UWB communication method, apparatus, and system

Abstract

This application discloses a UWB communication method, apparatus, and system. This UWB communication method includes the steps of transmitting a distance measurement start frame to a plurality of second devices, receiving response frames from a plurality of the second devices in a plurality of response slots, and transmitting a distance measurement end frame to the plurality of second devices, wherein each of the second devices maintains at least two sessions with the first device. This application optimizes UWB distance measurement communication in a multi-session environment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application is filed based on a Chinese patent application with the application number "202410644273.3" and the filing date of May 22, 2024, claims the priority of the Chinese patent application, and incorporates the full text of the Chinese patent application into this application by reference.

[0002] The embodiments of this application relate to wireless communication technologies, and particularly to UWB communication methods, devices, and systems.

Background Art

[0003] As the research on wireless technologies progresses, wireless devices not only have communication capabilities but also can provide measurement functions. By utilizing the communication characteristics of wireless devices in different frequency bands, wireless devices can be equipped with different measurement technologies such as ranging, angle measurement, and positioning. Among these, the measurement technology based on UWB (Ultra Wide Band) communication has many advantages compared to other RF (Radio Frequency) communication measurement means, such as high precision and low cost. Using this technology, the application of devices in fields such as the Internet of Things, industry, and automobiles is expanding.

[0004] As this technology is put into practical use in different application fields, although there are differences in at least one aspect among measurement accuracy, measurement resolution, channel capacity, and communication capabilities, the points that need to be improved have become apparent.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0005] This application provides a UWB communication method, device, and system for solving at least problems related to UWB communication.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] In a first embodiment, the present invention provides a UWB communication method for use in a first device, the method comprising the steps of: transmitting a distance measurement start frame to a plurality of second devices; receiving response frames from a plurality of the second devices in a plurality of response slots; and transmitting a distance measurement end frame to the plurality of the second devices, wherein the first device maintains at least two sessions with different second devices.

[0007] In some examples of the first embodiment, the method further includes the step of performing measurements and calculations using the distance measurement start frame and the transmit / receive timestamps of each of the response frames.

[0008] In some examples of the first embodiment, the distance measurement completion frame includes a measurement value set based on the session.

[0009] In some examples of the first embodiment, the first device transmits UWB signal frames to a plurality of the second devices in the same transmission slot, the UWB signal frames including the distance measurement start frame and / or UWB end frame.

[0010] In some examples of the first embodiment, at least one of the second devices includes a plurality of UWB anchor nodes involved in ranging communication, and the plurality of response slots include each response slot for each UWB anchor node to transmit the response frame.

[0011] In some examples of the first embodiment, consecutive response slots among the plurality of response slots are used for each UWB anchor node in at least one of the second devices to transmit each response frame.

[0012] In some examples of the first embodiment, the distance measurement start frame includes measurement parameters set based on each session.

[0013] In some examples of the first embodiment, the data carried in the UWB signal frames communicated between the first device and each of the second devices is obtained by each information security process set up on each session.

[0014] In some examples of the first embodiment, the data carried in the UWB signal frames communicated between the first device and each of the second devices includes data shared by different sessions.

[0015] In some examples of the first embodiment, during a multi-turn ranging communication period, the number of the multiple response slots for different turns is adjusted according to the updated session.

[0016] In a second embodiment, the present invention provides a UWB communication method for use in a second device, the method comprising: extracting an index of at least one response slot corresponding to the second device from a received distance measurement start frame; transmitting a response frame in the corresponding response slot based on the index of at least one response slot; and receiving a distance measurement end frame, wherein the distance measurement start frame includes measurement parameters set based on at least two sessions, and the index of at least one response slot is set in the measurement parameters to support a distance measurement response performed in one of the sessions.

[0017] In some examples of the second embodiment, the second device includes a plurality of UWB anchor nodes involved in distance measurement communication, The indices of the multiple response slots indicate each response slot for which each UWB anchor node transmits the response frame.

