Electronic device and method for acquiring location information of said electronic device

Abstract

The present invention relates to a method for acquiring location information of an electronic device, and more particularly, to a method for acquiring relative location information of an electronic device with respect to an anchor device by utilizing wireless communication with the anchor device.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a method for acquiring location information of an electronic device, and more particularly to a method for acquiring relative location information of an electronic device with respect to an anchor device by using wireless communication with the anchor device. [Background technology]

[0002] The Internet, a human-centered network where people generate and consume information, is evolving into the Internet of Things (IoT), a network that exchanges and processes information between distributed components like things. IoE (Internet of Everything) technologies, which combine IoT technology with big data processing technologies through connections to cloud servers, are also beginning to emerge. To realize IoT, technological elements such as sensing technology, wired and wireless communication and network infrastructure, service interface technology, and security technology are required. Recently, technologies such as sensor networks for connecting things, machine-to-machine (M2M) communication, and machine-type communication (MTC) are being researched.

[0003] In the IoT environment, intelligent IT (Internet technology) services can be provided that collect and analyze data generated by connected things and create new value in people's lives. The IoT is also applied to fields such as smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smart cars or connected cars, smart grids, healthcare, smart home appliances, and advanced medical services through the fusion and integration of existing IT (information technology) with various industries.

[0004] As wireless communication systems have become more advanced, a variety of services can be provided, and solutions for providing these services more effectively are required. For example, in medium access control (MAC), ranging technology can be used to measure the distance between electronic devices using ultra wideband (UWB). UWB is a wireless communication technology that uses an extremely wide frequency band of several GHz or more in the baseband without using a radio carrier wave. For example, UWB ranging technology is also used in systems that track the location of personnel or objects in factories or companies, or in indoor navigation systems. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] Accordingly, the present disclosure provides embodiments that are designed to address at least the problems and / or disadvantages discussed above and provide at least the following advantages.

[0006] An embodiment of the present disclosure relates to an electronic device that wirelessly communicates with an anchor device in a system for acquiring location information of an electronic device, and a method for acquiring location information of the electronic device. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] One aspect of the present disclosure is a method for acquiring location information of an electronic device, comprising: receiving an initiation message transmitted from a first anchor device; and receiving a first response time (reply time) of the second anchor device from a second anchor device. receiving information related to a first response time from the first anchor device, wherein the information related to the first response time includes information related to a time from when the second anchor device receives the start message to when it transmits a response message; receiving information related to a second response time from the first anchor device, wherein the information related to the second response time includes information related to a time from when the first anchor device receives the response message to when it transmits an end message; and acquiring information related to a difference between a first distance between the first anchor device and the electronic device and a second distance between the second anchor device and the electronic device based on the information related to the time of receiving at least one of the start message, the response message, and the end message, the information related to the first response time, and the information related to the second response time.

[0008] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an electronic device including a communication unit, a memory, and at least one processor that controls an operation of the electronic device by executing a program stored in the memory, wherein the communication unit receives an initiation message transmitted from a first anchor device and receives information related to a first response time of the second anchor device from the second anchor device, the information related to the first response time including information related to a time from when the second anchor device receives the initiation message to when the second anchor device transmits a response message, and the communication unit receives information related to a second response time of the second anchor device. The information regarding the second response time includes information regarding the time from when the first anchor device receives the response message to when the first anchor device transmits an end message, and the at least one processor acquires information regarding a difference between a first distance between the first anchor device and the electronic device and a second distance between the second anchor device and the electronic device based on the information regarding the time when at least one of the start message, the response message, and the end message is received, the information regarding the first response time, and the information regarding the second response time.

[0009] Another aspect of the present disclosure may provide a computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon a program for performing a method for acquiring location information of an electronic device, the location information acquisition method including: receiving a start message broadcasted from a first anchor device; receiving a response message broadcasted from a second anchor device in response to the start message, the response message including a first response time of the second anchor device; receiving an end message broadcasted from the first anchor device, the end message including a second response time of the second anchor device; and acquiring information related to a difference between a first distance between the first anchor device and the electronic device and a second distance between the second anchor device and the electronic device based on the start message, the response message, and the end message.

[0010] Another aspect of the present disclosure may provide a method for acquiring location information of an electronic device, the method including: receiving a first message from a first anchor device; receiving a second message from a second anchor device; receiving a third message from a third anchor device; and receiving a fourth message from a fourth anchor device; and acquiring location information of the electronic device based on times when the electronic device receives the first message, the second message, the third message, and the fourth message.

[0011] Another aspect of the present disclosure may provide an electronic device including a communication unit, a memory, and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor executes a program stored in the memory to control operation of the electronic device to receive a first message from a first anchor device, a second message from a second anchor device, a third message from a third anchor device, and a fourth message from a fourth anchor device, and to acquire location information of the electronic device based on the times at which the electronic device receives the first message, the second message, the third message, and the fourth message.

[0012] Another aspect of the present disclosure may provide a method for acquiring location information of an electronic device, including: determining a ranging scheme for acquiring location information of the electronic device based on the number of messages received from a first anchor device and the total number of messages received from a plurality of anchor devices including the first anchor device; if the determined ranging scheme is the first ranging scheme, acquiring the location information of the electronic device based on times at which a start message received from the first anchor device, a first response message received from a second anchor device, a second response message received from a third anchor device, and an end message received from the first anchor device are received; and if the determined ranging scheme is the second ranging scheme, acquiring the location information of the electronic device based on times at which the first message received from the first anchor device, the second message received from the second anchor device, the third message received from the third anchor device, and the fourth message received from a fourth anchor device are received.

[0013] Another aspect of the present disclosure may provide an electronic device including a communication unit, a memory, and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor executes a program stored in the memory to determine a ranging method for acquiring location information of the electronic device based on the number of messages received from a first anchor device and the total number of messages received from a plurality of anchor devices including the first anchor device; and, if the determined ranging method is the first ranging method, acquire location information of the electronic device based on times at which a start message received from the first anchor device, a first response message received from a second anchor device, a second response message received from a third anchor device, and an end message received from the first anchor device are received; and, if the determined ranging method is the second ranging method, acquire location information of the electronic device based on times at which a first message received from the first anchor device, a second message received from the second anchor device, a third message received from the third anchor device, and a fourth message received from a fourth anchor device are received.

[0014] The foregoing and other aspects, features, and advantages of particular embodiments of the disclosure will become more apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings: [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0015] [Figure 1] 1 is a diagram for explaining a method in which an electronic device positioning system uses ToA (time of arrival) to acquire location information of an electronic device. [Figure 2] 1 is a diagram for explaining a method of using time difference of arrival (TDoA) to acquire location information of an electronic device in an electronic device location confirmation system. FIG. [Figure 3] 1 is a diagram for explaining a method for acquiring location information of an electronic device in an electronic device location confirmation system. [Figure 4] 1 is a flowchart of a method of operating an electronic device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 5A] FIG. 1 illustrates a portion of an electronic device location system, according to one embodiment. [Figure 5B] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating information utilized by an electronic device to acquire location information of the electronic device relative to an anchor device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 5C] 10 is a diagram illustrating a specific calculation process used by an electronic device to obtain location information of the electronic device relative to an anchor device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 10 illustrates the structure of a message transmitted by an anchor device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 7A] 1 illustrates the format of an initiation message transmitted by an initiator anchor device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 7B] FIG. 10 illustrates the format of a device management list element included in an initiation message, according to one embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 illustrates the format of a response message transmitted by a responder anchor device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 9A] 10 illustrates the format of a termination message transmitted by an initiator anchor device according to one embodiment. [Figure 9B] FIG. 10 illustrates the format of a response time list element included in a termination message, according to one embodiment. [Figure 10] 1 illustrates the format of an initiation message transmitted by an initiator anchor device of a location confirmation system including a backend controller, according to one embodiment. [Figure 11A]FIG. 10 illustrates information utilized to correct errors due to clock drift between anchor devices, according to one embodiment. [Figure 11B] FIG. 10 illustrates information utilized to correct errors due to clock drift between anchor devices, according to one embodiment. [Figure 12] FIG. 10 illustrates information utilized to correct errors due to clock drift between anchor devices, according to one embodiment. [Figure 13] 10 illustrates the format of an initiation message transmitted by an initiator anchor device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 14] FIG. 10 illustrates the format of a response message transmitted by a responder anchor device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 15] 10 illustrates the format of a termination message transmitted by an initiator anchor device according to one embodiment. [Figure 16] 1 is a flowchart of a method of operating an electronic device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 17] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating corrections performed between anchor devices according to one embodiment. [Figure 18A] FIG. 1 illustrates a configuration of an electronic device location system, according to one embodiment. [Figure 18B] FIG. 10 is a diagram illustrating information utilized by an electronic device to acquire location information of the electronic device relative to an anchor device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 18C] 10 is a diagram illustrating a specific calculation process used by an electronic device to obtain location information of the electronic device relative to an anchor device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 19] 1 is a flowchart of a method of operating an electronic device, according to one embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of an electronic device according to one embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0016] One aspect of the present disclosure is a method for acquiring location information of an electronic device, comprising: receiving an initiation message transmitted from a first anchor device; and receiving a first response time (reply time) of the second anchor device from a second anchor device. receiving information related to a first response time from the first anchor device, the information related to the first response time including information related to a time from when the second anchor device receives the start message to when it transmits a response message; receiving information related to a second response time for the second anchor device from the first anchor device, the information related to the second response time including information related to a time from when the first anchor device receives the response message to when it transmits an end message; and acquiring information related to a difference between a first distance between the first anchor device and the electronic device and a second distance between the second anchor device and the electronic device based on the information related to a time from when the first anchor device receives at least one of the start message, the response message, and the end message, the information related to the first response time, and the information related to the second response time.

[0017] Also, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a location information acquisition method can be provided in which the initiation message includes a list including an address of at least one anchor device including the second anchor device.

[0018] Also, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the initiation message may provide a location information acquisition method that includes a slot index used by the second anchor device to transmit the response message.

[0019] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a location information acquisition method can be provided, in which the start message, the response message, and the end message are scheduled by a backend controller.

[0020] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a location information acquisition method can be provided, in which information regarding the first response time is included in the response message and received from the second anchor device.

[0021] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a location information acquisition method can be provided, in which information regarding the second response time is included in the completion message and received from the first anchor device.

[0022] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a location information acquisition method may be provided, wherein the end message further includes a round-trip time of the first anchor device to the third anchor device.

[0023] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, the step of acquiring information related to the difference between the first distance and the second distance may include calculating a time difference of arrival (TDoA) between a message arrival time from the first anchor device to the electronic device and a message arrival time from the second anchor device to the electronic device, and calculating the difference between the first distance and the second distance based on the TDoA, wherein the TDoA is calculated based on the first response time of the second anchor device, a round-trip time of the first anchor device, a time difference from when the electronic device receives the start message to when it receives the response message, the second response time of the first anchor device, and a time difference from when the electronic device receives the response message to when it receives the end message.

[0024] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a location information acquisition method may be provided, wherein the step of acquiring information regarding the difference between the first distance and the second distance includes a step of calculating the difference between the first distance and the second distance by performing compensation based on a clock of one of the electronic device, the first anchor device, and the second anchor device.

[0025] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a location information acquisition method may be provided, wherein the step of acquiring information regarding the difference between the first distance and the second distance includes a step of calculating the difference between the first distance and the second distance by performing correction based on a ratio between an interval at which the first anchor device transmits a start message, measured using a clock of the first anchor device, and an interval at which the second anchor device receives a start message from the first anchor device, measured using a clock of the second anchor device.

[0026] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, there may be provided a location information acquisition method further including receiving location information of at least one of the first anchor device and the second anchor device.

[0027] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a location information acquisition method can be provided, in which at least one of the start message and the end message transmitted from the first anchor device includes location information of the first anchor device, and the response message transmitted from the second anchor device includes location information of the second anchor device.

