Technology for Identifying the Location of an Electronic Device

Abstract

The electronic device may receive a first signal from a first transmitting device at a first time. The electronic device may receive a second signal from a second transmitting device at a second time. The electronic device may access location information for the first transmitting device and the second transmitting device. The electronic device may receive a message including signal timing information from a second electronic device having a known distance relationship to the first transmitting device and the second transmitting device and configured to receive the first signal, the second signal. The electronic device may use the location information and the timing information to determine a location of the electronic device, the location depending on the known distance relationship.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] (Cross - reference to Related Applications) This application claims priority to U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 168,663, filed on March 31, 2021, and U.S. Patent Application No. 17 / 397,676, filed on August 9, 2021, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference.

Background Art

[0002] Location - determination methods enable device positioning and tracking through the capture of precise timing signals. Location - determination methods can use at least a beacon for transmitting signals and a device for receiving signals. However, many location - determination methods, such as asynchronous beaconing, time - difference - of - arrival, or point - to - point ranging, require active beacons that perform both signal transmission and reception. Compared to passive beacons that only transmit signals, active beacons are less energy - efficient due to the calculations involved in signal reception and analysis. In addition, while a single beacon can transmit signals to multiple devices, there is a limit to the number of return signals that an individual beacon can receive and process. Therefore, location - determination methods involving two - way beacons are energy - inefficient and not easily scalable.

[0003] Furthermore, customers are sensitive to privacy concerns, and many location - determination methods, especially those that require the tracked device to transmit signals, can create records of device locations. Customers often have concerns about both companies tracking their movements and people who do not have the right to obtain their location data. However, while beacon - based signal - transmission methods (e.g., time - of - arrival) can be more scalable, they require synchronization with the beacon and still require signal reception and transmission. Therefore, it is desirable to develop a scalable, precise, low - power location - determination method that protects user privacy and is resistant to interference.

Summary of the Invention

[0004] Embodiments provide a time-of-arrival location determination scheme that can be scalable (wherein many devices can receive signals from a single beacon) and that can protect user privacy (wherein devices do not transmit any identifiable information, including their location). Embodiments can avoid direct timing synchronization between the beacon and the device by using a separate electronic device (observation station) whose distance to the beacon is known. In this way, the beacon need not receive a timing signal from the device. Since the beacon only transmits signals (or at least transmits very rarely), it can be an inexpensive and energy-efficient battery-powered beacon.

[0005] Such an observation station device can be connected to a power source, receive the transmitted signals, and transfer timing information to the device whose location is to be determined. Since the distance from the observation station to the beacon is known, the device can determine its location, for example, using the reception time at the observation station and the known distance, or using the reconstructed transmission time from the beacon. Other implementations can determine location in different ways, as described herein for example.

[0006] In addition, errors from clock speed variations can be reduced by transmitting beacon signals frequently. If the observation station can receive all the signals required for the calculations within a sufficiently small window, the clock variations can be made small enough to enable accurate location calculations. By using the time-of-arrival location determination scheme, devices can be tracked through an energy-efficient and scalable process that protects user privacy.

[0007] Other embodiments of the present invention are directed to systems, devices, and computer-readable media associated with the methods described herein. In one embodiment, the computer-readable media receives data and includes instructions for analyzing the data, but does not include instructions for instructing a machine to create data (e.g., sequence nucleic acid molecules). In another embodiment, the computer-readable media includes instructions for instructing a machine to create data. In one embodiment, a computer program product includes a computer-readable media storing a plurality of instructions for controlling a processor to perform operations for the methods described herein. Embodiments are also directed to computer systems configured to perform any of the steps of the methods described herein, and potentially, different components perform individual steps or individual groups of steps.

[0008] Other features and advantages of embodiments of the present invention will be understood by referring to the remaining portions of the specification including the drawings and claims. Further features and advantages, as well as the structure and operation of various embodiments of the present invention, will be described in detail below with respect to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, like reference numerals indicate identical or functionally similar elements.

Brief Description of the Drawings

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[0022] In some illustrative implementations, like reference numerals in the various drawings indicate like elements. Additionally, multiple instances of an element can be indicated by following a first number and a second number for an element with a letter or a hyphen.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0023] Some embodiments are directed to technologies for communication techniques that use a transmitting device, such as a beacon, installed in a location (e.g., a device, a method, a memory or a non-transitory computer-readable medium storing code or instructions executable by one or more processors).

[0024] A mobile device can be located using technologies that use a network of transmitting devices (e.g., beacons). Generally, these location technologies can involve determining the transmission time and arrival (receiving) time of signals sent from the transmitting device to the mobile device. The distance between the transmitting device and the mobile device can be calculated by dividing the travel time of the signal (the difference between the transmission time and the arrival time) by the speed of the signal. To improve location accuracy, the location technology can reduce timing errors. Generally, timing can be improved by synchronizing the clock of the transmitting device and the clock of the mobile device so that the travel time of the signal is precise. However, the synchronization accuracy with a beacon typically requires complex transmission technologies and devices that use two-way communication and accurate clocks, which can cause scalability and cost issues for the beacon.

[0025] Following a brief review of the following location technologies, further details of the embodiments of the present disclosure follow. I. Location Technologies

[0026] FIG. 1 shows some exemplary location determination methods 100 that use a transmission device to locate an electronic device. Such techniques can include one or more transmission devices 104 (e.g., beacons) configured to emit signals. Such signals can be elastic waves or electromagnetic waves 106 and can be formed using ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless technology. A. Time of Arrival

[0027] An electronic device 102 (e.g., a mobile device, smartphone, tablet computer, wearable device, or laptop computer) is shown as part of a time-of-arrival (TOA) locationing scheme. TOA locationing involves precisely timing the arrival of signals transmitted from transmit devices 104, 108, 112, 115 to the electronic device 102. For example, transmit device 104 emits an elastic wave or electromagnetic wave 106 that is received by the electronic device 102. Transmit device 104 may be battery-powered and connected to a power source, or may be powered by a renewable source such as a built-in solar cell. Each of the transmit devices 104, 108, 112, 115 can have a known position, and this known position can be used along with timing information to calculate the location of the electronic device. The elastic wave or electromagnetic wave 106 can be a sound wave, light wave, radio wave, or any other wave that propagates at a known speed. The distance between the transmit device 104 and the electronic device 102 can be calculated by measuring the time the signal 106 leaves the transmit device 104 and the time the signal 106 arrives at the electronic device 102. The signal 106 can include a message having a timestamp indicating the transmission time to determine the travel time and thus the range to the electronic device 102. For such a scheme to be accurate, the clock of the transmit device 104 must be synchronized with the clock of the electronic device 102. Even a difference less than a second can result in an inaccurate range determination. In various embodiments, other wireless signals (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy advertising signals) can be used to synchronize the various devices and notify the electronic device 102 of the time the signal 106 is transmitted.

[0028] When the transmission time and the arrival time are received and recorded at the electronic device 102, the distance between the electronic device 102 and the transmit device 104 can be determined by multiplying the travel time of the signal by the propagation speed of the signal. For example, in the case of an electromagnetic wave, the distance can be equal to the elapsed time multiplied by the speed of light.

[0029] The distance of the electronic device from the transmitting device 104 can be calculated using a single transmitting device, but multiple transmitting devices 108, 112, 115 can be used to determine the position of the electronic device. The two-dimensional position can be determined using at least two transmitting devices. By using the second transmitting device 108 and the second signal 110, the position of the electronic device along the axis between the two transmitting devices can be calculated by determining the distance of the electronic device from each of the transmitting devices 104, 108, 112, 115. The three-dimensional position can be determined using at least three transmitting devices 104, 108, 112, 115. Thus, using the third transmitting device 112 and the third signal 114, the location of the electronic device on a Cartesian plane or other graph can be determined using the distance of the electronic device from each of the transmitting devices. B. Alternative Positioning Techniques

[0030] Alternative location determination methods, including asynchronous beaconing, time difference of arrival, and point-to-point ranging, are also shown in FIG. 1. These alternative location determination methods generally require more sophisticated transmit devices that are less energy efficient than the devices in the time of arrival location determination method. These location determination techniques generally require synchronization between the clocks of the transmit devices. Achieving synchronization across a network of transmit devices can be difficult due to the precise timing required for accurate location determination. Since the time used in the calculations can be very accurate, natural variations in the clock frequency that may result from thermal noise, phonon scattering, electromagnetic noise, or mechanical vibrations can desynchronize the clocks of the transmit devices. These errors may be small, but when precise timing is required, small errors in timing can result in inaccurate location calculations. Eliminating the need to synchronize the transmit devices can reduce location errors and result in a more precise location determination method. Additionally, the precise clocks that may be required for these location determination techniques can be energy inefficient. Synchronization can also involve periodic signals between transmit devices to ensure that the clocks are adjusted. Receiving signals transmitted by other transmit devices can require additional components and calculations, which can result in more expensive transmit devices that may not be able to operate on battery power.

[0031] Asynchronous beaconing is an alternative location determination method that is similar to time of arrival, except that the transmitting devices 118, 126 do not have synchronized clocks. Similar to time of arrival, the first transmitting device 118 can emit a signal 120a that can be detected by the electronic device 116 and used to determine the distance between the electronic device and the transmitting device. However, the signal 120b can also propagate towards the second transmitting device 126 and thereby be detected. The second transmitting device 126 can emit a signal 124 in response to the signal 120b from the first transmitting device 118. The signal 120 can propagate towards the electronic device 116 as well as the first transmitting device 118 and the third transmitting device 122 until all the transmitting devices generate signals and the electronic device 116 can calculate the location of the devices. Thus, the transmitting devices in the asynchronous beaconing method must both transmit and receive signals.

[0032] Time difference of arrival (TDOA) involves calculating the location of the electronic device 128 by measuring the difference between the time that a signal 132 transmitted by the transmitting device 130 arrives at the electronic device and the time that a signal 136b transmitted by the second transmitting device 138 arrives at the electronic device 128. The difference between TDOA and TOA is that TOA does not require synchronization between the transmitting devices. TDOA transmitting devices exchange signals 134 and 136a to ensure that the clocks of the two devices are synchronized and the transmissions are broadcast simultaneously. Thus, the transmitting devices configured for TDOA location determination can include higher quality clocks and receivers that can make the transmitting devices less energy efficient than those configured for TOA location determination.

[0033] Point-to-point ranging is a location determination method that may be desirable when the clock in the transmitting device 142 cannot be synchronized with the clocks in other transmitting devices. A signal 144 can be transmitted from the electronic device 140 to the transmitting device 142. When the signal is received by the transmitting device, a return signal 146 is broadcast by the transmitting device and received by the electronic device. The return signal includes the delay between the detection of the first signal 144 at the transmitting device and the broadcast of the return signal 146 from the transmitting device to the electronic device. The time it takes for the signal to travel between the transmitting device 142 and the electronic device 140 can be determined by finding the time between the transmission of the signal 144 and the reception of the signal 146, subtracting the delay from this total, and dividing the remaining total by two. Thus, the electronic device can determine the distance between the electronic device and the transmitting device by multiplying the speed of signal propagation by the time calculation sum. These techniques can be difficult to perform on the scale of hundreds or thousands of devices that use the information of the transmitting device for the location determination of the electronic device. II. Time-of-Arrival Location Determination Without Synchronization

[0034] In various embodiments, the time-of-arrival location determination techniques described herein can be used to determine the location of an electronic device based on signals from two or more transmitting devices. Such techniques are energy efficient, provide scalability, and can avoid security concerns.

[0035] The arrival time technology described herein can enable a large number of users to determine their exact locations (e.g., in a large venue) using low-power asynchronous transmission devices. Since the transmission devices may only transmit signals to achieve location determination, the scalability of the location determination technology is not limited by the number of signals that each transmission device can receive and process. Further, since some of the transmission devices do not necessarily need to be configured to receive and process signals, the transmission devices can be less expensive and more energy-efficient than the devices used in other location determination technologies.