[0018] In some examples of the second embodiment, the method further includes the step of performing measurements and calculations using the distance measurement start frame and the transmit / receive timestamps of each of the response frames.

[0019] In a third aspect, the present application provides a UWB communication system including a first device and a plurality of second devices. The first device establishes at least two sessions with different second devices respectively, and the first device performs ranging communication with each second device by executing each step provided by any one of the first aspects.

[0020] In a fourth aspect, the present application provides a UWB device including a UWB transceiver circuit, a signal processing circuit, and a controller. The controller is connected to the signal processing circuit and the UWB transceiver circuit, and adjusts the signal processing circuit and the UWB transceiver circuit so as to execute the UWB communication method described in any one of the above.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0021] [Figure 1A] It is a time series diagram of ranging communication according to the present application. [Figure 1B] It is another time series diagram of ranging communication according to the present application. [Figure 2] It is a diagram showing the architecture of the UWB communication system of the present application. [Figure 3] It is a schematic flowchart of the UWB communication method of the present application. [Figure 4A] It is a time series diagram of UWB ranging communication. [Figure 4B] It is another time series diagram of UWB ranging communication. [Figure 4C] It is yet another time series diagram of UWB ranging communication.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0022] Hereinafter, the present application will be described in more detail in combination with the drawings and embodiments. It will be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only for the purpose of interpreting the present application and are not limitations to the present application. For convenience of explanation, only the parts related to the present application are shown in the drawings, not the whole structure.

[0023] Some implementations of the technologies described herein can be implemented, for example, in any device, system, or network conforming to any communication standard in IEEE 802.15.4.For example, ultra-wideband standards, IEEE 802.11 standards (e.g., Wi-Fi 5 standards), Bluetooth standards, Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Frequency Division Multiple Access (FDMA), Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), General Packet Radio Service (GPRS), Enhanced Data Rate for GSM Evolution (EDGE), Terrestrial Trunked Radio (TETRA), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Evolution-Data Optimized (EV-DO), 1xEV-DO, EV-DO Rev A, EV-DO Rev B, High-Rate Packet Data (HRPD), High-Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), High-Speed ​​Downlink Packet Access (HSDPA) Examples include systems using technologies such as Downlink Packet Access, High Speed ​​Uplink Packet Access (HSUPA), High-Speed ​​Packet Access+ (HSPA+), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Mobile Phone System (AMPS), or other known signaling networks for communication within the wireless, cellular, or Internet of Things (IoT), such as 3G, 4G, 5G, 6G, or further implementations thereof.

[0024] Unless otherwise specified herein, the same signals (e.g., RF signals), data (or information) as referred to herein are distinguished according to the stage of signal (or data) processing by the wireless device, and signals (or data) in the same processing stage do not represent different meanings due to differences in any one description of the form of the signal (or data) (e.g., electromagnetic waves or radio waves), the transmission method of the signal (or data) (one-sided transmission or differential transmission), signal characteristics (e.g., signal gain, frequency, phase), or the format of the data structure. Here, each processing stage may be divided based on the functional framework of software and hardware, or based on the architecture of the communication protocol. For example, each processing stage may include signal transmission and reception, digital signal processing, measurement calculations, calibration, and information security. Alternatively, each processing stage may be a different stage divided based on the OSI (Open System Interconnect) model.

[0025] Measurement techniques based on UWB communication are techniques that calculate distance and / or angle by measuring the duration, phase, etc., of electromagnetic waves transmitted through the air. This technique can be performed by one or more devices so that the devices provide functions related to distance measurement / angle measurement, positioning, and sensing.

[0026] In an example where a first device and at least one second device establish the same session in advance and calculate measurement values ​​using distance measurement communication, the first device and each second device recognize the initial parameters that need to be set for UWB distance measurement by establishing the session, such as the session required for UWB distance measurement communication and device information (e.g., UWB MAC address). If there are multiple second devices, each second device shares one session in order for each second device to perform measurements with the first device under the scheduling of the same higher-layer application.