[0028] Another aspect of the present disclosure is an electronic device including a communication unit, a memory, and at least one processor that controls an operation of the electronic device by executing a program stored in the memory, wherein the communication unit receives an initiation message transmitted from a first anchor device and receives information related to a first response time of the second anchor device from the second anchor device, the information related to the first response time including information related to a time from when the second anchor device receives the initiation message to when the second anchor device transmits a response message, and the communication unit receives information related to a second response time of the second anchor device. The information regarding the second response time includes information regarding the time from when the first anchor device receives the response message to when the first anchor device transmits an end message, and the at least one processor acquires information regarding a difference between a first distance between the first anchor device and the electronic device and a second distance between the second anchor device and the electronic device based on the information regarding the time when at least one of the start message, the response message, and the end message is received, the information regarding the first response time, and the information regarding the second response time.

[0029] Also, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the initiation message may provide the electronic device with a list including an address of at least one anchor device including the second anchor device.

[0030] Also, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, the initiation message may provide an electronic device with a slot index that the second anchor device will use to transmit the response message.

[0031] Furthermore, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which the start message, the response message, and the end message are scheduled by a back-end controller.

[0032] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device may be provided in which information regarding the first response time is included in the response message and received from the second anchor device.

[0033] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device may be provided in which information regarding the second response time is included in the completion message and received from the first anchor device.

[0034] Also, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which the termination message further includes a round-trip time of the first anchor device to the third anchor device.

[0035] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided, characterized in that the at least one processor calculates a time difference of arrival (TDoA) between a message arrival time from the first anchor device to the electronic device and a message arrival time from the second anchor device to the electronic device, and calculates a difference between the first distance and the second distance based on the time difference of arrival (TDoA), and the time difference of arrival (TDoA) is calculated based on the first response time of the second anchor device, a round-trip time of the first anchor device, a time difference from the time the electronic device receives the start message to the time it receives the response message, the second response time of the first anchor device, and a time difference from the time the electronic device receives the response message to the time it receives the end message.

[0036] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which the at least one processor calculates the difference between the first distance and the second distance by performing a correction based on a clock of one of the electronic device, the first anchor device, and the second anchor device.

[0037] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which the at least one processor calculates the difference between the first distance and the second distance by making a correction based on the ratio between the interval at which the first anchor device transmits a start message, measured using the clock of the first anchor device, and the interval at which the second anchor device receives a start message from the first anchor device, measured using the clock of the second anchor device.

[0038] In one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which the communication unit further receives location information of at least one of the first anchor device and the second anchor device.

[0039] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device can be provided in which at least one of the start message and the end message transmitted from the first anchor device includes location information of the first anchor device, and the response message transmitted from the second anchor device includes location information of the second anchor device.

[0040] Another aspect of the present disclosure may provide a computer-readable recording medium having stored thereon a program for performing a method for acquiring location information of an electronic device, the location information acquisition method including: receiving a start message broadcasted from a first anchor device; receiving a response message broadcasted from a second anchor device in response to the start message, the response message including a first response time of the second anchor device; receiving an end message broadcasted from the first anchor device, the end message including a second response time of the second anchor device; and acquiring information related to a difference between a first distance between the first anchor device and the electronic device and a second distance between the second anchor device and the electronic device based on the start message, the response message, and the end message.

[0041] Another aspect of the present disclosure may provide a method for acquiring location information of an electronic device, the method including: receiving a first message from a first anchor device; receiving a second message from a second anchor device; receiving a third message from a third anchor device; and receiving a fourth message from a fourth anchor device; and acquiring location information of the electronic device based on times when the electronic device receives the first message, the second message, the third message, and the fourth message.

[0042] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a location information acquisition method may be provided, wherein the step of acquiring the location information includes a step of acquiring location information of the electronic device based on the time point by further considering location information and slot intervals of the first anchor device, the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device.

[0043] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a location information acquisition method can be provided, characterized in that the second message, the third message, and the fourth message are transmitted from the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device, respectively, with their clocks corrected based on the first anchor device.

[0044] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a location information acquisition method can be provided, in which the first message is transmitted within a first slot, and the second message is transmitted within a second slot, and is transmitted after a slot interval from the transmission time of the first message.

[0045] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a location information acquisition method can be provided, in which the first message is transmitted at the start of a first slot, and the second message is transmitted at the start of a second slot.

[0046] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, a location information acquisition method can be provided in which the first message is transmitted at the start of a first slot, and the second message is transmitted at the start of a second slot determined based on the distance between the first anchor device and the second anchor device and the time when the second anchor device receives the first message.

[0047] In addition, one embodiment of the present disclosure may provide a location information acquisition method including a step of acquiring a difference between a clock of the first anchor device and a clock of the electronic device.

[0048] In addition, in one embodiment of the present disclosure, there may be provided a location information acquisition method further including receiving location information of at least one of the first anchor device, the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device.

[0049] Another aspect of the present disclosure may provide an electronic device including a communication unit, a memory, and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor executes a program stored in the memory to control operation of the electronic device to receive a first message from a first anchor device, a second message from a second anchor device, a third message from a third anchor device, and a fourth message from a fourth anchor device, and to acquire location information of the electronic device based on the times at which the electronic device receives the first message, the second message, the third message, and the fourth message.

[0050] Another aspect of the present disclosure may provide a method for acquiring location information of an electronic device, including: determining a ranging scheme for acquiring location information of the electronic device based on the number of messages received from a first anchor device and the total number of messages received from a plurality of anchor devices including the first anchor device; if the determined ranging scheme is the first ranging scheme, acquiring the location information of the electronic device based on times at which a start message received from the first anchor device, a first response message received from a second anchor device, a second response message received from a third anchor device, and an end message received from the first anchor device are received; and if the determined ranging scheme is the second ranging scheme, acquiring the location information of the electronic device based on times at which the first message received from the first anchor device, the second message received from the second anchor device, the third message received from the third anchor device, and the fourth message received from a fourth anchor device are received.

[0051] Another aspect of the present disclosure may provide an electronic device including a communication unit, a memory, and at least one processor, wherein the at least one processor executes a program stored in the memory to determine a ranging method for acquiring location information of the electronic device based on the number of messages received from a first anchor device and the total number of messages received from a plurality of anchor devices including the first anchor device; and, if the determined ranging method is the first ranging method, acquire location information of the electronic device based on times at which a start message received from the first anchor device, a first response message received from a second anchor device, a second response message received from a third anchor device, and an end message received from the first anchor device are received; and, if the determined ranging method is the second ranging method, control operation of the electronic device to acquire location information of the electronic device based on times at which the first message received from the first anchor device, the second message received from the second anchor device, the third message received from the third anchor device, and the fourth message received from the fourth anchor device are received.

[0052] Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In addition, in the drawings, parts that are not relevant to the description are omitted in order to clearly explain the present disclosure, and similar parts are designated by similar reference numerals throughout the specification.

[0053] The terms used in this disclosure are described in common terms currently used, taking into consideration the functions referred to in this disclosure, but may mean a variety of different terms depending on the intentions of those skilled in the art, precedents, the emergence of new technology, etc. Therefore, the terms used in this disclosure should not be interpreted solely based on the name of the term, but should be interpreted based on the meaning of the term and the overall content of this disclosure.

[0054] Furthermore, terms such as "first" and "second" may be used to describe various components, but the components are not limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one component from another.

[0055] Furthermore, the terms used in this disclosure are merely used to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit the present disclosure. The singular expressions include the plural meaning unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. Furthermore, throughout the specification, when a part is referred to as being "connected" to another part, this does not only include the case where the part is "directly connected" to another part, but also the case where the part is "electrically connected" with another element sandwiched therebetween. Furthermore, when a part is referred to as "comprising" a certain component, this does not mean that the other component is excluded, but also means that the part further includes the other component, unless otherwise specified.

[0056] As used throughout this specification, "the," "the," and similar directives refer to both the singular and the plural. Additionally, unless a description explicitly specifies the order of steps described in a method according to the present disclosure, the recited steps may be performed in any suitable order. The recited order of steps is not intended to limit the present disclosure.

[0057] The appearances of phrases such as "in one embodiment" in various places in the specification do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment.

[0058] An embodiment of the present disclosure is also illustrated by functional block configurations and various processing steps. Some or all of these functional blocks may be embodied by various hardware and / or software components that perform specific functions. For example, the functional blocks of the present disclosure may be embodied by one or more microprocessors or by circuit configurations for a given function. For example, the functional blocks of the present disclosure may be embodied by various programming or scripting languages. The functional blocks may also be embodied by algorithms executed by one or more processors. The present disclosure may also employ conventional technologies for electronic configuration, signal processing, and / or data processing.

[0059] Furthermore, the connecting lines or connecting members between components shown in the drawings are merely illustrative of functional and / or physical or circuit connections, and in an actual device, connections between components may be represented by various alternative or additional functional, physical, or circuit connections.

[0060] Generally, wireless sensor network technologies are broadly divided into wireless local area network (WLAN) technologies and wireless personal area network (WPAN) technologies based on their detection distance. WLANs are based on IEEE 802.11 and can connect to a backbone network within a radius of approximately 100 meters. WPANs are based on IEEE 802.15 and include Bluetooth (registered trademark), Zigbee (registered trademark), and ultra wideband (UWB). A wireless network that implements such wireless network technologies is made up of multiple communication electronic devices. The multiple communication electronic devices communicate using a single channel during an active period. That is, the communication electronic devices can collect packets and transmit the collected packets during the active period.

[0061] Ultra-wideband (UWB) may refer to a short-distance, high-speed wireless communication technology that uses a wide frequency band of several GHz or more, low spectral density, and a short pulse width (1 to 4 nsec) in a baseband state. The term UWB may also refer to the band itself to which UWB communication is applied. Hereinafter, a ranging method between electronic devices will be described based on the UWB communication system, but this is merely an example, and various wireless communication technologies may be used in practice.

[0062] The electronic device according to the embodiment of the present disclosure may include a fixed terminal or a mobile terminal embodied as a computer system, and may communicate with other devices and / or servers using a wireless or wired communication method. For example, the electronic device may include, but is not limited to, a smartphone, a mobile terminal, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a portable multimedia player (PMP), a navigation system, a slate personal computer (SPC), a tablet PC, a desktop computer, a digital TV, a refrigerator, an AI speaker, a wearable device, a projector, a smart key, a smart car, a printer, etc.

[0063] Device-to-device (D2D) communication refers to a method in which geographically nearby electronic devices communicate directly without using infrastructure such as a base station. Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to medium access control (MAC) based on D2D communication, and for this MAC, the distance between the electronic devices needs to be measured. In this case, an ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging technique may be used to measure the distance between the electronic devices.

[0064] The ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure can also be used for various location-based services. The location-based service refers to a service provided based on the location of a moving object. For example, the ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging technology can be used in a system for tracking the location of personnel or goods in a factory or company, an indoor navigation system, a smart gate, a smart payment system, or an analysis of the movement of athletes. A location confirmation system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure also includes a ranging system. Users of devices providing the location-based service can know where they are, which points of interest (POIs) they are near, and how to reach their destination.

[0065] Ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging techniques for determining the location of an electronic device may involve exchanging messages between the electronic device and multiple anchor devices whose locations are known in advance. The locations of the multiple anchor devices may be communicated to the electronic device via out-of-band wireless communications or may be pre-stored within the electronic device. For example, the ranging system may utilize a time of arrival (ToA) or time difference of arrival (TDoA) method.

[0066] FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining a method in which an electronic device positioning system uses ToA to acquire location information of an electronic device.

[0067] The ToA method is a simple and general ranging technique. The ToA method may be based on the time when a signal is transmitted from the electronic device 101 (e.g., a target device to be located) or a reference point (e.g., an anchor device), the time when the signal arrives, and the speed at which the signal is transmitted. In general, the speed at which the signal is transmitted is the speed of light.

[0068] 1 can obtain the distance between the electronic device 101 and a specific anchor device by using the time when a signal transmitted by the electronic device 101 arrives at a specific anchor device or the time when a signal transmitted from a specific anchor device arrives at the electronic device 101. The location confirmation system can confirm the location of the electronic device 101 based on the distances between the electronic device 101 and multiple anchor devices.

