Interleaving of ultra-wideband positioning services and other ultra-wideband services

Abstract

A system, apparatus, and method for interleaving a DL-TDoA with another UWB transmission are disclosed. In an exemplary embodiment, a method performed by a UWB apparatus is disclosed. The method may include the step of participating in establishing a HUS session associated with a HUS secondary session. The method may further include the step of listening for a DL-TDoA message during a ranging block of a DL-TDoA session, wherein the ranging block comprises a first time block and a second time block. The method may further include the step of detecting at least one DL-TDoA message during the first time block of the ranging block, wherein no DL-TDoA message is detected during the second time block of the ranging block. The method may further include the step of assigning a second time block in the second ranging block of the DL-TDoA session to a HUS secondary session based on the detection, wherein the second ranging block has the same structure as the ranging block.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] Related applications

[0002] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Patent Application No. 63 / 602,913 filed on November 27, 2023, the contents of which are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety.

[0003] Technology field

[0004] The present disclosure generally relates to ultra-wideband wireless technology, and more specifically to a system, method, and apparatus for efficiently providing the coexistence of an ultra-wideband positioning service and other ultra-wideband services. Background Technology

[0005] Ultra-wideband (UWB) generally refers to wireless communication technology that uses broadband, such as approximately 500 megahertz (MHz) or more, or typically has a 10 dB bandwidth exceeding 20% ​​of the center frequency. UWB-based positioning systems, such as Downlink Time Difference of Arrival (DL-TDoA) systems, can be deployed in areas where other UWB services, such as Hybrid UWB Scheduling (HUS), are being used. HUS can refer to a function that enables the scheduling of UWB sessions configured in a time scheduling mode with mutually fixed time relationships or a contention-based mode, thereby allowing the sessions to occur in a deterministic time order during HUS ranging rounds. HUS is currently being considered, for example, by the Precision Ranged (FiRa) Consortium.

[0006] UWB messages transmitted within a hybrid session (or HUS session) can interfere with UWB messages transmitted by DL-TDoA anchors (DT-anchors). As the number and density of UWB services increase, this interference can lead to a degradation of DL-TDoA services, ultimately preventing users from receiving messages transmitted by DT-anchors and thus from determining their location. Therefore, a solution is needed to enable efficient coexistence of DL-TDoA sessions and HUS sessions in a complex UWB environment.

[0007] An embodiment of the present disclosure includes a system, apparatus, and method for interleaving a DL-TDoA with another UWB transmission.

[0008] In an exemplary embodiment, a method performed by a UWB device is disclosed. In some embodiments, the method may include the step of participating in establishing a HUS session associated with a hybrid UWB scheduling (HUS) secondary session. The method may further include the step of listening for a DL-TDoA message during a ranging block of a DL-TDoA session, wherein the ranging block comprises a first time block and a second time block. The method may further include the step of detecting at least one DL-TDoA message during the first time block of the ranging block, wherein no DL-TDoA message is detected during the second time block of the ranging block. The method may further include the step of assigning a second time block in the second ranging block of the DL-TDoA session to a HUS secondary session based on the detection, wherein the second ranging block has the same structure as the ranging block comprising the corresponding first time block and the corresponding second time block.

[0009] In another exemplary embodiment, a UWB device is disclosed. In some embodiments, the UWB device may include a UWB transceiver and a processor. The processor may be configured to establish a HUS session associated with a HUS secondary session and to listen for a DL-TDoA message through the UWB transceiver during a ranging block of a DL-TDoA session, wherein the ranging block includes a first time block and a second time block. The processor may be further configured to detect at least one DL-TDoA message during the first time block of the ranging block, wherein the DL-TDoA message is not detected in the second time block of the ranging block, and based on the detection, the second time block in the second ranging block of the DL-TDoA session is assigned to the HUS secondary session, wherein the second ranging block has the same structure as the ranging block including the corresponding first time block and the corresponding second time block.

[0010] In another exemplary aspect, a non-transient computer-readable medium (CRM) having program code written thereon is disclosed. In some embodiments, the program code comprises code that causes a UWB device to participate in establishing a HUS session associated with a HUS secondary session; and code that causes the UWB device to listen for a DL-TDoA message during a ranging block of a DL-TDoA session, wherein the ranging block comprises a first time block and a second time block. The program code comprises code that causes the UWB device to detect at least one DL-TDoA message during the first time block of the ranging block, wherein the DL-TDoA message is not detected during the second time block of the ranging block; And based on detection, the code may additionally include a code that causes the UWB device to allocate a second time block in the second ranging block of the DL-TDoA session to the HUS secondary session, wherein the second ranging block has the same structure as the ranging block including the corresponding first time block and the corresponding second time block.

[0011] Further aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0012] The accompanying drawings included in and constituting part of this specification serve to illustrate various aspects of the present disclosure and, together with the detailed description, explain the principles of the present disclosure. FIG. 1 illustrates an example of UWB DL-TDoA operation according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates an example of HUS operation according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a DL-TDoA network deployment according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary configuration of the DL-TDoA network of FIG. 3 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 illustrates coexistence between a DL-TDoA and a HUS session according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary functional diagram of a UWB device according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 illustrates an example of slot allocation according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 illustrates an example of HUS operation according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary functional diagram of an HUS control device according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a UWB message payload according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 illustrates an example of the operation of a HUS system according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary functional diagram of an HUS control device according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 illustrates an example of the operation of a HUS system according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary method of operating a UWB device according to some aspects of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 is a block diagram of an exemplary UWB device according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0013] To facilitate understanding of the principles of the present disclosure, reference will now be made to the embodiments illustrated in the drawings and described using specific language. Nevertheless, it should be understood that no limitation is intended to be made to the scope of the present disclosure. Any changes and further modifications to the described apparatus, system, and method, and any further applications of the principles of the present disclosure, are generally considered and included in the present disclosure as they may occur to those skilled in the art relating to the disclosure. In particular, features, components, and / or steps described for one embodiment are fully considered to be combinable with features, components, and / or steps described for other embodiments of the present disclosure. However, for the sake of brevity, multiple repetitions of such combinations will not be described separately.