[0027] To ensure that the use of measurement techniques based on UWB communication is not limited to protocols set between each device, the first device and each second device communicate for distance measurement by exchanging data packets as shown in Figure 1A. The first device notifies the second devices of the transmission and reception order in which they will communicate for distance measurement with the first UWB device by sending a Pre-Poll packet. According to the transmission and reception order indicated by the Pre-Poll packet, the first device sends a Poll packet to notify each second device of the start of distance measurement and receives response frames one by one according to the transmission and reception order. When the transmission and reception of signal frames has been completed according to the transmission and reception order information, the first device sends a Final packet to notify each second device of the end of distance measurement. The first device also sends a Final data packet to carry the measured distance values ​​with each second device. In some embodiments, the Final data packet may further include various setting parameters necessary for the next distance measurement. Here, the transmission and reception order is like the slots shown as Pre-Poll, Poll, R1, R2, ..., Rm in Figure 1A. R1, R2, ..., Rm are slots in which different second devices transmit response frames within the same session. Here, the measured values ​​include, but are not limited to, the relative distance / angle to each second device calculated by the first device, and / or the transmission timestamp and reception timestamp of each UWB signal frame collected through the ranging communication. Here, a UWB signal frame means one or more of the various data frames transmitted during the ranging communication period, such as Pre-Poll packets, Poll packets, response frames, Final packets, and Final data packets.

[0028] Note that the above signal frames differ depending on the different UWB communication protocol. As shown in Figure 1B, in one ranging turn, the UWB signal frames included in the UWB ranging communication further include RIM (Ranging Initiation Message), RRM (Ranging Response Message), RFM (Ranging Final Message), MRM (Measurement Report Message), RRRM (Ranging Result Report Message), CRUM (Ranging Control Update Message), etc. For example, in the process of a ranging communication between the first and second devices, the first device notifies the second device to feed back an RRM packet in the response slot by sending a RIM packet. The second device then feeds back an RRM packet in the response slot. The first and second devices exchange each detected value for measurement and calculation using the collected measurement information via MRM, RRRM, or CRUM packets, etc., to perform measurement and calculation. Examples of these detected values ​​include timestamps for sending and receiving UBW signal frames, and values ​​related to the phase of UWB signal frames.

[0029] To improve measurement accuracy and reduce the possibility of collisions in distance measurement communications between devices in a multi-session environment, a single measurement is completed by intermittently repeating distance measurement communications between the first device (e.g., Initiator) and each second device (e.g., Responder). Referring to Figure 1A, the period of one distance measurement block (Ranging Block) is divided into five distance measurement turns (Ranging Round) (i.e., one distance measurement block further contains N distance measurement turns, where N is 1 or greater), namely Round 0, Round 1, Round 2, Round 3, and Round 4. The first device and m second devices communicate about distance measurement within the distance measurement turns defined in the distance measurement block. In a single measurement, the Initiator and each Responder can communicate about distance measurement within the distance measurement turns defined in multiple distance measurement blocks to determine the measured result. In the figure, m is 1 or greater.

[0030] However, in some application scenarios, to improve measurement efficiency, the first device establishes a different session with a different second device. For example, between multiple vehicles, between a vehicle and multiple digital keys, or between a terminal and multiple UWB anchor nodes in an IoT scenario, distance measurement communication can be distributed within different distance measurement turns divided within the same distance measurement block time as described above. However, this method has various problems, such as slot contention and channel occupation due to inefficient scheduling between multiple sessions.

[0031] For example, as shown in Figure 2, UWB device A establishes Session_1 with UWB device B1 and Session_2 with UWB device B2. In a system where UWB device A employs a random scheduling policy, within the same distance measurement block time, Session_1 occupies distance measurement turn round index 2, and Session_2 occupies distance measurement turn round index 1. If there are some temporal conflicts in distance measurement turn round index 1 and distance measurement turn round index 2 due to the influence of clock deviations in the synchronization clock systems of different sessions, the distance measurement communication for Session_1 will fail due to the conflict. As the number of sessions maintained by UWB device A increases, the likelihood of distance measurement failure due to conflict increases.