[0069] Referring to FIG. 1, the location confirmation system can determine the location of electronic device 101 as the intersection of spherical surface 113, whose radius is the distance between electronic device 101 and anchor device 103, spherical surface 112, whose radius is the distance between electronic device 101 and anchor device 102, and spherical surface 115, whose radius is the distance between electronic device 101 and anchor device 105.

[0070] In the following, ToA can also refer to the time required for a signal to arrive between devices, or to a ranging method that measures the distance between devices based on the time required for a signal to arrive between devices.

[0071] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining a method in which an electronic device location confirmation system uses time difference of arrival (TDoA) to acquire location information of an electronic device.

[0072] Like ToA, Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) is also a common ranging technique. However, TDoA is more versatile than ToA. TDoA does not require the time at which a signal is transmitted, but can be based on the time at which the signal is received by the electronic device 201 or a specific anchor device, and the speed at which the signal is transmitted. Generally, the speed at which the signal is transmitted is the speed of light.

[0073] 2 can obtain the difference between the arrival time between the electronic device 101 and a specific anchor device and the arrival time between the electronic device 101 and another specific anchor device based on the time when a signal transmitted by the electronic device 201 arrives at a specific anchor device or the time when a signal transmitted from the specific anchor device arrives at the electronic device 201. The location confirmation system can obtain the distance difference between the electronic device 201 and multiple anchor devices based on the time difference of arrival (TDoA) between the electronic device 201 and multiple anchor devices. The location confirmation system can confirm the location of the electronic device 201 based on the distance difference between the electronic device 201 and multiple anchor devices.

[0074] Referring to FIG. 2, the location confirmation system can determine the position of electronic device 201 as the intersection of hyperboloids 212 and 213, which have the positions of anchor device 202 and anchor device 203 as their foci, hyperboloids 214 and 216, which have the positions of anchor device 202 and anchor device 204 as their foci, and hyperboloids 215 and 217, which have the positions of anchor device 202 and anchor device 205 as their foci.

[0075] Hereinafter, Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) can refer to the difference in time required for a signal to arrive between devices, or it can refer to a ranging method that measures the distance between devices based on the difference in time required for a signal to arrive between devices.

[0076] Meanwhile, the location confirmation system can use a downlink method or an uplink method.

[0077] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating a method for acquiring location information of an electronic device in an electronic device location confirmation system.

[0078] 3, the downlink location system can locate the electronic device 301 based on signals transmitted from anchor devices 302, 303, 304, and 305 to the electronic device 301. The electronic device 301 can directly calculate its own location.

[0079] The downlink-based location confirmation system has scalability, meaning that there is no limit to the number of target devices to be located, and is advantageous for privacy protection since the target devices directly calculate their own locations, and has the advantage of enabling in-band clock synchronization. The downlink-based location confirmation system can also be used in, for example, indoor navigation systems.

[0080] 3, a location determination system using an uplink method can determine the location of the electronic device 310 based on signals transmitted from the electronic device 310 to anchor devices 306, 307, 308, and 309. The infrastructure (e.g., anchor devices 306, 307, 308, and 309) can calculate the location of the electronic device 310.

[0081] The uplink-based location system has the advantage of low power consumption because the target device does not need to wait for signal reception, and is also used for, for example, asset / patient location tracking, foot traffic analytics, and shopping behavior analytics.

[0082] An electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may determine its own location by overhearing messages between anchor devices, and may perform location determination using a downlink time difference of arrival (TDoA) method.

[0083] The message transmission timing and role of each anchor device (i.e., initiator or responder) are set prior to the ranging operation. An anchor device can play two roles: one is the initiator role, and the other is also the responder role. An anchor device with the initiator role can initiate a Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) ranging round, and an anchor device with the responder role can respond to it. A Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) ranging round is also a ranging round in which one cycle of Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) message exchange is completed. An electronic device can receive ranging messages from an initiator anchor device and a responder anchor device and measure the Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA). To determine its two-dimensional location, the electronic device must measure two or more Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA). Based on the Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) measurements and the given location of the anchor, the electronic device can estimate its own location.

[0084] According to one embodiment, the anchor device performs double-sided two-way ranging (DS-TWR) and is also configured via out-of-band (wired or wireless) communication. According to one embodiment, the anchor device can also compensate for clock offset or estimate clock drift with respect to other anchor devices. For example, a basic cell may consist of one initiator anchor device and three or more responder anchor devices, and there may be several cells in the overall system.

[0085] An initiator anchor device can transmit (e.g., unicast, multicast, or broadcast) ranging initiation messages (RIMs) to responder anchor devices to control time difference of arrival (TDoA) rounds. The initiator anchor device has a list of responder anchor devices included in its cell. After receiving ranging response messages (RRMs) from the responder anchor devices, the initiator anchor device can transmit ranging final messages (RFMs) to the responder anchor devices.

[0086] The responder anchor device may operate as configured by the initiator anchor device via a ranging initiation message (RIM) during a time difference of arrival (TDoA) round. The responder anchor device may respond to the ranging initiation message (RIM) from the initiator anchor device by transmitting a ranging response message (RRM) in an assigned ranging slot. After receiving a ranging completion message (RFM) from the initiator anchor device, the responder anchor device may correct its clock to match the clock of the initiator device.

[0087] According to one embodiment, an electronic device can receive ranging messages (e.g., ranging initiation messages (RIM), ranging response messages (RRM), and ranging completion messages (RFM)) from initiator and responder anchor devices and measure the reception times of the ranging messages. The electronic device can also determine the locations of the anchor devices via in-band or out-of-band communication. The electronic device can calculate the location of the electronic device using time difference of arrival (TDoA) measurements and anchor locations.

[0088] According to one embodiment, an electronic device can receive ranging messages from an anchor device. The electronic device can measure the time between reception of the ranging messages within a time difference of arrival (TDoA) round. When the electronic device receives the entire set of ranging messages (i.e., ranging initiation messages (RIM), ranging response messages (RRM), and ranging completion messages (RFM)), it can calculate its own location based on its own direct measurements and measurement data obtained from the received messages.

[0089] Among the anchor devices used to locate an electronic device, one anchor device can be an initiator, and all remaining anchor devices can be responders. An anchor that plays the role of initiator in a specific TDoA round can play the role of responder in another TDoA round. For convenience of explanation, the following description will be given using an example in which an electronic device observes signal exchanges between two anchor devices. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the following description, and the electronic device may require signal exchanges between at least four or at least five anchor devices to confirm its two-dimensional or three-dimensional location.

[0090] FIG. 4 illustrates a flowchart of a method of operating an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0091] In one embodiment, an electronic device can obtain its location information by observing signal exchanges with multiple surrounding anchor devices. In the following description, the first anchor device is an initiator anchor device, and the second and third anchor devices are also responder anchor devices.

[0092] In step S410, the electronic device according to an embodiment may receive an initiation message transmitted from a first anchor device. The first anchor device according to an embodiment may transmit the initiation message to the electronic device by unicasting, multicasting, or broadcasting.

[0093] For example, a ranging system including the electronic device may perform ranging via in-band scheduling. When in-band scheduling is used, the ranging system does not include a back-end controller. In this case, the initiation message also includes, as scheduling information, a slot index used by the second anchor device to transmit a response message. The initiation message may further include addresses of at least one anchor device including the second anchor device and slot index information assigned to at least one anchor device identified by the address.

[0094] As another example, a ranging system including an electronic device according to an embodiment may utilize external scheduling information to perform ranging. In this case, the ranging system may also include a back-end controller that provides the scheduling information. The initiation message, response message, and end message may be scheduled by the back-end controller. Therefore, the initiation message does not include the address of the anchor device and slot index information assigned to the anchor device identified by the address.

[0095] In step S420, according to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive, from the second anchor device, information related to a first response time of the second anchor device, which may include information related to the time from when the second anchor device receives the initiation message to when it transmits the response message.

[0096] According to an embodiment, the second anchor device can receive the initiation message, respond to the initiation message, and transmit a response message to the electronic device by unicasting, multicasting, or broadcasting.

[0097] According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive a response message transmitted from the second anchor device in response to the initiation message.

[0098] For example, the electronic device may receive a response message including information related to a first response time of the second anchor device. Alternatively, the response message may include a scrambled timestamp sequence (STS) but not information related to the first response time. In this case, the information related to the first response time may be transmitted in a separate message from the response message.

[0099] In step S430, according to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive information related to a second response time of the second anchor device from the first anchor device, the information related to the second response time including information related to the time from when the first anchor device receives the response message to when the first anchor device transmits the end message.

[0100] According to an embodiment, the first anchor device may receive the response message and transmit a termination message to the electronic device by unicasting, multicasting, or broadcasting.

[0101] According to an embodiment, the electronic device may receive a termination message transmitted from the first anchor device.

[0102] For example, the electronic device may receive a termination message from the first anchor device, the termination message including a second response time associated with the second anchor device. Alternatively, the termination message may include an STS but not information related to the second response time. In this case, the information related to the second response time may be transmitted in a separate message from the termination message.

[0103] In addition, according to an embodiment, the electronic device may further receive information related to the round trip time of the first anchor device.

[0104] For example, the electronic device may receive a termination message including information regarding a round-trip time between the first anchor device and the second anchor device. However, this disclosure is not limited thereto, and the information regarding the round-trip time between the first anchor device and the second anchor device may be transmitted in a separate message from the termination message. The round-trip time between the first anchor device and the second anchor device may refer to the time from when the first anchor device transmits the start message to when it receives a response message from the second anchor device.

[0105] As another example, the electronic device may receive a termination message including information regarding the round-trip time of the first anchor device to the third anchor device, and calculate the round-trip time of the first anchor device to the second anchor device from the round-trip time of the third anchor device. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the information regarding the round-trip time of the third anchor device may be transmitted in a message separate from the termination message.

[0106] The third anchor device is also the anchor device that transmits the response message to the initiation message first among the plurality of anchor devices that receive the initiation message transmitted by the first anchor device. The round trip time related to the third anchor device may refer to the time from when the first anchor device transmits the initiation message to when it receives the response message from the third anchor device.

[0107] According to one embodiment, an electronic device can calculate a round trip time for another anchor device using the round trip time for the third anchor device, the response time for the third anchor device, and the response time for the other anchor device. For example, the electronic device can calculate the round trip time for the second anchor device by subtracting the response time for the second anchor device from the sum of the round trip time for the third anchor device and the response time for the third anchor device.

[0108] In operation S440, an electronic device according to an embodiment may acquire information regarding a difference between a first distance between the first anchor device and the electronic device and a second distance between the second anchor device and the electronic device. The electronic device may acquire location information of the electronic device based on the difference between the first distance and the second distance. The electronic device according to an embodiment may acquire information regarding the difference between the first distance and the second distance based on information regarding a time point when at least one of a start message, a response message, and an end message was received, information regarding a first response time, and information regarding a second response time.

[0109] In one embodiment, the electronic device can calculate the time difference of arrival (TDoA) between the message arrival time from the first anchor device to the electronic device and the message arrival time from the second anchor device to the electronic device to obtain information related to the difference between the first distance and the second distance.

[0110] The time difference of arrival (TDoA) is also calculated based on a first response time of the second anchor device, a round trip time of the first anchor device, a time difference between receiving the start message at the electronic device and receiving the response message at the electronic device, a second response time of the first anchor device, and a time difference between receiving the response message at the electronic device and receiving the end message at the electronic device.

[0111] In one embodiment, the electronic device can calculate the difference between the first distance and the second distance by performing a correction based on the clock of one of the electronic device, the first anchor device, and the second anchor device to obtain information related to the difference between the first distance and the second distance.

[0112] According to an embodiment, an electronic device can correct the measurement value based on the interval between transmissions of the start message to match the clock of the initiator anchor device. According to an embodiment, the electronic device can calculate information related to the difference between the first distance and the second distance by correcting the measurement value based on the ratio of the interval between transmissions of the start message by the first anchor device and the interval between receptions of the start message by the second anchor device. The interval between transmissions of the start message by the first anchor device is measured using the clock of the first anchor device, and the interval between receptions of the start message by the second anchor device from the first anchor device is also measured using the clock of the second anchor device.