[0014] For complex UWB environments, it has been proposed that DL-TDoA sessions and HUS sessions run at different times. For example, as currently proposed within the FiRa Consortium, a DL-TDoA session can be configured to operate from the beginning of the ranging block, time T0, to time T1. Other UWB services can operate from time T1 until the end of the ranging block, thereby potentially avoiding interference between UWB messages transmitted by those services and DL-TDoA messages. However, this solution may be inefficient in some cases. For example, assume that a DL-TDoA network participates in the DL-TDoA session during ranging rounds 1 through 6 of the ranging block. For instance, assuming the ranging block contains 9 ranging rounds, only one-third of the ranging block (i.e., from ranging round 7 to ranging round 9) would be left for other UWB services.

[0015] The present invention discloses a system, method, and apparatus for interleaving a DL-TDoA session with other UWB transmissions, such as HUS sessions, by controlling the allocation of ranging rounds between DL-TDoA and other ultra-wideband transmissions. The technology presented herein enables UWB services using HUS sessions to operate concurrently with a DL-TDoA network. Thus, the present invention enables DL-TDoA and other UWB transmissions to coexist and be executed efficiently in the same environment.

[0016] The disclosed embodiments may be applied to a wide variety of UWB use cases and various UWB system, method, and / or device configurations. A non-comprehensive list of such use cases is included. For example, at a train station, the use of DL-TDoA could potentially allow passengers to determine their location within the station, while HUS(s) could be used at the gates to allow users to pass through. At a shopping mall, DL-TDoA could potentially allow customers to determine their location, while HUS(s) could be used for in-store payments.

[0017] DL-TDoA is a UWB feature that generally enables UWB devices to accurately determine their location. Typically, DL-TDoA utilizes DT-anchors that can be built and configured within a coverage area. Then, at least one device (e.g., a device acting as a DL-TDoA tag (DT-tag)) can anonymously determine its location within this area by listening for at least one message, such as a DL-TDoA message (DTM) (e.g., a poll DTM, a response DTM, and / or a final DTM) transmitted by the DT-anchor.

[0018] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of the operation of a UWB DL-TDoA (100) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, the initiator DT-anchor (102) may initially transmit a poll DTM (112) to responder DT-anchor 1 (106) and, in some embodiments, to any number of DT-anchor N (108). In response to this, responder DT-anchor 1 (106) may transmit a response DTM (116) back to the initiator DT-anchor (102). In some embodiments, any number of DT-anchor N (106) may transmit a response DTM (118) back to the initiator DT-anchor (102). In some embodiments, the initiator DT-anchor (102) may transmit the final DTM (114) to responder DT-anchor 1 (106) and, in some embodiments, to any number of DT-anchor N (108). When within the range of the DT-anchor as assumed in FIG. 1, the DT-tag may receive the poll DTM and responding DTM transmitted by the DT-anchor. Then, in step (110), the DT-tag (104) may estimate the location using the coordinates of the DT-anchors (102, 106, 108) obtained out-of-band or in-band (i.e., located in the anchor location field of some or all of the DTMs (112, 116, 118).

[0019] A hybrid session (or HUS session) may share a ranging round with multiple secondary sessions. At the start of a given ranging round, the HUS controller may allocate slots of this ranging round to secondary session(s). The HUS controller may broadcast slot allocation information to the HUS controllers using one or more messages, such as Control Message (CM) Type 3 messages. CM Type 3 message(s) may be transmitted by the HUS controller and received by the HUS controller(s). The HUS controller may listen for these CM Type 3 messages. In some examples, if the HUS controller is the controller of a given secondary session, the HUS controller may communicate with the secondary controller(s) of the secondary session using the slots allocated in the CM Type 3 messages. In some embodiments, the HUS controller, or a device including the HUS controller, may be considered the primary controller. The HUS controller may schedule HUS ranging steps by transmitting CM Type 3. The HUS controller may participate in the HUS ranging phase as a controller or as a controller. The controller may be a FiRa device that defines and controls the ranging function by transmitting control messages. The controller may be a FiRa device that utilizes the ranging function as configured via control messages from the controller. The HUS controller may synchronize with the HUS session by receiving CM type 3. The HUS controller may participate in the HUS ranging phase as a controller or as a controller of the HUS secondary session(s).

[0020] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of HUS (200) operation according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, at step 1, the HUS controller (202) may establish an HUS associated with one or more secondary sessions. For example, the HUS may be associated with two secondary sessions having session identifications (IDs) X and Y. At step 2, the HUS controller (202) may assign one or more slots to the secondary sessions. Then, the HUS controller (202) may transmit one or more messages (220), such as CM type 3, to indicate to the devices (204, 206, 208, 210) the range of slots that each secondary session can communicate with. Then, the HUS controller (204, 208) (which may be a secondary controller of the session) can communicate with the secondary controller (206, 210) (also called the HUS secondary controller) during the slots assigned to the session in one or more messages.

[0021] For example, the HUS controller may transmit CM type 3 (220) to HUS controller 1 (204) (which may be a secondary controller of Session X) and secondary controller 1 (206) to assign slots 20 through 59 to Session ID X. In this example, CM type 3 (220) may include a slot index start at 20 and / or a slot index end at 59. In some embodiments, the slot index may also be referred to as a slot value. In this example, at step 4.A, HUS controller 1 (204) (which may be a secondary controller of Session X) may communicate with secondary controller 1 (206) during slots 20 through 59. For example, the HUS controller may transmit CM type 3 (220) to HUS controller 2 (208) (which may be a secondary controller of session Y) and secondary controller 2 (210) to assign slots 60 through 79 to session ID Y. In this example, CM type 3 (220) may include a slot index start at 60 and / or a slot index end at 79. In this example, at step 4.B, HUS controller 2 (208) (which may be a secondary controller of session Y) may communicate with secondary controller 2 (210) during slots 60 through 79.