[0032] In the case of UWB device A, during the period when Session_1 and Session_2 coexist, it is necessary to perform distance measurement communication using the distance measurement communication method shown in Figure 1A and send distance measurement start frames with similar structures, such as Pre Poll and Poll packets, to UWB devices B1 and B2, respectively. This significantly increases the power consumption of UWB device A.

[0033] This invention provides a UWB communication method to solve several potential problems in multi-session ranging communications. As shown in Figure 2, during the period when Session_1 and Session_2 coexist, UWB device A is the initiator (e.g., Controller or initiator), and UWB devices B1 and B2 are both responders (e.g., Controller or responder).

[0034] To facilitate the explanation, the UWB communication method in this example will be described using the distance measurement communication process between UWB device A and UWB devices B1 and B2, as shown in Figure 3, and some of the problems mentioned above will be solved. Here, only the communication step of UWB device B1 is shown in Figure 3, and the communication step of UWB device B2 is similar to the communication procedure of UWB device B1.

[0035] In step S11, UWB device A transmits a ranging start frame to UWB devices B1 and B2. Examples of ranging start frames to be transmitted include Pre-Poll packets, Poll packets, or RIM packets. This ranging start frame is identifiable by UWB devices B1 and B2 in different sessions. For example, to ensure that UWB devices B1 and B2 initiate ranging communication, the Pre-Poll package contains device information for UWB devices B1 and B2.

[0036] The ranging start frame includes measurement parameters set for each session, so that UWB devices in different sessions can extract the information necessary for their respective ranging communications within the ranging start frame. Here, the measurement parameters set for each session are included based on the frame structure of the ranging start frame. The measurement parameters set for each session include, but are not limited to, device information for both devices in the ranging communications (e.g., MAC addresses), ranging block index, ranging turn index, response slot index, time synchronization sequence, and session information.

[0037] To shorten the frame length of the distance measurement start frame, in some examples, distance measurement parameters shared by each session, such as the distance measurement block index and distance measurement turn index, can be set in plain text to reduce duplication. To prevent man-in-the-middle attacks, in some examples, some of these measurement parameters may be transmitted after undergoing at least one information security process. This information security process includes an information security processing scheme shared by multiple sessions, and / or an individual information security processing scheme established based on each session. An example of a shared information security processing scheme is transmitting the distance measurement start frame based on an STS (Security Token Service) encryption scheme. An example of an independent information security processing scheme is a scheme that performs encryption and decryption using independent key pairs. Examples of measurement parameters that require information security processing include measurement parameters related to the device's identity, measurement parameters related to the encoding form of the UWB signal, and related measurement parameters indicating transmission and reception timing. Examples of distance measurement parameters that can be transmitted using the information security mechanism described above include device information for both parties in the distance measurement communication (e.g., MAC address), session information, time synchronization sequence, and response slot index.

[0038] The above examples of information security and data sharing are derived from the measurement parameters within the distance measurement start frame. However, in the process of multi-session distance measurement communication, the above data transmission method can be adapted to other data transmissions necessary for distance measurement communication. For example, data carried by any of the UWB signal frames mentioned below. In other words, the data carried by the UWB signal frame includes data for each information security process set based on each session, and / or data that can be shared between different sessions. This UWB signal frame includes, for example, response frames and distance measurement end frames transmitted between UWB devices of each distance measurement communication during the validity period of a multi-session. These will be explained here as well. Duplicate explanations will be omitted below.

[0039] In step S21, both UWB devices B1 and B2 receive the distance measurement start frame and analyze it to obtain measurement parameters suitable for their respective devices, such as the index of at least one response slot. In some embodiments, in order to perform step S22 in the response slot indicated by the response slot index, the measurement parameters may further include the distance measurement block index, distance measurement turn index, time synchronization sequence, device information of UWB device A, etc. One UWB anchor node is set in UWB device B1, and accordingly, one response slot index is assigned to UWB device B1 in the UWB start frame. Multiple UWB anchor nodes are set in UWB device B1, and accordingly, one or more response slot indices are assigned to UWB device B1 in the UWB start frame, and the number correlates with the number of UWB anchor nodes involved in the distance measurement communication.