[0113] According to an embodiment, an electronic device may receive location information of at least one of a first anchor device and a second anchor device, and acquire information relating to a difference between a first distance and a second distance based on the location information of the received anchor devices. For example, at least one of a start message and an end message transmitted from the first anchor device may include the location information of the first anchor device. A response message transmitted from the second anchor device may include the location information of the second anchor device.

[0114] FIG. 5A illustrates a portion of an electronic device location system according to one embodiment.

[0115] An electronic device location confirmation system according to one embodiment also includes anchor device A 502, anchor device B 503, and electronic device (or mobile device M) 501. In FIG. 5A, "l" may indicate the distance between anchor device A 502 and anchor device B 503, "a" may indicate the distance between anchor device A 502 and electronic device 501, and "b" may indicate the distance between anchor device B 503 and electronic device 501.

[0116] In one embodiment, the electronic device 501 can calculate the difference between the distance from anchor device A 502 to the electronic device 501 and the distance from anchor device B 503 to the electronic device 501 based on the difference between the time when a signal transmitted from anchor device A 502 arrives at the electronic device 501 and the time when a signal transmitted from anchor device B 503 arrives at the electronic device 501.

[0117] 5A to 5C illustrate an example in which the electronic device 501 calculates the time difference of arrival (TDoA) between two anchor devices 502 and 503 for ease of explanation, but the embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to FIGS. 5A to 5C. The electronic device 501 can determine its location based on the time difference of arrival (TDoA) measured by observing signal exchanges between three or more anchor devices. According to one embodiment, the electronic device 501 may need the time difference of arrival (TDoA) between at least four or five anchor devices to determine its own three-dimensional location.

[0118] FIG. 5B is a diagram illustrating information used by an electronic device to acquire location information of the electronic device relative to an anchor device according to an embodiment.

[0119] 5B, it is assumed that anchor device A 502 operates as both an initiator anchor device and a master anchor device. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the master anchor device also controls ranging between the electronic device (or target device) and multiple slave anchor devices included in the electronic device location confirmation system. The master anchor device is also an anchor device that can perform both the initiator role and the responder role. The slave anchor device is also an anchor device that only performs the responder role.

[0120] First, anchor device A 502 can initiate ranging by transmitting a ranging initiation message (RIM) based on scheduling information.

[0121] 5B, when the time when a ranging initiation message (RIM) is transmitted from anchor device A 502 is defined as 0, the time when the ranging initiation message (RIM) arrives at electronic device 501 is also a / c. In a / c, "a" is the distance between anchor device A 502 and electronic device 501, and "c" is the speed at which the signal is transmitted. Also, the time when the ranging initiation message (RIM) arrives at anchor device B 503 is also l / c. In l / c, "l" is the distance between anchor device A 502 and anchor device B 503, and "c" is the speed at which the signal is transmitted.

[0122] According to one embodiment, the anchor device can refer to the scheduling information in the ranging initiation message (RIM) to know whether it must transmit the ranging response message (RRM), the slot to use for transmitting the ranging response message (RRM), and when the ranging completion message (RFM) will be transmitted.

[0123] Anchor device B 503 that receives a ranging initiation message (RIM) can transmit a ranging response message (RRM) in an assigned slot based on scheduling information. Referring to FIG. 5B, β indicates a response time required for anchor device B 503 to receive the ranging initiation message (RIM) and transmit a ranging response message (RRM) that is a response to the ranging initiation message (RIM). The ranging response message (RRM) is transmitted while including information related to the response time β.

[0124] When the time point at which the ranging response message (RRM) is transmitted at anchor device B 503 is l / c+β, the time point at which the ranging response message (RRM) arrives at electronic device 501 is also l / c+β+b / c. In b / c, "b" is the distance between anchor device B 503 and electronic device 501, and "c" is the speed at which the signal is transmitted. Also, the time point at which the ranging response message (RRM) arrives at anchor device A 502 is also l / c+β+l / c=2l / c+β.

[0125] Upon receiving the ranging response message (RRM), the anchor device A 502 can terminate ranging by transmitting a ranging completion message (RFM). Referring to FIG. 5B, γ indicates the response time required for the anchor device A 502 to receive the ranging response message (RRM) and transmit the ranging completion message (RFM). The ranging completion message (RFM) is also transmitted, including information related to the response time γ and information related to the round trip time τ.

[0126] When the time when the ranging completed message (RFM) is transmitted at anchor device A 502 is 2l / c+β+γ, the time when the ranging completed message (RFM) arrives at electronic device 501 is also 2l / c+β+γ+a / c. Also, the time when the ranging completed message (RFM) arrives at anchor device B 503 is also 2l / c+β+γ+l / c=3l / c+β.

[0127] As shown in FIG. 5B, the electronic device 501 can find out a time difference of arrival (TDoA) curve by overhearing a transmitted ranging initiation message (RIM), ranging response message (RRM), and ranging completion message (RFM). The electronic device 501 can obtain a time difference of arrival (TDoA) result by repeatedly performing the calculation process shown in FIG. 5C on signals received from three or more anchor devices. The electronic device 501 can obtain a relative position of the anchor device based on the time difference of arrival (TDoA) result.

[0128] The application installed on the electronic device 501 can obtain the location of the electronic device 501 from the time difference of arrival (TDoA) result. The application installed on the electronic device 501 can identify each anchor device associated with the message by the MAC address information included in the message.

[0129] FIG. 5C is a diagram illustrating a specific calculation process used by an electronic device to acquire location information of the electronic device relative to an anchor device, according to an embodiment.

[0130] In FIG. 5B, the time required for the electronic device 501 to receive a ranging response message (RRM) from the time it receives a ranging initiation message (RIM) can be measured as α, and the time required for the electronic device 501 to receive a ranging response message (RRM) from the time it receives a ranging completion message (RFM) can be measured as δ.

[0131] In this case, the clocks of electronic device 501 or anchor devices 502 and 503 do not always operate at exactly the same speed, which can cause clock drift. For example, clock drift can occur when the oscillator that generates the clock is slightly affected by changes in temperature, pressure, etc.

[0132] Therefore, for accurate ranging, the electronic device 501 or each anchor device 502, 503 can correct the clock drift by changing the clock speed by the clock speed difference between the devices. For example, the clock drift can be corrected using a voltage control method.

[0133] In addition, since differences in time measurements may occur due to clock differences between devices, a process of correcting errors due to clock drift between devices is required for accurate ranging. The electronic device 501 or each anchor device 502, 503 can correct errors due to clock drift by detecting the clock speed difference between the devices and correcting the measurement based on the detected clock speed difference.

[0134] When α and δ are values ​​measured by the clock of the electronic device 501, α′ and δ′ in FIG. 5C are also values ​​measured by the clock of the electronic device 501 and corrected so as to be synchronized with the clock of the anchor device A 502.

[0135] Errors due to drift between the clock of the electronic device 501 and the clock of the anchor device A 502 can also be corrected using the ratio (τ+γ) / (α+δ) of the time τ+γ from when anchor device A 502 transmits a ranging initiation message (RIM) to when it transmits a ranging end message (RFM) to the time α+δ from when electronic device 501 receives the ranging initiation message (RIM) to when it receives the ranging end message (RFM).

[0136] α′ can be calculated by the following Equation 1:

[0137]

number

[0138] δ′ can be calculated by the following Equation 2:

number

[0139] Therefore, α'-δ' is also calculated as shown in FIG. 5C.

[0140] FIG. 5C further illustrates a specific calculation process for deriving the distance difference ba between the anchor devices 502 and 503 and the electronic device 501 based on the following Equation 3:

[0141]

number

[0142] Equation 3 is written based on time values ​​measured by the electronic device 501.

[0143] Although FIG. 5C illustrates an example in which only an error due to clock drift between electronic device 501 and anchor device A 502 is corrected, an error due to clock drift may also exist between the clock of anchor device A 502 and the clock of anchor device B 503. According to one embodiment, an error due to drift between the clocks of anchor device A 502 and anchor device B 503 may be corrected via wireless / wired communication. For example, a measurement value may be compensated for within 0.1 parts per million (ppm) of the clock difference between the anchor devices. Correction of errors due to clock drift between anchor devices will be described in detail later with reference to FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 12.

[0144] FIG. 6 illustrates the structure of a message transmitted by an anchor device, according to one embodiment.

[0145] The messages 605 sent between the devices are also SP1 messages that contain a unique static scrambled timestamp sequence (STS) for the least significant bit (LSB), as shown in FIG.

[0146] FIG. 7A illustrates the format of an initiation message transmitted by an initiator anchor device, according to one embodiment.

[0147] As shown in FIG. 7A, the payload IE of the first message (ie, the Ranging Initiation Message (RIM)) transmitted by the initiator anchor device may be composed of 6+3*N bytes.

[0148] The ranging initiation message (RIM) also includes a Length field indicating the size of the content field, a Group ID field indicating that it is a vendor-specific nested IE, a Type field indicating that it is a payload IE, and a content field. The content field of the ranging initiation message (RIM) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure also includes a Ranging Device Management List Length field and a Ranging Device Management List field. The Ranging Device Management List Length field is configured with 4 bits and may indicate the number (N) of elements in the Ranging Device Management List field. If the Ranging Device Management List field includes N Ranging Device Management List elements, the Ranging Device Management List field may also be configured with 24*N bits. The Ranging Device Management List field also includes a Ranging Device Management Element for each anchor device participating in ranging.

[0149] The content field of the ranging initiation message (RIM) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 7A, but may further include at least one of a Message control field and a Round index field.

[0150] The Message control field may indicate the structure of the message, including the number of elements in the Ranging device management list field, whether a block index field is present in the message, whether a round index field is present, and whether a slot index field is present.

[0151] The Round index field may indicate the index of the current Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) round. A nearby master anchor device that receives a ranging initiation message (RIM) can use the Round index field to calculate its own RIM transmission timing. An electronic device that receives the ranging initiation message (RIM) can use the Round index field to calculate its own power saving mode entry and exit timing.

[0152] FIG. 7B illustrates the format of a Ranging device management list element included in an initiation message, according to one embodiment.

[0153] As shown in FIG. 7B, one Ranging device management list element included in the Ranging device management list field includes a Ranging slot index field and an Address field, and is also configured with 24 bits.

[0154] The Ranging slot index field indicates the index of a slot that the responder anchor device identified by the Address field is assigned to use to transmit a response message. The Address field indicates an address for identifying each responder anchor device. The Address field also includes MAC address information for each responder anchor device.

[0155] FIG. 8 illustrates the format of a response message 810 transmitted by a responder anchor device, according to one embodiment.

[0156] As shown in FIG. 8, the payload IE of the second message (ie, the ranging response message (RRM)) 810 transmitted by the responder anchor device in response to the ranging initiation message (RIM) may be configured with 10 bytes.

[0157] The ranging response message (RRM) 810 also includes a Length field indicating the size of the content field, a Group ID field indicating that it is a vendor-specific nested IE, a Type field indicating that it is a payload IE, and a content field. The content field of the ranging response message (RRM) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure also includes a Reply time field. The Reply time field is configured with 32 bits and may indicate a response time of the responder anchor device. The response time of the responder anchor device may refer to the time from when the responder anchor device receives a ranging initiation message (RIM) from an initiator anchor device to when it transmits a ranging response message (RRM).

[0158] The content field of the ranging response message (RRM) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 8, and may further include a Message control field.

[0159] The Message control field may indicate the structure of the message, including whether a hopping mode is used, whether a round index field is present in the message, the length of the round-trip time list, and whether a reply time field is present in the message.

[0160] FIG. 9A illustrates the format of a termination message 910 transmitted by an initiator anchor device, according to one embodiment.

[0161] As shown in FIG. 9A, the payload IE of the third message (ie, the Ranging Finish Message (RFM)) 910 transmitted by the initiator anchor device may also consist of 10+6*N bytes.

[0162] The ranging done message (RFM) also includes a Length field indicating the size of the content field, a Group ID field indicating that it is a Vendor Specific Nested IE, a Type field indicating that it is a payload IE, and a content field. The content field of the ranging done message (RFM) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure also includes a First round-trip time field and a Reply time list field.

