Structure and method for controlling the exchange of ranging results

Abstract

A method and apparatus for a first network object within a wireless communication system that supports a ranging function are provided, and the method and apparatus comprises the steps of: generating a Medium Access Control (MAC) Common Part Sublayer Data Request (MCPS-DATA.request) primitive including a ranging enable indicator and a ranging request measurement and control IE (RRMC IE) including a response time request; transmitting first MAC data including the RRMC IE to a second network object; receiving second MAC data including a ranging response time moment IE (RRTI IE) and the RRMC IE from the second network object; and identifying a local value of a received ranging counter (RxRangingCounter).

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present disclosure generally relates to a ranging operation in a wireless communication system. In particular, a structure and method for controlling the exchange of ranging results in a wireless communication network are presented. Background Technology

[0002] A Target Aware Communication (PAC) network is a fully distributed communication network that enables direct communication between PAC devices (PDs). To support interactions between PDs for various services, PAC networks can utilize various technologies such as mesh and star networks. The problem to be solved

[0003] Embodiments of the present disclosure provide a structure and a method for controlling the exchange of ranging results in a wireless communication network. means of solving the problem

[0004] In one embodiment, a first network entity within a wireless communication system that supports a ranging function is proposed. The first network entity includes a processor configured to generate a Ranged Request Measurement and Control IE (RRMC IE) including a Response Time Request, and a Medium Access Control (MAC) Common Part Sublayer Data Request (MCPS-DATA.request) including a Ranged Enable indicator. The first network entity further includes a transceiver operably connected to the processor, said transceiver configured to transmit first MAC data including the RRMC IE to a second network entity and to receive second MAC data including the RRMC IE and a Ranged Response Time Moment IE (RRIT IE) from the second network entity. The processor of the first network entity is further configured to identify a local value of a Received Ranged Counter (RxRangingCounter). Brief explanation of the drawing

[0005] For a more complete understanding of the present disclosure and its advantages, reference is now made to the following description, in conjunction with the attached drawings in which similar reference numerals are used to denote similar components. FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary gNB according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary UE according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4a illustrates an upper-level diagram of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access transmission path according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 4b illustrates an upper-level diagram of an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing access receiving path according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary electronic device according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary many-to-many scenario according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 7 illustrates exemplary single-sided two-way ranging according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary double-sided two-way ranging using three messages according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary ranging request response time IE content field format according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary destination list content field format according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary ranging time-of-flight IE content field format according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary ranging round-trip measurement IE content field format according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary ranging response time instantaneous IE content field format according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary ranging response time deferred IE content field format according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary ranging angle of reach smoke IE content field format according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary ranging control SS TWR IE content field format according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary ranging control two-sided TWR IE content field format according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary time structure of a ranging round according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 19 illustrates exemplary ranging device nomenclature—controller and controller—according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 20 illustrates an exemplary ranging round structure according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 21 illustrates exemplary content fields of a ranging scheduling (RS) IE according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 22 illustrates an exemplary row of an RS table according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 23 illustrates an exemplary RTR IE content field according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 24 illustrates an exemplary row of a provider list according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 25 illustrates an exemplary RAR IE content field according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 26 illustrates an exemplary row of a provider list according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 27 illustrates another exemplary RAR IE content field according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 28 illustrates another exemplary row of a provider list according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 29 illustrates an exemplary RRR IE content field according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 30 illustrates another exemplary row of a provider list according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 31 illustrates another exemplary RRR IE content field according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 32 illustrates another exemplary row of a provider list according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 33 illustrates a flowchart of a scheduling-based ranging method according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 34 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of multicast ranging in which a ranging controller is the initiator and the requester, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 35 illustrates an exemplary RRR IE content field format according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 36 illustrates an exemplary row / element of a provider list according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 37 illustrates another exemplary row / element of a provider list according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 38 illustrates an exemplary RR IE content field format according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 39 illustrates an exemplary row / element of an RR table according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 40 illustrates another exemplary row / element of an RR table according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 41 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of a one-to-many SS-TWR through RRR and RR IE according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 42 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of a one-to-many DS-TWR through RRR and RR IE according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 43 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of a one-to-many DS-TWR through RRR and RR IE when an initiator requests ToF according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 44 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of a one-to-many DS-TWR through RRR and RR IE in the case where an initiator requests a response time and a round-trip time according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 45 illustrates an exemplary RRRC IE content field format according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 46 illustrates an exemplary row / element of an RRRC table according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 47 illustrates an exemplary row / element of an RRRC table according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 48 illustrates a simplified exemplary row / element of an RRRC table according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 49 illustrates an example of a modified ranging result request IE (RRR IE) containing one control octet according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 50 illustrates an exemplary element / row of an RRR table according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 51 illustrates an exemplary RRR table for a device transmitting RRR IE according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 52 illustrates another example of a modified ranging result request IE (RRR IE) comprising one control octet according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 53 illustrates an example of a modified ranging result request IE (RRR IE) including ranging control bits, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 54 illustrates an example of a modified ranging report IE (RR IE) comprising one control octet according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 55 illustrates an exemplary element / row of an RR table according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 56 illustrates another example of a modified ranging report IE (RR IE) comprising one control octet according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 57 illustrates an example of a modified ranging request and reporting control (RRRC) IE comprising one control octet, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 58 illustrates an exemplary RRMC IE (or RRR IE) including a ranging control information field according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 59 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of a one-to-many SS-TWR according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 60 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of a one-to-many DS-TWR in which there is no request for a ranging result from the initiator, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 61 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of a one-to-many DS-TWR with no request for a ranging result from the initiator in a deferred mode, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 62 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of a one-to-many DS-TWR in which a request for a first response time and a second round-trip time is made from an initiator according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 63 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of a one-to-many DS-TWR in which a request for a ranging result is made from an initiator according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 64 illustrates an exemplary ranging response time moment IE content field format according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 65 illustrates an exemplary RRTI table row element format according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 66 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of an SS-TWR utilizing a deferred response time result according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 67 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of an SS-TWR using an embedded response time according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 68 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of DS-TWR utilizing a deferred response time result according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 69 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of DS-TWR using three messages according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 70 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of a one-to-many SS-TWR according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 71 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of a one-to-many DS-TWR in which there is no request for a ranging result from the initiator, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 72 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of a one-to-many DS-TWR in which a request for a first response time and a second round-trip time is made from an initiator according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 73 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of a one-to-many DS-TWR in which a request for a ranging result is made from an initiator according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 74 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of M2M SS-TWR according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 75 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram of M2M DS-TWR according to embodiments of the present disclosure. FIG. 76 illustrates a flowchart of a safety ranging operation method according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0006] In one embodiment, a first network entity within a wireless communication system that supports a ranging function is proposed. The first network entity includes a processor configured to generate a Medium Access Control (MAC) Common Part sublayer data request (MCPS-DATA.request) including a ranging request measurement and control IE (RRMC IE) and a ranging enable indicator, which includes a reply-time request. The first network entity further includes a transceiver operably connected to the processor, said transceiver configured to transmit first MAC data including the RRMC IE to a second network entity and to receive second MAC data including the RRMC IE and a ranging response time moment IE (RRIT IE) from the second network entity. The processor of the first network entity is further configured to check a local value of a received ranging counter (RxRangingCounter).

[0007] In another embodiment, a second network entity within a wireless communication system that supports a ranging function is proposed. The second network entity receives first MAC data from a first network entity, the data including a ranging request measurement and control IE (RRMC IE) having a ranging enable indicator and a response time request, wherein the RRMC IE is generated by the first network entity within a medium access control (MAC) common part sublayer data request (MCPS-DATA.request); and includes a transceiver configured to transmit a ranging response time instantaneous IE (RRTI IE) and an RRMC IE to the first network entity. The second network entity further includes a processor operably connected to the transceiver, the processor being configured to identify a local value of a received ranging counter (RxRangingCounter).

[0008] In another embodiment, a method of a first network entity within a wireless communication system that supports a ranging specification is proposed. The method comprises the steps of: generating a Medium Access Control (MAC) Common Part Sublayer Data Request (MCPS-DATA.request) primitive including a ranging enable indicator and a ranging request measurement and control IE (RRMC IE) having a response time request; transmitting first MAC data including the RRMC IE to a second network entity; receiving second MAC data including a ranging response time moment IE (RRTI IE) and the RRMC IE from the second network entity; and identifying a local value of a received ranging counter (RxRangingCounter).

[0009] Other technical features will be apparent to those skilled in the art from the following drawings, detailed description, and claims.

[0010] Before proceeding with the detailed description below, it is desirable to explain the definitions of certain words and phrases used throughout this patent document. The term "connect (combine)" and its derivatives refer to any direct or indirect communication between two or more components, whether or not they are in a state of physical contact with each other. The terms "transmit," "receive," and "communicate," as well as their derivatives, include both direct and indirect communication. The terms "include" and "equip" and their derivatives mean inclusion without limitation. The term "or" is a comprehensive term meaning "and / or." The terms "related to" and their derivatives mean including, being included in, interconnecting with, implying, being implied in, connecting to / with, combining to / with, being able to communicate with, cooperating with, intervening, placing side by side, approximating to, being bound to, having, possessing the characteristics of, having a relationship with, etc. The term "controller" means any device, system, or part thereof that controls at least one action. Such a controller may be implemented in hardware or in a combination of hardware, software, and / or firmware. Functions associated with a particular controller may be centralized or distributed, whether locally or remotely. When used with a list of items, the phrase "at least one" means that one or more different combinations of the listed items may be used, and that only one item within the list may be required. For example, "at least one of A, B, and C" includes any one of the following combinations: A, B, C, A and B, A and C, B and C, and A, B, and C.

[0011] Additionally, the various functions described below may be implemented or supported by one or more computer programs, each of which consists of computer-readable program code and is executed on a computer-readable medium. The terms “application” and “program” refer to one or more computer programs, software components, instruction sets, procedures, functions, objects, classes, instances, related data, or parts thereof suitable for implementation of suitable computer-readable program code. The term “computer-readable program code” includes all types of computer code, including source code, object code, and executable code. The term “computer-readable medium” includes all types of media accessible by a computer, such as ROM (read-only memory), RAM (random access memory), hard disk drives, compact discs (CDs), digital video discs (DVDs), or any other type of memory. “Non-transient” computer-readable media exclude wired, wireless, optical, or other communication links that transmit transient electrical or other signals. Non-transient computer-readable media include media in which data can be stored permanently, and media in which data can be stored and later overwritten, such as rewritable optical discs or erasable memory devices.