[0036] Embodiments can achieve such advantages by using a separate device (e.g., separate from the beacon) that can provide timing information from multiple beacons. This separate device has a known distance to the beacon and can function as an observation point for the signal. Since the observation point has a known distance to the beacon, the arrival time of the beacon signal at the observation point can be used, along with the known distance, to determine the transmission time of the beacon signal, thereby enabling location determination without the need for such functionality at the beacon. Assuming that one observation point can serve multiple beacons, efficiency (e.g., cost, scalability, etc.) can be achieved even when the observation point performs some synchronization with a mobile device. The accurate time clock at the observation point and the accurate time clock at the electronic device can be used to ensure that the electronic device and the observation point are temporally synchronized within a specific threshold for precise measurements.

[0037] Figure 2 shows a location identification technique 200 that uses a single observation location 216 and three transmission devices 202, 206, and 210. The three transmission devices 202, 206, and 210 can be used to determine the location of the electronic device 214. Although Figure 2 shows three transmission devices, other numbers of transmission devices can also be used. The location can be a two-dimensional or three-dimensional location, as described above. The first transmission devices 202, 206, and 210 can transmit signals 204 that are received by both the electronic device 214 and the observation location 216.

[0038] The observation location 216 can be an electronic device that includes one or more processors, a receiver (e.g., a UWB receiver), and memory. In various embodiments, the observation location 216 can transmit signals and perform two-way communication with various devices. In various embodiments, the observation location 216 can determine the range (distance) to each of one or more transmission devices (e.g., the first transmission device 202, the second transmission device 206, and the third transmission device 210).

[0039] The range between each of the transmission devices 202, 206, and 210 and the observation location 216 can be determined using various methods. In some embodiments, the range between each of the transmission devices 202, 206, and 210 and the observation location 216 is uploaded to the memory of the observation location directly by the observation location 216 or via a remote device that transmits information to the observation location 216 or the electronic device 214 over a network.

[0040] In some embodiments, the transmission devices 202, 206, 210 or the observation station 216 may be configured to periodically determine the range between the transmission devices 202, 206, 210 and the observation station 216 using any of the techniques described above in Section I. The observation station 216 can include an accurate timing device (e.g., a GNSS-based clock) that enables more accurate time measurement. Also, since there can be only one observation station for many (e.g., 3 to 20) beacons, the cost of such an accurate timing device is not excessive. As an example, the observation station 216 can be powered by a battery, renewable power, or a local power source 218.

[0041] Each of the first transmission device 202, the second transmission device 206, and the third transmission device 210 can transmit signals 204, 208, and 212 that can be received by both the electronic device 214 and the observation station 216. Both the observation station 216 and the electronic device 214 can record the time when each signal 204, 208, 212 is received by the receiver. The time can be recorded in the memories of the observation station 216 and the electronic device 214 respectively. Since the transmission devices 202, 206, 210 can operate asynchronously and the electronic device 214 or the observation station 216 can record timing information, the transmission devices 202, 206, 210 do not need to record and transmit the time when each of the signals 204, 208, 212 is transmitted. The observation station 216 can determine the timing information for each of the transmission devices 202, 206, and 210.

[0042] The timing information can include the transmission time of the signals from each of the transmission devices 202, 206, 210. The transmission time can be determined using the following formula. t1 = t' - range / c. Here, t1 is the transmission time, t' is the reception time, and c is the speed of light.

[0043] The transmission time (t1) can be determined by receiving signals 204, 208, 212 from transmission devices 202, 206, 210 within a known range from the observation location 216. The reception time of the signals can be received by the receiver at the observation location 216 and stored in the memory of the observation location 216. The reception time can be measured using an accurate clock at the observation location 216. Generally, to accurately determine an accurate position, the system requires an accurate clock and, in some cases, accuracy within a few nanoseconds. The reception time (t') can be recorded for each of the plurality of transmission signals 204, 208, 212. In some embodiments, each of the plurality of transmission signals 204, 208, 212 can be identified by an identifier for the transmitter devices 202, 206, 210 as part of the signals 204, 208, 212. In some examples, the observation location 216 can determine which transmission device transmitted the signals 204, 208, 212 via the identification characteristics of the signals or the ordering of the signals 204, 208, 212. If the observation location 216 is within a known range from the transmission devices 202, 206, 210, the observation location 216 can determine the transmission time (t1) using the following formula. Reception time (t2) - Transmission time (t1) = Propagation range / Speed.

[0044] As shown in FIG. 2, the range up to one or more of the transmission devices 202, 206, 210 is d green , d blue , and d yellow as shown. One or more reception times of the signals from one or more of the transmission devices 202, 206, 210 (e.g., t' green , t' blue , and t' yellow ) can be recorded by the receiver / transceiver at the observation location 216 and stored in the memory of the observation location 216.

[0045] Since the transmitting devices 202, 206, 210 do not need to record / transmit timing information, the transmitting devices 202, 206, 210 do not require an accurate clock, or even if they have an accurate clock, they do not require the accurate clock to be continuously operating. In addition, since these devices 202, 206, 210 do not need to continuously operate to maintain a synchronized clock, power can be saved. Instead, each transmitting device 202, 206, 210 can remain in a low-power mode, and the device can periodically turn on the power to transmit a signal.

[0046] Furthermore, the electronic device 214 can operate an accurate clock while its location is being determined, but the electronic device 214 does not need to continuously operate that accurate clock. The clock of the electronic device only needs to operate long enough to receive signals from the transmitting devices 202, 206, 210 sufficient for performing location calculations. When the electronic device 214 is not actively determining its location, or after receiving signals from a sufficient number of transmitting devices 202, 206, 210, the power of the precision clock can be turned off. An accurate clock can consume a lot of power, and enabling the electronic device 214 to run its clock for only a short period of time makes the location determination process more energy-efficient.

[0047] The observation station 216 can calculate timing information. The timing information can include the transmission time (t1) for each of the signals 204, 208, 212 from the transmitting devices 202, 206, 210.

[0048] In some embodiments, the timing information can include both the range (distance) from the observation station 216 to the transmitting devices 202, 206, 210 and the reception time for each of the signals 204, 208, 212 at the observation station 216.

[0049] Periodically, the timing information from the observation station 216 can be transmitted to the electronic device 214. The timing information can be transmitted via Bluetooth®, Wi-Fi®, UWB, or indirectly via any radio wave directly from the observation station 216 to the electronic device 214 or through another device or via a network (e.g., the Internet).

[0050] The observation station 216 can transmit this timing information to the electronic device 214 via the signal 220. When the electronic device 214 receives the timing information, it can use the timing information, the stored information regarding the exact locations of the transmission devices 202, 206, 210, and the received signals (t green t blue and t yellow ) to determine its location. In various embodiments, the electronic device 214 can use the timing information including the transmission time (t1) for each of the signals 204, 208, 212 from the transmission devices 202, 206, 210. The electronic device 214 can determine the elapsed time multiplied by the speed of light to calculate the range (distance) to each of the transmission devices 202, 206, 210. The elapsed time can be calculated by subtracting the transmission time of the signals 204, 208, 212 from the reception time of the signals 204, 208, 212 at the electronic device 214. The elapsed time can be measured in seconds or fractions of a second. After the range (distance) from the electronic device 214 to each of the transmission devices 202, 206, 210 is determined, the electronic device 214 can use an application to map the range to the locations of the transmission devices 202, 206, 210 in the room.

[0051] For example, the electronic device 214 can access stored information regarding the exact locations of the transmission devices 202, 206, 210 and map the transmission devices to two-dimensional or three-dimensional coordinates with respect to the location. The electronic device 214 can determine a range from each of the one or more transmission devices 202, 206, 210 by determining a time difference between the reception time at the electronic device 214 and the transmission time from the timing information received from the observation point 216. The range can be determined by multiplying the time difference by the speed of light. After the range to each of the transmission devices 202, 206, 210 is determined, the range information can be mapped to the coordinates of the location to determine the exact location of the electronic device 214 at the location.

[0052] The stored information regarding the exact locations of the transmission devices 202, 206, 210 can be received from an application. For example, a user can download one or more room templates that map the locations of the one or more transmission devices and / or the observation point 216, and use this room template to accurately determine the location of the electronic device 214 within the room at that location. For example, a store can enable a user to download an application for the store layout that provides the electronic device 214 with exact information about the locations of the one or more transmission devices. The locations of the one or more transmission devices may not be shown on a display. Alternatively, the electronic device 214 can transmit the timing information of the signals received from the transmission devices 202, 206, 210 to the observation point 216. The observation point 216 can calculate the location of the electronic device and transmit the location information to the electronic device 214.

[0053] Since the transmitting devices 202, 206, 210 only transmit signals, the signals from the transmitting devices 202, 206, 210 can be received simultaneously by many electronic devices 214 without being subject to any of the limitations associated with the two-way ranging process. Conversely, the location determination method in which the transmitting devices 202, 206, 210 receive signals from the electronic devices 214 is limited by the number of signals that each transmitting device 202, 206, 210 can receive and process. By using the transmitting devices 202, 206, 210 that only transmit signals, the embodiments described herein can scale to provide location information to many electronic devices 214 that can receive the signals 204, 208, 212.

[0054] In some embodiments, the time-of-arrival location determination technique may include more than three transmitting devices. More than three transmitting devices can enable the implementation of the time-of-arrival location determination technique in large spaces that cannot be effectively covered by a smaller number of transmitting devices. Alternatively, more than three transmitting devices can allow one or more beacons to be taken offline for either charging or maintenance without interrupting the tracking of the electronic device. When using more than three beacons, three of the beacons can be selected for location determination calculations based on device signal strength or proximity. Since the transmitting devices 202, 206, 210 are asynchronous, the transmitting devices 202, 206, 210 can be replaced without affecting the location accuracy. New transmitting devices 202, 206, 210 in synchronous location techniques need to synchronize their clocks with other devices, but asynchronous transmitting devices can be immediately used to calculate the exact location of the mobile device. III. Exemplary Use Cases

[0055] In various embodiments, location technology can be used to provide the user with sufficient information to calculate the user's exact location (e.g., within 10 to 15 centimeters). By enabling the mobile device to calculate its own exact location, the user can use location services without fear that the company is tracking their location or that the location information will be leaked to unauthorized persons. Further, since these technologies do not require the mobile device to transmit any identifying information (e.g., a unique user identifier (UUID)), the privacy of the information stored on the user's device can be protected.

[0056] For example, in one use case, the technology can be used to assist shoppers in finding products within a physical store. For example, the transmitting devices can be placed throughout the physical store. The customer uses their mobile device to receive signals from the transmitting devices and uses the observation points to determine their exact location within the store. This technology can employ an application (app) that provides the store layout. The exact location information can be used to guide the customer to selected items within the store.

[0057] In another use case, the technology can be used in large venues (e.g., amusement parks or sports stadiums). The transmitting devices can be placed throughout the stadium. The user's mobile device can receive signals from the transmitting devices and the observation points to determine their exact location within the venue. An application can be used to provide the venue layout to the user. The exact location information can be used to guide customers to their seats or to specific areas within the venue (e.g., restrooms, concession stands, etc.).

[0058] In yet another use case, the present technology can be used to determine the exact location of a mobile device for electronic payment for transportation. For example, the transmitting device can be placed near the entrance to a public transportation system. The mobile device can receive signals from the transmitting device and the observation point to determine the exact location of the mobile device and enable contactless payment (e.g., Near Field Communication (NFC) payment).

[0059] In yet another use case, the present technology can be used to determine the estimated location within a linear queue. The transmitting device can be placed along the linear queue. The mobile device can receive signals from the transmitting device and the observation point to estimate the distance to the end of the queue. A. Two beacons in a sequential queue

[0060] Using two transmitting devices, the location of the mobile device along the axis passing through each transmitting device can be calculated. Embodiments according to the present disclosure can be used to track several device positions within a sequential queue, such as the order of users within a taxi queue, or the position of individuals along a line.