[0163] The First Round-Trip Time field also contains information about the round trip time associated with the first responder anchor device among multiple responder anchor devices that have transmitted a ranging response message (RRM). The round trip time associated with the first responder anchor device is the time from when the initiator anchor device transmits a ranging initiation message (RIM) to when it receives a ranging response message (RRM) from the first responder anchor device. The First Round-Trip Time field may be configured with 32 bits.

[0164] According to one embodiment, the ranging completion message (RFM) includes only the round trip time associated with the first responder anchor device, and does not include round trip time information associated with other responder anchor devices. The round trip time information of the initiator anchor device to other responder anchor devices is also time information from the time the initiator anchor device transmits a ranging initiation message (RIM) to the time it receives a ranging response message (RRM) from the other responder anchor device. In this case, the electronic device can calculate the round trip time information of the initiator anchor device to other responder anchor devices based on the round trip time of the initiator anchor device to the first responder anchor device and the response time of the initiator anchor device to the other responder anchor devices.

[0165] If the Reply time list field includes N Reply time elements, the Reply time list field is also configured with 48*N bits. The Reply time list field also includes a Reply time element for each responder anchor device participating in ranging.

[0166] The content field of the ranging done message (RFM) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 9A, but may further include a Message control field.

[0167] The Message control field may indicate the structure of the message, including whether a hopping mode is used, whether a round index field is present in the message, and the length of the Reply time list.

[0168] FIG. 9B illustrates the format of a response time list element 920 included in a termination message, according to one embodiment.

[0169] As shown in FIG. 9B, one Reply time list element 920 included in the Reply time list field includes an Address field and a Reply time field, and is also configured with 32 bits.

[0170] The Address field indicates an address for identifying each responder anchor device, and also includes MAC address information of each responder anchor device.

[0171] The Reply time field also contains response time information of the initiator anchor device to the responder anchor device indicated by the Address field, which is the time from when the initiator anchor device receives a ranging response message (RRM) from the responder anchor device to when it transmits a ranging completion message (RFM).

[0172] 7A and 7B relate to a case where an initiator anchor device transmits a ranging initiation message (RIM) including scheduling information in the location confirmation system without a back-end controller. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the examples illustrated in FIGS. 7A and 7B, and a location confirmation system according to an embodiment also includes a back-end controller that manages scheduling information.

[0173] FIG. 10 illustrates the format of an initiation message 1010 transmitted by an initiator anchor device of a location system including a backend controller, according to one embodiment.

[0174] As shown in FIG. 10, the payload IE of the first message (ie, the ranging initiation message (RIM)) transmitted by the initiator anchor device may be configured with 6 bytes, ie, 48 bits.

[0175] The ranging initiation message (RIM) 1010 also includes a Length field indicating the size of the content field, a Group ID field indicating that it is a Vendor Specific Nested IE, a Type field indicating that it is a payload IE, and a content field. Compared to the ranging initiation message (RIM) 710 shown in Fig. 7A, the content field of the ranging initiation message (RIM) 1010 shown in Fig. 10 does not include a ranging device management list length field and a ranging device management list field. In a location confirmation system in which a backend controller manages the ranging schedule, an initiator anchor device is not required to transmit a ranging initiation message (RIM) including scheduling information related to a responder.

[0176] A location system including a back-end controller may operate as follows.

[0177] First, an initiator anchor device can initiate ranging by transmitting a ranging initiation message (RIM) scheduled by a backend controller. All responder anchor devices can know whether they need to transmit a ranging response message (RRM) and the slot to use for transmitting the ranging response message (RRM) by referring to the information notified by the backend controller. For example, the ranging initiation message (RIM) may have the format shown in FIG. 10.

[0178] The responder anchor device that receives the ranging initiation message (RIM) can transmit a ranging response message (RRM) based on the information notified by the backend controller. For example, the ranging response message (RRM) can have the format shown in FIG. 8.

[0179] Upon receiving the ranging response message (RRM), the initiator anchor device can terminate ranging by transmitting a ranging completion message (RFM) scheduled by the backend controller. For example, the ranging completion message (RFM) may have the format shown in Figures 9A and 9B.

[0180] The electronic device can find out the Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) curve by overhearing the transmitted ranging initiation message (RIM), ranging response message (RRM), and ranging completion message (RFM). For signals received from three or more anchor devices, the electronic device can obtain the Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) result by repeatedly performing the calculation process shown in FIG. 5C. The electronic device can obtain the relative position of the anchor device based on the Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) result.

[0181] The application installed on the electronic device can obtain the location of the electronic device from the time difference of arrival (TDoA) result, and can identify each anchor device associated with the message by the MAC address information included in the message.

[0182] Furthermore, if the electronic device location system does not include an external common clock, errors between anchor devices caused by clock drift must be corrected. Errors due to clock drift between the initiator device and the responder device can result in significant errors in the time difference of arrival (TDoA) results. To minimize TDoA errors, the responder device must compensate for errors due to clock drift. Hereinafter, a method for correcting errors due to clock drift between anchor devices will be described in detail with reference to FIGS. 11A, 11B, and 12.

[0183] FIG. 11A is a diagram illustrating information used to correct errors due to clock drift between anchor devices, according to one embodiment.

[0184] In the following, for convenience of explanation, it is assumed that an electronic device location confirmation system according to one embodiment includes anchor device A, anchor device B, and an electronic device (or mobile device M), as shown in FIG. 5A.

[0185] According to one embodiment, anchor device B 1102, which plays the responder role, adjusts the variable ρ to compensate for clock drift errors with anchor device A 1101, which plays the initiator role. n The variable ρ can be used. nmay be updated after the nth ranging round's double sided-two way ranging (DS-TWR) is completed. The anchor device B 1102 updates ρ during the (n+1)th ranging round's DS-TWR. n can be used.

[0186] In Figure 11A, "l" may indicate the distance between anchor device A 1101 and anchor device B 1102. Figure 11A illustrates the operation of anchor device A 1101 and anchor device B 1102 estimating the distance l between anchor device A 1101 and anchor device B 1102 while iteratively performing DS-TWR.

[0187] In FIG. 11A, τ n may represent the first round trip time measured in the nth DS-TWR performed between anchor device A 1101 and anchor device B 1102. The first round trip time is also the time required from when anchor device A 1101 transmits a first message to anchor device B 1102 until it receives a second message from anchor device B 1102.

[0188] β n may indicate the first response time of anchor device B 1102 measured by anchor device B 1102 in the nth DS-TWR. The first response time is also the time required for anchor device B 1102 to transmit a second message to anchor device A 1101 from the time it receives the first message from anchor device A 1101. β n ' may indicate the first response time of anchor device B 1102 measured by anchor device A 1101 at the nth DS-TWR.

[0189] gamma nmay represent the second response time of anchor device A 1101 measured by anchor device A 1101 in the nth DS-TWR. The second response time is also the time required for anchor device A 1101 to transmit the third message to anchor device B 1102 from the time it receives the second message from anchor device B 1102. n ' may indicate the second response time of anchor device A 1101 measured by anchor device B 1102 at the nth DS-TWR.

[0190] θ n may represent the second round trip time measured at the nth DS-TWR, which is also the time required from when anchor device B 1102 transmits the second message to anchor device A 1101 until it receives the third message from anchor device A 1101.

[0191] In order to correct the error due to clock drift between the anchor devices and measure the distance between the anchor device A 1101 and the anchor device B 1102, the anchor device A 1101 transmits a third message containing τ n , γ n The second message transmitted by the anchor device B 1102 also includes a first response time β measured by the anchor device B 1102. n Some contain β. n is a value measured by the clock of anchor device B 1102, β in FIG. n ' is the β measured by the clock of anchor device A 1101 n It is also a value of γ n is the value measured by the clock of anchor device A 1101, then γ n ' is the γ measured by the clock of anchor device B 1102. n As shown in FIG. 11B, β n '=τ n It is also estimated as -2*l / c.n '=θ n It is also estimated to be -2*l / c.

[0192] Referring to the specific calculation process 1105 of FIG. 11B, the drift difference between the clock of anchor device A 1101 and the clock of anchor device B 1102 is D n,1 =β n ' / β n It is estimated that D n,2 =γ n ' / γ n It can be estimated that:

[0193] The electronic device calculates the error D due to clock drift to correct β, which is measured every DS-TWR. n,1 D n,1 is the drift difference value calculated using data acquired through the nth DS-TWR. n,1 and Dn,2 indicate errors due to clock drift between anchor device B 1102 and anchor device A 1101, and can be used for both synchronization between anchor devices and synchronization between anchor devices and electronic devices. The synchronization accuracy can be improved through a Kalman filter or harmonic mean. For example, ρ, which is the average value of the drift difference value, n =2 / (1 / D n,1 +1 / D n,2 ) or ρ n =Kalman(D n,1 ,D n,2 ) is also used as the estimated drift error.

[0194] As mentioned above, the error due to the drift between the clock of anchor device A 1101 and the clock of anchor device B 1102 is the time τ required from the time when anchor device A 1101 transmits the first message to anchor device B 1102 until the time when anchor device A 1101 receives the second message from anchor device B 1102. nThe offset between the clock of anchor device A 1101 and the clock of anchor device B 1102 is also corrected by using θ 2 , which is the time required from when anchor device B 1102 transmits the second message to anchor device A 1101 until it receives the third message from anchor device A 1101. n As shown in FIG. 11B, γ n ' is also calculated based on the following Equation 4:

[0195]

number

[0196] Therefore, in the equation shown in FIG. 5C, when calculating the distance difference ba between the anchor devices 502 and 503 and the electronic device 501, a measurement value corrected for an error due to the drift of the clock of the anchor device B 1102 relative to the clock of the anchor device A 1101 can be used. For example, when calculating ba using a value measured via the nth DS-TWR, the equation shown in FIG. 5C uses a correction value β instead of the β value. n *D n or β n *ρ n-1 It can be used in the city.

[0197] As an example, the electronic device may notify the anchor device A 1101 via a third message (e.g., a termination message) n After receiving β n *D n can be calculated.

[0198] As another example, the electronic device may transmit the previously calculated ρ n-1 and after receiving a third message (e.g., an end message) from anchor device A 1101, β n *ρ n-1 can be calculated.

[0199] FIG. 12 is a diagram illustrating information used to correct errors due to clock drift between anchor devices, according to one embodiment.

[0200] According to the embodiment shown in FIG. 12, anchor device 2 1203, which acts as a responder, can update the response time measurement value β aligned with anchor device 1 1202, which acts as an initiator. The ranging initiation message (RIM) interval indicates the time between ranging initiation message (RIM) frames and is also a value set during anchor device deployment. Since anchor device 1 1202 and anchor device 2 1203 must know the ranging initiation message (RIM) interval to perform time difference of arrival (TDoA), they can measure the ranging initiation message (RIM) interval using their own clocks.

[0201] T A1 and T A2 is also the ranging initiation message (RIM) interval measured by each of anchor device 1 1202 and anchor device 2 1203. A1 and T A2 The ratio of the clocks of anchor device 1 1202 and anchor device 2 1203 may indicate the difference between the clocks of anchor device 1 1202 and anchor device 2 1203. As a result, anchor device 2 1203 can obtain a response time β'=β*(T A1 / T A2 ) can be transmitted.

[0202] In addition, location information of anchor devices necessary for localization of electronic devices may be added to ranging messages (e.g., ranging initiation message (RIM), ranging response message (RRM), and ranging completion message (RFM)) according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. For example, location information of initiator anchor devices is included in ranging initiation message (RIM) or ranging completion message (RFM), and location information of responder anchor devices is also included in ranging response message (RRM).

[0203] FIG. 13 illustrates the format of an initiation message 1310 transmitted by an initiator anchor device, according to one embodiment.

[0204] As shown in FIG. 13, the payload IE of the ranging initiation message (RIM) transmitted by the initiator anchor device may be configured with 6+3*N bytes, ie, 48+24*N bits.