[0040] In some examples, the index of each response slot extracted by UWB device B1 points to one of several response slots set by UWB device A for UWB devices B1 and B2, respectively. To reduce the possibility of duplication between adjacent response slots due to different synchronization clock systems, the response slot periods set by UWB device A may have some redundancy. The start time of each response slot is determined based on the timestamp of sending / receiving the UWB start frame, a preset delay, and the period of each response slot. The period of each response slot may be carried by the ranging start frame. Alternatively, this response slot period is a value pre-stored in all UWB devices and does not need to be set in the individual ranging communication process. Combining some of the above examples, UWB device A uses the UWB start frame to notify UWB devices B1 and B2 of the transmission timestamp of the UWB start frame and the preset delay of the first response slot set based on the transmission timestamp. In this way, both UWB devices B1 and B2 can calculate the start time of the first response slot. Here, UWB device B1 uses the response slot index corresponding to its own machine, analyzed from the distance measurement start frame, and the time information described above to calculate the start time of each response slot in which each UWB anchor node within UWB device B1 executes step S22.

[0041] The above-described embodiment, in which the start time of the first response slot is included in the distance measurement start frame, is merely an example; the distance measurement start frame may also include information indicating that the first response slot will start at a specified time. A detailed explanation is omitted here.

[0042] In step S22, the UWB device B1 transmits a response frame in the corresponding response slot based on the index of at least one of the response slots. The response frame may include device information of the UWB device B1 and other information necessary for measurement, such as a time synchronization sequence. In some embodiments, the response frame may include a transmission timestamp of the response frame in order to reduce the error between the start time of the response slot and the actual transmission time.

[0043] Since UWB device A assigns each response slot to UWB devices B1 and B2 in chronological order, UWB devices B1 and B2 can assign their respective UWB anchor nodes and transmit each response frame sequentially.

[0044] In step S12, UWB device A receives multiple response frames fed back by each of the multi-session UWB devices B1 and B2 in each sequential response slot, and then transmits a distance measurement completion frame to the multiple second devices. This distance measurement completion frame may be one UWB signal frame or multiple UWB signal frames. This distance measurement completion frame notifies each of the UWB devices B1 and B2 of the completion of distance measurement for this turn, for example, as shown in the Final frame in Figure 1A. This distance measurement completion frame may carry data related to this measurement turn. Examples include measured values ​​such as transmission and reception timestamps of all UWB signal frames recorded by UWB devices involved in different sessions of this distance measurement turn, and / or measured values ​​such as distance / angle.

[0045] For example, UWB device A uses a Final data frame structure to share each recorded measurement value with other devices in different sessions involved in the distance measurement for this turn, namely UWB devices B1 and B2, via the distance measurement completion frame.

[0046] Furthermore, for example, UWB devices A, B1, and B2 share their respective recorded measurement values ​​using distance measurement completion frames such as MRM, RRRM, and CRUM. The sharing method may be similar to the method in this application for efficient transmission by setting response slots for different sessions, or independent data transmission may be performed between the two UWB devices communicating for distance measurement.

[0047] Thus, UWB device A or UWB devices B1 and B2 can all perform measurements and calculations, that is, they can perform step S3 (not shown).

[0048] In step S3, measurements and calculations are performed using the distance measurement start frame and the transmission / reception timestamps of each response frame.

[0049] In the distance measurement communications described above, UWB device A records a first transmission timestamp for sending the UWB start frame and a second reception timestamp for receiving each response frame. Each UWB device B1 and B2 records a first reception timestamp for receiving the UWB start frame locally and a second transmission timestamp for sending the response frame locally. By reporting these timestamps to the UWB devices involved in the distance measurement using the UWB start frame, response frame, or distance measurement end frame, distance / angle and other measurements can be measured and calculated using a measurement algorithm. The distance measurement algorithm includes, but is not limited to, SS_TWR (Single-sided Two-way Ranging) or eSS_TWR (Enhanced Single-sided Two-way Ranging). The angle measurement algorithm includes, but is not limited to, AOA (Angle-of-Arrival).