[0061] FIG. 3A shows an exemplary use case 300 of an arrival time location identification technique for tracking electronic devices within a sequential queue. In various embodiments, the observation point 306 can be placed between the first transmitting device 302 and the second transmitting device 310. FIG. 3A shows a first location 304 and a second location 308 along an axis 312 between the first transmitting device 302 and the second transmitting device 310.

[0062] Observation station 306 can be an electronic device including a receiver (e.g., a UWB receiver). In various embodiments, observation station 306 can transmit signals and perform two-way communication with various devices. In various embodiments, the observation station can determine the range to each of one or more transmitting devices (e.g., the first transmitting device 302 and the second transmitting device). In various embodiments, observation station 306 can include an accurate timing device (e.g., a GNSS-based clock). In various embodiments, observation station 306 can be powered by a battery, a renewable power source, or a local power source.

[0063] The transmitting devices 302, 310 can be small, low-power devices configured to broadcast signals, while the observation station 306 can be connected to a power outlet and configured to perform both signal broadcasting and reception. The transmitting devices 302, 310 may not always need to be powered on, can be turned off to conserve battery, and can be periodically turned on to broadcast signals. The transmitting devices 302, 310 may not need to record timing information and may not require a precise clock with nanosecond accuracy. The positions of the beacons can be known, and this information can be stored in the memory of the observation station 306, transmitted to an electronic device, or stored in a server and retrieved by the electronic device or the observation station 306. The observation station 306 only needs to know the distances to each of the transmitting devices 302, 310. This information can be manually entered into the observation station 306, retrieved from a database, or the observation station 306 can determine the distances through a ranging process. The ranging process can include transmitting devices capable of receiving signals from the observation station 306. The electronic device can be positioned and possibly tracked along an axis 312 that extends between the first transmitting device 302, the observation station 306, and the second transmitting device 310. The electronic device can have an accurate timing device (e.g., a clock) for determining the signal arrival time. The accurate timing device of the electronic device may operate continuously, but can also be turned off to conserve power and periodically turned on to receive signals and record timing information.

[0064] FIG. 3B shows an exemplary graph showing the estimated position 320 of an electronic device corresponding to locations 1-304 shown in FIG. 3A. The y-axis represents the position in meters and the x-axis represents the time in seconds. The graph also shows a first transmitter device position 322, a second transmitter device position 314, and an observation location position 316. The actual position 318 of the electronic device, represented by a series of points, is also shown. The deviation between the plot of the estimated position 320 of the electronic device and the actual position 318 can be due to interference, processing delays, backscattering, or other inaccuracies in the accurate timing device.

[0065] FIG. 3C shows an exemplary graph representing the estimated position 328 of an electronic device when the actual position 326 of the device corresponds to location 2-308 shown in FIG. 3A. The location 332 of the first transmitter device is shown along with the observation location 330 and the position 324 of the second transmitter device. Similar to FIG. 3B, the deviation between the plot of the estimated position 328 of the electronic device and the actual position 326 can be due to interference, processing delays, backscattering, or other inaccuracies in the accurate timing device. The observation location 306 is shown as being located between the two transmitter devices 302, 310, but other configurations where the observation location 306 is not between the transmitter devices are also possible. B. Sequential Updates

[0066] FIG. 4A shows an embodiment of the present disclosure having one tracked device, two transmitter devices, and one observation location. FIG. 4B is a timing diagram for the broadcast of signals from the transmitter devices to the observation location and the mobile device.

[0067] FIG. 4A shows an exemplary use case 400 for time-of-arrival positioning using a single observation location 414, a first transmitter device 410, and a second transmitter device 406. As shown, the first transmitter device 410 transmits (broadcasts) a first signal 412 that is received by the electronic device 404 and the observation location 414. The second transmitter device 406 can also transmit a second signal 408 that is received by both the electronic device 404 and the observation location 414.

[0068] Signals 408, 412 can be broadcast at various frequencies (e.g., once per second or more frequently). The frequency of the clock at the observation location or the electronic device can vary over time, and thus, the measurement of the received transmission time for distance calculation can be most precise when signals 408, 412 are received within a small time window. Observation location 414 can have a precise clock up to nanoseconds to accurately measure the arrival times of signals 408, 412. In various embodiments, the arrival times of signals 408b, 412b can be stored in the memory of observation location 414. Observation location 414 can store the distances (ranges) between observation location 414 and each of one or more transmission devices (e.g., the first transmission device 410 and the second transmission device 406). Observation location 414 can determine the exact transmission times (t1) of signals 408b, 412b respectively by subtracting from the arrival time (t2) the difference obtained by dividing the range to the beacon by the speed of light. t1 = t2 - range / speed of light (c).

[0069] Observation location 414 can determine the timing information for each of transmission devices 406, 410. The timing information can include the transmission time (t1) and / or one or more reception times (t2). The timing information can also include the range if the electronic device 404 does not yet have the range to one or more of the transmission devices 406. Electronic device 404 can use the transmission time (t1) and / or the reception time at the electronic device 404 to calculate the range (distance) to one or more transmission devices 406, 410. In some embodiments, electronic device 404 can calculate the transmission times of one or more transmission devices 406, 410 using the ranges (distances) from observation location 414 to one or more transmission devices 406, 410 and one or more reception times (t2). The clocks between observation location 414 and the electronic device can be synchronized. The synchronization can be achieved using an accurate timing signal (e.g., a GNSS timing signal).

[0070] Periodically, the timing information from the observation station 414 can be transmitted to the electronic device 404. The timing information can be transmitted via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB, or indirectly via any radio wave directly from the observation station 414 to the electronic device 404 or through another device or via a network (e.g., the Internet). The electronic device 404 can also have an accurate clock that can be used to measure the arrival times of signals 408a, 410a from the transmitting devices, although the clock may not need to operate continuously. The clock of the electronic device can be activated at short intervals to determine the accurate device location and turned off to save power. When the device 404 receives the timing information from the observation station 414, the electronic device 404 can calculate its coordinates 402 that can include Cartesian coordinates (x, y, z, and the velocity V in the x, y, z directions). One method for determining the location of the electronic device 404 is to determine the range to each of the transmitting devices 406, 410 based on the difference in arrival times and then use that range to triangulate the location. The coordinates 402 can be three-dimensional or two-dimensional and can include velocity as well as position. Alternatively, the electronic device 404 can transmit signal timing information to the observation station 414. In various embodiments, the observation station 414 can calculate the location of the electronic device and then transmit the calculated location to the electronic device 404.

[0071] Figure 4B shows a timing chart of broadcasts from the first transmitting device 418 and the second transmitting device 420. Figure 4B shows that the transmitting devices can transmit signals at various times and that the observation station 428 and the electronic device 430 can adjust their timings to determine the location of the electronic device 430 at one or more times.

[0072] The signal reception times at the observation station 428 are shown on the left side of the graph, and the signal reception times at the electronic device 430 are shown on the right side of the graph. For example, the signal 422 transmitted from the first transmitting device 418 is at time tb-1 can reach the observation point 428. The signal 422 can be received by the electronic device 430 at time t b-1 For example, the signal 424 transmitted from the second transmission device 420 can reach the observation point 428 at time t y- 1. The signal 424 can be received by the electronic device 430 at time t y-1 Similarly, the signal 426 transmitted from the second transmission device 420 can reach the observation point 428 at time t y- 1. The signal 426 can be received by the electronic device 430 at time t y-2 The signals 422, 424, and 426 do not necessarily need to be transmitted sequentially from the transmission devices 418 and 420. Signals from one transmission device, such as 424 and 426, can be transmitted multiple times as long as one signal from each transmission device is transmitted within a time frame where the signal from the second transmission device 420 is small enough before the signal from the second transmission device 420 is transmitted. Each of the transmission devices 418 and 420 can operate at different frequencies from each other. In some embodiments, the transmission devices 418 and 420 can operate at the same or different transmission frequencies.

[0073] The observation point 428 can transmit information such as the above-mentioned timing information to the electronic device 430. The electronic device 430 can use this information to resolve which timing signal corresponds to which transmission device 428, 420 (e.g., using the label in the information transmitted from the observation point 428) in order to determine the location of the electronic device 430. The correspondence between time t y-2 and time t' y-2 The correspondence between time t y-2 and time t' y-1Conversely, these can be determined as the two times when they are closest to each other. Either the observation point 428 or the electronic device can use a Kalman filter to provide a more precise position measurement over time. Kalman filtering, also known as linear quadratic estimation (LQE), uses a series of measurements observed over time, including statistical noise and other inaccuracies, to estimate the joint probability distribution over variables for each time frame, generating an estimate of an unknown variable that tends to be more precise than one based on a single measurement only. The reception of radio frequency (RF) signals from the transmission devices 418, 420 is subject to the effects of noise, interference, and multipath propagation of the signals, so Kalman filtering can be used for the received time signals.

[0074] FIG. 4B shows that the transmission of signals from the transmission devices 418, 420 does not need to be periodic. In addition, the timing correspondence can be resolved by using labels (different labels for different transmission devices) to link the reception times for the observation point 428 and the electronic device 430 by using the fact that their reception times are closest, so the signals from the transmission devices do not need to be synchronized with each other.

[0075] FIG. 5 shows a triangulation technique 500 of an electronic device 520 using signals 502 transmitted from three transmission devices 510a, 510b, 510c. The signals 502a, 502b, 502c can radiate omnidirectionally as shown in FIG. 5. By measuring the time difference between each transmission of the signals 502a, 502b, 502c and the respective reception times of the signals 502a, 502b, 502c at the electronic device 520, the ranges or distances from the transmission devices 502a, 502b, 502c and the electronic device 520 can be provided. The ranges can be shown as circular ranges around the transmission devices 502a, 502b, 502c, and the intersection points 530 of the range circles can be used to determine the exact location of the electronic device 520.

[0076] The transmitting devices 502a, 502b, 502c do not need to be synchronized to transmit signals. The transmitting devices 502a, 502b, 502c can broadcast signals at a constant rate or a variable rate. In various embodiments, the broadcast signal can be transmitted approximately every 200 milliseconds. The transmitting devices 502a, 502b, 502c can be placed in locations that optimize the reception and triangulation of signals across the room. For example, the location of the transmitting devices can be located at different parts of the walls, ceiling, or floor of the room. C. Multiple Observation Points for Large Venues

[0077] FIG. 6 depicts an exemplary use case of a location identification technique 600 with two observation points, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. This technique can be used to identify the location of an electronic device 606 in a wide environment when there is a possibility that a single observation point may not be able to receive signals from each transmitting device (e.g., 602), and can be useful for providing continuity of location determination as the mobile device moves across the wide environment. This technique can enable a seamless handoff from one observation point to another when signals from at least one transmitting device are received by both observation points.

[0078] The first observation location 608 may receive the signal 604c from the transmission device 602. The second observation location 612 can receive the signal 604 from the same transmission device 602. In some implementations, when the signal 604a from at least one transmission device is received by the first observation location 608 and the signal 604b from at least one transmission device 602 is received by the second observation location 612, multiple transmission devices may be used to calculate the position of the electronic device. In this scenario, the position of the electronic device can be calculated when signals from at least one transmission device 602 are received by both observation locations 608, 612. The transmission device 602 can transmit the signal 604a received by the electronic device 606 and the two observation locations. Since the first observation location 608 and the second observation location 610 can receive the signal 604 from the same transmission device 602 with a known location, each of the two observation locations 608, 612 can calculate the time when the signal 604 was transmitted.