[0022] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary DL-TDoA network deployment (300) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The area illustrated in FIG. 3 may be associated, for example, with a shopping mall or an office. The DL-TDoA network deployment may include one or more DT-anchors. For example, the DL-TDoA network deployment may include 12 DT-anchors as illustrated in FIG. 3, where the anchors are labeled as "DT-anchor n" for n=1, 2, ... 12. For example, a UWB communication device including an HUS controller (332), a secondary controller (334), and / or a secondary controller (336) may be configured to be coupled with the DT-anchors. The UWB device may be configured to support UWB services that can coexist with the DL-TDoA network. The UWB communication device may include both HUS and DT-tag functions as further described herein. To determine the location, a UWB device (acting as a DT-tag) (not shown) may listen for messages periodically transmitted by a DT-anchor. A DL-TDoA network may consist of multiple DT-anchors organized into a cluster (320, 330). The DT-anchors may be distributed across a potentially wide distribution area. A cluster (320, 330) may be a set of DT-anchors that exchange DTMs to provide location services to DT-tags in a specific area or region covered by the cluster (320, 330). A cluster (320, 330) may generally include one initiator DT-anchor and one or more responder DT-anchors. Each DT-anchor may be configured in advance as follows: a ranging round during which transmission is required, and a set of its roles during a given ranging round (e.g., initiator DT-anchor or responder DT-anchor). According to an implementation example, the HUS controller (332), secondary controller (334) and secondary controller (336) may operate in conjunction with the DL-TDoA network deployment.

[0023] For example, HUS controller 2 (332), secondary controller (334), and secondary controller (336) may operate in association with DL-TDoA network deployment (300), DL-TDoA network deployment (320), and / or DL-TDoA network deployment (330). Due to proximity, HUS controller 2 (332), secondary controller (334), and secondary controller (336) may potentially operate in association with DL-TDoA network deployment (330) for optimal results. In some embodiments, HUS controller 2 (332), secondary controller (334), and secondary controller (336) may all include the same device. In some embodiments, HUS controller 2 (332), secondary controller (334), and secondary controller (336) may each be separate devices. In some embodiments, the HUS controller 2 (332), secondary controller (334) and secondary controller (336) may be any combination of separate forms from each other device according to the embodiment, or may be combined with each other device.

[0024] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary configuration of the DL-TDoA network (300) of FIG. 3 according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The first column (402) of the chart (400) represents a DT-anchor. The second column (404) of the chart (400) represents the corresponding active ranging round for each DT-anchor. In some embodiments, the chart (400) may indicate whether a DT-anchor acts as an initiator, a responder, or both an initiator and a responder. In some embodiments, the chart (400) may provide information about the ranging round or ranging rounds in which the DT-anchor is active. For example, in some embodiments, DT-anchor 1 may act as an initiator during a ranging round 2, and DT-anchors 2 and 3 may act as responders during a ranging round 2.

[0025] FIG. 5 illustrates an example of coexistence between a DL-TDoA and HUS session according to some aspects of the present disclosure. A ranging block (RB) (e.g., ranging block 1 (500)) in a DL-TDoA session may include any number of ranging rounds (RR) (506), such as nine RRs as shown in FIG. 5.

[0026] One solution to ensure that indoor localization always operates properly is to run DL-TDoA and HUS sessions at different times, and FIG. 5 illustrates one such example. For example, a DL-TDoA session can be configured to operate from time T0 (e.g., the start of RR 1 (506)) to time T1 (e.g., the end of RR 6) of every ranging block. Other UWB services, such as HUS(s), can operate from time T1 until the end of every ranging block, thereby increasing the likelihood that UWB messages transmitted by these services will not interfere with DL-TDoA messages. However, this configuration is not always efficient. For example, in FIG. 5, the DL-TDoA network can operate during RR 1 to RR 6 of each ranging block, thereby establishing the DL-TDoA ranging block. Assuming that each ranging block contains 9 RRs, only 1 / 3 of the ranging blocks (e.g., RR 7 to RR 9) may be left for other UWB services such as HUS(s).

[0027] The present disclosure resolves the coexistence problem between DL-TDoA and HUS services by allowing HUS communication simultaneously (or concurrently) with the ranging rounds used by the DL-TDoA network, provided that the HUS message does not interfere with messages transmitted by nearby DT-anchors. In some embodiments, the HUS controller or other device may allocate slots within the HUS so that the slot is not used for transmission at a time when there is a risk of interference with messages transmitted by DT-anchors. Thus, for example, the operation of the HUS can successfully avoid affecting the user experience of the indoor location service provided by the DL-TDoA network.

[0028] In some embodiments, the device can detect a ranging round used by the DL-TDoA network near the UWB device. Then, the device can mark the slot associated with the occupied ranging round as "occupied." In some embodiments, the HUS controller can provide the HUS controller with a list of slots marked as "occupied" by the HUS controller in a UWB message or in a payload transmitted over a link layer connection. Then, the HUS controller can exclude the slots marked as "occupied" when allocating slots for a secondary session in which the HUS controller is participating.

