0097] At any UWB device 111, 112, malicious manipulation of the reference clocks 115, 116 could cause UWB devices 111, 112 to detect objects that are unrealistically far away (especially farther than the maximum possible distance) based on each radar frame and its corresponding reflection. The one or more UWB devices can be configured to limit radar transmission of the one or more radar frames transmitted during a UWB ranging cycle relative to the transmission used for the UWB ranging cycle, as they only require radar frames to propagate and reflect at similar distances. For example, radar frames can be transmitted in a configuration for lower operating distances (e.g., at lower transmit power) because they only need to scan for something very close to the UWB ranging system (e.g., <1 m). Low signal power also avoids interference, reduces overall system power consumption, and allows for better detection of manipulation. Therefore, malicious clock frequency manipulation could cause radar targets to appear at distances where reflections should not be detected under a given transmission configuration. If such a long distance is determined during a ranging round by calculations based on one of the radar frames and its reflection, it can be determined that the UWB secure ranging solution 100 has been attacked and the distance based on the ranging cannot be verified as credible and valid.

[0098] Therefore, in summary, the one or more UWB devices 111, 112 are configured to independently verify their range-based distances by determining whether the one or more radar-based distances violate one or both of a predetermined minimum possible distance or a predetermined maximum possible distance associated with each particular UWB device. Those skilled in the art will recognize that after collecting and centralizing all range-based and radar-based distances from each UWB device, the same checks can also be performed or verified again in a centralized manner by a single processor (e.g., a cloud server or a specific UWB device or dedicated processor). Specifically, one UWB device may verify the range-based and radar-based distances of another UWB device.

[0099] Therefore, the one or more processors determine one or more radar-based distances from any one or more UWB devices to a remote UWB ranging system. The range-based distance is thus verified based on whether any radar-based distance violates one or both of a first predetermined minimum possible distance or a first predetermined maximum possible distance associated with the one or more UWB devices; if a violation occurs, the range-based distance fails verification; otherwise, the range-based distance passes verification.

[0100] It should be understood that a single radar-based distance violation of a predetermined minimum or maximum possible distance may be sufficient to deem a range-based distance as unverified. However, it is recommended to use multiple radar-based distances and verification based on these radar-based distances to improve the overall accuracy of the method and the detection of short clock manipulation. In some embodiments, a single radar-based distance violation may be sufficient to deem a range-based distance as unverified; in other embodiments, the actual number required may be greater than a predetermined threshold for radar-based distance violations.

[0101] Distance determination based on distance measurement can be used to control locks or start engines on vehicles or premises; or to control home automation systems; or to control vehicle-to-X systems; or to control or authorize payment systems. It should be understood that other examples of functions activated based on distance measurement are also within the scope of this disclosure.

[0102] Therefore, one or more radar-based distances can be used to verify the reliability of the determined range-based distance. Thus, if the range-based distance passes verification, the one or more UWB devices 111, 112 can enable the activation of functions normally performed by a dedicated controller based on the range-based distance. Similarly, if the range-based distance fails verification, the one or more UWB devices 111, 112 can prevent the activation of functions normally performed by a dedicated controller based on the range-based distance.

[0103] In one or more examples, for a UWB device located inside a vehicle, the transmission configuration at the antenna may depend on the type of antenna (omnidirectional or directional), but can be limited such that the radiation pattern covers the corresponding reference clocks 115, 116 on the PCB and the crystal oscillator pins of the UWB device with sufficient gain and resolution to mitigate attacks on each UWB device. Specifically, the processor may be configured to detect objects (e.g., hands, attack tools, moving objects) that are too close to the PCB on which the corresponding reference clocks 115, 116 are based.

[0104] In the above example, the reliability of the range-based distance is verified if the radar-based distance is not less than the minimum possible distance and / or not greater than the maximum possible distance. In another example, the determination of the speed and / or acceleration of the movement of the remote UWB device 121 via UWB radar can also be an indicator of an attack.

[0105] Device 110 can be configured to determine at least two radar-based distances, which may be necessary to determine the relative velocity and / or relative acceleration of a remote device relative to device 110.