[0079] When the signal is received by both observation locations 608, 612 from a transmission device 602 having a known distance from each observation location, the signal is a common data point that enables the synchronization of the two observation location clocks. Each observation location can know the speed of the signal, the distance between the observation location and the transmission device, and the time it takes for the signal to reach the observation location. Using this data, the time when the signal was transmitted can be calculated for the clock of each observation location by multiplying the speed of the signal by the distance between the observation location and the transmission device to obtain the flight time between the transmission device and the observation location. Subtract the flight time from the time the signal reached the observation location to obtain the time the signal was transmitted.

[0080] When both observation locations receive the same signal from the same transmitting device, the time calculated that the common signal was transmitted is a common data point that enables the clocks of the observation locations to be synchronized. Such common data points can be included in the system of linear equations to be solved for the location, and the common data points enable the measurements by both observation locations to be included in the same system of equations. In some implementations, more than two observation locations can be used as long as each observation location receives signals received by another transmitting device from the transmitting device. Using the clocks of both observation locations synchronized by the common signal 604 from the transmitting device 602, each observation location 608, 612 can transmit signals 610, 614 that are timing information about the transmitting device received by the individual observation location. Since the clocks are synchronized, the timing information can be accurate enough for precise location determination. IV. Location Determination Flow

[0081] As described above, the mobile device and the observation location can cooperate to determine the location of the mobile device using the transmission signals from the beacon. The location can be determined in various ways, for example, when the observation location stores the known distance information to the beacon, or when the mobile device stores this known distance information. Exemplary techniques will be described below. A. Mobile Device

[0082] FIG. 7 is a flowchart of an exemplary process 700 related to techniques for locating an electronic device (e.g., a mobile device) executed by an electronic device. In some implementations, one or more of the process blocks of FIG. 7 may be executed by an electronic device (e.g., electronic device 1000 of FIG. 10). In some implementations, one or more of the process blocks of FIG. 7 may be executed by a device or group of devices separate from electronic device 1000 or including electronic device 1000. Additionally or alternatively, one or more of the process blocks of FIG. 7 may be executed by one or more components of device 1000, such as processor 1018, computer-readable medium 1002, input / output subsystem 1006, wireless circuitry 1008, GPS unit 1048, location / motion module 1026, application 1034, and / or ranging module 1028.

[0083] At 710, a first signal is received from a first transmitting device at a first time. For example, an electronic device may receive a first signal from a first transmitting device at a first time as described above. The first signal may be a radio frequency (RF) signal from a first transmitting device (e.g., a beacon), such as a UWB signal. The first time may be measured via an accurate timing device of the electronic device. The first time can be stored in the memory of the electronic device.

[0084] At 720, a second signal is received from a second transmitting device at a second time. For example, an electronic device may receive a second signal from a second transmitting device at a second time as described above. The second signal may be a radio frequency (RF) signal from a second transmitting device (e.g., a beacon), such as a UWB signal. The second time may be measured via an accurate timing device of the electronic device. The second time can be stored in the memory of the electronic device.

[0085] At 730, location information about the first transmission device and the second transmission device is accessed. For example, an electronic device can access location information about the first transmission device and the second transmission device as described above. The location information can be stored in the memory of the electronic device. The location information can be received by the electronic device via a network (e.g., the Internet). The location information can be received via an application (app) running on the electronic device.

[0086] At 740, a message is received from a second electronic device having a known distance relationship with the first transmission device and the second transmission device. The second electronic device is configured to receive a message including the first signal, the second signal, and signal timing information as described in Section II. For example, an electronic device can receive a message including signal timing information from a second electronic device having a known distance relationship with the first transmission device and the second transmission device and configured to receive the first signal and the second signal as described above. The signal timing information can be stored in the memory of the electronic device. The timing information can be transmitted from the second electronic device to the electronic device via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB, or any radio wave directly from the second electronic device to the electronic device or indirectly through another device or via a network (e.g., the Internet).

[0087] At 750, the position of the electronic device is determined using location information and timing information, and this position depends on known distance relationships. The position can depend on the known distance relationships between the transmitting devices in that the electronic device can calculate a plurality of distances (ranges) from each of the transmitting devices. The known distance relationships can determine where in a room of a location each of the transmitting devices is. When the electronic device maps each of the ranges from each of the transmitting devices, the electronic device can determine its exact position in relation to those transmitting devices. If the electronic device knows that the positions of each of the transmitting devices are within the room of the location, the mapping can establish the exact location of the electronic device within the room of the location. In various embodiments, the electronic device can receive location information regarding the relationships of various transmitting devices in a location (e.g., a room). The location information can be downloaded to the device via a network (e.g., the Internet). The location information can be provided via an application running on the electronic device. The electronic device (e.g., a mobile device) can receive a first and a second signal, and the receiver can store in memory the reception time for each of the signals. In various embodiments, the timing information can include the transmission time for each of the signals from the transmitting device.

[0088] As described herein, the electronic device can use the timing information and the reception time to determine the distance (range) from each transmitting device to the electronic device. Using the distance (range) from each transmitting device to the electronic device, the precise position of the electronic device relative to the location of the transmitting devices can be triangulated. The location information is used together with the distance (range) information to determine the exact location of the electronic device in a particular location (e.g., a room or store) by triangulating the range from each of the transmitting devices to the electronic device.

[0089] In various embodiments, the timing information can include the reception time at the observation location of the signal from the transmitting device and the range information from each transmitting device and the observation location. The electronic device can use the reception time and the range information to determine the respective transmission times of the signals. The transmission times can be used by the electronic device to determine the exact location as described above.

[0090] Process 700 may include additional implementations such as any single implementation or any combination of implementations related to one or more other processes described below and / or elsewhere in this specification.

[0091] As described herein, three or more transmitting devices can be used. In such embodiments, a third signal is received from a third transmitting device. The spatial relationships between the first, second, and third transmitting devices can be known by the observation location and the electronic device. The second electronic device is configured to receive the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal, and the message includes the timing information of the signals. The third signal can be a radio frequency (RF) signal from a third transmitting device (e.g., a beacon), such as a UWB signal. The third time can be measured via the accurate timing device of the electronic device. The third time can be stored in the memory of the electronic device. The timing information of the signals can be stored in the memory of the electronic device. The timing information can be transmitted from the second electronic device to the electronic device via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB, or any radio wave, either directly from the second electronic device to the electronic device or indirectly through another device or via a network (e.g., the Internet).

[0092] Some embodiments can use a second observation location (also referred to as a third electronic device). Thus, process 700 can include receiving a second message from the third electronic device. Such embodiments can be used in a wide area with many transmission devices such that the second electronic device (e.g., the observation location) may not be within range of all transmission devices. The third electronic device can receive information regarding the spatial relationship with at least one of the first transmission device or the second transmission device. The second electronic device is configured to receive at least one of the first signal or the second signal from the first transmission device and the second transmission device, respectively.

[0093] In some embodiments, the electronic device can receive a message including timing information of the signal. The timing information can include the transmission time of the transmission device. In various embodiments, the timing information can include the range from the transmission device to the second electronic device. The timing information can include the reception time of the signal from the transmission device at the third electronic device (e.g., the observation location). The electronic device can use the timing information received from the third electronic device, the reception time information from the signals from the plurality of transmission devices, and the information regarding the known distance relationship between the transmission devices to determine the exact position of the electronic device. The timing information of the signal can be stored in the memory of the electronic device. The timing information can be transmitted from the third electronic device to the electronic device or the second electronic device via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB, or any radio wave directly from the third electronic device to the first electronic device.

[0094] In some embodiments, both the second electronic device and the third electronic device receive a signal from at least one common transmission device (e.g., a beacon). The signal can be a radio frequency (RF) signal from a common transmission device (e.g., a beacon), such as a UWB signal. The common signal transmission time can be measured via the accurate timing device of the second electronic device or the third electronic device. The common signal time can be stored in the memory of the second electronic device or the third electronic device.

[0095] In some embodiments, the signals received by the electronic device and the second electronic device are ultra-wideband signals. In some embodiments, the signal can be Bluetooth, Bluetooth Low Energy, or other RF protocols. The signal can be transmitted by a device configured to transmit an ultra-wideband signal, such as device 900 in FIG. 9.

[0096] In some embodiments, the position of the electronic device is determined without synchronizing the first transmission device, the second transmission device, and the clock of the electronic device. The position of the electronic device can be determined using the processor of the electronic device, or the location information and timing information can be transmitted to a remote device having a processor capable of determining the location of the electronic device via a network (e.g., the Internet). After the remote device determines the position of the electronic device, the position information can be sent back to the electronic device via the network.

[0097] FIG. 7 shows exemplary blocks of process 700, but in some implementations, process 700 can include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or blocks arranged differently than those shown in FIG. 7. Additionally or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 700 may be executed in parallel. B. Observation Site

[0098] FIG. 8 is a flowchart of an exemplary process 800 related to techniques for locating an electronic device implemented by an observation location. In some implementations, one or more process blocks of FIG. 8 may be implemented by an observation location (e.g., electronic device 900 of FIG. 9). In some implementations, one or more process blocks of FIG. 8 may be implemented by a device or group of devices separate from the electronic device or including the electronic device. Additionally or alternatively, one or more process blocks of FIG. 8 may be implemented by one or more components of device 1000, such as processor 1018, computer-readable medium 1002, input / output subsystem 1006, wireless circuitry 1008, GPS unit 1048, location / motion module 1026, application 1034, and / or ranging module 1028.

[0099] At 810, a first signal from a first transmitting device is received at a second electronic device at a first time. For example, as described above, an electronic device may receive a first signal from a first transmitting device at a first time at a second electronic device. The first signal may be a radio frequency (RF) signal from a first transmitting device (e.g., a beacon), such as a UWB signal. The first time may be measured via an accurate timing device of the second electronic device. The first time may be stored in the memory of the second electronic device.

[0100] At 820, a second signal from the second transmission device is received at the second electronic device at a second time. The second electronic device has a known distance relationship with respect to the first transmission device and the second transmission device. For example, the electronic device may receive the second signal from the second transmission device at the second time at the second electronic device. The second electronic device has a known distance relationship with respect to the first transmission device and the second transmission device as described above. The second signal can be a radio frequency (RF) signal from the second transmission device (e.g., a beacon), such as a UWB signal. The second time can be measured via an accurate timing device of the second electronic device. The second time can be stored in the memory of the second electronic device.

[0101] At 830, the timing information of the first signal and the second signal is determined. For example, the electronic device can determine the timing information of the first signal and the second signal as described above. The timing information can be determined using a processor of the electronic device, or the location information and the timing information can be transmitted to a remote device having a processor capable of determining the location of the electronic device via a network (e.g., the Internet). After the remote device determines the location of the electronic device, the location information can be sent back to the electronic device via the network.

[0102] At 840, a message is sent to the first electronic device. The first electronic device is configured to receive a first signal and a second signal. The message includes timing information of the signals. The first electronic device is configured to determine the position of the first electronic device based on the timing information and location information of the first transmitting device and the second transmitting device. For example, an electronic device can send a message to the first electronic device. The first electronic device is configured to receive a first signal and a second signal. The message includes timing information of the signals. The first electronic device is configured to determine the position of the first electronic device based on the timing information and location information of the first transmitting device and the second transmitting device as described above. The timing information can be stored in the memory of the first electronic device. The timing information can be received by the first electronic device via a network (e.g., the Internet). The timing information can be received via an application (app) running on the first electronic device. The position of the first electronic device can be determined using the processor of the first electronic device, or the location information and timing information can be sent via a network (e.g., the Internet) to a remote device (e.g., a server) having a processor capable of determining the location of the electronic device. After the remote device determines the position of the first electronic device, the position information can be sent back to the electronic device via the network.