[0012] Definitions for other specified words and phrases are provided throughout this patent document. Those skilled in the art will understand that, in many, if not most, cases, such definitions apply to the prior as well as subsequent use of the words and phrases thus defined.

[0013] FIGS. 1 through 76 discussed below, and the various embodiments used to describe the principles of the present disclosure of this patent document are merely examples and should not be construed in any way as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. Those skilled in the art will understand that the principles of the present disclosure can be implemented in any appropriately configured system or device.

[0014] The following documents and standards are incorporated herein by reference as described in their entirety: IEEE Standard of Medium Access Control (MAC) and Physical Layer (PHY) Specifications for Target Recognition Communication, IEEE Std 802.15.8, 2017; and IEEE Standard of Medium MAC and PHY Specifications for Low-Speed ​​Wireless Personal Area Networks (WPAN), IEEE Std 802.15.4, 2105.

[0015] By illustrating a number of specific embodiments and embodiments, including preferred embodiments considered to carry out the present disclosure, the aspects, features, and advantages of the present disclosure will be clearly understood from the following detailed description. The present disclosure may also accommodate other different embodiments, and various details thereof may be modified in various obvious respects without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Accordingly, the drawings and contents should be considered illustrative in nature and not to be limited. The present disclosure is illustrated by example and is not limited to the form of the attached drawings.

[0016] FIGS. 1 through 4b below illustrate various embodiments implemented through the use of Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) or Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (OFDMA) communication techniques in wireless communication systems. The contents of FIGS. 1 through 3 are not intended to imply physical or structural limitations regarding how other embodiments may be implemented. Other embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in any suitably configured communication systems.

[0017] FIG. 1 illustrates an exemplary wireless network according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the wireless network shown in FIG. 1 is for illustrative purposes only. Other embodiments of the wireless network (100) that do not depart from the scope of the present disclosure may be used.

[0018] As illustrated in FIG. 1, the wireless network includes a gNB (101) (e.g., a base station (BS)), a gNB (102), and a gNB (103). The gNB (101) communicates with the gNB (102) and the gNB (103). The gNB (101) also communicates with at least one network (130), such as the Internet, a private Internet Protocol (IP) network, or another data network.

[0019] The gNB (102) provides wireless broadband access to the network (130) to a first plurality of user devices (UEs) located within the coverage area (120) of the gNB (102). The first plurality of UEs include a UE (111) that may be located in a small business (SB); a UE (112) that may be located in an enterprise (E); a UE (113) that may be located in a WiFi hotspot (HS); a UE (114) that may be located in a first residential area (R); a UE (115) that may be located in a second residential area (R); and a UE (116) that may be a mobile device (M) such as a cell phone, a wireless laptop, a wireless PDA, etc. The gNB (103) provides wireless broadband access to the network (130) to a second plurality of UEs located within the coverage area (125) of the gNB (103). The second plurality of UEs include UE (115) and UE (116). In some embodiments, one or more of the gNBs (101-103) can communicate with each other and with the UEs (111-116) using 5G, LTE, LTE-A, WiMAX, WiFi, or other wireless communication techniques.

[0020] Depending on the network type, the terms “base station” or “BS” may refer to any component (or set of components) configured to provide wireless access to a network, such as a transmitting point (TP), a transmitting and receiving point (TRP), an enhanced base station (eNodeB or eNB), a 5G base station (gNB), a macrocell, a femtocell, a WiFi access point (AP), or other radio-enabled devices. Base stations may provide wireless access according to one or more radio communication protocols, such as 3GPP New Radio Interface / Access (NR), LTE (Long Term Evolution), LTE Advanced (LTE-A), High Speed ​​Packet Access (HSPA), Wi-Fi 802.11a / b / g / n / ac, etc. For convenience, the terms “BS” and “TRP” are used in this patent document to refer to network infrastructure components that provide wireless access to remote terminals. Additionally, depending on the network type, "User Device" or "UE" may refer to any component such as "Mobile Station," "Subscriber Station," "Remote Terminal," "Wireless Terminal," "Receiving Point," or "User Device." For convenience, the terms "User Device" and "UE" are used in this patent document to refer to a remote wireless device accessing a BS wirelessly, whether the UE is a mobile device (such as a mobile phone or smartphone) or is generally considered a fixed device (such as a desktop computer or a vending machine).

[0021] The dotted lines show the approximate extent of the coverage areas (120 and 125) shown as approximate circles for the purpose of example and explanation only. It can be clearly understood that coverage areas associated with gNBs, such as the coverage areas (120 and 125), may have other shapes, including irregular shapes, depending on variations in the wireless environment related to natural and artificial obstacles and the configuration of the gNBs.

[0022] As described in more detail below, one or more of the UEs (111-116) include circuits, programming, or a combination thereof for CSI reporting in an advanced wireless communication system. In some embodiments, one or more of the gNBs (101-103) include circuits, programming, or a combination thereof for CSI acquisition in an advanced wireless communication system.

[0023] FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a wireless network, but various variations of FIG. 1 may exist. For example, the wireless network may include any number of gNBs and any number of UEs through any suitable arrangement. Additionally, a gNB (101) may communicate directly with any number of UEs to provide them with wireless broadband access to the network (130). Likewise, each gNB (102-103) may communicate directly with the network (130) to provide the UEs with direct wireless broadband access to the network (130). Additionally, the gNBs (101, 102, and / or 103) may provide access to other, or additional, external networks, such as an external telephone network or other types of data networks.

[0024] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary gNB (102) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the gNB (102) shown in FIG. 2 is merely exemplary, and the gNBs (101 and 103) of FIG. 1 may have the same or similar configuration. However, gNBs appear in a wide range of configurations, and FIG. 2 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment of the gNB.

[0025] As illustrated in FIG. 2, the gNB (102) includes multiple antennas (205a-205n), multiple RF transmitters (210a-210n), a transmit (TX) processing circuit (215), and a receive (RX) processing circuit (220). The gNB (102) also includes a controller / processor (225), memory (230), and a backhaul or network interface (235).

[0026] RF transceivers (210a-210n) receive incoming RF signals from antennas (205a-205n), such as signals transmitted by UEs within the network (100). The RF transceivers (210a-210n) down-convert the incoming RF signals to generate IF or baseband signals. The IF or baseband signals are sent to an RX processing circuit (220), and the RX processing circuit (220) generates processed baseband signals by filtering, decoding, and / or binarizing the baseband or IF signals. The RX processing circuit (220) transmits the processed baseband signals to a controller / processor (225) for further processing.

[0027] The TX processing circuit (215) receives analog or digital data (voice data, web data, email, or interactive video game data, etc.) from the controller / processor (225). The TX processing circuit (215) encodes, multiplexes, and / or binarizes the outgoing baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. RF transceivers (210a-210n) receive the processed outgoing baseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuit (215) and up-convert the baseband or IF signals transmitted through the antennas (205a-205n) into RF signals.

[0028] The controller / processor (225) may include one or more processors or other processing units that control the overall operation of the gNB (102). For example, the controller / processor (225) may control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals by RF transceivers (210a-210n), an RX processing circuit (220), and a TX processing circuit (215) according to well-known principles. The controller / processor (225) may also support additional functions such as more advanced wireless communication functions.

[0029] For example, the controller / processor (225) may support beamforming or directional routing operations that weight the outgoing signals differently to effectively steer the outgoing signals from multiple antennas (205a-205n) in a desired direction. Any one of a wide range of other functions may be supported within the gNB (102) by the controller / processor (225).

[0030] The controller / processor (225) may also execute programs and other processes residing in memory (230), such as an OS. The controller / processor (225) may move data into or out of memory (230) when requested by the execution process.

[0031] The controller / processor (225) is also connected to a backhaul or network interface (235). The backhaul or network interface (235) enables the gNB (102) to communicate with other devices or systems via a backhaul connection or network. The interface (235) may support communication via any suitable wired or wireless connection(s). For example, when the gNB (102) is implemented as a cellular communication system (such as a system supporting 5G, LTE, or LTE-A), the interface (235) enables the gNB (102) to communicate with other gNBs via a wired or wireless backhaul connection. When the gNB (102) is implemented as an access point, the interface (235) may enable the gNB (102) to communicate via a wired or wireless local area network or via a wired or wireless connection to a larger network (such as the Internet). The interface (235) includes any suitable structures that support communication via wired or wireless connections, such as Ethernet or RF transceivers.

[0032] The memory (230) is combined with the controller / processor (225). Part of the memory (230) may include RAM, and other parts of the memory (230) may include flash memory or other ROM.

[0033] FIG. 2 illustrates an example of a gNB (102), but various variations of FIG. 2 may exist. For example, the gNB (102) may include a predetermined number of individual components as illustrated in FIG. 2. As a specific example, the access point may include a plurality of interfaces (235), and the controller / processor (225) may support routing functions for routing data between different network addresses. As another specific example, although it is illustrated as including one case of a TX processing circuit (215) and one case of an RX processing circuit (220), the gNB (102) may include multiple cases for each (e.g., one per RF transceiver). Additionally, various components in FIG. 2 may be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components may be added according to specific needs.

[0034] FIG. 3 illustrates an exemplary UE (116) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the UE (116) shown in FIG. 3 is merely exemplary, and the UEs (111-115) of FIG. 1 may have the same or similar configuration. However, UEs appear in a wide range of configurations, and FIG. 3 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment of the UE.

[0035] As illustrated in FIG. 3, the UE (116) includes an antenna (305), a radio frequency (RF) transceiver (310), a TX processing circuit (315), a microphone (320), and a receive (RX) processing circuit (325). The UE (116) also includes a speaker (330), a processor (340), an input / output (I / O) interface (IF) (345), a touchscreen (350), a display (355), and a memory (360). The memory (360) includes an operating system (OS) (361) and one or more applications (362).

[0036] The RF transceiver (310) receives an incoming RF signal transmitted by the gNB of the network (100) from the antenna (305). The RF transceiver (310) down-converts the incoming RF signal to generate an intermediate frequency (IF) or baseband signal. The IF or baseband signals are sent to an RX processing circuit (325), and the RX processing circuit (325) generates processed baseband signals by filtering, decoding, and / or binarizing the baseband or IF signals. The RX processing circuit (325) transmits the processed baseband signal to a speaker (330) (in the case of voice data, etc.) or to a processor (340) (in the case of web browsing data, etc.).