[0029] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary functional diagram of a UWB device (600) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The UWB device (600) includes functions for implementing a UWB radio (602), a DT-tag (604), and a HUS controller (606). The UWB radio (602) may include circuitry for a transceiver, a transmitter, a receiver, a transmitting antenna(s) and / or a receiving antenna(s) (not shown). The DT-tag (604) and the HUS controller (606) may transmit and / or receive UWB signals using the UWB radio (602). The DT-tag (604) may detect an occupied slot. Then, the DT-tag (604) may communicate the occupied slot to the HUS controller (606) (608). Then, the HUS controller (606) may transmit information regarding the occupied slot using UWB radio (602). In some embodiments, the DT-tag (604) and the HUS controller (606) may be part of the same processor. In some embodiments, the DT-tag (604) and the HUS controller (606) may be part of different processors. In some embodiments, the processor may facilitate communication between the DT-tag (604) and / or the HUS controller (606). In some embodiments, the DT-tag (604) and / or the HUS controller (606) may store information regarding the occupied slot in memory. In some embodiments, the processor associated with the UWB device (600) may be referred to as the primary processor.

[0030] A DT-tag (604) is used in a UWB device (600) to detect messages transmitted by a DT-anchor. When a message (poll DTM, response DTM, or final DTM) is received by the DT-tag (604) during a given ranging round, the UWB device (600) (e.g., HUS controller (606)) may mark the slot associated with this ranging round as "occupied" and store this information. The HUS controller (606) may read the information regarding the occupied slot to determine which slot is to be allocated to the secondary session(s). The HUS controller (606) may generally allocate any slot to the secondary session(s), excluding the slot marked as "occupied." Thus, the device of the secondary session generally does not transmit UWB messages within the HUS during the ranging round used by the nearby DT-anchor. As a result, the activity of the given UWB service can have minimal impact on the user experience of the indoor location service provided by the DL-TDoA network.

[0031] In some embodiments, the module may be considered as an integrated unit of computer code that can be configured to perform functions in a processor. The DT-tag (604) and the HUS controller (606) may be implemented as modules on the UWB device (600).

[0032] FIG. 7 illustrates an example of slot allocation according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In this example, a DL-TDoA session (700) includes one or more RBs (702), each of which includes six RRs (704). In some embodiments, as in at least one of the exemplary DL-TDoA networks described in FIG. 3 and 4, HUS controller 1 (710) may detect one or more messages from DT-anchor(s) during a ranging round, such as a ranging round 2. Then, slots 10 through 19 (714) that may be considered associated with the ranging round 2 may be marked as occupied. HUS controller (710) may allocate any of the remaining slots to secondary session(s). This allocation can be considered to form a hybrid ranging block (712), where 5 / 6 of the time can be used by the HUS controller (710) to allocate slots.

[0033] In some embodiments, as in at least one of the exemplary DL-TDoA networks described in FIGS. 3 and 4, HUS controller 2 (720) may detect one or more messages from DT-anchor(s) during ranging rounds 3-4. Then, slots 20 through 59 (724), which may be considered associated with ranging rounds 3-4, may be marked as occupied. HUS controller (720) may assign any of the remaining slots to secondary session(s). Such assignment may be considered to form a hybrid ranging block, where two-thirds of the time may be used by HUS controller (720) to assign slots. In particular, the technique associated with FIG. 7 may provide significantly more available slots for the HUS than the technique associated with FIG. 5.

[0034] In some embodiments, the slot number may be considered as a slot value. For example, slot 10 will have a slot value of 10. In some embodiments, one or more RRs may include a slot range. For example, the first slot of a slot range may be considered as the first slot of the RR, and the last slot of a slot range may be considered as the last slot of the RR. In some embodiments, a slot range may be considered as a slot range or a slot set. In some embodiments, a set of RRs may be considered as one RR or more than one RR. In some embodiments, a set of slots may be considered as one slot or more than one slot.

[0035] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of HUS (800) operation according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, at step 1, the HUS controller (802) may establish an HUS session associated with one or more secondary sessions, for example, two secondary sessions having session IDs X and Y. In some embodiments, as part of this step, one or more HUS controllers (804, 806) may establish secondary sessions. At step 2, the DT-tag of the HUS controller (802) may listen for a surrounding DT-anchor for a DL-TDoA signal. The HUS controller (802) may receive a DL-TDoA signal in one or more slots and may mark these one or more slots as "occupied". For example, if the HUS controller (802) receives a DL-TDoA signal during any of slots 10 to 19, the HUS controller (802) may mark slots 10 to 19 as occupied. As a more specific example, during step 2, the DT-tag on the HUS controller may listen for a DT-anchor (during the entire ranging block) and may listen for some DL-TDoA messages during ranging round 2. Accordingly, the DT-tag marks slots 10 to 19 (associated with ranging round 2 as shown in FIG. 4) as "occupied".

[0036] In step 3, the HUS controller (802) may assign an unoccupied slot to secondary session(s). For example, if slots 10 through 19 are occupied, the HUS controller may assign any slot other than slots 10 through 19 to secondary sessions X and Y. Then, the HUS controller may send a message (814) indicating the assigned slot to one or more HUS controllers (804, 806). For example, the HUS controller may send a CM type 3 (814) indicating a slot index start at 20 and a slot index end at 59 for session ID: X, and a slot index start at 60 and a slot index end at 79 for session ID: Y. During the lifetime of the HUS session, the HUS controller may listen for DT-anchors at regular intervals (to keep the list of slots marked as "occupied" up to date).

[0037] In some embodiments, in addition to the HUS controller, the secondary controller may also attempt to detect slots occupied by the DL-TDoA network(s) and provide this information to the HUS controller. These embodiments can improve the detection of slots occupied by the DL-TDoA (e.g., when the HUS controller is not within the line of sight (LOS) of a nearby installed DT-anchor).