[0103] Process 800 may include additional implementations such as any single implementation or any combination of implementations related to one or more other processes described below and / or elsewhere in this specification. As described herein, three or more transmission devices can be used. In such embodiments, a third signal is received from a third transmission device. The spatial relationship between the first, second, and third transmission devices can be known by the observation location and the electronic device. The second electronic device is configured to receive the first signal, the second signal, and the third signal, and the message includes timing information of the signals. The third signal can be a radio frequency (RF) signal from a third transmission device (e.g., a beacon), such as a UWB signal. The third time can be measured via an accurate timing device of the electronic device. The third time can be stored in the memory of the electronic device. The timing information of the signals can be stored in the memory of the electronic device. The timing information can be transmitted from the second electronic device to the electronic device directly, or through another device, or indirectly via a network (e.g., the Internet), via any radio wave, via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB, or via any radio wave.

[0104] In some embodiments, process 700 includes receiving a second message from a third electronic device (e.g., a second observation location). The second implementation can be used in a large area with many transmission devices such that the second electronic device (e.g., the observation location) may not be within the range of all the transmission devices. The third electronic device can receive information regarding the spatial relationship with at least one of the first transmission device or the second transmission device. The second electronic device is configured to receive at least one of the first signal or the second signal from the first transmission device and the second transmission device, respectively.

[0105] The electronic device can receive a message including timing information of a signal. The timing information can include the transmission time of the transmitting device. In various embodiments, the timing information can include the range from the transmitting device to a second electronic device. The timing information can include the reception time of the signal at a third electronic device (e.g., an observation station) from the transmitting device. The electronic device can determine the exact position of the electronic device by using the timing information received from the third electronic device, the reception time information from the signals from multiple transmitting devices, and the information regarding the known distance relationship between the transmitting devices. The timing information of the signal can be stored in the memory of the electronic device. The timing information can be transmitted from the third electronic device to the electronic device or the second electronic device via Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, UWB, or directly from the third electronic device to the first electronic device via any radio wave.

[0106] In some embodiments, both the second electronic device and the third electronic device receive signals from at least one common transmitting device (e.g., a beacon). The signal can be a radio frequency (RF) signal from a common transmitting device (e.g., a beacon), such as a UWB signal. The common signal transmission time can be measured via an accurate timing device of the second electronic device or the third electronic device. The common signal time can be stored in the memory of the second electronic device or the third electronic device.

[0107] In some embodiments, the signals received by the electronic device and the second electronic device are ultra-wideband signals. The signals can be transmitted by a device configured to transmit ultra-wideband signals, such as device 900 in FIG. 9.

[0108] In some embodiments, the location of the electronic device is determined without synchronizing the first transmission device, the second transmission device, and the clock of the electronic device. The location of the electronic device can be determined using the processor of the electronic device, or the location information and timing information can be transmitted via a network (e.g., the Internet) to a remote device having a processor capable of determining the location of the electronic device. After the remote device determines the location of the electronic device, the location information can be sent back to the electronic device via the network.

[0109] FIG. 8 shows exemplary blocks of process 800, but in some implementations, process 800 can include additional blocks, fewer blocks, different blocks, or blocks arranged differently than those shown in FIG. 8. Additionally or alternatively, two or more of the blocks of process 800 may be executed in parallel. V. Mobile Device for Executing Communication

[0110] FIG. 9 is a block diagram of the components of a mobile device 900 operable to execute passive beacon communication technology, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The mobile device 900 includes antennas for at least two different wireless protocols, as described above. The first wireless protocol (e.g., Bluetooth) can be used for the exchange of authentication and ranging settings. The second wireless protocol (e.g., UWB) can be used to perform ranging with another mobile device.

[0111] As shown, mobile device 900 includes a UWB antenna 910 for performing ranging. The UWB antenna 910 is connected to a UWB circuit 915 for analyzing signals detected from the UWB antenna 910. In some embodiments, the mobile device 900 includes three or more UWB antennas, for example, to perform triangulation. Different UWB antennas can have different orientations, for example, two in one direction and a third orientation in another direction. The orientation of the UWB antenna can define a field of view for ranging. As an example, the field of view can extend 120 degrees. Such a regulation can enable determination of in which direction the user is pointing the device with respect to one or more other nearby devices. The field of view may include any one or more of a pitch angle, a yaw angle, or a roll angle.

[0112] The UWB circuit 915 can communicate with a always-on processor (AOP) 930 that can perform further processing using information from the UWB message. For example, the AOP 930 can perform ranging calculations using the timing data provided by the UWB circuit 915. The AOP 930 and other circuits of the device can include dedicated circuits and / or configurable circuits, for example, via firmware or other software.

[0113] As shown, mobile device 900 also includes a Bluetooth (BT) / Wi-Fi antenna 920 for communicating data with other devices. The Bluetooth (BT) / Wi-Fi antenna 920 is connected to a BT / Wi-Fi circuit 925 for analyzing detection signals from the BT / Wi-Fi antenna 920. For example, the BT / Wi-Fi circuit 925 can parse a message to obtain data (e.g., an authentication tag), and the data can be sent to AOP 930. In some embodiments, AOP 930 can perform authentication using the authentication tag. Thus, AOP 930 can store or retrieve a list of authentication tags for comparing the received tags as part of the authentication process. In some implementations, such functionality can be achieved by the BT / Wi-Fi circuit 925.

[0114] In other embodiments, the UWB circuit 915 and the BT / Wi-Fi circuit 925 can alternatively or additionally be connected to an application processor 940 that can perform functions similar to those of AOP 930. The application processor 940 typically requires more power than AOP 930, and thus, AOP 930 can save power by handling specific functions so that the application processor 940 can remain in a sleep state, e.g., an off state. As an example, the application processor 940 can be used to communicate audio or video using BT / Wi-Fi, and AOP 930 can coordinate the transmission of such content and the communication between the UWB circuit 915 and the BT / Wi-Fi circuit 925. For example, AOP 930 can adjust the timing of UWB messages in response to BT advertisements.

[0115] Adjustment by AOP930 can have various advantages. For example, a first user of a transmitting device may wish to share content with another user, and thus ranging with the receiving device of this other user may be desired. However, when many people are in the same room, the transmitting device may need to distinguish a particular device from among multiple devices in the room and potentially determine which device the transmitting device is pointing at. Such a function can be provided by AOP930. Further, it is not desirable to wake up the application processors of all other devices in the room, and thus the AOP of other devices can execute some processing of the message and determine that the destination address is for a different device.

[0116] To perform ranging, the BT / Wi-Fi circuit 925 can analyze an advertisement signal from another device to determine that the other device desires to perform ranging as part of a process, for example, to share content. The BT / Wi-Fi circuit 925 can communicate this notification to AOP930, and AOP930 can schedule the UWB circuit 915 to be ready to detect a UWB message from the other device.

[0117] In the case of a device that initiates ranging, its AOP can perform ranging calculations. Further, the AOP can monitor changes in the distance between other devices. For example, AOP930 can compare the distance to a threshold and provide an alert when the distance exceeds the threshold, or potentially provide a reminder when two devices are sufficiently close. An example of the former can be when a parent wants to be alerted when a child (and perhaps the child's device) is too far away. An example of the latter can be when a person wants to be prompted to present something when speaking to the user of another device. Such monitoring by the AOP can reduce power consumption by the application processor. VI. Exemplary Electronic Devices

[0118] FIG. 10 is a block diagram of an exemplary electronic device 1000. The device 1000 generally includes a computer-readable medium 1002, a control circuit 1004, an input / output (I / O) subsystem 1006, a wireless circuit 1008, and an audio circuit 1010 including a speaker 1050 and a microphone 1052. These components can be coupled by one or more communication buses or signal lines 1003. The device 1000 can be any portable electronic device including, but not limited to, a handheld computer, a tablet computer, a mobile phone, a laptop computer, a tablet device, a media player, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a key fob, an automobile key, an access card, a multifunctional device, a mobile phone, a portable gaming device, a headset, etc. (including combinations of two or more of these items).

[0119] The architecture shown in FIG. 10 is merely an example of an architecture for the device 1000, and it is clear that the device 1000 can have more components, fewer components, or components of a different configuration than those shown. The various components shown in FIG. 10 can be implemented as hardware, software, or a combination of both hardware and software, including one or more signal processing circuits and / or application-specific integrated circuits.

[0120] Using the wireless circuit 1008, information is transmitted and received with the conventional circuits of one or more other devices, such as an antenna system, a radio frequency (RF) transceiver, one or more amplifiers, a tuner, one or more oscillators, a digital signal processor, a codec chipset, a memory, etc., via a wireless link or network. The wireless circuit 1008 can use various protocols, for example, as described herein. In various embodiments, the wireless circuit 1008 can be Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA), Code Division Multiple Access (CDMA), Global System for Mobile Communications (GSM), Enhanced Data GSM Environment (EDGE), Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (W-CDMA), Long Term Evolution (LTE), Long Term Evolution (LTE) Advanced, Wi-Fi (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.11a, IEEE 802.11b, IEEE 802.11g, and / or IEEE 802.11n, etc.), Bluetooth, Wi-MAX, Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP), Near Field Communication Protocol (NFC), protocols for email, instant messaging, and / or Short Message Service (SMS), or any other suitable communication protocol including communication protocols not yet developed as of the filing date of this document, to establish and maintain communication with other devices.

[0121] The wireless circuit 1008 is coupled to the control circuit 1004 via the peripheral device interface 1016. The peripheral device interface 1016 can include conventional components to establish and maintain communication with peripheral devices. The voice and data information received by the wireless circuit 1008 (e.g., in a speech recognition application or a voice command application) is transmitted to one or more processors 1018 via the peripheral device interface 1016. The one or more processors 1018 can be configured to process various data formats for one or more application programs 1034 stored on the medium 1002.

[0122] The peripheral device interface 1016 couples the input / output peripheral devices of the device 1000 to one or more processors 1018 and a computer-readable medium 1002. The one or more processors 1018 communicate with the computer-readable medium 1002 via a controller 1020. The computer-readable medium 1002 can be any device or medium capable of storing code and / or data for use by the one or more processors 1018. The computer-readable medium 1002 can include a memory hierarchy including cache, main memory, and auxiliary memory. This memory hierarchy can be implemented using any combination of magnetic storage devices and / or optical storage devices such as RAM (e.g., standard random access memory (SRAM), dynamic random access memory (DRAM), double data rate random access memory (DDRAM)), read-only memory (ROM), FLASH, disk drives, magnetic tapes, CDs (compact discs), and DVDs (digital video discs). In some embodiments, the peripheral device interface 1016, the one or more processors 1018, and the controller 1020 can be implemented on a single chip such as the control circuit 1004. In some other embodiments, they may be implemented on separate chips.

[0123] The processor(s) 1018 can include hardware elements and / or software elements that perform one or more processing functions such as mathematical operations, logical operations, data manipulation operations, data transfer operations, control of reception of user input, control of output of information to the user, etc. The processor(s) 1018 can be embodied as one or more hardware processors, microprocessors, microcontrollers, field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), application specific integrated circuits (ASICs), etc.

[0124] Device 1000 can include storage and processing circuitry such as control circuit 1004. Control circuit 1004 may include storage devices such as a hard disk drive storage device, non-volatile memory (e.g., flash memory or other electrically programmable read-only memory configured to form a solid state drive), volatile memory (e.g., static or dynamic random access memory). The processing circuitry within control circuit 1004 may be used to control the operation of device 1000. This processing circuitry may be based on one or more microprocessors, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, baseband processor integrated circuits, application specific integrated circuits, etc.

[0125] Control circuit 1004 may be used to run software such as an Internet browsing application, a voice-over-internet-protocol (VOIP) call application, an email application, a media playback application, an operating system function, etc. on device 1000. Control circuit 1004 may be used when implementing communication protocols to support interaction with external devices. Communication protocols that can be implemented using control circuit 1004 include the Internet protocol, wireless local area network protocols (e.g., the IEEE 802.11 protocol (sometimes referred to as Wi-Fi (registered trademark))), other short-range wireless communication link protocols such as the Bluetooth (registered trademark) protocol, cellular phone protocols, multiple input multiple output (MIMO) protocols, antenna diversity protocols, satellite navigation system protocols, millimeter wave communication protocols, the IEEE 802.15.4 ultra-wideband communication protocol, etc.