[0037] The TX processing circuit (315) receives analog or digital voice data from the microphone (320) or other outgoing baseband data (web data, email, or interactive video game data) from the processor (340). The TX processing circuit (315) encodes, multiplexes, and / or binarizes the outgoing baseband data to generate a processed baseband or IF signal. The RF transceiver (310) receives the processed outgoing baseband or IF signal from the TX processing circuit (315) and upconverts the baseband or IF signal transmitted through the antenna (305) into an RF signal.

[0038] The processor (340) may include one or more processors or other processing devices and may execute an OS (361) stored in memory (360) to control the overall operation of the UE (116). For example, the processor (340) may control the reception of forward channel signals and the transmission of reverse channel signals by means of an RF transceiver (310), an RX processing circuit (325), and a TX processing circuit (315) according to well-known principles. In some embodiments, the processor (340) includes at least one microprocessor or microcontroller.

[0039] The processor (340) may execute other processes and programs residing in memory (360), such as processes for CSI reporting over the uplink channel. The processor (340) may move data into or out of memory (360) when required by the execution process. In some embodiments, the processor (340) is configured to execute applications (362) based on the OS (361) or in response to signals received from gNBs or operators. The processor (340) is also coupled with an I / O interface (345) that provides the UE (116) with connectivity to other devices, such as laptop computers and handheld computers. The I / O interface (345) is a communication path between these accessories and the processor (340).

[0040] The processor (340) is also combined with a touchscreen (350) and a display (355). An operator of the UE (116) can input data into the UE (116) using the touchscreen (350). The display (355) may be a liquid crystal display, a light-emitting diode display, or other display capable of rendering text and / or at least limited graphics from websites, etc.

[0041] The memory (360) is combined with the processor (340). Part of the memory (360) may include random access memory (RAM), and other parts of the memory (360) may include flash memory or other read-only memory (ROM).

[0042] FIG. 3 illustrates an example of a UE (116), but various variations of FIG. 3 may exist. For example, various components in FIG. 3 may be combined, further subdivided, or omitted, and additional components may be added according to specific needs. As a specific example, the processor (340) may be divided into several processors, such as one or more central processing units (CPUs) and one or more graphics processing units (GPUs). Also, FIG. 3 illustrates a UE (116) configured as a mobile phone or smartphone, but UEs may be configured to operate as other types of mobile or stationary devices.

[0043] FIG. 4a is a high-level diagram of a transmission path circuit. For example, the transmission path circuit can be used for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (OFDMA) communication. FIG. 4b is a high-level diagram of a reception path circuit. For example, the reception path circuit can be used for Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing Access (OFDMA) communication. In FIG. 4a and 4b, for downlink communication, the transmission path circuit can be implemented at a base station (gNB) or a relay station, and the reception path circuit can be implemented at a user device (e.g., the user device (116) of FIG. 1). In other examples, for uplink communication, the reception path circuit (450) can be implemented at a base station (e.g., the gNB of FIG. 1) or a relay station, and the transmission path circuit can be implemented at a user device (e.g., the user device (116) of FIG. 1).

[0044] The transmission path circuit includes a channel coding and modulation block (405), a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block (410), an inverse Fast Fourier Transform (IFFT) block of size N (415), a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block (420), a cyclic prefix addition block (425), and an up-converter (UC) (430). The reception path circuit (450) includes a down-converter (DC) (455), a cyclic prefix removal block (460), a serial-to-parallel (S-to-P) block (465), a Fast Fourier Transform (FFT) block of size N (470), a parallel-to-serial (P-to-S) block (475), and a channel decoding and demodulation block (480).

[0045] At least some of the components of FIG. 4a (400) and 4b (450) may be implemented through software, and other components may be implemented through configurable hardware or a combination of software and configurable hardware. In particular, it should be noted that the FFT blocks and IFFT blocks described in this disclosure may be implemented as configurable software algorithms, wherein the value of size N may be changed according to the embodiment.

[0046] Furthermore, although the present disclosure is directed toward embodiments implementing the Fast Fourier Transform and the Inverse Fast Fourier Transform, this is merely illustrative and should not be interpreted as limiting the scope of the present disclosure. In other embodiments of the present disclosure, it will be understood that the Fast Fourier Transform functions and the Inverse Fast Fourier Transform functions can be easily replaced by the Discrete Fourier Transform (DFT) functions and the Inverse Discrete Fourier Transform (IDFT) functions, respectively. For the DFT and IDFT functions, it can be expected that the value of the variable N can be any integer (i.e., 1, 4, 3, 4, etc.), and for the FFT and IFFT functions, it can be expected that the value of the variable N can be any integer that is a power of 2 (i.e., 1, 2, 4, 8, 16, etc.).

[0047] In the transmission path circuit (400), the channel coding and modulation block (405) receives a set of information bits, applies coding (e.g., LDPC coding), and modulates the input bits (e.g., QPSK (Quadrature Phase Shift Keying) or QAM (Quadrature Amplitude Modulation)) to generate a sequence of frequency domain modulated symbols. The serial-parallel block (410) converts the serially modulated symbols into parallel data (i.e., demultiplexes) to generate N parallel symbol streams when N is the IFFT / FFT size used in the BS (102) and UE (116). The size N IFFT block (415) performs IFFT operations on the N parallel symbol streams to generate time domain output signals. The parallel-serial block (420) converts (multiplexes) the parallel time domain output symbols from the size N IFFT block (415) to generate serial time domain signals. The periodic prefix addition block (425) inserts a periodic prefix into the time domain signal. Finally, the upconverter (430) modulates (upconverts) the output of the periodic prefix addition block (425) to an RF frequency for transmission over a wireless channel. The signal may be filtered in the baseband before being converted to an RF frequency.

[0048] The transmitted RF signal passes through the wireless channel and reaches the UE (116), where the opposite operations to those in the gNB (102) are performed. The down converter (455) downconverts the received signal to a baseband frequency, and the periodic precode removal block (460) removes the periodic precode to generate a serial time domain baseband signal. The serial-to-parallel block (465) converts the time domain baseband signal into parallel time domain signals. The size N FET block (470) performs an FFT algorithm to generate N parallel frequency domain signals. The parallel-to-serial block (475) converts the parallel frequency domain signals into a sequence of modulated data symbols. The channel decoding and demodulation block (480) demodulates and decodes the modulated symbols to recover the original input data stream.

[0049] Each of the gNBs (101-103) can implement a transmission path similar to downlink transmission to a user device (111-116) and a reception path similar to uplink reception from the user device (111-116). Likewise, each of the user devices (111-116) can implement a transmission path corresponding to a structure for uplink transmission to the gNBs (101-103) and a reception path corresponding to a structure for downlink reception from the gNBs (101-103).

[0050] A Target Aware Communication (PAC) network is a fully distributed communication network that enables direct communication between PAC devices (PDs). To support interactions between PDs for various services, PAC networks may utilize various technologies such as mesh and star networks. While this disclosure develops and illustrates the disclosure using PAC networks and PDs by example, it should be noted that the disclosure is not limited to these networks. The general concepts developed in this disclosure may be used in various types of networks along with various types of scenarios.

[0051] FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary electronic device (501) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the electronic device (501) illustrated in FIG. 5 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 5 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment. The electronic device (501) may perform functions or functions (111-116) such as those illustrated in FIG. 1. In one embodiment, the electronic device may be 111-116 and / or 101-103 as illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0052] PDs may be electronic devices. FIG. 5 illustrates an exemplary electronic device (501) according to various embodiments. Referring to FIG. 5, the electronic device (501) may communicate with an electronic device (502) via a first network (598) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network) or with an electronic device (104) or a server (508) via a second network (599) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (501) may communicate with an electronic device (504) via a server (508).

[0053] According to one embodiment, the electronic device (501) may include a processor (520), memory (530), sound output device (555), display device (560), audio (570), sensor (576), interface (577), haptic (579), camera (580), power management (588), battery (589), communication interface (590), subscriber identification module (SIM) (596), or antenna (597). In some embodiments, at least one of the components (e.g., display device (560) or camera (580)) may be omitted from the electronic device (501), or one or more other components may be added to the electronic device (501). In some embodiments, some of the components may be implemented as a single integrated circuit. For example, a sensor (576) (e.g., a fingerprint sensor, an iris sensor, or an ambient light sensor) may be implemented by being embedded in a display device (560) (e.g., a display).

[0054] The processor (520) may perform various data processing or calculations by executing software (e.g., program (540)) for controlling at least one other component (e.g., hardware or software component) of the electronic device (501) connected to the processor (520). According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, as at least part of the data processing or calculation, the processor (520) may load commands or data received from other components (e.g., sensor (576) or communication interface (590)) into volatile memory (532), process the commands or data stored in volatile memory (532), and store the resulting data in non-volatile memory (534).

[0055] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the processor (520) may include a main processor (521) (e.g., a central processing unit (CPU) or an application processor (AP)), and an auxiliary processor (523) (e.g., a graphics processing unit (GPU), an image signal processor (ISP), a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor (CP)) that can operate independently or in conjunction with the main processor (521). Additionally, or alternatively, the auxiliary processor (523) may consume less power than the main processor (521) or be designed to be specific to a particular function. The auxiliary processor (523) may be implemented separately from the main processor (521) or as part thereof.

[0056] The auxiliary processor (523) can control at least some of the functions or states associated with at least one component of the electronic device (501) (e.g., a display device (560), a sensor (576), or a communication interface (590)) on behalf of the main processor (521) while the main processor (521) is inactive (e.g., in a sleep state), or together with the main processor (521) while the main processor (521) is active (e.g., running an application). According to one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (523) (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as part of another component functionally associated with the auxiliary processor (523) (e.g., a camera (580) or a communication interface (590).

[0057] The memory (530) can store various data used by at least one component of the electronic device (501) (e.g., processor (520) or sensor (576)). The various data may include, for example, input data or output data for software (e.g., program (540)) and related commands. The memory (530) may include volatile memory (532) and / or non-volatile memory (534).

[0058] The program (50) can be stored in memory (530) as software and may include, for example, an operating system (OS) (542), middleware (544), or an application (546).