[0038] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary functional diagram of an HUS controller device (900) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, a DT-tag (904), a HUS controller (906), and a secondary controller (910) may transmit and receive signals using a UWB radio (902) (the UWB radio (902) may include a transceiver, a transmitter, a receiver, a transmitting antenna(s) and / or a receiving antenna(s)). The DT-tag (904) may detect an RR occupied by a DL-TDoA network. The DT-tag may communicate the occupied slot to the HUS controller (906) (908). Then, the HUS controller (906) may transmit information regarding the occupied slot to the HUS controller using the UWB radio (902). The secondary controller (910) can generally transmit and receive signals (using UWB radio (902)) from one or more secondary controllers operating in the same sensing session. In some embodiments, the HUS controller (906) can communicate directly with the secondary controller (910) regarding the allocated slot. In some embodiments, the DT-tag (904), the HUS controller (906), and the secondary controller (910) may be part of the same processor. In some embodiments, the DT-tag (904), the HUS controller (906), and the secondary controller (910) may be part of different processors. In some embodiments, the processor may facilitate communication between the DT-tag (904) and / or the HUS controller (906) and / or the secondary controller (910). In some embodiments, the DT-tag (904) and / or the HUS controller (906) and / or the secondary controller (910) may store information regarding the occupied slot in memory. In some embodiments, the processor associated with the UWB device (900) may be referred to as a secondary processor.

[0039] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a UWB message payload (1000) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Information regarding the allocation of slots may be provided within the payload of one or more UWB messages. For example, a DT-tag may detect occupied slots at regular intervals. The HUS controller may occupy the slots to the HUS controller. Such information may be provided within the payload of a dedicated UWB message, such as the UWB message payload (1000).

[0040] The UWB message payload (1000) includes parameters (1002), each having a corresponding size (1004) in bits. The UWB message payload (1000) includes a session ID (1010), a number (1012) of occupied slot range(s), and occupied slot range(s) (1014). In some embodiments, the session ID (1010) may be 32 bits, the number (1012) of occupied slot range(s) may be 8 bits, and the occupied slot range (1014) may be 16*N bits, where N represents the number of occupied slot range(s). The session ID (1010) may indicate the session ID of a secondary session, which may also be referred to as a "stage". In some implementations, octet 0 of the occupied slot range(s) field may indicate the number of the first slot within the range, and octet 1 may indicate the number of the last slot within the range.

[0041] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of the operation of an HUS system (1100) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, in step 1, the HUS controller (1102) establishes an HUS session associated with one or more secondary sessions, such as session ID X. Then, the HUS controller may transmit one or more CM types 3 (1114) to the secondary controller (1104) and the secondary controller (1106). For example, the HUS controller (1102) may transmit from the CM types 3 (1114) to use slots 5 through 35 for session ID X. In step 2, the DT-tag listens for and determines one or more slots occupied by the DL-TDoA network. For example, the DT-tag associated with the secondary controller (1104) may detect that slots 10 through 19 are occupied by the DL-TDoA network. The secondary controller (1104) may transmit a list of occupied slots within one or more dedicated UWB messages (1116) to the HUS controller (1102) (labeled as "scheduling information" in FIG. 11). This list of occupied slots may also be piggybacked into any existing UWB message, transmitted as a data payload in a data session, or the list may be provided to the out-of-band HUS controller by the secondary controller using another wireless access technology (e.g., Bluetooth Low Energy). In step 3, the HUS controller may assign an unoccupied slot to the secondary session. Then, the HUS controller (1102) may transmit one or more messages (1118) to the secondary controller (1104) and the secondary controller (1106). For example, the HUS controller may transmit CM type 3 (1118) indicating the range of unoccupied slots to the secondary controller (1104) and secondary controller (1106) for session ID X.As a more specific example, instead of selecting slots 5 through 35 as in the previous ranging block, the HUS controller may assign slots 20 through 50 to the secondary controller (1106) (thus avoiding slots 10 through 19 marked as "occupied"). Then, this new slot assignment may be provided to the secondary controller (1104) and / or the secondary controller (1106) in a CM type 3 message (1118).

[0042] In some embodiments, where the HUS controller also detects occupied slots (similar to at least one embodiment associated with FIG. 8), the list of slots that should not be assigned to one or more secondary sessions by the HUS controller may be considered as a combination of (1) a list of occupied slots provided by any HUS controller, secondary controller and / or secondary controller; and (2) a list of occupied slots detected by the HUS controller.

[0043] In some embodiments, the secondary controller may attempt to detect slots occupied by the DL-TDoA and may provide information regarding these "occupied slots" to the secondary controller. This information may then be used by the secondary controller when allocating slots to one or more secondary controllers for transmission or reception. For example, if the secondary session is a ranging session, a ranging device management list (RDML) may be used to transmit information regarding the occupied slots. As another example, if the secondary session is a data session, a data transmission phase control message (DTPCM) may be used to transmit information regarding the occupied slots. Additionally, CM type 1 and / or CM type 2 may be used to transmit information regarding the occupied slots. CM type 1, CM type 2 and / or DTPCM may be transmitted by the secondary controller and received by the secondary controller(s).

[0044] In some implementations, the secondary controller may indicate to the secondary controller a list of slots marked as "occupied" by the secondary controller in a UWB message or in a payload transmitted over a link layer connection. Alternatively, information regarding occupied slots may be provided to the out-of-band secondary controller by the secondary controller using another radio access technology, such as Bluetooth Low Energy. The secondary controller may exclude slots marked as "occupied" when allocating slots to a given secondary controller.