[0205] The ranging initiation message (RIM) 1310 also includes a Length field indicating the size of the content field, a Group ID field indicating that it is a Vendor Specific Nested IE, a Type field indicating that it is a payload IE, and a content field.

[0206] 7A, the content field of the ranging initiation message (RIM) 1310 shown in FIG. 13 further includes an information of initiator field. The information of initiator field may indicate location information of the initiator anchor device. For example, the location information of the initiator anchor device may include a global positioning system (GPS) value, building floor information, an absolute location value within the building, etc. The descriptions of FIGS. 7A and 7B may apply to parameters other than the information of initiator field, and therefore, redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0207] FIG. 14 illustrates the format of a response message 1410 transmitted by a responder anchor device, according to one embodiment.

[0208] As shown in FIG. 14, the payload IE of the ranging response message (RRM) transmitted by the responder anchor device may be configured with 10 bytes, i.e., 80 bits.

[0209] The ranging response message (RRM) 1410 also includes a Length field indicating the size of the content field, a Group ID field indicating that it is a Vendor Specific Nested IE, a Type field indicating that it is a payload IE, and a content field.

[0210] Compared with the ranging response message (RRM) 810 shown in Fig. 8, the content field of the ranging response message (RRM) 1410 shown in Fig. 14 further includes an Information of responder field. The Information of responder field may indicate location information of the responder anchor device. For example, the location information of the responder anchor device may include a GPS value, building floor information, an absolute position value within the building, etc. The description of Fig. 8 may be applied to parameters other than the Information of responder field, so repeated description will be omitted.

[0211] FIG. 15 illustrates the format of a termination message 1510 transmitted by an initiator anchor device, according to one embodiment.

[0212] As shown in FIG. 15, the payload IE of the ranging completion message (RFM) 1510 transmitted by the initiator anchor device may be configured with 10+6*N bytes, ie, 80+48*N bits.

[0213] The ranging done message (RFM) 1510 also includes a Length field indicating the size of the content field, a Group ID field indicating that it is a Vendor Specific Nested IE, a Type field indicating that it is a payload IE, and a content field.

[0214] 9A, the content field of the ranging complete message (RFM) 1510 shown in FIG. 15 further includes an information of initiator field. The information of initiator field may indicate location information of the initiator anchor device. For example, the location information of the initiator anchor device may include a GPS value, building floor information, an absolute location value within the building, etc. The descriptions of FIGS. 9A and 9B may apply to parameters other than the information of initiator field, and therefore, redundant descriptions will be omitted.

[0215] As described above, an electronic device according to various embodiments of the present disclosure can calculate the location of the electronic device based on the results of receiving a ranging initiation message (RIM) from an initiator anchor device, receiving ranging response messages (RRM) from multiple responder anchor devices in response to the ranging initiation message (RIM), and receiving ranging completion messages (RFM) from the initiator anchor device in response to the multiple responder anchor devices.

[0216] Therefore, according to the above-described embodiment, if the electronic device cannot smoothly receive a message from the initiator anchor device (for example, if there is an obstacle between the electronic device and the initiator anchor device and line of sight (LOS) is not ensured), it may be difficult to acquire location information of the electronic device. Therefore, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method for acquiring location information of an electronic device that does not depend on receiving a message from a master anchor device or an initiator anchor device is proposed.

[0217] According to one embodiment, an electronic device can receive ranging messages from multiple anchor devices and measure the time difference of arrival (TDoA). To determine its two-dimensional location, the electronic device can receive ranging messages from four or more anchor devices and measure the time difference of arrival (TDoA). Based on the TDoA measurements and the given positions of the anchors, the electronic device can estimate its own location. For convenience of explanation, the following description will be given using an example in which the electronic device observes signal exchanges between four anchor devices. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the following description, and the electronic device may require signal exchanges between at least five anchor devices to determine its three-dimensional location.

[0218] FIG. 16 illustrates a flowchart of a method of operating an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0219] In step S1610, an electronic device according to an embodiment may receive a first message from a first anchor device. The first anchor device according to an embodiment may unicast, multicast, or broadcast the first message.

[0220] In step S1620, the electronic device according to an embodiment may receive a second message from a second anchor device, which may unicast, multicast, or broadcast the second message.

[0221] In step S1630, the electronic device according to an embodiment may receive a third message from a third anchor device. The third anchor device according to an embodiment may unicast, multicast, or broadcast the third message.

[0222] In step S1640, the electronic device according to an embodiment may receive a fourth message from a fourth anchor device. The fourth anchor device according to an embodiment may unicast, multicast, or broadcast the fourth message.

[0223] For example, if the first anchor device is an initiator anchor device, the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device may transmit a second message, a third message, and a fourth message, respectively, in response to the first message transmitted by the first anchor device. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the first anchor device, the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device may transmit a first message, a second message, a third message, and a fourth message in response to a ranging initiation message (RIM) received from a separate initiator anchor device.

[0224] In operation S1650, the electronic device according to an embodiment may acquire location information of the electronic device based on the time points at which the first message, the second message, the third message, and the fourth message are received.

[0225] According to one embodiment, the first message, the second message, the third message, and the fourth message are also transmitted at predetermined slot intervals. Therefore, according to one embodiment, the electronic device can acquire location information of the electronic device based on the time when the message is received from the anchor device, further taking into account the location information of the first anchor device, the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device and the slot intervals.

[0226] According to an embodiment, an electronic device can receive location information of at least one anchor device, acquire location information of the electronic device based on the received location information of the anchor device, measure a time difference of arrival (TDoA) associated with the anchor device based on the time at which a message is received from the anchor device, the location information of the anchor device, and a slot interval at which the message is transmitted, and acquire location information of the electronic device based on the measured time difference of arrival (TDoA).

[0227] According to one embodiment, clock drift correction may be performed between anchor devices for accurate ranging. According to one embodiment, based on the clock of one of the first anchor device, the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device, the other anchor devices may correct the clock drift or correct errors due to the clock drift. For example, the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device may correct their clocks based on the clock of the first anchor device and transmit the second message, the third message, and the fourth message, respectively, based on the corrected clock.

[0228] Also, according to one embodiment, slot timing synchronization may be performed between anchor devices. According to one embodiment, based on the slot timing of one of the first anchor device, the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device, the other anchor devices may calculate their own message transmission timing.

[0229] For example, a first anchor device may transmit a first message in a first slot, and a second anchor device may transmit a second message in a second slot. Based on the slot timing synchronization between the first anchor device and the second anchor device, the second anchor device may transmit the second message one slot interval after the first anchor device transmits the first message. For example, if the first anchor device transmits the first message at the start of the first slot, the second anchor device may transmit the second message at the start of the second slot, which is the slot following the first slot. Furthermore, anchor devices other than the second anchor device may also transmit messages at the start of their assigned slots based on the message transmission timing (or slot timing) of the first anchor device.

[0230] Meanwhile, for accurate ranging, it is necessary to correct not only errors due to clock drift between anchor devices but also errors due to clock drift between the electronic device and the anchor device. Therefore, according to one embodiment, the electronic device can obtain position information in which errors due to clock drift are corrected by obtaining a difference between the clock of the first anchor device and the clock of the electronic device and correcting measurement values ​​based on the obtained clock difference.

[0231] FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating compensation performed between anchor devices according to one embodiment.

[0232] 17, the correction may be performed between a first anchor device 1701 and a second anchor device 1702. However, the present disclosure is not limited to the example illustrated in FIG. 17, and other anchor devices besides the second anchor device 1702 may also perform the correction based on the first anchor device 1701.

[0233] First, in one embodiment, the second anchor device 1702 can correct errors due to clock drift based on the measured ranging block duration.

[0234] 17, T1 may indicate the time when the first anchor device 1701 transmits a message in a predetermined ranging block, and t1 may indicate the time when the message is received as measured by the second anchor device 1702. T2 may indicate the time when the first anchor device 1701 transmits a message in the ranging block next to the predetermined ranging block, and t2 may indicate the time when the message is received as measured by the second anchor device 1702. Therefore, T2-T1 is the known block duration in the clock of the first anchor device 1701, and t2-t1 is also the measured block duration in the clock of the second anchor device 1702.

[0235] The error due to clock drift between the first anchor device 1701 and the second anchor device 1702 shown in FIG. 17 is estimated as (T2-T1) / (t2-t1)=R, and the estimated value R is also used to correct the error due to clock drift of the second anchor device 1702.

[0236] In addition, in one embodiment, the second anchor device 1702 can determine its own message transmission timing based on the slot timing of the first anchor device 1701.

[0237] To determine the message transmission timing, the second anchor device can calculate the ToF (time of flight) between the first anchor device and the second anchor device by dividing the distance l between the first anchor device and the second anchor device by the signal transmission speed c. The second anchor device can then determine the start time t0 of the first slot, at which the first message is transmitted, by subtracting the ToF (l / c) between the first anchor device and the second anchor device from the time t1 at which the first message is received from the first anchor device. The second anchor device can determine the start time t0 of the first slot, at which the second message is transmitted, by adding a predetermined slot interval to the start time t0 of the first slot.

[0238] According to an embodiment, an anchor device may transmit a message at a predetermined slot interval after the inter-anchor device calibration described with reference to FIG. 17 is completed. According to an embodiment, an electronic device may acquire its own location information based on a message received from an anchor device after the inter-anchor device calibration is completed. A specific operation method for acquiring location information by an electronic device according to an embodiment will be described below.

[0239] FIG. 18A illustrates a configuration of an electronic device location system according to one embodiment.

[0240] The electronic device location confirmation system according to one embodiment also includes a first anchor device 1801, a second anchor device 1802, a third anchor device 1803, a fourth anchor device 1804 and an electronic device (or mobile device M) 1805.

[0241] In Figure 18A, 1,2 indicates the distance between the first anchor device 1801 and the second anchor device 1802, and l 1,3 indicates the distance between the first anchor device 1801 and the third anchor device 1803, and l1,4 may indicate the distance between the first anchor device 1801 and the fourth anchor device 1804. d1 may indicate the distance between the first anchor device 1801 and the electronic device 1805, d2 may indicate the distance between the second anchor device 1802 and the electronic device 1805, d3 may indicate the distance between the third anchor device 1803 and the electronic device 1805, and d4 may indicate the distance between the fourth anchor device 1804 and the electronic device 1805.

[0242] In one embodiment, the electronic device 1805 can calculate the difference between the distance d1 from the first anchor device 1801 to the electronic device 1805 and the distance d2 from the second anchor device 1802 to the electronic device 1805 based on the difference between the time required for a signal transmitted from the first anchor device 1801 to reach the electronic device 1805 and the time required for a signal transmitted from the second anchor device 1802 to reach the electronic device 1805.

[0243] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the electronic device 1805 can calculate the difference between the distance d1 from the first anchor device 1801 to the electronic device 1805 and the distance d3 from the third anchor device 1803 to the electronic device 1805 based on the difference between the time required for a signal transmitted from the first anchor device 1801 to reach the electronic device 1805 and the time required for a signal transmitted from the third anchor device 1803 to reach the electronic device 1805.

[0244] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the electronic device 1805 can calculate the difference between the distance d1 from the first anchor device 1801 to the electronic device 1805 and the distance d4 from the fourth anchor device 1804 to the electronic device 1805 based on the difference between the time required for a signal transmitted from the first anchor device 1801 to reach the electronic device 1805 and the time required for a signal transmitted from the fourth anchor device 1804 to reach the electronic device 1805.

[0245] 18A to 18C illustrate an example in which an electronic device 1805 calculates the time difference of arrival (TDoA) between four anchor devices 1801, 1802, 1803, and 1804 for ease of explanation, but embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the example illustrated in FIGS. 18A to 18C. The electronic device 1805 can determine its location based on the time difference of arrival (TDoA) measured by observing signal exchanges between five or more anchor devices. According to one embodiment, the electronic device 1805 needs time difference of arrival (TDoA) information between at least five anchor devices to determine its own three-dimensional location.

[0246] FIG. 18B is a diagram illustrating information used by an electronic device to acquire location information of the electronic device relative to an anchor device according to an embodiment.