[0059] The input device (550) can receive commands or data to be used by another component of the electronic device (501), such as a processor (520), from outside the electronic device (501) (e.g., a user). The input device (550) may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

[0060] A sound output device (555) can output sound signals to the outside of an electronic device (501). The sound output device (555) may be, for example, a speaker or a receiver. A speaker may be used for general purposes such as multimedia playback or record playback, and a receiver may be used for incoming calls. According to one embodiment, a receiver may be implemented separately from a speaker or as part thereof.

[0061] The display device (560) can visually provide information to the outside of the electronic device (501) (e.g., a user). The display device (560) may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector, and a control circuit for controlling one of the display, the holographic device, and the projector. According to one embodiment, the display device (560) may include a touch circuit configured to detect a touch, or a sensor circuit configured to measure the intensity of a force generated by a touch (e.g., a pressure sensor).

[0062] Audio (570) can convert sound into electrical signals and vice versa. According to one embodiment, audio (570) can acquire sound through an input device (550) or output sound through headphones of an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (502)) that is directly (e.g., using a wire) or wirelessly connected to a sound output device (555) or an electronic device (501).

[0063] The sensor (576) can detect the operating state of the electronic device (501) (e.g., power or temperature) or the environmental state outside the electronic device (501) (e.g., user state), and then generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to one embodiment, the sensor (576) may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyroscope sensor, an atmospheric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an infrared (IR) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

[0064] The interface (577) may support one or more specific protocols to be used for the electronic device (501) to be connected directly (e.g., using a wire) or wirelessly to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (502)). According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the interface (577) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, a secure digital (SD) card interface, or an audio interface.

[0065] The connection terminal (578) may include a connector that allows the electronic device (501) to be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (502)). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal (578) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0066] Haptics (579) can convert electrical signals into mechanical stimuli (e.g., vibration or movement) or electrical stimuli that a user can perceive through their tactile or kinesthetic senses. According to one embodiment, haptics (579) may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulator.

[0067] The camera (580) can capture a still image or a moving image. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the camera (580) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0068] Power management (588) can manage power supplied to the electronic device (501). According to one embodiment, power management (588) may be implemented, for example, as at least part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC). A battery (589) may supply power to, for example, at least one component of the electronic device (501). According to one embodiment, the battery (589) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0069] The communication interface (590) may support communication through the established communication channel by setting up a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device (501) and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (502), electronic device (504), or server (508)). The communication interface (590) may include one or more communication processors (e.g., application processor (AP)) that can operate independently of the processor (520), and supports direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication.

[0070] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the communication interface (590) may include a wireless communication interface (592) (e.g., a cellular communication interface, a short-range wireless communication interface, or a Global Navigation Satellite System (GNSS) communication interface) or a wired communication interface (594) (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication interface or a power line communication (PLC)). One of these communication interfaces may communicate with an external electronic device through a first network (598) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, Wi-Fi (wireless-fidelity) Direct, UWB (ultra-wide band), or IrDA (infrared data association)) or a second network (599) (e.g., a cellular network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN (wide area network)).

[0071] These various types of communication interfaces may be implemented as a single component (e.g., a single chip) or as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication interface (592) can identify and authorize an electronic device (501) using subscriber information (e.g., IMSI (international mobile subscriber identity)) stored in a subscriber identification module (596) within a communication network such as a first network (598) or a second network (599).

[0072] An antenna (597) can transmit a signal to or receive a signal from the outside of the electronic device (501) (e.g., an external electronic device). According to one embodiment, the antenna (597) may include an antenna comprising a emitting element composed of a conductive material or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). According to one embodiment, the antenna (597) may include a plurality of antennas. In such a case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network such as a first network (198) or a second network (599) may be selected from the plurality of antennas by, for example, a communication interface (590) (e.g., a wireless communication interface (592)). Then, a signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication interface (590) and the external electronic device through the selected at least one antenna. According to one embodiment, other components other than the emitting element (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as part of the antenna (597).

[0073] At least some of the components described above are connected to each other and can communicate signals (e.g., commands or data) between them through a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., bus, General Purpose Input / Output (GPIO), Serial Peripheral Interface (SPI), or Mobile Industrial Processor Interface (MIPI)).

[0074] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, commands or data may be transmitted or received between an electronic device (501) and an external electronic device (504) through a server (508) connected to a second network (599). Each of the electronic devices (502 and 504) may be of the same type as the electronic device (501) or a different type of device. According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations to be executed on the electronic device (501) may be executed on one or more of the external electronic devices (502, 504, or 508). For example, if the electronic device (501) can perform a function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (501) may request one or more external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or service instead of performing the function or service, or in addition thereto. One or more external electronic devices that receive the request may perform at least part of the requested function or service or additional functions or additional services related to the request and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (501). The electronic devices (501) may provide an output as at least part of the response to a request, with or without additional processing of the output. For this purpose, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, or client-server computing technologies may be used.

[0075] An electronic device according to various embodiments may be one of various types of electronic devices. Electronic devices may include, for example, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, wearable devices, or consumer electronics devices. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, electronic devices are not limited to those described above.

[0076] The various embodiments described herein may be implemented as software (e.g., program (140)) comprising one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory (536) or external memory (538)) that is readable by a machine (e.g., electronic device (501)). For example, a processor (e.g., processor (520)) of a machine (e.g., electronic device (501)) may retrieve at least one of the one or more instructions stored in the storage medium and execute the instruction with or without using one or more other components under processor control. This enables the machine to be operated to perform at least one function according to the at least one instruction retrieved. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code that can be executed by an interpreter. The storage medium readable by the device may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, the term "non-transient" simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device that does not contain signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and this term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently on the storage medium and cases where data is stored temporarily on the storage medium.

[0077] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may be provided by being included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a machine-readable storage medium (e.g., CD-ROM (compact disc read-only memory)), distributed online through an application store (e.g., Play Store) (e.g., downloaded or uploaded), or distributed directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily created or at least temporarily stored on a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server.

[0078] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, each component (e.g., module or program) of the components described above may comprise a singular or multiple entities. According to various embodiments, one or more of the components described above may be omitted, or one or more other components may be added. Generally or additionally, multiple components (e.g., module or program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, according to various embodiments, the integrated component may continue to perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in a manner similar or identical to how one or more functions were performed by a corresponding component among the multiple components prior to integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations among the processes may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

[0079] Ultra-wideband communication, implemented by transmitting short radio pulses, brings several key benefits to wireless communication, including low-complexity transceiver designs, large capacity due to the utilization of large bandwidth, and robustness against inter-symbol interference (ISI) in multipath environments. Meanwhile, extremely narrow pulses also reduce the possibility of interference and detection by third parties, which is highly desirable for data services with high security requirements, such as secure ranging. Currently, IEEE 802.15.4z is seeking and developing improvements for low-speed and high-speed UWB impulse radio specifications aimed at providing better integrity and efficiency.

[0080] Ranged and related localization are essential for various location-based services and applications, such as Wi-Fi Direct and the Internet of Things (IoT). With the massive increase in network devices, high demand for ranged requests is anticipated in the near future, which means that the exchange of ranged messages within the network will occur frequently. This can exacerbate bottlenecks limited by battery capacity. Energy efficiency becomes more critical for mobile devices and self-supporting stationary devices, such as low-power sensors.

[0081] Another major issue in high-density environments is latency in executing ranging sessions scheduled for various ranging pairs. Based on the ranging procedures defined in IEEE specifications, dedicated time slots can be allocated to each ranging pair. When there is a large volume of ranging requests, this can result in long latency for later scheduling pairs.

[0082] Therefore, there is a need to implement more efficient ranging protocols to reduce the number of message exchanges required for many ranging pairs. In this disclosure, an optimized ranging procedure is provided between one group of devices and another group of devices. As illustrated in FIG. 6, one or more devices in group 1 request ranging from one or more devices in group 2, or vice versa. By utilizing the broadcast characteristics of the wireless channel, optimized transmission mechanisms based on ranging operations, namely single-sided two-way ranging (SS-TWR) and double-sided two-way ranging (DS-TWR), can be implemented, which significantly reduce the number of information exchanges required compared to current standards.

[0083] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary many-to-many scenario (600) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the many-to-many scenario (600) illustrated in FIG. 6 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 6 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 6, each node in Group 1 and Group 2 may perform the functions or functions of 111-116 and 101-103 illustrated in FIG. 1. In one embodiment, each node in Group 1 and Group 2 may be one of 111-116 and / or one of 101-103 illustrated in FIG. 1.

[0084] As illustrated in FIG. 6, Group 1 and Group 2 are determined to have one or more devices. One or more devices of Group 1 request ranging for one or more devices of Group 2.

[0085] In the present disclosure, devices and associated messages are supported by the following respective terms so that a pair of devices perform a ranging message exchange: initiator—a device that initializes a first ranging frame (RFRAME) and transmits it to one or more responders; responder—a device that expects to receive the first RFRAME from one or more initiators; poll—an RFRAME transmitted by the initiator, and a ranging response. An RFRAME is transmitted by the responder.

[0086] The IEEE standard specification overlooks two aspects essential for future use cases. The first aspect is an optimized transmission procedure between one or more initiators and one or more responders, which can be important for energy saving purposes. Since a poll can be broadcast to multiple responders, an initiator can initiate a multicast, or one-to-many, ranging round by sending a single poll instead of initiating multiple unicast ranging rounds. Similarly, since a ranging response can also be broadcast to multiple initiators, a responder can embed data requested by different initiators into a single ranging response message. By utilizing the broadcast characteristics of wireless channels, an optimized transmission procedure may be desirable for future UWB networks.

[0087] Another overlooked aspect is the option for contention-based ranging within UWB networks. In the IEEE specification, a ranging round involves only a pair of devices, namely one initiator and one responder. Within a ranging round, transmissions are implicitly scheduled: the responder / initiator may anticipate receiving a message from the far end and then initiate transmission. Multiple ranging rounds can be scheduled by the CFP table of a synchronous frame. However, there may be other use cases that cannot be supported by the IEEE standard specification. For example, the initiator broadcasts a poll but has no prior knowledge of who will respond. Similarly, since the responder may not have prior knowledge of who will initiate ranging, the responder may wait and pay attention for a set period of time to collect polls from each of the different initiators.