[0045] FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary functional diagram of an HUS controller device (1200) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In some embodiments, a DT-tag (1204), a HUS controller (1206), and a secondary controller (1210) may transmit and receive signals using a UWB radio (1202) (the UWB radio (1202) may include a transceiver, a transmitter, a receiver, a transmitting antenna(s) and / or a receiving antenna(s)). The DT-tag (1204) may detect an RR occupied by a DL-TDoA network. The DT-tag may communicate the occupied slot to the HUS controller (1206) (1208). Then, the HUS controller (1206) may transmit information regarding the occupied slot to the HUS controller using the UWB radio (1202). The secondary controller (1210) can generally transmit and receive signals (using UWB radio (1202) to one or more secondary controllers operating as the secondary controller (1210) in the same sensing session. In some embodiments, the HUS controller (1206) can communicate directly with the secondary controller (1210) regarding the allocated slot. In some embodiments, the UWB device (1200) may not include the HUS controller (1206). In some embodiments, the DT-tag (1204), the HUS controller (1206), and the secondary controller (1210) may be part of the same processor. In some embodiments, the DT-tag (1204), the HUS controller (1206), and the secondary controller (1210) may be part of different processors. In some embodiments, the processor may facilitate communication between the DT-tag (1204) and / or the HUS controller (1206) and / or the secondary controller (1210). In some embodiments, the DT-tag (1204) and / or the HUS controller (1206) and / or the secondary controller (1210) may store information regarding the occupied slot in memory. In some embodiments, the processor associated with the UWB device (1200) may be referred to as a tertiary processor.In some embodiments, one or more UWB devices may include a secondary control module.

[0046] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of the operation of an HUS system (1300) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. Among other things, FIG. 13 illustrates an example of detection of occupied slots by a secondary controller (1306). In some embodiments, in step 1, the HUS controller (1302) establishes an HUS session associated with one or more secondary sessions, such as session ID X. In step 2, the DT-tag listens for and determines one or more slots occupied by DL-TDoA. Then, the HUS controller may transmit one or more messages (1320) to the secondary controller (1304) and the secondary controller (1306). For example, the HUS controller (1302) may transmit in a CM type 3 message (1320) to use slots 20 through 59 for session ID X. In step 3, the secondary controller (1304) may assign an unoccupied slot to the secondary session. Then, the secondary controller (1304) may send one or more messages (1322) to the secondary controller (1306). For example, the secondary controller (1304) may send a DTPCM indicating the range of slots assigned to the secondary controller (1306) for session ID X. In step 4, the secondary controller (1306), having determined the occupied slots, may send one or more messages (1324) indicating the occupied slots to the secondary controller. For example, if the secondary controller detects that slots 10 through 30 are occupied, the secondary controller may send a data message (1324) indicating the slots occupied for slot 25. In step 5, the secondary controller (1304) may avoid the occupied slots by assigning a new range of slots. Then, the secondary controller (1304) may send a message to the secondary controller indicating a new slot range. For example, the secondary controller (1304) may allocate a new slot range of 31 to 36 to avoid the occupied slot range of 10 to 30.Then, the secondary controller can transmit a new slot range of 31 to 36 to the secondary controller using one or more messages such as DTPCM.

[0047] A more specific example using FIG. 13 is discussed below. In Step 1, a HUS associated with one or more secondary sessions may be established. During Step 2, a DT-tag on the secondary controller (1306) may detect that slots 10 through 30 are occupied by DL-TDoA. During Step 3, the secondary controller (1304) may assign slots 25 through 30 to the secondary controller (1306). Then, these slot assignments may be indicated to one or more secondary controllers (1306) in a DTPCM message (1322). In Step 4, the secondary controller (1306) may provide a list of occupied slots using one of the assigned slots (e.g., slot 25) (e.g., as a payload transmitted over the link layer). In some embodiments, for example, when the secondary session is configured as a "ranging session," slot allocation information may be piggybacked in a UWB message transmitted during ranging. In step 5, the secondary controller (1304) may allocate slots to the secondary session and avoid slots 10 through 30 marked as occupied. Then, these new slot allocations may be provided to the secondary controller (1306) in a message (1326), such as DTPCM or, if the secondary session is a ranging session, RDML.

[0048] In some embodiments, at least some of the embodiments associated with FIG. 13 may be combined with the embodiments associated with FIG. 8 and / or FIG. 11. More specifically, in some embodiments, the HUS controller may detect an occupied slot before allocating a slot in CM type 3. In some embodiments, the secondary controller may detect an occupied slot before allocating a slot in DTPCM.

[0049] In some embodiments, any device (including any device having a secondary controller and / or a secondary controller, and including any embodiment similar to the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, 9 and 12) may have an HUS controller and / or a HUS controller and may allocate a slot for itself and / or another device.

[0050] In some embodiments, the field labeled "occupied slot" may be used for other purposes. In some embodiments, when some DL-TDoA messages are detected during these slots, a given slot may be marked as "occupied." However, the "occupied slot" marking may also be used in other situations. For example, in some embodiments, if a UWB device (e.g., a secondary controller and / or secondary controller) knows in advance that some specific slots are unavailable (e.g., if the device may need to communicate over another wireless access technology during these slots), the UWB device may mark these slots as "occupied slots."

[0051] In some embodiments, the device may display a list of "preferred slots" instead of or in addition to "occupied slots." That is, the indication of "preferred slots" may also be provided by the UWB device (e.g., a secondary controller and / or secondary controlly) instead of or in addition to the indication of "occupied slots." For example, in some embodiments, when the UWB device performs a settlement transaction involving some predictable processing time between transmitted messages, the UWB device may know the earliest slot available during the period in which a given message can be transmitted. Thus, in some embodiments, the UWB device can avoid wasting slots (e.g., when a message to be transmitted is not yet ready in a given allocated slot). In some embodiments, the UWB device can also optimize the duration of the transaction by reserving a transmission slot as soon as the message is ready to be transmitted.

[0052] In some embodiments, the device can handle conflicting slot preferences. More specifically, in some embodiments, when the same slot is marked as "preferred" by multiple secondary sessions, the session priority field (labeled, e.g., "SESSION_PRIORITY") may indicate the priority of a given session. The session priority field may be used by the HUS controller (when assigning a slot to a secondary session) or by the secondary controller (when assigning a slot to a secondary controller) to determine which session the slot can be assigned to.