[0106] Therefore, the one or more processors are configured to determine the relative speed of the remote UWB device 121 based on the change in two radar-based distances and the time between the determination of these two radar-based distances. Thus, the "radar-based" speed can be compared to a predetermined maximum permissible speed. If the "radar-based" speed is greater than the predetermined maximum permissible speed, the distance based on ranging fails verification. If the "radar-based" speed is less than the predetermined maximum permissible speed, the distance based on ranging passes verification. The predetermined maximum permissible speed depends on the application. An example could be 13 m / s, which is the upper limit for Olympic sprinters; a lower value can be chosen for ordinary users moving around with UWB-enabled smartphones.

[0107] In another example, the one or more UWB devices 111, 112 are configured to determine the relative acceleration of the remote UWB ranging system 120 based on multiple or at least three radar-based distances and the time between their determination times. For example, a first radar-based velocity can be determined, and a second radar-based velocity can be determined at a subsequent time, and the radar-based acceleration can be determined based on the change in time between the first and second radar-based velocities.

[0108] Similarly, distance verification based on ranging can therefore be performed additionally based on a comparison between the radar-based acceleration determined by the remote UWB device 121 and a predetermined maximum permissible acceleration. If the radar-based acceleration is greater than the predetermined maximum permissible acceleration, the distance verification based on ranging fails. If the radar-based acceleration is less than the predetermined maximum permissible acceleration, the distance verification based on ranging passes. The predetermined maximum permissible acceleration depends on the application.

[0109] An example could be 2.5 m / s 2 This is the upper limit for Olympic sprinters; a lower value can be selected for ordinary users who are mobile with UWB-enabled smartphones.

[0110] It should be understood that the one or more processors 113, 114 in any of the examples can be configured to, by means of an output signal, cause:

[0111] Distance based on distance measurement has been verified;

[0112] Distance based on ranging has not been validated;

[0113] As needed, distance based on ranging is verified, and distance based on ranging fails verification; and

[0114] Additional measures should be taken to determine the reliability of distance-based warnings.

[0115] In addition, it may be necessary to use "beyond expectations" to indicate that the range-based distance is verified / unverified. The selection of several radar-based distances, radar-based speeds, and / or radar-based accelerations may vary between embodiments.

[0116] The examples in this disclosure focus on using radar-based distance and measurements to verify range-based distance. It should be understood that the reverse is also possible, in which case range-based distance is used to verify radar-based distance and measurements.

[0117] Furthermore, the examples in this disclosure focus on device 110 performing radar-based operations to verify range-based distances. Those skilled in the art will recognize that the roles can also be reversed, just as remote device 120 can perform radar-based operations to verify range-based distances. Accordingly, the two devices 110 and 120 can also perform verifications independently, and if they match (within tolerance), they can further cross-check each other's results to ensure a higher degree of accuracy and reliability in the result verification.

[0118] Furthermore, other indicators of an attack may include verifying range-based distances by configuring the one or more processors 113, 114 to compare one or more received reflections from the one or more radar frames with a predetermined maximum expected signal configuration (e.g., signal power). Similarly, the one or more processors 113, 114 may be configured to verify the range-based distances by further comparing the channel impulse response (CIR) determined from the received reflections of the one or more radar frames with a predetermined expected CIR. For example, if the CIR indicates an environment with unusually high and strong reflectivity, this may indicate an ongoing attack, such as the device being enclosed in a Faraday cage or metal box.

[0119] For vehicles, IoT, and other applications utilizing multiple UWB devices 111, 112, the detection of unexpected distances, speeds, accelerations, and CIRs as described above can be configured to trigger a system response. For example, if one UWB device reports proximity of a person to the device itself as a potential attack via any of the indications described above, the device can be configured to reduce any error tolerance and / or check for consistent results from all UWB devices comprising the UWB ranging system over time. For example, a first attack indication could be considered an alert level to increase “attention to detail” in detecting additional anomalies. A single UWB device may generate a false alarm, but any alarm may be sufficient to trigger a more thorough and accurate check of the entire UWB device ensemble to detect unexpected values ​​caused by attacks that would otherwise be subtle.