[0088] In the present disclosure, a UWB network receives ranging requests between one group of devices and another group of devices. As illustrated in FIG. 6, one or more devices in Group 1 may request ranging from one or more devices in Group 2, or vice versa. To accommodate an optimized ranging transmission procedure and other new use cases, the device role configuration—i.e., whether the device is configured as an initiator or a responder—and scheduling information for scheduling-based ranging must be determined and exchanged before a ranging round begins. With the goal of building a self-contained UWB network, the present disclosure defines a new control IE and a ranging scheduling IE for initiators and responders that can be exchanged via a UWB MAC. However, the present disclosure does not exclude other methods of exchanging information through upper layers or out-of-band management.

[0089] FIG. 7 illustrates exemplary one-sided bidirectional ranging (700) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the one-sided bidirectional ranging (700) illustrated in FIG. 7 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 7 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment. The one-sided bidirectional ranging (700) may be performed in an electronic device (501) such as that illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0090] SS-TWR involves a simple measurement of the round-trip delay of a single message from the initiator to the respondent and the response sent back to the initiator. The operation of SS-TWR is as shown in FIG. 7, where Device A initiates an exchange and Device B responds to perform the exchange. Each device precisely timestamps the transmission and reception times of the message frame, and accordingly, through simple subtraction, time T round and T reply It can be calculated. Therefore, the resulting time-of-flight T prop This can be estimated through the following formula:

[0091]

[0092] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary bidirectional ranging (800) using three messages according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of bidirectional ranging (800) using three messages illustrated in FIG. 8 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 8 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment. Bidirectional ranging (800) using three messages may be performed in an electronic device (501) such as that illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0093] A DS-TWR using three messages is illustrated in FIG. 8 and reduces estimation errors caused by clock drift resulting from long response delays. Device A is the initiator that initiates the first round-trip measurement, and Device B is the responder that responds to perform the first round-trip measurement while initiating the second round-trip measurement. Each device precisely timestamps the transmission and reception times of the messages, and the resulting propagation time estimate T prop can be calculated by the following formula:

[0094]

[0095] FIG. 9 illustrates an exemplary ranging request response time IE content field format (900) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the ranging request response time IE content field format (900) illustrated in FIG. 9 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 9 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 9, the ranging request response time IE content field format (900) may be used by an electronic device such as that exemplified in FIG. 5.

[0096] Referring to the payload IEs for the transmission of ranging controls and timestamps from the IEEE 802.15.8 document, the relevant ranging IEs are introduced here.

[0097] The RRRT (ranging request reply time) IE is used as part of a ranging exchange to request a ranging reply time from a remote device participating in the ranging exchange. When the RRRT IE is used to request reply time values ​​from a specific device or multiple devices in a multicast / broadcast / many-to-many case, the RRRT IE may include a field for a destination list and a field for the length of the destination list, as illustrated in FIG. 9. The destination list length field indicates the number of rows within the destination list, which may correspond to the number of devices that need to transmit the reply time.

[0098] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary destination list content field format (1000) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the destination list content field format (1000) illustrated in FIG. 10 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 10 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the destination list content field format (1000) may be used by an electronic device such as that exemplified in FIG. 5.

[0099] Each row of the destination list includes a field for the MAC address of the destination device to which the response time will be sent, as illustrated in FIG. 10. The MAC address may be a 16-bit short address, a 48-bit MAC address, or a 64-bit extended address.

[0100] The ranging time-of-flight (RTOF) information element (IE) can be used to transmit ranging results to the other party upon request. Since multiple ranging results between one device and other devices can be embedded within a single data frame, MAC addresses or other short addresses, such as multicast group addresses, can be added to this IE so that the device can extract the ranging result specific to that device. If a single pair of devices participate in a ranging round, there is no need to use the address field. An example of the ranging time-of-flight (RTOF) IE content field is illustrated in FIG. 11. Other examples are not excluded.

[0101] FIG. 11 illustrates an exemplary ranging propagation time IE content field format (1100) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the ranging propagation time IE content field format (1100) illustrated in FIG. 11 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 11 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 11, the ranging propagation time IE content field format (1100) may be used by an electronic device such as that illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0102] The ranging round trip measurement IE (RRTM IE) content includes the transmission time of the ranging frame (RFRAME) initiating the round trip measurement and the time difference between the response RFRAME for each source address completing the round trip. The address field may be a 16-bit short address, a 48-bit MAC address, or a 64-bit extended address. If a single pair of devices participate in the ranging round, the address field is not required. An example of the RRTM IE content field format is shown in FIG. 12. Other examples are not excluded.

[0103] FIG. 12 illustrates an exemplary ranging round-trip measurement IE content field format (1200) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the ranging round-trip measurement IE content field format (1200) illustrated in FIG. 12 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 12 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment. As illustrated in FIG. 12, the ranging round-trip measurement IE content field format (1200) may be used in an electronic device (501) such as that illustrated in FIG. 5.

[0104] The RRTI IE content contains the time difference between the reception time of the most recently received RFRAME and the transmission time of the RFRAME containing the IE for each source address. The address field may be a 16-bit short address, a 48-bit MAC address, or a 64-bit extended address. If a single pair of devices participate in the ranging round, the address field is not required. An example of the RRTI IE content field format is shown in FIG. 13. Other examples are not excluded.

[0105] FIG. 13 illustrates an exemplary ranging response time instantaneous IE content field format (1300) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the ranging response time instantaneous IE content field format (1300) illustrated in FIG. 13 is for illustrative purposes only and may be used in the electronic device illustrated in FIG. 5. FIG. 13 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0106] The deferred ranging response IE (RRTD IE) content contains the time difference between the reception time of the most recently received RFRAME for each source address and the transmission time of the most recently transmitted response RFRAME preceding the frame containing this IE. The address field may be a 16-bit short address, a 48-bit MAC address, or a 64-bit extended address. If a single pair of devices participate in the ranging round, the address field is not required. An example of the RRTD IE content field format is illustrated in FIG. 14. Other examples are not excluded.

[0107] FIG. 14 illustrates an exemplary ranging reply time deferred IE content field format (1400) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the ranging reply time deferred IE content field format (1400) illustrated in FIG. 14 is for illustrative purposes only and may be used in the electronic device illustrated in FIG. 5. FIG. 14 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0108] The Angle-of-Arrival (AoA) Delayed IE content contains an AoA estimation from the device receiving the request for the AoA. The RAD IE is used as part of a bidirectional ranging exchange and is used when the device cannot determine the AoA until a response is sent, in which case the RAD IE contains the AoA in the next frame. When the RAD IE is used in a multicast / broadcast frame (e.g., multicast / broadcast / many-to-many ranging), the RAD IE content may include the MAC address or device ID of the source requesting the AoA estimation. The address field may be a 16-bit short address, a 48-bit MAC address, or a 64-bit extended address. In other cases, the RAD IE has a content field of length 0. The content field of the RAD IE may be in the format shown in FIG. 15.

[0109] FIG. 15 illustrates an exemplary ranging angle of arrival delay IE content field format (1500) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the ranging time of arrival delay IE content field format (1500) illustrated in FIG. 15 is for illustrative purposes only and may be used in the electronic device illustrated in FIG. 5. FIG. 15 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0110] A ranging report control single-sided TWR (RRCST) IE is used to control SS-TWR message exchange. An example of the RCST IE content field format is shown in FIG. 16 and Table 1. Other examples are not excluded.

[0111] FIG. 16 illustrates an exemplary ranging control SS TWR IE content field format (1600) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the ranging control SS TWR IE control field format (1600) illustrated in FIG. 16 is for illustrative purposes only and may be used in the electronic device illustrated in FIG. 5. FIG. 16 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0112] Table 1. Values ​​of the Control Information Fields in the Ranged Report Control SS TWR IE

[0113]

[0114] A ranging report control double-sided TWR (RCDT) IE is used to control DS-TWR message exchange. An example of the RCDT IE content field format is shown in FIG. 17 and Table 2. Other examples are not excluded.

[0115] FIG. 17 illustrates an exemplary ranging control DS TWR IE content field format (1700) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the ranging control DS TWR IE control field format (1700) illustrated in FIG. 17 is for illustrative purposes only and may be used in the electronic device illustrated in FIG. 5. FIG. 17 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0116] Table 2. Values ​​of the Control Information Fields in the Ranged Report Control DS TWR IE

[0117]

[0118] FIG. 18 illustrates an exemplary time structure of a ranging round (1800) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the time structure of the ranging round (1800) shown in FIG. 18 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 18 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0119] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a ranging round (1800) as shown in FIG. 18. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0120] A ranging configuration includes control information for a ranging round consisting of a plurality of time slots as shown in FIG. 18. A time slot is a basic time unit for performing message exchange. Other conventions for performing functions identical to those of a ranging round and a time slot are not excluded from this disclosure. Depending on device specifications, the number of time slots and slot durations within a ranging round may be adjusted within the ranging configuration, or the number of time slots and slot durations are default settings. One or more pairs of devices may participate in a ranging round to perform ranging requests.

[0121] FIG. 19 illustrates exemplary ranging device terms (1900)—controller and controller—according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiments of the ranging device terms (1900) illustrated in FIG. 19 are for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 19 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0122] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the ranging device terms (1900) shown in FIG. 19. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0123] As shown in FIG. 19, a setting of a ranging configuration determined by the next upper layer may be sent from a ranging controller (lead device) to one or more ranging controllers. In different network configurations, the ranging configuration may be transmitted via a dedicated data frame sent to one or more devices, or may be embedded in a synchronous frame in which the ranging configuration is broadcast to all devices in the network. Meanwhile, the present disclosure does not exclude other methods of exchanging ranging configuration information, for example, through an upper layer or out-of-band management.

[0124] FIG. 20 illustrates an exemplary ranging round structure (2000) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the ranging round structure (2000) illustrated in FIG. 20 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 20 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0125] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may utilize a ranging round structure (2000) shown in FIG. 20. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may also be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0126] A ranging configuration includes a structure of a ranging round comprising one or more polling periods (PPs) and one or more ranging response periods (RRPs), wherein the PPs consist of one or more time slots for sending polling messages from the initiator(s) and the RRPs consist of one or more time slots for sending response messages from the responder(s). FIG. 20 illustrates two examples of SS-TWR and DS-TWR with three message exchanges, respectively, but other examples are not excluded. A ranging round may begin with a ranging control period for exchanging the ranging configuration via a UWB MAC. However, if the ranging configuration is exchanged at an upper layer, the ranging round may begin with a polling period.