[0050] Furthermore, this application further considers that dynamic updates may occur during ranging communications due to situations such as the coexistence and non-coexistence of multiple sessions resulting from differences in the start and end times of different sessions, or differences in the effective duration of each session. For this reason, during a ranging communications period spanning multiple turns, the number of response slots set in the UWB start frames of different turns is adjusted according to the updated sessions.

[0051] For example, referring to the time series block shown in Figure 4A, UWB device A establishes session Session_1 with UWB device B1. By establishing session Session_1, UWB device A sets four response slots for the four UWB anchor nodes in UWB device B1 during the distance measurement communication period. During the distance measurement turn Round_11 within distance measurement block Block_1, UWB device A sends a UWB start frame P_start_1 to UWB device B1, and then receives the response frames P_response_11, P_response_12, P_response_13, and P_response_14 from the four UWB anchor nodes in UWB device B1 in the subsequent four response slots. Then, UWB device A sends a distance measurement end frame P_final_1 to complete one distance measurement communication. Of these, in Figure 4A, the distance measurement turn Round_12 period...distance measurement turn Round_1n period is provided primarily to show that distance measurement block Block_1 includes multiple distance measurement turns, and the distance measurement turn Round_12 period...distance measurement turn Round_1n period has a similar meaning to the distance measurement turn Round_11 period described above, so an explanation is omitted here.

[0052] Regardless of the necessary execution order of the distance measurement communication in the above turn, as shown in Figure 4B, UWB device A further establishes session Session_2 with UWB device B2, and by establishing session Session_2, UWB device A determines that it is necessary to communicate distance measurement with the three UWB anchor nodes within UWB device B2. During the distance measurement turn Round_21 within distance measurement block Block_2, UWB device A transmits a UWB start frame P_start_2 to UWB devices B1 and B2 in transmit slot slot_0, and then receives response frames (P_response_11, P_response_12, P_response_13, P_response_14; P_response_21, P_response_22, P_response_23) from the four UWB anchor nodes in UWB device B1 and the three UWB anchor nodes in UWB device B2 in the following seven response slots (Slot_1, ..., Slot_7). Then, UWB device A transmits a distance measurement end frame P_final_2 in transmit slot Slot_8, completing one more distance measurement communication turn. Of these, in Figure 4B, the distance measurement turn Round_22 period...distance measurement turn Round_2n period is provided primarily to show that distance measurement block Block_2 includes multiple distance measurement turns, and the distance measurement turn Round_22 period...distance measurement turn Round_2n period has a similar meaning to the distance measurement turn Round_21 period described above, so an explanation is omitted here.

[0053] Figure 4C shows that Session_1 has expired and UWB device A has ceased to communicate with UWB device B1 for distance measurement. During the distance measurement turn Round_31 within distance measurement block Block_3, UWB device A sends a UWB start frame P_start_3 to UWB device B2, and in the following three response slots, receives response frames P_response_21, P_response_22, and P_response_23 from the three UWB anchor nodes in UWB device B2, respectively. Then, UWB device A sends a distance measurement end frame P_final_3 to complete one distance measurement communication. Of these, in Figure 4C, the distance measurement turn Round_32 period...distance measurement turn Round_3n period is provided primarily to show that distance measurement block Block_3 includes multiple distance measurement turns, and the distance measurement turn Round_32 period...distance measurement turn Round_3n period has a similar meaning to the distance measurement turn Round_31 period described above, so an explanation is omitted here.

[0054] As can be seen, in the process of dynamically maintaining the distance measurement communication for each turn of a session, the duration of each distance measurement turn is not necessarily equal.