[0126] Device 1000 may include an input / output subsystem 1006. The input / output subsystem 1006 may include input / output devices. Using the input / output devices, it is possible to supply data to device 1000 and to provide data from device 1000 to external devices. The input / output devices may include user interface devices, data port devices, and other input / output components. For example, the input / output devices may include one or more displays (e.g., a touch screen or a display without touch sensor functionality), one or more image sensors 1044 (e.g., digital image sensors), motion sensors, and speakers 1050. The input / output devices may also include tactile elements such as buttons, joysticks, scroll wheels, touch pads, keypads, keyboards, microphones 1052, vibrators, and actuators, status indicators, light sources, audio jacks, and other audio port components, digital data port devices, optical sensors, capacitance sensors, proximity sensors (e.g., capacitive proximity sensors and / or infrared proximity sensors), magnetic sensors, as well as other sensors and input / output components.

[0127] Device 1000 also includes a power system 1042 that supplies power to various hardware components. The power system 1042 can include a power management system, one or more power sources (e.g., batteries, alternating current (AC)), a recharge system, a power failure detection circuit, a power converter or inverter, a power status indicator (e.g., a light-emitting diode (LED)), as well as any other components typically associated with the generation, management, and distribution of power within a mobile device.

[0128] In some embodiments, device 1000 includes an image sensor 1044 (e.g., a camera). In some embodiments, device 1000 includes a sensor 1046. The sensors can include accelerometers, compasses, gyroscopes, pressure sensors, voice sensors, optical sensors, barometers, and the like. The sensor 1046 can be used to sense aspects of a location, such as auditory or optical cues of the location.

[0129] In some embodiments, device 1000 can include a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver, sometimes referred to as GPS unit 1048. The mobile device can use a satellite navigation system such as GPS to obtain location information, timing information, altitude, or other navigation information. During operation, the GPS unit can receive signals from GPS satellites orbiting around the Earth. The GPS unit analyzes the signals to make round-trip time and distance estimations. The GPS unit can determine the current position (current location) of the mobile device. Based on these estimations, the mobile device can determine its location fix, altitude, and / or current speed. The location fix can be, for example, geographical coordinates such as latitude information and longitude information.

[0130] One or more processors 1018 execute various software components stored in medium 1002 to perform various functions for device 1000. In some embodiments, the software components include an operating system 1022, a communication module (or instruction set) 1024, a location determination module (or instruction set) 1026, a ranging module 1028 used as part of the ranging operations described herein, and other application programs (or instruction sets) 1034.

[0131] The operating system 1022 can be any suitable operating system, including an embedded operating system such as iOS, Mac OS, Darwin, Real Time Operating System (RTXC), LINUX, UNIX, OS X, WINDOWS, or VxWorks. The operating system can include procedures, instruction sets, software components, and / or drivers for controlling and managing common system tasks (such as memory management, storage device control, power management, etc.) and facilitating communication between various hardware components and software components.

[0132] The communication module 1024 includes various software components for facilitating communication with other devices via one or more external ports 1036 or via the wireless circuit 1008 and for handling data received from the wireless circuit 1008 and / or the external ports 1036. The external ports 1036 (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB), FireWire, Lightning connector, 60-pin connector, etc.) are adapted to couple directly to other devices or indirectly via a network (e.g., the Internet, a wireless local area network (LAN), etc.).

[0133] The Location Determination / Movement Module 1026 can assist in determining the current location (e.g., coordinates or other geographical location identifiers) and the movement of the device 1000. The latest positioning systems include satellite-based positioning systems such as the Global Positioning System (GPS), cellular network positioning based on "Cell ID", and Wi-Fi positioning technology based on Wi-Fi networks. Also, GPS determines the position estimate based on the visibility of multiple satellites. The satellites may not be visible (or the signal may be weak) indoors or in "valleys between buildings". In some embodiments, the Location Determination / Movement Module 1026 receives data from the GPS unit 1048 and analyzes the signal to determine the current position of the mobile device. In some embodiments, the Location Determination / Movement Module 1026 can use Wi-Fi or cellular location determination technology to determine the current location. For example, the location of the mobile device can be estimated using the knowledge of nearby cell sites and / or Wi-Fi access points and the knowledge of their locations. Information identifying the Wi-Fi or cellular transmitter is received by the wireless circuit 1008 and transmitted to the Location Determination / Movement Module 1026. In some embodiments, the location determination module receives one or more transmitter IDs. In some embodiments, a series of transmitter IDs can be compared with a reference database (e.g., Cell ID database, Wi-Fi reference database). The reference database maps or correlates the transmitter ID to the location coordinates of the corresponding transmitter and calculates the estimated location coordinates for the device 1000 based on the location coordinates of the corresponding transmitter. Regardless of the specific location determination technology used, the Location Determination / Movement Module 1026 receives information that can lead to a location fix, interprets that information, and returns location information such as geographical coordinates, latitude / longitude, or other location fix data.

[0134] The ranging module 1028 can transmit a ranging message to and / or receive it from an antenna connected to, for example, the wireless circuit 1008. The message can be used for various purposes, for example, to identify the transmitting antenna of the device, to determine the time stamp of the message for determining the distance from another device to the mobile device 1000. The ranging module 1028 can be present on various processors of the device, such as an always-on processor (AOP), a UWB chip, and / or an application processor. For example, a part of the ranging module 1028 can determine the distance on the AOP, and another part of the ranging module can interact with a sharing module to display the position of other devices on the screen, for example, to select other devices with which the user shares data items. The ranging module 1028 can also interact with a reminder module that can provide an alert based on the distance from another mobile device.

[0135] Dielectric-filled openings, such as plastic-filled openings, may be formed in the metal part of the housing, such as a metal sidewall structure (for example, to function as an antenna window and / or to function as a gap separating parts of the antenna from each other).

[0136] The antenna can be mounted on the housing. If desired, a part of the antenna (for example, an antenna array capable of performing beam steering, etc.) can be mounted under the dielectric part of the device 1000 (for example, a part of the display cover layer, a part of the plastic antenna window within the metal housing sidewall part of the housing, etc.). In one exemplary configuration, a part or all of the back surface of the device 1000 can be formed of a dielectric. For example, the rear wall part of the housing can be formed of glass, plastic, ceramic, or other dielectrics. In this type of arrangement, the antenna can be mounted inside the device 1000 at a location where the antenna can transmit and receive antenna signals through the rear wall part of the device 1000 (and, if desired, through the sidewall part of any dielectric within the housing). The antenna can also be formed from a metal sidewall structure within the housing and can be located at the peripheral part of the device 1000.

[0137] To avoid inhibiting communication when an external object such as a human hand or another part of the user's body blocks one or more antennas, the antennas can be mounted at multiple locations within the housing. Sensor data such as proximity sensor data, real-time antenna impedance measurement values, measurement values of signal quality such as received signal strength information, and other data can be used to determine if one or more antennas are being adversely affected due to the orientation of the housing, blockage by the user's hand or other external objects, or other environmental factors. The device 1000 can then switch one or more alternative antennas into an active state instead of the adversely affected antenna.

[0138] An antenna may be mounted at a corner of the housing, along the peripheral edge of the housing, on the rear portion of the housing, under the display cover layer (such as a glass cover layer, a sapphire cover layer, a plastic cover layer, other dielectric cover layer structures, etc.) used to cover and protect the display on the front portion of the device 1000, under the dielectric window on the back or edge of the housing, under the rear wall portion of the dielectric of the housing, or at other locations within the device 1000. As an example, the antenna may be mounted at one or both ends of the device 1000 (such as along the upper and lower edges of the housing, at the corners of the housing, etc.).

[0139] The antenna of the device 1000 can include a cellular phone antenna, a wireless local area network antenna (such as 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz Wi-Fi (registered trademark) antennas and other suitable wireless local area network antennas), a satellite navigation system signal, and a short-range communication antenna. The antenna may also include an antenna that supports the IEEE 802.15.4 ultra-wideband communication protocol and / or an antenna for processing millimeter-wave communication. For example, the antenna may include two or more ultra-wideband frequency antennas and / or a millimeter-wave phased antenna array. Millimeter-wave communication, sometimes referred to as extremely high frequency (EHF) communication, involves signals at 60 GHz or other frequencies between about 10 GHz and 400 GHz.

[0140] The wireless circuit within the device 1000 can support communication using the IEEE 802.15.4 ultra-wideband protocol. In an IEEE 802.15.4 system, a pair of devices can exchange wireless messages with time stamps. The time stamps in the messages can be analyzed to determine the time of flight of the messages and thereby determine the distance (range) between the devices.

[0141] The image sensor 1044 may include one or more visible digital image sensors (visible light cameras) and / or one or more infrared digital image sensors (infrared light cameras). The image sensor 1044 may be used to measure distance if desired. For example, an infrared time-of-flight image sensor can be used to measure the time it takes for an infrared light pulse to reflect back from an object in the vicinity of the device 1000, and this can be used to determine the distance to those objects. A visible imaging system such as a front and / or rear camera within the device 1000 may also be used to determine the position of objects in the environment. For example, the control circuit 1004 may perform simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) using the image sensor 1044. SLAM refers to a process that uses images to determine the position of objects in the environment while also constructing a representation of the imaged environment. Visual SLAM technology involves detecting and tracking some features in the image, such as edges, textures, corners of rooms, corners of windows, corners of doors, faces, edges of sidewalks, edges of roads, edges of buildings, tree trunks, and other prominent features. The control circuit 1004 may perform simultaneous localization and mapping relying entirely on the image sensor 1044, or the control circuit 1004 may synthesize the image data with range data from one or more distance sensors (e.g., light-based proximity sensors). Optionally, the control circuit 1004 may use a display to show a visual representation of the mapped environment.

[0142] The input / output device may include a motion sensor circuit 1046. The motion sensor circuit 1046 may include one or more accelerometers (e.g., accelerometers that measure acceleration along one axis, two axes, or three axes), gyroscopes, barometers, magnetic sensors (e.g., compasses), image sensors (e.g., the image sensor 1044), and other sensor structures. The sensor 1046 may include, for example, one or more microelectromechanical systems (MEMS) sensors (e.g., accelerometers, gyroscopes, microphones, force sensors, pressure sensors, capacitance sensors, or any other suitable type of sensor formed using microelectromechanical systems).

[0143] The control circuit 1004 may be used to store and process motion sensor data. Optionally, the motion sensor, processing circuit, and storage that form the motion sensor circuit may form part of a (for example) system-on-chip integrated circuit.

[0144] The input / output device may include a movement generation circuit. The movement generation circuit may receive a control signal from the control circuit 1004. The movement generation circuit, when driven, may include an electromechanical actuator circuit that moves the device 1000 in one or more directions. For example, the movement generation circuit may move the device 1000 laterally and / or rotate the device 1000 around one or more axes of rotation. The movement generation circuit may include, for example, one or more actuators formed at one or more locations of the device 1000. When driven by a motion control signal, the actuator may move (for example, vibrate, pulse, tilt, push, pull, rotate, etc.) to move or rotate the device 1000 in one or more directions. The movement may be slight (for example, not noticeable or hardly noticeable to the user of the device 1000), or the movement may be substantial. The actuator may be based on one or more vibrators, motors, solenoids, piezoelectric actuators, speaker coils, or any other desired device capable of mechanically (physically) moving the device 1000.

[0145] Some or all of the movement generation circuit, such as the actuator, can be used to perform operations not related to the rotation of the device 1000. For example, the actuator may include a vibrator that is actuated to issue a tactile alert or notification to the user of the device 1000. Such alerts may include, for example, a received text message alert identifying that the device 1000 has received a text message, a received phone call alert, a received email alert, an alarm notification alert, a calendar notification alert, or any other desired notification. By actuating the actuator, the device 1000 can inform the user of any desired device state.