[0127] For SS-TWR, one ranging round includes PP and RRP. For DS-TWR using three messages, one ranging round includes a first PP, RRP, and a second PP. Each period includes one or more time slots, in which transmissions from initiator(s) / responder(s) may be scheduled as determined by the next upper layer or may compete for time slots within their respective corresponding periods.

[0128] FIG. 21 illustrates exemplary content fields of a ranging scheduling (RS) IE (2100) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The examples of content fields of the ranging scheduling (RS) IE (2100) illustrated in FIG. 21 are for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 21 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0129] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the content fields of the ranging scheduling (RS) IE (2100) shown in FIG. 21. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0130] FIG. 22 illustrates an exemplary row of an RS table (2200) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the row of the RS table (2200) shown in FIG. 22 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 22 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0131] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a row of the RS table (2200) shown in FIG. 22. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of the electronic devices of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0132] For scheduling-based ranging, a ranging scheduling (RS) IE is used to schedule time slots of ranging rounds such as FIG. 18. Examples of the content fields of the RS IE are shown in FIG. 21 and FIG. 22.

[0133] RS IE includes an RS table, where each row of the table represents a slot within a ranging round. As illustrated in FIG. 22, the first field of a row represents the time slot index. The second field indicates the presence of the following device ID / MAC address and device type. If the value is 0, the slot is reserved but not yet scheduled. If the value is 1, it is assigned to a ranging device having the MAC address and device type indicated by the following fields.

[0134] Other structures of content fields for performing similar functions are not excluded by the present disclosure.

[0135] FIG. 23 illustrates an exemplary RTR IE content field (2300) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the RTR IE content field (2300) illustrated in FIG. 23 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 23 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0136] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the RTR IE content field (2300) shown in FIG. 23. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0137] FIG. 24 illustrates an exemplary row of a provider list (2400) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the row of the provider list (2400) illustrated in FIG. 24 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 24 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0138] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a row of the provider list (2400) shown in FIG. 24. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of the electronic devices of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0139] A ranging time-of-flight (RTR) request IE can be used by a ranging device to request ranging results, namely the time-of-flight (ToF), from other ranging devices capable of producing the ToF associated with the requester. Examples of the content fields of an RTR IE are shown in FIGS. 23 and 24.

[0140] As illustrated in FIG. 23, there may be three fields in the RTR IE. The first field indicates the presence of the following fields. In unicast ranging, the request address and provider address can be found in the address fields of the MAC header. It is not necessary to use the address fields within the RTR IE, and the value of provider address present is 0. If the ranging device intends to request ranging results from multiple far ends via a broadcast / multicast message, the ranging device may list the addresses of the desired providers within the RTR IE. The value of provider address present may be 1, and the length of the provider list indicates the number of desired providers. In this disclosure, address types such as those shown in FIG. 24, which can be determined by device configuration and the DstAddrMode of MCPS-DATA.request, are not excluded.

[0141] FIG. 25 illustrates an exemplary RAR IE content field (2500) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the RAR IE content field (2500) illustrated in FIG. 25 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 25 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0142] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the RAR IE content field (2500) shown in FIG. 25. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0143] FIG. 26 illustrates an exemplary row of a provider list (2600) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the row of the provider list (2600) illustrated in FIG. 26 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 26 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0144] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a row of the provider list (2600) shown in FIG. 26. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of the electronic devices of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0145] A ranging angle-of-arrival request (RAR) IE can be used by a ranging device to request ranging results, namely, the angle of arrival (AoA) from other ranging devices having antenna arrays to estimate the requester's AoA. Examples of the content fields of a RAR IE are shown in FIGS. 25 and 26.

[0146] The first octet of the RAR IE contains present indicators, namely, whether a provider address is present (identical to that of FIG. 23), whether an AoA azimuth is present, and whether an AoA elevation is present. The latter two indicators indicate whether an AoA is requested for an azimuth, elevation, or two domains. For example, if the value of the AoA azimuth request is 1, an AoA for the azimuth domain is requested from the desired providers; otherwise, it is not. Bits 3 through 7 are reserved to maintain a full octet, but bits 3 through 7 may be removed. Similar to FIG. 23, when the value of whether a provider address is present is 0, the provider list length and the field for the provider list do not exist; otherwise, the provider list length indicates the number of providers, and the provider list stores the addresses of the desired providers as in FIG. 26.

[0147] FIG. 27 illustrates an exemplary RAR IE content field (2700) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the RAR IE content field (2700) illustrated in FIG. 27 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 27 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0148] FIG. 28 illustrates an exemplary row of another provider list (2800) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the row of the provider list (2800) illustrated in FIG. 28 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 28 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0149] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a row of the provider list (2800) shown in FIG. 28. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of the electronic devices of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0150] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the RAR IE content field (2700) shown in FIG. 27. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0151] Other structures of the content field are not excluded by the present disclosure. For example, a requester may request an azimuth AoA from one provider, but an elevation AoA from another provider. Accordingly, the RAR IE may be modified as shown in FIGS. 27 and 28.

[0152] When the value of the existence of a provider address is 0 for unicast ranging, the provider list length of FIG. 27 is not required, and the address field of the row within the provider list may also be removed. When the value of the existence of a provider address is 1, the provider list length represents the number of providers, and the provider list stores the addresses of the providers and the types of AoA requests. In this disclosure, address types such as FIG. 26 or FIG. 28, which can be determined by device configuration and DstAddrMode of MCPS-DATA.request, are not excluded.

[0153] FIG. 29 illustrates an exemplary RRR IE content field (2900) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the RRR IE content field (2900) illustrated in FIG. 29 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 29 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0154] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the RRR IE content field (2900) shown in FIG. 29. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0155] FIG. 30 illustrates an exemplary row of another provider list (3000) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the row of the provider list (3000) illustrated in FIG. 30 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 30 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0156] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a row of the provider list (3000) shown in FIG. 30. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of the electronic devices of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may also be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0157] Requests for AoA and ToF can be realized by a single IE that can be defined as a ranging result request (RRR) IE. Examples of content fields are shown in FIGS. 29 and FIGS. 30.

[0158] FIG. 29 is identical to FIG. 23 and FIG. 27. For unicast ranging, the value of the provider address existence is 0, and there is no need to use the provider list length field of FIG. 29 and the address field of FIG. 30. Each row of the provider list contains indicators of the requested information, namely the azimuth AoA, elevation AoA, and ToF. For example, if the ToF request value is 1, the requester requires ToF estimation from the provider.

[0159] FIG. 31 illustrates another exemplary RRR IE content field (3100) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the RRR IE content field (3100) illustrated in FIG. 31 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 31 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0160] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the RRR IE content field (3100) shown in FIG. 31. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0161] FIG. 32 illustrates an exemplary row of another provider list (3200) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the row of the provider list (3200) illustrated in FIG. 32 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 32 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0162] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a row of the provider list (3200) shown in FIG. 32. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of the electronic devices of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0163] If the same type of requests apply to all providers, the content fields of the RRR IE shown in Figures 31 and 32 may be used.

[0164] As illustrated in FIG. 31, the 3-bit fields of the first octet are used to indicate the type of requested information. Bits 4 through 7 are reserved but may be removed. For unicast ranging, the value of the provider address existence value is 0, and the provider list length and provider list of FIG. 31 need to be used. If the value of the provider address existence value is 1, the provider list length indicates the number of providers, and the provider list stores their addresses.

[0165] If the requester is a ranging controller, both RS IE and RRR (or RTR, RAR) IE may be inserted into the RFRAME or data frame to be scheduled sent by the controller. The RRR IE represents the information requested by the controller, and the RS IE is used to schedule spare time slots, allowing the desired providers / controllers to resend the requested information.

[0166] If the requester is a ranging controller, the provider is a ranging controller. An RRR (or RTR, RAR) IE can be inserted into a scheduled RFRAME or data frame sent by the requester to the controller. Then, the controller can immediately use a spare time slot to transmit the requested information to one or more requesters / controllers.

[0167] If both the requester and the provider are ranging controllers, there may be three steps for performing the exchange of ranging results for a self-contained UWB network: (1) Step 1, the requester(s) broadcast an RRR (or RTR, RAR) via a scheduled RFRAME or data frame; (2) Step 2, the controller, aware of requests from multiple ranging devices after Step 1, schedules providers on reserved time slots via an RS IE; (3) Step 3, the provider(s), aware of requests from multiple requesters after Step 1, transmit the requested information on the scheduled time slot(s).

[0168] FIG. 33 illustrates a flowchart of a scheduling-based ranging method (3300) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the method (3300) illustrated in FIG. 33 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 33 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0169] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 such as that shown in FIG. 1) may use the method (3300) shown in FIG. 33. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may also be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0170] To summarize the methods described above, FIG. 33 shows the operation procedures for various cases.

[0171] In contention-based ranging, time slots do not need to be scheduled by the ranging controller. The ranging controller or the requester in the ranging controller may compete for time slots to send a ranging result request, namely RRR, RTR, or RAR IE.

[0172] As illustrated in FIG. 33, the method (3300) begins at step 3302. At step 3302, the method (3300) determines whether the requester is a ranging controller. At step 3302, if the method (3300) determines that the requester is a ranging controller, at step 3304, the requester / controller transmits an RS IE and an RRR (or RTR, RAR) IE to schedule the provider(s) via a scheduled RFRAME or data frame. At step 3308, the provider transmits the requested information via a scheduled time slot. At step 3302, if the method determines that the requester is not a ranging controller, the method (3300) determines at step 3310 whether the provider is a ranging controller. At step 3310, this method (3300) determines that the provider is a ranging controller, and the requester / controller transmits an RRR (or RTR, RAR) IE to the provider / controller via a scheduled RFRAME or data frame at step 3312. At step 3314, the provider / controller transmits the requested information via a reserved time slot. At step 3310, if this method determines that the provider is not a ranging controller, the requester(s) broadcast an RRR (or RTR, RAR) IE via a scheduled RFRAME or data frame. At step 3318, the controller schedules controllers on a reserved time slot via an RS IE. At step 3320, the provider transmits the requested information via a scheduled time slot.