[0120] Figure 5An example method for controlling a device including at least one UWB device, the at least one UWB device including a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter being used to transmit ultra-wideband UWB frames, the method comprising:

[0121] The transmitter and receiver of at least one UWB device described in 501 are controlled to perform a UWB ranging round using a remote UWB device, the UWB ranging round including receiving one or more ranging frames and transmitting one or more responses;

[0122] The distance between the device described in 502 and the remote UWB device is determined based on the UWB ranging rounds.

[0123] To enable the 503 to transmit one or more radar frames during UWB ranging rounds, and

[0124] Based on one or more received reflections corresponding to the one or more radar frames, determine one or more radar-based distances between the at least one UWB device and a remote UWB device.

[0125] The 505 range-based distance is verified by determining whether the one or more radar-based distances violate one or both of a predetermined minimum possible distance or a predetermined maximum possible distance associated with the at least one UWB device.

[0126] Unless a specific order is explicitly stated, the instructions and / or flowchart steps in the above diagrams can be performed in any order. Furthermore, those skilled in the art will recognize that while an example set of instructions / methods has been discussed, the material in this specification can be combined in various ways to produce other examples, and should be understood within the context of the detailed description provided herein.

[0127] In some example embodiments, the instruction set / method steps described above are implemented as functional and software instructions embodied in an executable instruction set, which is implemented on a computer or a machine programmed and controlled with said executable instructions. Such instructions are loaded to execute on a processor (e.g., one or more CPUs). The term processor includes a microprocessor, microcontroller, processor module or subsystem (including one or more microprocessors or microcontrollers), or other control or computing device. A processor may refer to a single component or multiple components.

[0128] In other examples, the instruction sets / methods illustrated herein, along with their associated data and instructions, are stored in appropriate storage devices, which are implemented as one or more non-transitory machine- or computer-readable or computer-usable storage media. Such computer-readable or computer-usable storage media are considered part of an article (or article of manufacture). An article or article of manufacture may refer to any single or multiple components manufactured. Non-transitory machine- or computer-usable media as defined herein do not include signals, but such media may be capable of receiving and processing information from signals and / or other transient media.

[0129] Example embodiments of the materials discussed in this specification may be implemented, wholly or in part, via a network, computer, or data-based device and / or service. These may include cloud, Internet, intranet, mobile device, desktop computer, processor, lookup table, microcontroller, consumer device, infrastructure, or other enabling devices and services. As may be used herein and in the claims, the following non-exclusive definitions are provided.

[0130] In one example, one or more instructions or steps discussed in this article are automated. The terms automation or automaticity (and similar variations) mean the use of computers and / or mechanical / electrical devices to control the operation of equipment, systems, and / or processes without human intervention, observation, effort, and / or decision-making.

[0131] It should be understood that any components that are allegedly coupled may be directly or indirectly coupled or connected. In the case of indirect coupling, another component may be placed between the two allegedly coupled components.

[0132] In this specification, exemplary embodiments have been presented with respect to a selected set of details. However, those skilled in the art will understand that many other exemplary embodiments, including different selected sets of these details, can be practiced. It is intended that the appended claims cover all possible exemplary embodiments.

Claims

1. A device, characterized in that, include: At least one ultra-wideband (UWB) device, comprising a transmitter and a receiver, the transmitter being used to transmit ultra-wideband (UWB) frames; One or more processors are configured to control the transmitter and receiver of the at least one UWB device to perform a UWB ranging round using a remote UWB device. The UWB ranging round includes receiving one or more ranging frames and transmitting one or more responses for determining a ranging-based distance between the device and the remote UWB device. The one or more processors are further configured to transmit one or more radar frames during the UWB ranging round and determine one or more radar-based distances between the at least one UWB device and the remote UWB device based on corresponding one or more received reflections of the one or more radar frames. The one or more processors are configured to verify the range-based distance by determining whether the one or more radar-based distances violate one or both of a predetermined minimum possible distance or a predetermined maximum possible distance associated with the at least one UWB device.