[0247] As shown in Figure 18B, the first anchor device 1801, the second anchor device 1802, the third anchor device 1803, and the fourth anchor device 1804 can perform slot timing synchronization so that they each transmit a message at the beginning of a slot. In Figure 18B, the slot duration is represented as S.

[0248] In the first slot, when the time when the first anchor device 1801 transmits the first message is 0, the electronic device 1805 may measure the time when it receives the first message as t1. In the second slot, when the time when the second anchor device 1802 transmits the second message is S, the electronic device 1805 may measure the time when it receives the second message as t2. In the third slot, when the time when the third anchor device 1803 transmits the third message is 2S, the electronic device 1805 may measure the time when it transmits the third message as t3. In the fourth slot, when the time when the fourth anchor device 1804 transmits the fourth message is 3S, the electronic device 1805 may measure the time when it receives the fourth message as t4.

[0249] According to an embodiment, the electronic device 1805 can overhear messages transmitted by the anchor device and obtain a time difference of arrival (TDoA) curve. The electronic device 1805 can obtain a TDoA result by performing the calculation process illustrated in FIG. 18C. The electronic device 1805 can obtain its own location information based on the TDoA result.

[0250] FIG. 18C is a diagram illustrating a specific calculation process used by an electronic device to acquire location information of the electronic device relative to an anchor device, according to an embodiment.

[0251] 18C, in an electronic device location confirmation system, when the location of an anchor device is known and the location of the electronic device has not yet been estimated, the distances d1, d2, d3, and d4 from the anchor device to the electronic device and the clock drift R of the electronic device relative to the initiator anchor device are also unknown values. In one embodiment, an electronic device can use the error R due to the clock drift of the electronic device relative to the initiator anchor device to correct the difference value between message reception times and the predetermined slot interval value based on the clock of the initiator anchor device, and use the corrected value for time difference of arrival (TDoA) measurement.

[0252] The electronic device 1805 can derive the difference (d2-d1) between the distance d2 between the first anchor device 1801 and the electronic device 1805 and the distance d1 between the second anchor device 1802 and the electronic device 1805 from the difference (t2-t1-S)*R between the time t1*R required for the first message to be transmitted from the first anchor device 1801 to the electronic device 1805 and the time (t2-S)*R required for the second message to be transmitted from the second anchor device 1802 to the electronic device 1805. As shown in FIG. 18C , this can be expressed as (t2-t1-S)*R=(d2-d1) / c.

[0253] The electronic device 1805 can derive the difference (d3-d1) between the distance d1 between the first anchor device 1801 and the electronic device 1805 and the distance d3 between the third anchor device 1803 and the electronic device 1805 from the difference (t3-t1-2S)*R between the time t1*R required for a message to be transmitted from the first anchor device 1801 to the electronic device 1805 and the time (t3-2S)*R required for a message to be transmitted from the third anchor device 1803 to the electronic device 1805. As shown in FIG. 18C , this can also be expressed as (t3-t1-2S)*R=(d3-d1) / c.

[0254] The electronic device 1805 can derive the difference (d4-d1) between the distance d1 between the first anchor device 1801 and the electronic device 1805 and the distance d4 between the fourth anchor device 1804 and the electronic device 1805 from the difference (t4-t1-3S)*R between the time t1*R required for a message to be transmitted from the first anchor device 1801 to the electronic device 1805 and the time (t4-3S)*R required for a message to be transmitted from the fourth anchor device 1804 to the electronic device 1805. As shown in FIG. 18C , this can also be expressed as (t4-t1-3S)*R=(d4-d1) / c.

[0255] Also, referring to FIG. 18C, in order to reduce the number of unknown variables, the distance d1 between the first anchor device and the electronic device is calculated using the position information (x1, y1) of the first anchor device 1801 and the position information (x m ,y m ) can also be expressed using

[0256] The distance d2 between the second anchor device and the electronic device is calculated using the position information (x2, y2) of the second anchor device 1802 and the position information (x m ,y m The distance d3 between the third anchor device and the electronic device is expressed using the position information (x3, y3) of the third anchor device 1803 and the position information (x m ,y m The distance d4 between the fourth anchor device and the electronic device is expressed using the position information (x4, y4) of the fourth anchor device 1804 and the position information (x m ,y m ) can also be expressed.

[0257] As a result, as shown in FIG. 18C, the electronic device 1805 calculates the variables R,x from the three new time difference of arrival (TDoA) equations. m ,y m can be derived.

[0258] As described above, an electronic device can perform Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure. Thus, according to one embodiment, an electronic device can determine a Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) method for performing ranging based on a message received from an anchor device.

[0259] According to an embodiment, an electronic device may determine a method for acquiring location information of the electronic device based on the number of messages received from a first anchor device and the total number of messages received from multiple anchor devices including the first anchor device. In this case, the first anchor device is also a master anchor device or an initiator anchor device. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may determine a method for acquiring location information of the electronic device based on whether the number of messages received from the first anchor device in a ranging round is m (m is a natural number) and whether the total number of messages received from multiple anchor devices including the first anchor device is n (n is a natural number) or more.

[0260] As an example, in order for an electronic device to acquire two-dimensional position information, it may determine a method for acquiring position information of the electronic device based on whether the number of messages received from a first anchor device is 2 and whether the total number of messages received from a plurality of anchor devices including the first anchor device is 4 or more. As another example, in order for the electronic device to acquire three-dimensional position information, it may determine a method for acquiring position information of the electronic device based on whether the number of messages received from a first anchor device is 2 and whether the total number of messages received from a plurality of anchor devices including the first anchor device is 5 or more.

[0261] 19 illustrates a flowchart of a method of operating an electronic device according to one embodiment. FIG. 19 illustrates an example of a method by which an electronic device determines a scheme for acquiring its two-dimensional position information according to one embodiment.

[0262] As shown in FIG. 19, in step S1910, an electronic device according to one embodiment can determine whether the number M of messages received from a first anchor device in one ranging round is 2 and whether the total number N of messages received from multiple anchor devices including the first anchor device is 4 or more.

[0263] If M is 2 and N is 4 or more, in step S1931, the electronic device may acquire its location information using a first ranging scheme. The first ranging scheme may be, for example, the Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) algorithm described with reference to Figures 4 to 15. According to the first ranging scheme, the electronic device may acquire its location information based on the time when it receives a ranging initiation message (RIM) from the first anchor device, the time when it receives ranging response messages (RRM) from the second anchor device and the third anchor device, and the time when it receives a ranging completion message (RFM) from the first anchor device.

[0264] In step S1920, an electronic device according to an embodiment may determine whether M is less than 2 and whether N is greater than or equal to 4.

[0265] If M is smaller than 2 and N is greater than or equal to 4, in step S1932, the electronic device may acquire its location information using a second ranging scheme. The second ranging scheme may be, for example, the Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) algorithm described with reference to Figures 16 to 18C. According to the second ranging scheme, the electronic device may acquire its location information based on the time points at which it receives the first message, the second message, the third message, and the fourth message from the first anchor device, the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device, respectively.

[0266] If the number of messages received from the anchor device in the ranging round is less than four, the electronic device may determine that ranging has failed in step S1940.

[0267] 19 illustrates an example of a method by which an electronic device according to an embodiment determines a manner for acquiring its own two-dimensional position information, and various embodiments of the present disclosure are not limited to the example illustrated in Fig. 19. For example, in order for an electronic device according to an embodiment to acquire its own three-dimensional position information, the electronic device may determine in step S1910 whether the number M of messages received from a first anchor device is 2 and whether the total number N of messages received from a plurality of anchor devices including the first anchor device is 5 or greater. Then, in step S1920, the electronic device according to an embodiment may determine whether M is less than 2 and whether N is 5 or greater.

[0268] FIG. 20 illustrates a block diagram of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0269] The electronic device 2000 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be a fixed terminal or a mobile terminal. The electronic device 2000 may be, for example, at least one of a smartphone, a navigation system, a computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a smart home appliance, an AI speaker, a PDA, a PMP, a smart key, and a wearable device, but is not limited thereto. The electronic device 2000 may communicate with other devices and / or servers via a network using a wireless or wired communication method.

[0270] 20, an electronic device 2000 according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may include a communication unit 2010, a processor 2020, and a memory 2030. However, the electronic device 2000 may be implemented with more or fewer components than those illustrated in FIG.

[0271] 20, the electronic device 2000 is illustrated as including one processor, but this embodiment is not limited thereto, and the electronic device 2000 may include multiple processors. At least some of the operations and functions of the processor 2020 described below may also be performed by multiple processors. The electronic device 2000 illustrated in FIG. 20 may perform operating methods according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and the descriptions related to FIGS. 2 to 19 may be applied. Therefore, the above-mentioned redundant content will be omitted.

[0272] The communication unit 2010 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure can perform wired or wireless communication with other devices or networks. To this end, the communication unit 2010 may include a communication module supporting at least one of various wired or wireless communication methods. For example, the communication module may be in the form of a chipset, or a sticker / barcode (e.g., a sticker including an NFC (near field communication) tag) that includes information required for communication.

[0273] The wireless communication may include, for example, at least one of cellular communication, Wi-Fi (wireless fidelity), Wi-Fi direct, Bluetooth (registered trademark), ultra wide band (UWB), or NFC. The wired communication may include, for example, at least one of USB (universal serial bus) or HDMI (registered trademark).

[0274] The processor 2020 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure controls the overall operation of the electronic device 2000 by executing a program stored in the memory 2030, and may include at least one processor such as a central processing unit (CPU) or a graphic processing unit (GPU). The processor 2020 may control other components included in the electronic device 2000 to perform ultra-wideband (UWB) ranging. The description of FIG. 4, 16, or 19 may apply to a specific method by which the processor 2020 controls the overall operation of the electronic device 2000 and performs positioning, and therefore, a redundant description will be omitted.

[0275] In one embodiment, the processor 2020 can acquire location information of the electronic device 2000 through signal exchange with multiple surrounding anchor devices.

[0276] According to one embodiment, the processor 2020 may control the communication unit 2010 to receive an initiation message transmitted from a first anchor device, where the first anchor device transmitting the initiation message is also an initiator anchor device.

[0277] For example, the ranging system including the electronic device according to the embodiment does not include a back-end controller. In this case, the initiation message also includes, as scheduling information, a slot index used by the second anchor device to transmit the response message. The initiation message also includes addresses of at least one anchor device including the second anchor device.

[0278] As another example, a ranging system including an electronic device according to an embodiment may also include a back-end controller, in which case the start message, response message, and end message may be scheduled by the back-end controller, and therefore the start message does not include a slot index.

[0279] According to an embodiment, the processor 2020 may control the communication unit 2010 to receive, from a second anchor device, information related to a first response time of the second anchor device. The information related to the first response time may also include information related to the time from when the second anchor device receives the initiation message to when it transmits a response message. According to an embodiment, the processor 2020 may control the communication unit 2010 to receive a response message transmitted from the second anchor device in response to the initiation message.

[0280] For example, the response message may include information about the first response time of the second anchor device. For another example, the response message may include an STS but not the information about the first response time. The information about the first response time may also be transmitted in a separate message.

[0281] According to an embodiment, the processor 2020 may control the communication unit 2010 to receive information related to a second response time related to the second anchor device from the first anchor device. The information related to the second response time may also include information related to the time from when the first anchor device receives the response message to when the end message is transmitted. According to an embodiment, the processor 2020 may control the communication unit 2010 to receive the end message transmitted from the first anchor device.

[0282] For example, the termination message may include a second response time related to the second anchor device. Alternatively, the termination message may include an STS but not information related to the second response time. The information related to the second response time may be transmitted in a separate message from the termination message.

[0283] In addition, according to an embodiment, the processor 2020 may control the communication unit 2010 to further receive information related to the round trip time of the first anchor device.

[0284] For example, information regarding the round-trip time of the first anchor device to the second anchor device may be included in the end message and transmitted. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and information regarding the round-trip time of the first anchor device to the second anchor device may be included in a message separate from the end message and transmitted. The round-trip time of the first anchor device to the second anchor device may refer to the time from when the first anchor device transmits the start message to when it receives a response message from the second anchor device.