[0055] The distance measurement communication method for multiple sessions provided in this application can be flexibly configured in conjunction with other distance measurement communication methods. In some examples, it is compatible with multiple distance measurement modes, such as Hopping mode and No Hopping mode. For example, UWB device A maintains three sessions, Session_1, Session_2, and Session_3, with UWB devices B1, B2, and B3, respectively. Here, UWB device A and UWB device B1 employ No Hopping mode, while UWB device A and UWB devices B2 and B3 all employ Hopping mode. As a result, UWB device A and UWB device B1 communicate about distance measurement in a fixed manner during the first distance measurement turn of each distance measurement block, and UWB device A and UWB devices B2 and B3 communicate about distance measurement using the distance measurement communication method provided in this application during the remaining distance measurement turns of each distance measurement block.

[0056] In some examples, independent ranging communications and / or efficient ranging methods provided by this application are employed depending on each ranging role in a multi-session UWB device, such as Initiator, Responder, Controller, or Controlee. For example, in the setup of sessions Session_1 and Session_2, UWB device A is in the Initiator role, and UWB devices B1 and B2 are in the Responder role. In the setup of session Session_3, UWB device B3 is in the Initiator role, and UWB device A is in the Responder role. Thus, UWB device A communicates for ranging with UWB devices B1 and B2 using the method of this application, and UWB device A and UWB device B3 communicate for ranging individually.

[0057] The UWB device mentioned in any of the above examples may include at least one UWB anchor node. Each UWB anchor node may include a UWB transceiver circuit, a signal processing circuit, and a controller, etc. The controller is connected to the signal processing circuit and the UWB transceiver circuit and adjusts the signal processing circuit and the UWB transceiver circuit to perform each of the above steps S11-S12, S3, or S21-S22, S3 to communicate with or measure and calculate distances with other UWB devices.

[0058] Under the control of the controller, the UWB transmit / receive circuitry within a single UWB anchor node enables wireless transmission of each UWB signal by transmitting and / or receiving UWB signals.

[0059] Signal processing circuits include, for example, dedicated digital circuits or programmable logic circuits. Signal processing circuits within a single UWB anchor node receive signals via UWB transceiver circuits, perform signal analysis on the digitized digital sequence, and report the results of the analysis. Examples of signal analysis include, but are not limited to, signal detection, statistics, and classification using signal frequency spectra, power spectra, phase, etc. Other examples of signal analysis include, but are not limited to, a series of signal processing operations performed on the digital sequence for calibration, wireless environment detection, measurement policies, and reporting of measurement data, such as FFT (Fast Fourier Transform) and signal quality calculations.

[0060] The signal processing circuit adjusts the transmit / receive parameters of the UWB transmit / receive circuit according to the results of the analysis. For example, the signal processing circuit stores the response frame and the start time of a specified response slot in a register according to the available UWB channel detected, and controls the UWB transmit / receive circuit to transmit the response frame when the time reaches the start time of the specified response slot.

[0061] To initiate the operation of the signal processing circuit and UWB transceiver circuit by setting initial data required for their operation in each register, the controller may be configured in a single UWB anchor node. Alternatively, the controller can be located in the UWB device and data-connected to multiple UWB anchor nodes to enable data / command communication between each UWB anchor node and higher-layer applications. For example, the controller can trigger the operation of the signal processing circuit and UWB transceiver circuit in the UWB anchor node by passing data / commands provided by other wireless modules within the UWB device (e.g., BLE (Bluetooth Low Energy) modules) to the UWB anchor node. Examples of data transmitted include any one of the following: various parameters to be set for UWB ranging communication, and various commands transmitted to control UWB ranging communication. Examples of various parameters include the session, start time, device information, ranging block index, ranging turn index, etc., required for UWB ranging communication. Examples of the above commands include commands to perform various security authentications in order to transmit this data, and commands to instruct the UWB device to start performing UWB ranging communication.