[0053] In some implementations, a session, controller, or device may be assigned one or more session priority values ​​that can indicate the priority of the associated session. The session priority value may be stored in the Session_Priority (SESSION_PRIORITY) field or any other field.

[0054] FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary method (1400) of operating a UWB device according to some aspects of the present disclosure. In step (1402), the HUS controller may establish an HUS session associated with secondary session(s). Examples of step (1402) are illustrated in FIG. 8 (e.g., step 1), FIG. 11 (e.g., step 1), and FIG. 13 (e.g., step 1). In step (1404), the DT-tag may listen for a DT-anchor and determine that the range of the slot is occupied by the DL-TDOA. Examples of step (1404) are illustrated in FIG. 8 (e.g., step 2), FIG. 11 (e.g., step 2), and FIG. 13 (e.g., step 2). In step (1406), the HUS controller may allocate a slot to a secondary session(s) that avoids the slot range occupied by DL-TDoA. Examples of step (1406) are illustrated in FIG. 8 (e.g., step 3), FIG. 11 (e.g., step 3), and FIG. 13 (e.g., step 3). In step (1408), the HUS controller may send a control message, such as a CM type 3 message or a DTPCM message indicating the occupied slot range, to some or all HUS controller(s). Examples of step (1408) are illustrated in FIG. 8 (e.g., 814), FIG. 11 (e.g., 1118), and FIG. 13 (e.g., step 3).

[0055] FIG. 15 illustrates a block diagram of an exemplary UWB device (1500) according to some aspects of the present disclosure. The UWB device (1500) may operate in any configuration presented herein. For example, the UWB device (1500) may represent at least one device in FIG. 6, FIG. 9, and FIG. 12. In the present embodiment, the UWB device (1500) includes a receiving antenna (1502), a transmitting antenna (1510), a transceiver (1508), a processor (1504), and a memory (1506). In some embodiments, the transceiver (1508) is configured to transmit through the transmitting antenna (1510), and the transceiver (1508) is configured to receive through the receiving antenna (1502). In some embodiments, the transceiver (1508) may be configured to transmit and / or receive any type of UWB signal, including but not limited to wireless signals, detection signals, DL-TDoA, TDoA, ranging, bidirectional ranging, and HUS messages. The received information may be stored in memory (1506). The information stored in memory (1506) may include, but is not limited to, information regarding occupied slots and slot allocation information. A processor (1504) may be used to convert the received information into another format. In some embodiments, the other format may also be stored in memory (1506). In some embodiments, the processor may be configured to implement functions for DT-tags, HUS controllers, HUS controllers, secondary controllers, and / or secondary controllers. In some embodiments, memory (1506) may be a non-transient computer-readable medium used to store programming instructions and other computer code for performing the various steps described herein. For example, the memory (1506) may include code to enable the processor (1504) to perform the steps of FIG. 14 and / or enable the UWB device (1500) to implement a DT-tag, HUS controller, HUS controller, secondary controller and / or secondary controller.

[0056] In some embodiments, the transceiver (1508) may be implemented using a combination of separate transmitter and receiver circuits (e.g., analog circuits) connected to a processor (1504) or other circuits to perform baseband processing. In other embodiments, a single antenna may be used for both transmission and reception. In other embodiments, the UWB device (1500) may include more than two antennas, and the selection of which antenna(s) are used for transmission and which antenna(s) are used for reception may be dynamically controlled by the processor (1504). In these embodiments, the use of multiple antennas may provide multiple snapshots of the received signal, which can then be combined by the processor to obtain a better overall signal.

[0057] The transceiver (1508) can implement UWB communication capabilities, such as transmitting and / or receiving UWB packets (regardless of whether they are DL-TDoA packets or messages or HUS session packets or messages), as described in relation to FIGS. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 8, FIG. 11, and FIG. 13. The communication device (1500) may represent a smartphone or other device that also implements Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, cellular, and / or other communication capabilities, and these capabilities may be represented by including one or more chips or processors that implement them. The transceiver (1508) may be implemented as an integrated circuit or a chip.

[0058] Memory (1506) may include one or more non-transient storage devices, such as solid-state storage devices including local and / or network-accessible storage devices, disk drives, drive arrays, optical storage devices, random access memory (“RAM”) and / or read-only memory (“ROM”), programmable ROM, flash updateable ROM, etc. These storage devices may be configured to implement any suitable data storage, including but not limited to various file systems, database structures, etc. Memory (1506) may be used to store programming instructions and other computer code for performing the various steps described herein.

[0059] Those skilled in the art will recognize that the aforementioned apparatus, system, and method may be modified in various ways. Accordingly, those skilled in the art will understand that the embodiments included in this disclosure are not limited to the specific exemplary embodiments described above. In this regard, although exemplary embodiments have been illustrated and described, extensive modifications, changes, and substitutions are considered in the foregoing disclosure. It should be understood that such modifications may be made to the foregoing without departing from the scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, it is appropriate to interpret the appended claims broadly in a manner consistent with this disclosure.