[0146] The motion sensor circuit can sense the motion of device 1000 generated by the movement generation circuit. If desired, the motion sensor circuit may provide a feedback signal related to the sensed motion of device 1000 to the movement generation circuit. The movement generation circuit can use the feedback signal to control the operation of the movement generation circuit.

[0147] Control circuit 1004 may use the motion sensor circuit and / or the movement generation circuit to determine the angle of arrival of a wireless signal received by device 1000 from another electronic device. For example, control circuit 1004 may use the movement generation circuit to move device 1000 from one position to another position. The motion sensor circuit can be used to track the movement of device 1000 as it moves between different positions. At each position, control circuit 1004 may receive a wireless signal from another electronic device. Control circuit 1004 can process the received wireless signal together with the motion data from the motion sensor circuit to more precisely determine the position of the other electronic device. However, the use of the movement generation circuit is merely exemplary. If desired, the motion sensor circuit may track the movement of device 1000 that is not caused by the movement generation circuit. This can include natural, unprompted movement of the user of device 1000, and / or movement of the user of device 1000 after being prompted (by a display, audio circuit 1010, a tactile output device within device 1000, or any other suitable output device) to move device 1000 in a particular manner.

[0148] Other sensors that may be included in the input / output device include ambient light sensors for collecting information regarding ambient light levels, proximity sensor components (e.g., light-based proximity sensors, capacitive proximity sensors, and / or proximity sensors based on other structures), depth sensors (e.g., structured light depth sensors having an image sensor that emits a beam of light in a grid, random dot array, or other pattern and generates a depth map based on the resulting spots of light on a target object), sensors that collect three-dimensional depth information using a pair of stereo image sensors, LIDAR (light detection and ranging) sensors, radar sensors, and other suitable sensors.

[0149] The input / output circuit may include a wireless communication circuit for wirelessly communicating with an external device. The wireless communication circuit may include a radio frequency (RF) transceiver circuit formed from one or more integrated circuits, a power amplifier circuit, a low-noise input amplifier, passive RF components, one or more antennas, transmission lines, and other circuits for processing RF wireless signals. The wireless signal may also be transmitted using light (e.g., using infrared communication).

[0150] The wireless communication circuit 1008 may include a radio frequency transceiver circuit for processing various high-frequency communication bands. For example, the wireless circuit 1008 may include a transceiver circuit.

[0151] The transceiver circuit may be a wireless local area network transceiver circuit. The transceiver circuit may process 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz for Wi-Fi (registered trademark) (IEEE 802.11) communication and may process 2.4 GHz for Bluetooth (registered trademark) communication bands.

[0152] The circuit can use a cellular phone transceiver circuit for processing wireless communication in a frequency range such as a communication band of 700 - 960 MHz, a band of 1710 - 2170 MHz, a band of 2300 - 2700 MHz, other bands between 700 - 2700 MHz, high bands such as LTE bands 42 and 43 (3.4 - 3.6 GHz), or other cellular phone communication bands. The circuit can process voice data and non - voice data.

[0153] A millimeter - wave transceiver circuit (sometimes also called an extremely high - frequency transceiver circuit) can support communication at extremely high frequencies (e.g., extremely high frequencies of 10 GHz - 400 GHz, or millimeter - wave frequencies such as other millimeter - wave frequencies). For example, the circuit can support IEEE802.11ad communication at 60 GHz. The circuit can be formed from one or more integrated circuits (e.g., multiple integrated circuits mounted on a common printed circuit within a system - in - package device, one or more integrated circuits mounted on different substrates, etc.).

[0154] The ultra - wideband transceiver circuit can support communication using the IEEE 802.15.4 protocol and / or other wireless communication protocols. Ultra - wideband wireless signals can be characterized by a bandwidth greater than 500 MHz, or a bandwidth exceeding 20% of the center frequency of the radiation. The presence of lower frequencies in the baseband can enable the ultra - wideband signal to penetrate objects such as walls. The transceiver circuit may operate at a 2.4 GHz frequency band, a 6.5 GHz frequency band, an 8 GHz frequency band, and / or other suitable frequencies.

[0155] The wireless communication circuit may include a satellite navigation system circuit such as a Global Positioning System (GPS) receiver circuit for receiving GPS signals at 1575 MHz or for processing other satellite positioning data (e.g., GLONASS signals at 1609 MHz). The satellite navigation system signals for the receiver are received from a series of satellites orbiting the Earth.

[0156] In satellite navigation systems, cellular phone links, and other long-distance links, wireless signals are typically used to transmit data over thousands of feet or miles. In Wi-Fi® links and Bluetooth® links at 2.4 GHz and 5 GHz, and other short-range wireless links, wireless signals are typically used to transmit data over tens to hundreds of feet. Extremely high frequency (EHF) radio transceiver circuits can transmit signals that travel between a transmitter and a receiver over these short distances via a line-of-sight path. To enhance signal reception for millimeter-wave communication, phased antenna arrays and beam steering techniques (e.g., a method in which the phase and / or magnitude of the antenna signal for each antenna in the array is adjusted to perform beam steering) can be used. An antenna diversity scheme may also be used to switch unused antennas that are blocked or otherwise degraded due to the operating environment of device 1000 and use higher performance antennas in their place.

[0157] The wireless communication circuit may include circuits for other short-range and long-range wireless links, if desired. For example, wireless communication circuit 36 may include circuits for receiving television and radio signals, a paging system transceiver, a near field communications (NFC) circuit, and the like.

[0158] One or more applications 1034 on device 1000 can include any application installed on device 1000, including, without limitation, a browser, an address book, a contact list, email, instant messaging, social networking, word processing, keyboard emulation, widgets, Java-enabled applications, encryption, digital rights management, voice recognition, voice reproduction, a music player (for playing music recorded in one or more files such as MP3 or advanced audio codec (AAC) files), and the like.

[0159] There may be other modules or instruction sets (not shown), such as a graphics module and a time module. For example, the graphics module can include various conventional software components for rendering, animating, and displaying graphic objects (including, without limitation, text, web pages, icons, digital images, animations, etc.). In another example, the timer module can be a software timer. The timer module can also be implemented in hardware. The time module can maintain various timers for any number of events.

[0160] The I / O subsystem 1006 can be coupled to a display system (not shown). The display system can be a touch-sensitive display. The display presents a visual output to the user on the GUI. This visual output can include text, graphics, video, and any combination thereof. Some or all of the visual output can correspond to user interface objects. The display can use LED (light-emitting diode), LCD (liquid crystal display) technology, or LPD (light-emitting polymer display) technology, although other display technologies can be used in other embodiments.

[0161] In some embodiments, I / O subsystem 1006 can include a display and user input devices such as a keyboard, mouse, and / or trackpad. In some embodiments, I / O subsystem 1006 can include a touch-sensitive display. The touch-sensitive display can also receive input from a user based at least in part on haptic contact and / or tactile contact. In some embodiments, the touch-sensitive display forms a touch-sensitive surface for receiving user input. The touch-sensitive display / touch-sensitive surface (along with any associated modules and / or instruction sets within computer-readable medium 1002) detects contacts (and any movement or release of the contact) on the touch-sensitive display and converts the detected contacts into interactions with user interface objects (e.g., one or more soft keys) displayed on the touch screen when the contact occurs. In some embodiments, the point of contact between the touch-sensitive display and the user corresponds to one or more fingers of the user. The user can contact the touch-sensitive display using any suitable object or appendage such as a stylus, pen, finger, etc. The touch-sensitive display surface can detect contacts and any movement or release thereof using any suitable touch-sensing technology. Examples of touch-sensing technology include capacitive, resistive, infrared, and surface acoustic wave technology, as well as other proximity sensor arrays or other elements that determine one or more points of contact with the touch-sensitive display.

[0162] Furthermore, to control or execute various functions such as power control, speaker volume control, incoming call volume, keyboard input, scrolling, hold, menu, screen lock, and clearing and ending communication, the I / O subsystem 1006 can be coupled to one or more other physical control devices (not shown) such as push buttons, keys, switches, rocker buttons, dials, slider switches, sticks, LEDs, etc. In some embodiments, in addition to the touch screen, the device 1000 can include a touch pad (not shown) for activating or deactivating certain functions. In some embodiments, the touch pad, unlike the touch screen, is a touch-sensitive area of the device 1000 that does not display visual output. The touch pad can be a separate touch-sensitive surface from the touch-sensitive display or an extension of the touch-sensitive surface formed by the touch-sensitive display.

[0163] In some embodiments, some or all of the operations described herein can be performed using an application that runs on the user's device. Circuits, logic modules, processors, and / or other components may be configured to perform the various operations described herein. Those skilled in the art will recognize that such configurations can be achieved through the design, setup, interconnection, and / or programming of specific components, depending on the implementation form. Similarly, depending on the implementation form, the configured components may or may not be reconfigurable for different operations. For example, a programmable processor can be configured by providing suitable executable code, and a dedicated logic circuit can be configured by suitably connecting logic gates and other circuit elements.

[0164] Any of the software components or functions described in this application may be implemented as software code to be executed by a processor using any suitable computer language, such as Java, C, C++, C#, Objective-C, Swift, or a scripting language such as Perl or Python, for example, using conventional or object-oriented techniques. The software code may be stored as a series of instructions or commands on a computer-readable medium for storage and / or transmission. Suitable non-transitory computer-readable media may include random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic media such as hard drives or floppy disks, or optical media such as compact disks (CDs) or digital versatile disks (DVDs), flash memory, and the like. The computer-readable medium may be any combination of such storage or transmission devices.

[0165] Computer programs incorporating various features of the present disclosure may be encoded on various computer-readable storage media, and suitable media may include magnetic disks or tapes, optical storage media such as compact discs (CDs) or digital versatile discs (DVDs), and flash memory, among others. A computer-readable storage medium encoded with program code may be packaged with compatible devices or provided separately from other devices. Additionally, the program code may be encoded and transmitted via various wired and / or wireless networks compliant with various protocols, including the Internet, so that distribution is possible, for example, via Internet download. Any such computer-readable medium may be on or within a single computer product (e.g., a solid-state drive, a hard drive, a CD, or an entire computer system) or may exist on or within different computer products within a system or network. The computer system may include a monitor, a printer, or any other suitable display for providing any of the results described herein to a user.

[0166] As described above, one aspect of the present technology is to collect, share, and use data available from certain reasonable sources in order to improve the delivery to users of the content requested by the user or any other content that the user may be interested in. The present disclosure contemplates that in some cases, the data collected may include personally identifiable information data that uniquely identifies a particular person or personally identifiable information data that can be used to contact or locate a particular person. Such personally identifiable information data may include demographic data, location-based data, phone numbers, email addresses, Twitter IDs, home addresses, data or records regarding a user's health or fitness level (e.g., vital sign measurements, medication information, exercise information), birth dates, or any other identifying or personal information.

[0167] The present disclosure recognizes that the use of such personal information data in the present technology can be a use that benefits the user. For example, personal information data can be used to authenticate another device, and conversely, can be used to control which device ranging operations can be performed. Further, other uses related to personal information data that benefit the user are also contemplated by the present disclosure. For example, health data and fitness data can be shared to provide insights into the user's overall wellness, or can also be used as positive feedback to individuals using technologies that pursue wellness goals.