2. The device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The one or more processors are configured to: If the distance based on the distance measurement passes verification, then the function activated based on the distance based on the distance measurement is activated; and If the distance based on the distance measurement fails to pass verification, the function activated based on the distance based on the distance measurement is prevented from being activated.

3. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that: (a) The one or more processors are configured to control the transmitter of the one or more UWB devices to transmit the one or more radar frames; or (b) The one or more processors are configured to control the remote UWB device to transmit the one or more radar frames.

4. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The one or more UWB devices are configured to limit the transmission range of the one or more radar frames transmitted during the UWB ranging round relative to the transmission range used for the UWB ranging round.

5. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The one or more processors are configured to control the transmitter and receiver of the at least one UWB device to perform the UWB ranging rounds using the remote UWB device by means of the following operations. (a) In response to receiving one or more ranging frames from the remote UWB device, the transmitter of the at least one UWB device transmits one or more responses to the remote UWB device to determine the ranging-based distance between the device and the remote UWB device; or (b) Implement the transmission of one or more ranging frames to the remote UWB device and implement the processing of one or more responses from the remote UWB device for determining the ranging-based distance between the device and the remote UWB device.

6. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The UWB ranging round includes multiple ranging frames, and the one or more UWB devices are configured to transmit the one or more radar frames between at least two of the multiple ranging frames.

7. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The one or more processors are configured such that each of the at least one UWB device is configured to determine a corresponding ranging distance to the remote UWB device and a corresponding radar-based distance, and each of the at least one UWB device is configured to verify its corresponding ranging distance by determining whether its one or more corresponding radar-based distances violate one or both of a predetermined minimum possible distance or a predetermined maximum possible distance associated with the corresponding at least one UWB device.

8. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, The at least one UWB device includes at least a first UWB device configured to be located in a first position and a second UWB device configured to be located in different second positions, and The one or more processors are configured to control the transmitters and receivers of the first and second UWB devices to each perform a UWB ranging round, the UWB ranging round including receiving one or more ranging frames from the remote UWB device and transmitting one or more responses to the remote UWB device for determining a corresponding ranging-based distance between the respective first and second UWB devices and the remote UWB device, wherein the one or more processors are further configured to control the transmitter of each of the first and second UWB devices to determine at least one or both of a first radar-based distance from the first UWB device to the remote UWB device and a second radar-based distance from the second UWB device to the remote UWB device. The one or more processors are configured to verify the corresponding range-based distance by determining whether one or both of the following conditions exist: The first radar-based range violates one or both of the first predetermined minimum possible range or the first predetermined maximum possible range associated with the first UWB device; or The second radar-based distance violates one or both of the second predetermined minimum possible distance or the second predetermined maximum possible distance associated with the second UWB device.

9. The device according to any one of the preceding claims, characterized in that, One or more of the following conditions exist: The radar frame is transmitted on a different channel than the ranging frame; The radar frame is transmitted using a different antenna than the ranging frame; The radar frame is transmitted using a different code than the ranging frame; or The radar frame is transmitted using a different protection time interval than the ranging frame.

10. A method for controlling a device comprising at least one UWB device, said at least one UWB device comprising a transmitter and a receiver, said transmitter being used to transmit ultra-wideband UWB frames, characterized in that, The method includes: The transmitter and receiver of the at least one UWB device are controlled to perform a UWB ranging round using a remote UWB device, the UWB ranging round including receiving one or more ranging frames and transmitting one or more responses; The distance between the device and the remote UWB device is determined based on the UWB ranging rounds. To enable the transmission of one or more radar frames during the UWB ranging rounds, and Based on one or more received reflections corresponding to the one or more radar frames, determine one or more radar-based distances between the at least one UWB device and the remote UWB device. The range-based distance is verified by determining whether the one or more radar-based distances violate one or both of a predetermined minimum possible distance or a predetermined maximum possible distance associated with the at least one UWB device.

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