Claims

Claim 1 A method performed by an ultra-wideband (UWB) device, the method comprising: participating in establishing a HUS session associated with a hybrid UWB scheduling (HUS) secondary session; waiting for a DL-TDoA message during a ranging block of a downlink time difference (DL-TDoA) session, wherein the ranging block comprises a first time block and a second time block; detecting at least one DL-TDoA message during the first time block of the ranging block, wherein no DL-TDoA message is detected in the second time block of the ranging block; and, based on the detection, assigning a second time block of the second ranging block of the DL-TDoA session to the HUS secondary session, wherein the second ranging block has the same structure as a ranging block comprising a corresponding first time block and a corresponding second time block. Claim 2 The method of claim 1, wherein the UWB device is configured as a HUS controller, and the method further comprises the step of transmitting a message to the HUS controller indicating that the second time block of the second ranging block is available for the HUS secondary session. Claim 3 In paragraph 2, the above message is a CM type 3 message, method. Claim 4 A method according to claim 1, wherein each of the time blocks is subdivided into a plurality of periods, each of the plurality of periods includes a first period and a second period, and at least one DL-TDoA message is detected during the first period of the first time block of the ranging block and the DL-TDoA message is not detected during the second period of the first time block of the ranging block. Claim 5 The method of claim 1, wherein the UWB device is configured as a HUS controller, and the method further comprises the steps of: transmitting a first message to the HUS controller indicating that a first time block of the ranging block is occupied; and receiving a second message from the HUS controller in response to the first message allocating a second time block of the second ranging block for HUS communication, wherein the UWB device communicates HUS messages using the HUS secondary session during the second time block of the second ranging block. Claim 6 A method according to claim 1, wherein each of the time blocks includes a ranging round in a DL-TDoA session. Claim 7 In paragraph 5, the method wherein the second time block of the second ranging block is subdivided into time slots for the HUS message. Claim 8 The method of claim 1, wherein the UWB device is configured as a secondary HUS controller in the HUS secondary session, and the method further comprises the steps of: receiving a data message indicating a time slot allocation for use in data transmission for the HUS controller; transmitting a second data message using the time slot allocation, wherein the data message indicates that a second time block of a second ranging block is available for the HUS secondary session; receiving a third data message indicating that the second time block of a second ranging block is used for data transmission for the HUS controller; and using the second time block of a second ranging block for the HUS secondary session. Claim 9 In claim 8, the method wherein the data message and the third data message are data transmission step control messages (DTPCM). Claim 10 An ultra-wideband (UWB) device comprising a UWB transceiver; and a processor, wherein the processor Establish a HUS session associated with a Hybrid UWB Scheduling (HUS) secondary session, and In a downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDoA) session, listen for a DL-TDoA message through a UWB transceiver during a ranging block, wherein the ranging block includes a first time block and a second time block, Detect at least one DL-TDoA message during the first time block of the above-mentioned ranging block, wherein no DL-TDoA message is detected in the second time block of the above-mentioned ranging block, and An ultra-wideband (UWB) device configured to allocate a second time block of a second ranging block of the DL-TDoA session to the HUS secondary session based on the above detection, wherein the second ranging block has the same structure as the ranging block comprising a corresponding first time block and a corresponding second time block. Claim 11 A UWB device according to claim 10, wherein the processor is additionally configured as a HUS controller, and the UWB transceiver is configured to transmit a message to the HUS controller indicating that the second time block of the second ranging block is available to the HUS secondary session. Claim 12 In paragraph 11, the above message is a UWB device that is a CM type 3 message. Claim 13 A UWB device according to claim 10, wherein each of the time blocks is subdivided into a plurality of periods, each of the plurality of periods includes a first period and a second period, and at least one DL-TDoA message is detected during the first period of the first time block of the ranging block, and the DL-TDoA message is not detected during the second period of the first time block of the ranging block. Claim 14 A UWB device according to claim 10, wherein the processor is additionally configured as a HUS controller, and the UWB transceiver transmits a first message to the HUS controller indicating that a first time block of the ranging block is occupied, and in response to the first message receives from the HUS controller a second message allocating a second time block of the second ranging block for HUS communication, and the processor is configured to communicate HUS messages using the HUS secondary session during the second time block of the second ranging block. Claim 15 In paragraph 10, each of the above time blocks is a UWB device including a ranging round in a DL-TDoA session. Claim 16 A UWB device according to claim 10, wherein the processor is additionally configured as a secondary HUS controller in the HUS secondary session, and the UWB transceiver is configured to receive a data message indicating a time slot allocation for use in data transmission to the HUS controller and to transmit a second data message using the time slot allocation, wherein the data message indicates that a second time block of the second ranging block is available for the HUS secondary session and is configured to receive a third data message indicating that the HUS controller uses the second time block of the second ranging block for data transmission, and the processor is additionally configured to use the second time block of the second ranging block for the HUS secondary session. Claim 17 A non-transient computer-readable medium (CRM) on which program code is recorded, wherein the program code is a code for causing an ultra-wideband (UWB) device to participate in establishing a HUS session associated with a hybrid UWB scheduling (HUS) secondary session; a code for causing the UWB device to wait for a DL-TDoA message during a ranging block of a downlink time difference of arrival (DL-TDoA) session, wherein the ranging block comprises a first time block and a second time block; and a code for causing the UWB device to detect at least one DL-TDoA message during the first time block of the ranging block, wherein no DL-TDoA message is detected during the second time block of the ranging block. A non-transient computer-readable medium (CRM) comprising a code that causes the UWB device to assign a second time block in a second ranging block of the DL-TDoA session to the HUS secondary session based on the detection, wherein the second ranging block has the same structure as the ranging block comprising a corresponding first time block and a corresponding second time block. Claim 18 In paragraph 17, the UWB device is configured as a HUS controller, and the non-transient CRM further comprises code that causes the UWB device to transmit a message to the HUS controller indicating that a second time block of a second ranging block is available to the HUS secondary session. Claim 19 In claim 17, the UWB device is configured as a HUS controller, and the non-transient CRM further comprises: code that causes the UWB device to transmit a first message to the HUS controller indicating that the first time block of the ranging block is occupied; and code that causes the UWB device to receive from the HUS controller a second message allocating the second time block of the second ranging block for HUS communication in response to the first message, wherein the UWB device is configured to communicate HUS messages using the HUS secondary session during the second time block of the second ranging block. Claim 20 In paragraph 17, each of the above time blocks is a non-temporal CRM that includes a ranging round in a DL-TDoA session.

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