[0173] FIG. 34 illustrates an exemplary message sequence (3400) of multicast ranging in which a ranging controller is the initiator and the requester, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence (3400) illustrated in FIG. 34 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 34 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0174] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (3400) shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0175] FIG. 34 illustrates an exemplary message sequence chart (MSC) of multicast ranging where the ranging controller is both the initiator and the requester. A first RS IE within the ranging control message / frame is used to set the ranging round. The last time slot of the ranging round is reserved by the ranging controller and later scheduled to responder 1 via a second RS IE. Thus, responder 1 can use the last time slot of the ranging round to send ranging results to the requester / controller. Various examples of MSCs for various use cases, which are not excluded from the present disclosure, may exist.

[0176] Within IEEE standard specifications, various IEs are defined to fulfill requests for timestamp-related information. For example, a Ranged Request Response Time (RRRT) IE may be used to request a ranged response time from a device receiving the IE. The Ranged Report Control DS TWR (RRCDT) IE and the Ranged Report Control SS TWR (RRCST) IE may be used to request the exchange of response times and / or round-trip measurements for the DS-TWR and SS-TWR, respectively. However, in this embodiment, a modified Ranged Result Request (RRR) IE may fulfill the functions of those IEs for requests for timestamp-related information and AOAs. Other suitable conditions for this IE are not excluded from this disclosure.

[0177] FIG. 35 illustrates an exemplary RRR IE content field format (3500) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the RRR IE content field format (3500) illustrated in FIG. 35 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 35 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0178] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the RRR IE content field format (3500) shown in FIG. 35. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0179] FIG. 35 illustrates a modified RRR IE content field format. The first bit field, i.e., provider address present (PAP), is used to indicate the presence of an address field within each row / element of the provider list. If the value is 1, the address field of FIG. 36 exists; otherwise, it does not exist. The provider list length (PLL) field indicates the number of rows / elements within the provider list corresponding to the number of providers.

[0180] For unicast ranging between one ranging initiator and one ranging responder, the provider address can be specified by the destination address field of the MHR. Accordingly, the field of the PAP can be set to 0, and the address field of FIG. 36 does not exist.

[0181] For multi-node ranging, a ranging device can broadcast appropriate RFRAME or data messages to multiple providers using an RRR IE as illustrated in FIG. 35. If the rows / elements of the RRR IE are stacked in a predetermined fixed order to list requests for various providers, the address field may not exist, provided that the predetermined order is exchanged among the ranging devices. Thus, in this situation, the PAP field of FIG. 35 may be set to 0.

[0182] FIG. 36 illustrates an exemplary row / element of a provider list (3600) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the row / element of the provider list (3600) illustrated in FIG. 36 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 36 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0183] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a row / element of the provider list (3600) shown in FIG. 36. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0184] It should be noted that one of the spare bit fields in Fig. 36 can be used to indicate an existing address. Therefore, the presence of a provider address in Fig. 35 can be removed, and the size of the provider list length becomes 1 octet.

[0185] The first bit field of each row / element of the provider list is the address type (AT). If the value is 1, a 2-octet short address is used in the address field; otherwise, an 8-octet extended address is used in the address field, and vice versa. The AT field provides flexibility for exchanging requests in a UWB network using mixed address types. More bits may be used in the AT field to distinguish more address types, and this is not excluded from the present disclosure. If the ranging devices of the network have the same address type, i.e., a 2-octet or 8-octet address, the provider's address type may be specified by the DstAddrMode of MCPS-DATA.request, and the address type field of FIG. 36 may be removed. Thus, FIG. 36 is reduced to FIG. 37.

[0186] FIG. 37 illustrates another exemplary row / element of a provider list (3700) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the row / element of the provider list (3700) illustrated in FIG. 37 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 37 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0187] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a row / element of the provider list (3700) shown in FIG. 37. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0188] In FIGS. 36 and 37, the reply time request (RTR) field indicates whether a reply time is requested for a provider sending a response to a message with RRR IE: if the RTR value is 1, a reply time is requested, otherwise it is not.

[0189] The round-trip measurement request (RMR) field indicates whether a round-trip measurement request is made to the provider when a message with RRR IE is received; if the RMR value is 1, a round-trip measurement request is made, otherwise, it is not.

[0190] The following bit fields for the ToF request (TOFR), AoA azimuth request (AAR), and AoA elevation request (AER) indicate whether the time of propagation (ToF), azimuth AoA, and elevation AoA are requested; if the bit field for the request has a value of 1, the information is requested, otherwise it is not.

[0191] A modified RRR IE with the content field format shown in FIGS. 35 and 36 (or FIG. 37) is used to perform the functions of the RRA IE, RRCDT, RRCST, and RRRT of IEEE 802.15.4z used to request specific information.

[0192] Within IEEE standard specifications, various IEs are defined to fulfill requests for timestamp-related information and AOAs. For example, a ranging reply time instantaneous (RRTI) IE may be used to convey the response time of a ranging reply message, and a ranging round trip measurement (RRTM) IE may be used to convey a round trip time measurement. In this embodiment, a newly defined IE, namely a ranging report (RR) IE, may be used to perform the exchange of time-related information and AOAs. Other suitable conditions for this IE are not excluded from the present disclosure. Examples of content field formats are shown in FIGS. 38 and 39.

[0193] FIG. 38 illustrates an exemplary RR IE content field format (3800) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the RR IE content field format (3800) illustrated in FIG. 38 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 38 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0194] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the RR IE content field format (3800) shown in FIG. 38. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0195] FIG. 39 illustrates an exemplary row / element of an RR table (3900) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the row / element of the RR table (3900) illustrated in FIG. 39 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 39 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0196] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may utilize a row / element of the RR table (3900) shown in FIG. 39. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0197] As illustrated in FIG. 38, the RR IE content field format is similar to that of the RRR IE illustrated in FIG. 35. The first bit field is intended to indicate the presence of an address field within each element of the ranging report (RR) table: if its value is 1, the address field exists, otherwise it does not. The field for the RR table length indicates the number of rows / elements within the RR table, and the number corresponds to the number of ranging devices requiring specific information.

[0198] For unicast ranging between one ranging initiator and one ranging responder, the requester's address can be specified by the destination address field of the MHR. Accordingly, the AP field can be set to 0, and the address field of FIG. 39 does not exist.

[0199] For multi-node ranging, a ranging device can broadcast appropriate RFRAME or data messages to multiple destinations using an RR IE as illustrated in FIG. 35. If the rows / elements of the RR IE are stacked in a predetermined fixed order to list ranging result reports for various destinations, the address field may not exist, provided that the predetermined order is exchanged between ranging devices. Thus, in this situation, the AP field of FIG. 38 may be set to 0.

[0200] It should be noted that one of the spare bit fields in Fig. 39 may be used to indicate an existing address. Therefore, the address existing in Fig. 38 can be removed, and the size of the RR table length becomes 1 octet.

[0201] The first bit field of each row / element of the RR table is the Address Type (AT). If the value is 1, a 2-octet short address is used in the address field; otherwise, an 8-octet extended address is used in the address field, and vice versa. The AT field provides flexibility for exchanging requests in a UWB network using mixed address types. More bits may be used in the AT field to distinguish more address types, and this is not excluded from the present disclosure. If the ranging devices of the network have the same address type, i.e., a 2-octet or 8-octet address, the address type may be specified by the DstAddrMode of MCPS-DATA.request, and the address type field of FIG. 39 may be removed. Thus, FIG. 39 is reduced to FIG. 40.

[0202] FIG. 40 illustrates a row / element of another exemplary RR table (4000) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the row / element of the RR table (4000) illustrated in FIG. 40 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 40 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0203] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may utilize a row / element of the RR table (4000) shown in FIG. 40. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0204] The fields for reply time present (RTP), round-trip measurement present (RMP), ToF present (ToFP), AoA azimuth present (AAP), and AoA elevation present are, respectively, indicators for indicating the presence of the following fields, including RX-to-TX-Reply-Time, TX-to-RX round-trip time, time-of-flight (ToF), AoA azimuth, and AoA elevation. If the value of the indicator is 1, the corresponding field for reporting specific information is present, and otherwise, it is not present.

[0205] The deferred mode field causes a separate data frame to be used after the ranging transmission to deliver the ranging report: if the value is 1, the deferred mode is enabled and the RR IE is inserted into a separate data message to report the timestamp-related time and / or the AOA of the most recently completed ranging cycle, otherwise this ranging report IE is embedded in the RFRAME within the ranging cycle to report certain information.

[0206] For example, if the RFRAME PPDU format is SP3 as specified in the IEEE standard specification, the ranging report cannot be transmitted via RFRAME because there is no MAC header or payload in the SP3 frame. Therefore, the RR IE can be inserted into the data message after the ranging cycle, and the deferred mode field is set to 1 to indicate that deferred mode is enabled.

[0207] Another example of enabling deferred mode is to transmit the requested ranging response time and / or round-trip time after the ranging cycle and embed the ranging report within the RFRAME, as the ranging device may not be able to calculate the response / round-trip time in time. Consequently, a separate data message is used after the ranging cycle to exchange the ranging report IE with a deferred mode field value of 1.

[0208] As defined within the IEEE standard specification, the RX-to-TX-reply-time field is the time difference between the reception time of the most recently received RFRAME and the transmission time of the response RFRAME, with an RRR IE or RRRT IE from a specific source as illustrated in FIG. 35 and 36 (or FIG. 37). The reference for these time values ​​is the RMARKER. The time unit is specified as the ranging counter time unit of the IEEE standard specification.

[0209] As defined within the IEEE 802.15.4z specification, the TX-to-RX round-trip time field is the time difference between the transmission time of the RFRAM initiating the round-trip measurement and the reception time of the response RFRAMAE completing the round-trip measurement. The time unit is the same as the RX-to-TX-replay-time field, i.e., the ranging counter time unit.

[0210] The fields for TOF, AOA azimuth, and AOA elevation follow the same definitions as those in IEEE 802.15.4z, which are not repeated here.

[0211] An RR IE having the content field formats illustrated in FIGS. 38 and 39 (or FIG. 40) may be used to perform the functions of the RRTI, RRTD, RRTM, RAR, and RTOF IE of IEEE 802.15.4z used to report certain information. It should be noted that the sizes of the fields for reporting certain information are exemplified as shown in the examples of FIG. 40. Depending on the use cases and embodiments, other field sizes are not excluded from the present disclosure.