[0285] As another example, information regarding the round-trip time of the first anchor device to the third anchor device may be transmitted in a message separate from the end message. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto, and the information regarding the round-trip time of the third anchor device may be transmitted in a message separate from the end message. The third anchor device is also the anchor device that transmits the first response message to the start message among the multiple anchor devices that receive the start message transmitted by the first anchor device. The round-trip time of the third anchor device may refer to the time from when the first anchor device transmits the start message to when it receives the response message from the third anchor device.

[0286] According to one embodiment, the processor 2020 can calculate the round trip time of the first anchor device to another anchor device by using the round trip time of the first anchor device to a third anchor device, the response time of the first anchor device to the third anchor device, and the response time of the first anchor device to another anchor device. For example, the processor 2020 can calculate the round trip time of the first anchor device to the second anchor device by subtracting the response time of the first anchor device to the second anchor device from the sum of the round trip time of the first anchor device to the third anchor device and the response time of the first anchor device to the third anchor device.

[0287] According to an embodiment, the processor 2020 can acquire information relating to a difference between a first distance between the first anchor device and the electronic device and a second distance between the second anchor device and the electronic device, and can acquire location information of the electronic device based on the difference between the first distance and the second distance.

[0288] In one embodiment, the processor 2020 can obtain information regarding the difference between the first distance and the second distance based on information regarding the time at which at least one of the start message, the response message, and the end message was received, information regarding the first response time, and information regarding the second response time.

[0289] In one embodiment, the processor 2020 can calculate the time difference of arrival (TDoA) between the message arrival time from the first anchor device to the electronic device and the message arrival time from the second anchor device to the electronic device to obtain information related to the difference between the first distance and the second distance.

[0290] A time difference of arrival (TDoA) is also calculated based on a first response time of the second anchor device, a time difference between receiving the start message and receiving the response message of the electronic device, a second response time of the first anchor device, and a time difference between receiving the response message of the electronic device and receiving the end message of the electronic device.

[0291] In one embodiment, the processor 2020 can calculate the difference between the first distance and the second distance by performing a correction based on the clock of at least one of the electronic device, the first anchor device, and the second anchor device to obtain information related to the difference between the first distance and the second distance.

[0292] According to an embodiment, the processor 2020 can obtain a time difference of arrival (TDoA) result by transmitting and receiving signals not only between the first anchor device and the second anchor device but also between three or more anchor devices, and can obtain a relative position of the anchor device based on the time difference of arrival (TDoA) result.

[0293] However, according to another embodiment, the electronic device 2000 can acquire location information without relying on receiving a message from a master anchor device or an initiator anchor device.

[0294] According to one embodiment, the processor 2020 may receive a first message from a first anchor device, a second message from a second anchor device, a third message from a third anchor device, and a fourth message from a fourth anchor device. According to another embodiment, the processor 2020 may acquire location information of the electronic device based on the time points at which the first message, the second message, the third message, and the fourth message are received.

[0295] According to an embodiment, the processor 2020 may further consider location information of the first anchor device, the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device, and the slot interval, and may acquire location information of the electronic device based on the time at which a message is received from the anchor device. The processor 2020 may acquire location information of the electronic device based on the time at which a message is received from the anchor device, the location information of the anchor device, and the slot interval at which the message is transmitted.

[0296] According to one embodiment, clock drift correction or error correction due to clock drift may be performed between anchor devices. According to one embodiment, based on the clock of one of the first anchor device, the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device, the other anchor devices may correct clock drift or errors due to clock drift. For example, the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device may correct their clocks based on the clock of the first anchor device and transmit the second message, the third message, and the fourth message, respectively, based on the corrected clock.

[0297] Also, according to one embodiment, slot timing synchronization between anchor devices can be performed. According to one embodiment, based on the slot timing of one of the first anchor device, the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device, the other anchor devices can calculate their own message transmission timing.

[0298] According to one embodiment, a first anchor device may transmit a first message in a first slot, and a second anchor device may transmit a second message in a second slot. Based on slot timing synchronization between the first anchor device and the second anchor device, the second anchor device may transmit the second message one slot after the first anchor device transmits the first message. For example, if the first anchor device transmits the first message at the start of the first slot, the second anchor device may also transmit the second message at the start of the second slot. Furthermore, anchor devices other than the second anchor device may also transmit messages at the start of their assigned slots based on the message transmission timing (or slot timing) of the first anchor device.

[0299] In one embodiment, the processor 2020 can acquire the difference between the clock of the initiator anchor device (or master anchor device) and the clock of the electronic device to obtain accurate location information, and correct the clock drift or correct the error due to the clock drift based on the acquired clock difference.

[0300] Additionally, the processor 2020 according to an embodiment can receive location information of at least one anchor device and acquire location information of the electronic device based on the received location information of the anchor device.

[0301] Meanwhile, the electronic device 2000 according to an embodiment may adaptively determine a time difference of arrival (TDoA) algorithm for performing ranging depending on the communication status with the anchor device.

[0302] According to an embodiment, the processor 2020 may determine a ranging scheme for acquiring location information of an electronic device based on the number of messages received from a first anchor device and the total number of messages received from a plurality of anchor devices including the first anchor device, where the first anchor device is also the master anchor device or the initiator anchor device.

[0303] For example, the processor 2020 may determine whether the number M of messages received from a first anchor device in a ranging round is 2, and whether the total number N of messages received from multiple anchor devices including the first anchor device is 4 or more.

[0304] When M is 2 and N is 4 or more, the processor 2020 may use a first ranging scheme to acquire location information of the electronic device. For example, according to the first ranging scheme, the electronic device may use a time difference of arrival (TDoA) algorithm to acquire its location information based on the time when it receives a ranging initiation message (RIM) from the first anchor device, the time when it receives ranging response messages (RRM) from the second anchor device and the third anchor device, and the time when it receives a ranging completion message (RFM) from the first anchor device.

[0305] On the other hand, if M is less than 2 and N is 4 or greater, the processor 2020 may acquire location information of the electronic device using a second ranging scheme. For example, according to the second ranging scheme, the electronic device may use a time difference of arrival (TDoA) algorithm to acquire its location information based on the time points at which the electronic device receives a first message, a second message, a third message, and a fourth message from the first anchor device, the second anchor device, the third anchor device, and the fourth anchor device, respectively. If the number of messages received from the anchor devices within the ranging round is less than four, the processor 2020 may determine that ranging has failed.

[0306] The various embodiments of the present disclosure described above may also be embodied as a software (S / W) program including instructions stored on a computer-readable storage medium.

[0307] The computer is a device that can call up commands stored in a recording medium and operate according to the disclosed embodiments based on the called commands, and also includes a video transmission device and a video receiving device according to the disclosed embodiments.

[0308] The computer-readable recording medium may also be provided in the form of a non-transitory recording medium. Here, "non-transitory" only means that the recording medium does not contain a signal and is tangible, and does not distinguish between data being stored semi-permanently or temporarily on the recording medium.

[0309] The electronic device or method according to the disclosed embodiments may also be provided as part of a computer program product, which may be traded as a commodity between a seller and a buyer.

[0310] The computer program product may include a software program or a computer-readable recording medium on which the software program is stored. For example, the computer program product may include a product in the form of a software program (e.g., a downloadable app) that is electronically distributed by an electronic device manufacturer or through an online marketplace (e.g., Google Play Store, App Store). For electronic distribution, at least a portion of the software program may be stored on a recording medium or temporarily generated. In this case, the recording medium may be a recording medium on a manufacturer's server, an online marketplace server, or an intermediary server that temporarily stores the software program.

[0311] In a system consisting of a server and a terminal (e.g., a ranging electronic device), the computer program product may include a recording medium of the server or the terminal. Alternatively, if a third device (e.g., a smartphone) communicatively connected to the server or the terminal exists, the computer program product may include a recording medium of the third device. Alternatively, the computer program product may include a software program itself transmitted from the server to the terminal or the third device, or transmitted from the third device to the terminal.

[0312] In this case, one of the server, the terminal, and the third device may execute the computer program product to perform the method according to the disclosed embodiments, or two or more of the server, the terminal, and the third device may execute the computer program product to perform the method according to the disclosed embodiments in a distributed manner.

[0313] For example, a server (e.g., a cloud server or an artificial intelligence server) may execute a computer program product stored on the server and control a terminal communicatively connected to the server to perform a method according to the disclosed embodiments.

[0314] As another example, a third device may execute a computer program product to control a terminal communicatively coupled to the third device to perform a method according to the disclosed embodiments. As a specific example, the third device may remotely control a ranging device to perform the ranging.

[0315] When the third device executes the computer program product, the third device can download the computer program product from a server and execute the downloaded computer program product, or the third device can execute the computer program product provided in a preloaded state to perform the method according to the disclosed embodiments.

[0316] While the present disclosure has been particularly shown and described with respect to particular embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the scope of the appended claims and the equivalents thereof. [Explanation of symbols]

[0317] 2000 Electronic Devices 2010 Communications Department 2020 Processors 2023 Memory

Claims

1. 1. A method performed by an electronic device to acquire location information of said electronic device, comprising: receiving an initiation message from a first anchor device; receiving a response message from a second anchor device, the response message including information related to a first response time of the second anchor device, the information related to the first response time indicating a time interval between a time when the initiation message is received and a time when the response message is transmitted at the second anchor device; receiving a termination message from the first anchor device, the termination message including information related to a second response time of the first anchor device, the information related to the second response time indicating a time interval between a time when the response message is received and a time when the termination message is transmitted at the first anchor device; measuring a time at the electronic device when the start message is received, a time at the electronic device when the response message is received, and a time at the electronic device when the end message is received; acquiring information related to a Time Difference of Arrival (TDoA) between the first anchor device and the second anchor device based on the measured reception time of the initiation message, the measured reception time of the response message, the measured reception time of the termination message, information related to the first response time, and information related to the second response time, The method for acquiring location information, wherein the initiation message includes a list including an address of the second anchor device and a slot index assigned to transmission of the response message of the second anchor device identified by the address.

2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the start message, the response message, and the end message are scheduled by a backend controller.

3. The termination message is The method of claim 1 , further comprising information relating to a round trip time of the first anchor device to a third anchor device.

4. The method of claim 1 , further comprising: performing a correction based on a clock of one of the electronic device, the first anchor device, and the second anchor device.

5. 2. The method of claim 1, further comprising: performing a correction based on a ratio between an interval at which the first anchor device transmits the start message, measured using a clock of the first anchor device, and an interval at which the second anchor device receives the start message from the first anchor device, measured using a clock of the second anchor device.

6. The information regarding the TDoA of the first anchor device and the second anchor device is obtained based on the following equation: [Equation 1] 2. The location information acquisition method of claim 1, wherein b-a indicates information related to TDoA related to the first anchor device and the second anchor device, α indicates a time interval between a measured reception time of the start message and a measured reception time of the response message, δ indicates a time interval between a measured reception time of the response message and a measured reception time of the end message, β indicates the first response time, γ indicates the second response time, τ indicates a round trip time at the first anchor device, and C indicates a signal speed.

7. In electronic devices, The Communications Department and Memory and at least one processor that controls the operation of the electronic device by executing a program stored in the memory; The communication unit receiving an initiation message from a first anchor device; receiving a response message from a second anchor device, the response message including information regarding a first response time of the second anchor device, the information regarding the first response time indicating a time interval between a time when the second anchor device receives the initiation message and a time when the second anchor device transmits the response message; receiving a termination message from the first anchor device, the termination message including information regarding a second response time of the first anchor device, the information regarding the second response time indicating a time interval between a time at which the response message is received and a time at which the termination message is transmitted at the first anchor device; the at least one processor measures a time at the electronic device when the start message is received, when the response message is received, and when the end message is received; and acquiring information regarding a time difference of arrival (TDoA) between the first anchor device and the second anchor device based on the measured reception time of the start message, the measured reception time of the response message, the measured reception time of the end message, information regarding the first response time, and information regarding the second response time; The electronic device, wherein the initiation message includes an address of the second anchor device and a list including a slot index assigned to transmission of the response message of the second anchor device identified by the address.

Images