[0168] The present disclosure contemplates that entities involved in the collection, analysis, disclosure, transmission, storage, or other use of such personal information data will comply with firm privacy policies and / or privacy practices. Specifically, such entities should implement and consistently use privacy policies and practices that meet or exceed industry or government requirements for maintaining the confidentiality of personal information data. Such policies should be readily accessible to users and updated as data collection and / or use changes. Personal information from users should be collected for the legitimate and proper use of the entity and should not be shared or sold except for those legitimate uses. Further, such collection / sharing should be carried out after informing and obtaining consent from the user. Moreover, such entities should consider taking all necessary measures to protect and secure access to such personal information data and ensure that others with access rights to personal information data faithfully adhere to their privacy policies and procedures. Additionally, such entities should be able to undergo an evaluation by a third party to demonstrate their compliance with widely accepted privacy policies and practices. Further, the policies and practices should be tailored to the specific types of personal information data collected and / or accessed and should also comply with applicable laws and regulations, including jurisdiction-specific considerations. For example, in the United States, the collection or access to certain health data may be subject to federal and / or state laws such as the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). On the other hand, health data in other countries may be subject to different regulations and policies and should be addressed accordingly. Therefore, different privacy practices should be maintained for different types of personal data in each country.

[0169] Notwithstanding the foregoing, the present disclosure also contemplates embodiments that selectively prevent a user from using or accessing personal information data. That is, the present disclosure intends that hardware elements and / or software elements may be provided to prevent or block access to such personal information data. For example, when sharing content and performing distance measurement, the present technology can be configured such that a user can select to "opt-in" or "opt-out" of participating in the collection of personal information data during or after registration for the service. In addition to providing "opt-in" and "opt-out" options, the present disclosure intends to provide notice regarding access to or use of personal information. For example, the user may be notified at the time of downloading the application that access to the user's personal information data will occur, and then the user may be reminded again immediately before the personal information data is accessed by the application.

[0170] Furthermore, it is an aspect of the present disclosure that personal information data should be managed and processed in a manner that minimizes the risk of unintended or unauthorized access or use. The risk can be minimized by restricting data collection and deleting data when it is no longer needed. Additionally, anonymization of data can be used to protect a user's privacy, where applicable, in certain health-related applications. Anonymization can be facilitated, where appropriate, by removing certain identifiers (e.g., date of birth, etc.), controlling the amount or specificity of the data stored (e.g., collecting location data at the city level rather than the address level), controlling how the data is stored (e.g., aggregating data across all users), and / or other means.

[0171] Accordingly, while the present disclosure encompasses a wide range of uses of personal information data for implementing one or more of the various disclosed embodiments, it is contemplated that the various embodiments can also be implemented without the need to access such personal information data. That is, the various embodiments of the present technology are not rendered inoperable by the absence of all or part of such personal information data.

[0172] Although the present disclosure has been described with respect to specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the present disclosure is intended to cover all modifications and equivalents within the scope of the following claims.

[0173] All patents, patent applications, publications, and descriptions referred to herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes. There is no admission that any of the foregoing is prior art.

[0174] Accordingly, the specification and drawings are to be considered in an illustrative, rather than a restrictive sense. However, it will be apparent that various modifications and changes may be made to them without departing from the broader spirit and scope of the present disclosure as set forth in the claims.

[0175] Other variations are within the scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, while the disclosed technology is susceptible to various modifications and alternative structures, specific example embodiments of the disclosed technology are shown in the drawings and described in detail above. However, there is no intention to limit the present disclosure to the specific forms disclosed, and on the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, alternative structures, and equivalents within the spirit and scope of the present disclosure as defined in the appended claims.

[0176] In the context of describing the disclosed embodiments (in particular, in the context of the following claims), the use of the terms "a", "an", "the", and similar designations should be construed to include both the singular and the plural unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by the context. The terms "comprising", "having", "including", and "containing" should be construed as open-ended terms (i.e., meaning "including but not limited to") unless otherwise specified. The term "connected" should be construed to mean that something is either partially or fully contained within, attached to, or joined together with, even if there is something intervening. The phrase "based on" is open-ended and should not be understood to be limiting in any way, and where appropriate, should be construed as "at least partially based on" or otherwise intended to be read in other ways. The recitation of a range of values herein is merely intended to serve as a shorthand way of referring individually to each of the individual values that fall within the range, and each individual value is hereby incorporated into the specification as if it were individually recited herein. All methods described herein may be performed in any suitable order unless otherwise indicated herein or clearly contradicted by the context. The use of all examples provided herein, or of exemplary language (e.g., "such as") is merely intended to more appropriately clarify the embodiments of the disclosure and is not intended to impose a limitation on the scope of the disclosure unless otherwise claimed. No language in this specification should be construed to indicate any non-claimed element as essential to the practice of the disclosure. When using "or", it is intended to mean "inclusive or" (including "or") rather than "exclusive or" (not including "or") unless the contrary is stated. When referring to a "first" component, a "second" component is not necessarily provided.Also, unless otherwise specified, references to a "first" or "second" component do not limit the referenced component to a particular position. The term "based on" is intended to mean "based at least in part on".

[0177] Disjunctive language such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, or Z" is understood within the context in which it is commonly used to present that items, terms, etc. may be any one of X, Y, or Z, or any combination thereof (e.g., X, Y, and / or Z), unless specifically stated otherwise. Thus, such disjunctive language is not generally intended, and should not be construed, to mean that a particular embodiment requires the presence of at least one of each of X, at least one of Y, and at least one of Z. Further, conjunctive language such as the phrase "at least one of X, Y, and Z" should be understood to mean X, Y, Z, or any combination thereof that includes "X, Y, and / or Z", unless specifically stated otherwise.

[0178] Preferred embodiments of the present disclosure are described herein, including the best mode known to the inventors for carrying out the present disclosure. Variations of these preferred embodiments may become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the foregoing description. The inventors expect those skilled in the art to employ such variations as appropriate, and the inventors intend for the present disclosure to be practiced otherwise than as specifically described herein. Accordingly, the present disclosure includes all modifications and equivalents of the subject matter recited in the claims appended hereto as permitted by applicable law. Further, any combination of the foregoing elements in all possible variations of the present disclosure is included in the present disclosure unless otherwise specifically indicated herein or otherwise clearly precluded by context.

[0179] All references, including publications, patent applications, and patents cited in this specification, are hereby incorporated by reference to the same extent as if each reference were individually and specifically indicated to be incorporated by reference and to the same extent as if the reference were set forth in its entirety herein.

[0180] Any of the software components or functions described in this application may be implemented as software code executed by a processor using any suitable computer language, such as Java, C++, or Perl, for example, using conventional or object-oriented techniques. The software code may be stored on a computer-readable medium as a series of instructions or commands for storage and / or transmission, and suitable media include magnetic media such as random access memory (RAM), read-only memory (ROM), hard drive, or floppy disk, or optical media such as compact disk (CD) or digital versatile disk (DVD), flash memory, and the like. The computer-readable medium may be any combination of such storage or transmission devices.

[0181] Such programs may also be transmitted using a carrier signal adapted for transmission via various protocols including the Internet, encoded and conforming to wired, optical, and / or wireless networks. Thus, a computer-readable medium according to an embodiment of the present invention can be created using a data signal encoded with such a program. A computer-readable medium encoded with program code may be packaged with a compatible device or provided separately from other devices (e.g., via an Internet download). Any such computer-readable medium may be on or within a single computer program product (e.g., a hard drive or an entire computer system) or may exist on or within different computer program products within a system or network. The computer system may include a monitor, printer, or other suitable display for providing any of the results described herein to a user.

[0182] The specific details of particular embodiments may be combined in any suitable way or modified from what is shown and described herein without departing from the spirit and scope of the embodiments of the present invention.

[0183] The foregoing description of exemplary embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and of description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form disclosed, and many modifications and variations are possible in light of the above teachings. The embodiments were chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its practical application, to thereby enable others skilled in the art to best utilize the invention in various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

[0184] All publications, patents, and patent applications cited herein are hereby incorporated by reference in their entirety for all purposes.

Claims

1. A method for determining the current position of a first electronic device, comprising: Receiving a first signal from a first transmission device among one or more transmission devices at a first time; Receiving a second signal from a second transmission device among the one or more transmission devices at a second time; Accessing location information specifying a first position of the first transmission device and a second position of the second transmission device; Receiving a first message from a second electronic device having a known distance relationship with the first position of the first transmission device and the second position of the second transmission device, wherein the second electronic device is configured to receive the first signal and the second signal, and the first message includes first signal timing information of the first signal and the second signal, and the first signal timing information includes a first transmission time of the first signal and a second transmission time of the second signal; Determining the current position of the first electronic device using the first position and the second position specified from the location information and the first signal timing information, wherein the current position depends on the known distance relationship; A method, comprising.

2. Receiving a third signal from a third transmission device; Further comprising accessing location information specifying a third position of the third transmission device, wherein the second transmission device has a known distance relationship with the third transmission device, the second electronic device is further configured to receive the third signal, and the first signal timing information includes timing information of the third signal; The method according to claim 1.

3. Receiving a second message from a third electronic device having a second known distance relationship with at least one of the first transmission device and the second transmission device, wherein the third electronic device is configured to receive the first signal and the second signal, and the second message includes second signal timing information, and Determining the current position of the first electronic device using the location information and the second signal timing information, and The method according to any one of claims 1 or 2, further comprising.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein both the second electronic device and the third electronic device receive signals from at least one common transmission device.

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the first signal and the second signal received by the first electronic device and the second electronic device are ultra-wideband signals.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the current position of the first electronic device is determined without synchronizing the clocks of the first transmission device, the second transmission device, and the second electronic device.

7. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein the first signal timing information includes transmission time information for a plurality of transmission devices.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the first signal timing information includes reception time information for a plurality of signals in the second electronic device, and is within a range between the second electronic device and a plurality of transmission devices.

9. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the first electronic device further comprises downloading the location information of the one or more transmission devices and the second electronic device.

10. One or more memories, One or more processors configured to communicate with the one or more memories and execute instructions stored in the one or more memories to perform operations including the method according to any one of claims 1 to 9; A computing device comprising the same. **Claim 11** A method for facilitating determination of the current location of a first electronic device, the method comprising, at a second electronic device, Receiving a first signal from a first transmission device among one or more transmission devices at a first time; Receiving a second signal from a second transmission device among the one or more transmission devices at a second time, wherein the second electronic device has a known distance relationship with respect to the first transmission device and the second transmission device; Determining first signal timing information of the first signal and the second signal, the first signal timing information including a first transmission time of the first signal and a second transmission time of the second signal; Transmitting a message to the first electronic device, wherein the first electronic device is configured to receive the first signal and the second signal, the message includes the first signal timing information, and the first electronic device is configured to determine the current location of the first electronic device based on the first signal timing information and location information including a first location of the first transmission device and a second location of the second transmission device. Method. **Claim 12** Receiving a third signal from a third transmission device, wherein the location information further includes a third location of the third transmission device; Determining second signal timing information including a third transmission time of the third signal; Further including transmitting a message to the first electronic device, the first electronic device being further configured to receive the third signal, the message including the second signal timing information, the first electronic device being further configured to determine the current position of the first electronic device based at least in part on the transmission device location information, the second signal timing information, and a third position specified from the location information. The method according to claim 11.

13. Receiving a second message from a third electronic device having a known distance relationship with at least one of the first transmission device or the second transmission device, the message including third signal timing information, Using the location information and the third signal timing information to determine the current position of the first electronic device, The method according to claim 11 or 12, further including.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein both the second electronic device and the third electronic device receive signals from at least one common transmission device.

15. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 14, wherein the first signal and the second signal received by the first electronic device and the second electronic device are ultra-wideband signals.

16. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 15, wherein the first position of the first transmission device and the second position of the second transmission device are determined without synchronizing the clocks of the first transmission device, the second transmission device, and the second electronic device.

17. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 16, wherein the first signal timing information includes transmission time information for a plurality of transmission devices.

18. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 17, wherein the first signal timing information includes reception time information of a plurality of signals in the second electronic device, and is within a range between the second electronic device and a plurality of transmission devices. **Claim 19** The first electronic device is configured to download the location information. The method according to any one of claims 11 to 18. **Claim 20** A computing device, One or more memories, One or more processors that communicate with the one or more memories and are configured to execute instructions stored in the one or more memories to perform operations including the method according to any one of claims 11 to 19, A computing device comprising the same.

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