[0062] The UWB device according to this application includes, for example, a wireless device such as a UWB chip. The wireless device provides detected target information and / or communication information to the electronic device on which the UWB device is located by transmitting and receiving wireless signals, thereby realizing functions such as target detection and / or communication, and further assisting and controlling the operation of the electronic device.

[0063] When the aforementioned electronic devices are used for tag-based positioning, gate control, and vehicle-key communication, the UWB device can provide technical support to each system in various application scenarios such as undetectable passage, vehicle rental, and positioning.

[0064] The technical features of the embodiments described above can be combined in any way; however, for the sake of brevity, not all possible combinations of the technical features of the embodiments described above have been explained. Nevertheless, any combination of these technical features that does not result in inconsistencies should be considered to fall within the scope of this specification.

[0065] The above describes only preferred embodiments and technical principles of the present application. Those skilled in the art will understand that the present application is not limited to the specific embodiments described herein, and that various obvious modifications, readjustments, and substitutions are possible without departing from the scope of the present application. Therefore, although the present application has been described in detail through the above embodiments, the present application is not limited to these embodiments, and may include many other equivalent embodiments without departing from the concept of the present application, and the scope of the present application is determined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A UWB communication method used in the first device, The steps include transmitting a distance measurement start frame to multiple second devices, The steps include receiving response frames from multiple second devices in multiple response slots, The step of transmitting a distance measurement completion frame to a plurality of the second devices is included, The first device maintains at least two sessions with a different second device. UWB communication method.

2. The UWB communication method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of performing measurement and calculation using the transmission and reception timestamps of the distance measurement start frame and each of the response frames, respectively.

3. The distance measurement completion frame includes the measurement value set based on the session. The UWB communication method according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The first device transmits UWB signal frames to multiple second devices in the same transmission slot. The UWB signal frame includes the distance measurement start frame and / or the UWB end frame. The UWB communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. At least one of the second devices includes a plurality of UWB anchor nodes involved in distance measurement communication, The plurality of response slots include each response slot for each UWB anchor node to transmit the response frame. The UWB communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. Contiguous response slots among the plurality of response slots are used by each UWB anchor node in at least one of the second devices to transmit each response frame. The UWB communication method according to claim 5.

7. The distance measurement start frame includes measurement parameters set based on each session. The UWB communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. The data carried in the UWB signal frames communicated between the first device and each of the second devices is obtained through each information security process set up based on each session. The UWB communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. The data carried in the UWB signal frames communicated between the first device and each of the second devices includes data shared by different sessions. The UWB communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 8.

10. During a multi-turn ranging communication period, the number of response slots in different turns is adjusted according to the updated session. The UWB communication method according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

11. A UWB communication method used in the second device, The steps include extracting the index of at least one response slot corresponding to the second device from the received distance measurement start frame, The steps include sending a response frame in the corresponding response slot based on the index of at least one of the response slots, The steps include receiving a distance measurement completion frame, The distance measurement start frame includes measurement parameters set based on at least two sessions, The index of at least one of the response slots is set in the measurement parameters to support the ranging response performed in one of the sessions. UWB communication method.

12. The second device includes a plurality of UWB anchor nodes involved in distance measurement communication, The indices of the multiple response slots indicate each response slot for which each UWB anchor node transmits the response frame. The UWB communication method according to claim 11.

13. The UWB communication method according to claim 11 or 12, further comprising the step of performing measurement and calculation using the transmission and reception timestamps of the distance measurement start frame and each of the response frames.

14. A UWB communication system comprising a first device and a plurality of second devices, The first device establishes at least two sessions with different second devices, The first device communicates with each of the second devices for distance measurement by performing each of the steps described in any one of claims 1 to 10. UWB communication system.

15. A UWB device including a UWB transceiver circuit, a signal processing circuit, and a controller, The controller is connected to the signal processing circuit and the UWB transmitting / receiving circuit and adjusts the signal processing circuit and the UWB transmitting / receiving circuit to perform the UWB communication method described in any one of claims 1 to 10, or the UWB communication method described in any one of claims 11 to 13. UWB device.

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