[0212] In one embodiment, two examples of message sequence charts (MSCs) based on RRR are illustrated for DS-TWR and SS-TWR performing one-to-many ranging. Various MSCs to accommodate various ranging requests / reports may be realized, and such are not excluded from the present disclosure.

[0213] FIG. 41 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (4100) of a one-to-many SS-TWR through RRR and RR IE according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (4100) illustrated in FIG. 41 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 41 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0214] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (4100) shown in FIG. 41. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0215] In Fig. 41, the parameter with the ranging initiator enabled Ranging Initiates a ranging transmission via RRR IE to request response times from MCPS-DATA.request and responders. After the first ranging transmission, MCPS-DATA.Confirm transmits the transmission time in ranging counter time units to the upper layer.

[0216] Upon receiving a ranging start message, the responder's upper layer may generate a ranging report (RR) IE with a response time and transmit the RR IE to the MAC layer. Meanwhile, multiple responders may request the types of various ranging results reflected by the RRR IE within the ranging response message. For example, as illustrated in FIG. 41, responder 1 in FIG. 41 RRR(TOFR) IE Directly request the Time of Flight (ToF) by the RRR IE indicated by. Respondent N RRR(RMR) IE Request round-trip time from the ranging initiator indicated by . After sending the ranging response message, the responder's MAC layer reports the transmission time in ranging counter time units.

[0217] Using the requested response time within the response message, the upper layer of the ranging initiator can estimate the Time of Flight (ToF) to obtain the final ranging result. In FIG. 41, the points demarcated by (R) are used to indicate the time at which the ToF can be estimated.

[0218] Following one ranging cycle transmission including a ranging initiation message and a ranging response message, the upper layer of the ranging initiator generates an RR IE containing ranging reports to multiple respondents. For a ranging report to responder 1, the corresponding row / element of the RR table where the TOFP field is 1 contains a ToF field as shown in FIG. 39 (or FIG. 40). For a ranging report to responder N, the corresponding row / element of the RR table where the RMP field is 1 contains a round-trip time field. Upon receipt of the ranging report, MCPS-DATA.Indication reports the requested specific information to the upper layer of the responder.

[0219] FIG. 42 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (4200) of a one-to-many DS-TWR through RRR and RR IE according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (4200) illustrated in FIG. 42 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 42 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0220] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (4200) shown in FIG. 42. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0221] FIG. 42 illustrates an example of a message sequence diagram for a one-to-many DS-TWR. Compared to SS-TWR, FIG. 42 utilizes an additional ranging transmission from the initiator to perform a second round-trip measurement. Through the ranging response message, the responder's upper layer obtains the round-trip time of the first round-trip measurement, and RRR (RTR, RMR) IE Transmits an RRR IE to request the response time of the second ranging transmission from the initiator indicated by .

[0222] FIG. 43 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (4300) of a one-to-many DS-TWR through RRR and RR IE when an initiator requests ToF according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (4300) illustrated in FIG. 43 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 43 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0223] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (4300) shown in FIG. 43. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0224] FIG. 44 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (4400) of a one-to-many DS-TWR through RRR and RR IE in cases where an initiator requests a response time and a round-trip time, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (4400) illustrated in FIG. 44 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 44 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0225] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (4400) shown in FIG. 44. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0226] Upon receipt of requests within a ranging response message, the upper layer of the ranging initiator generates a ranging report (RR) IE that includes the round-trip time of the first round-trip measurement and the response time of the second ranging transmission to multiple responders. After receiving this information along with the local reception time, the ranging responder can estimate the time of propagation (ToF), distinguished by (R) in FIG. 42. Since a message for reporting is not requested, there is no additional message to report the ranging results back to the initiator in FIG. 42. FIG. 43 and 44 illustrate two other MSC examples of a one-to-many DS-TWR that include requests for ranging results from the initiator.

[0227] In FIG. 43, the ranging initiator in the ranging initiation message RRR(TOFR) IE It includes an RRR IE with a TOFR field value of 1 for requesting ToF from respondents, indicated by . The same request may be inserted during a second ranging transmission from the ranging initiator, and this is not excluded from the present disclosure. After the completion of the full ranging cycle for DS-TWR, the ranging respondents transmit the ranging result, i.e., ToF, again through the RR IE illustrated by the dashed box in FIG. 43.

[0228] In FIG. 44, instead of a ToF request, the ranging initiator may request the response time of the response RFRAME and the round-trip time of the second round-trip measurement, and based thereon, the ranging initiator may estimate the ToF.

[0229] Through the ranging initiation message, the ranging initiator sends the response time of the response RFRAME to the ranging respondent. RRR(RTR) IE A request is made via the RRR IE represented by. Through the response RFRAME, the ranging responder transmits the response time to the initiator, as well as requests for the response time of the second initiator's RFRAME and the round-trip time of the first round-trip measurement, and these each have a response time. RRR(RTR, RMR) and RR IE It is denoted as . The 2nd RFRAME of the ranging initiator includes both ranging reports regarding the request for information and round-trip time, which are exchanged via RR IE and RRR IE, respectively.

[0230] Upon receiving a request from the initiator within the second RFRAME, the ranging responder uses a separate data message to convey the round-trip time of the second round-trip measurement. Consequently, the initiator may also estimate the overall ToF.

[0231] In the above-described embodiment, the RRR IE for controlling the ranging request and the RR IE for controlling the ranging report may be merged into a single IE, also known as the ranging request and reporting control (RRRC) IE. An example of a content field format is shown in FIGS. 45 and 46.

[0232] FIG. 45 illustrates an exemplary RRRC IE content field format (4500) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the RRRC IE content field format (4500) illustrated in FIG. 45 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 45 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0233] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the RRRC IE content field format (4500) shown in FIG. 45. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0234] FIG. 46 illustrates an exemplary row / element of an RRRC table (4600) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the row / element of the RRRC table (4600) shown in FIG. 46 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 46 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0235] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may utilize a row / element of the RRRC table (4600) shown in FIG. 46. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0236] The content field format exemplified in FIG. 45 is similar to that of FIG. 35 and FIG. 38. The first bit field is used to indicate the presence of an address field within each row / element of the RRRC table: if its value is 1, the address field exists, otherwise it does not. The field for the RRRC table length indicates the number of rows / elements within the RRRC table, and the number corresponds to the number of ranging requests and ranging reports that the ranging device can transmit to one or more destinations.

[0237] The first bit field of each row / element of the RRRC table is the Address Type (AT). If the value is 1, a 2-octet short address is used in the address field; otherwise, an 8-octet extended address is used in the address field, and vice versa. The AT field provides flexibility for exchanging requests in a UWB network using mixed address types. More bits may be used in the AT field to distinguish more address types, and this is not excluded from the present disclosure. If the ranging devices of the network have the same address type, i.e., a 2-octet or 8-octet address, the address type may be specified by the DstAddrMode of MCPS-DATA.request, and the address type field of FIG. 46 may be removed. Thus, FIG. 46 is reduced to FIG. 47.

[0238] FIG. 47 illustrates an exemplary row / element of an RRRC table (4700) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the row / element of the RRRC table (4700) shown in FIG. 47 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 47 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0239] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a row / element of the RRRC table (4700) shown in FIG. 47. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0240] In FIG. 46 (or FIG. 47), the field of the request / report indicator (RRI) is used to indicate whether this row / element in the RRRC table should send ranging requests or ranging reports to a specific destination.

[0241] If the RRI value is 1, this element is intended to send a ranging request, where the requested information can be represented by the following fields, including reply time request (RTR), round-trip measurement request (RMR), ToF request (TOFR), AoA Azimuth request (AAR), and AoA elevation request (AER). If the value of the request field is 1, the information is requested for the destination; otherwise, it is not. The deferred mode (DM) field, set by the ranging requester, is intended to allow the destination to know whether to send the ranging report via RFRAME or via a deferred data message: if the DM value is 1, the destination may send the ranging report via a separate data message after the current ranging cycle; otherwise, the ranging report may be included in the response FRAME.

[0242] If the RRI value is 1, there are no ranging reporting fields including RX-to-TX response time, TX-to-RX round-trip time, ToF, AOA azimuth, and AOA elevation.

[0243] If the RRI value is 0, this element of the RRRC table is used to transmit ranging reports to a specific destination. In this case, the fields of RTR, RMR, TOFR, AAR, and AER are used to indicate the presence of corresponding fields for ranging reports, including RX-to-TX response time, TX-to-RX round-trip time, ToF, AOA azimuth, and AOA elevation. If the request field is 1, the corresponding field for reporting specific information exists, and otherwise, it does not exist. The fields for ranging reports follow the same definitions for the corresponding fields in FIG. 39 or FIG. 40.

[0244] An RRRC table having elements such as those illustrated in FIG. 46 (or FIG. 47) can store multiple ranging requests and / or ranging reports to multiple destinations. Timestamp-related information and / or AOA may be requested or reported through the same IE. Some embodiments and use cases may not support certain feature(s). For example, AOA estimation requires a device with an antenna array, but such a device is not always applicable. Accordingly, a subset of fields for ranging requests / reports may be maintained in FIG. 47. FIG. 48 illustrates an example of a row / element of a simplified RRRC table containing only timestamp-related information. Other elements / rows of a simplified RRRC table compared with FIG. 47 are not excluded from the present disclosure. FIG. 48 illustrates an example of a row / element of a simplified RRRC table (4800) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. An example of a row / element of the simplified RRRC table (4800) shown in FIG. 48 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 48 does not limit the scope of the disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0245] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may utilize a row / element of the simplified RRRC table (4800) shown in FIG. 48. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0246] The ranging procedures and corresponding message sequence diagrams using RRRC IE are similar to those exemplified in FIGS. 41 through 44 through RRR and RR IE. The functions of RRR and RR IE introduced in the embodiments described above can be realized by RRRC IE. When the request / report indicator field value is 1, the element / row of the RRRC table intends to request certain information, such as that of the row / element in the provider list. When the request / report indicator field value is 0, the element / row of the RRRC table intends to report certain information, such as that of the row / element in the RR table. Consequently, the RRR and RR IE of FIGS. 41 through 44 can be replaced by the newly defined RRRC IE.

[0247] FIG. 49 illustrates an example of a modified ranging result request IE (RRR IE) having one control octet (4900) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the modified ranging result request IE (RRR IE) having one control octet (4900) illustrated in FIG. 49 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 49 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0248] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a modified ranging result request IE (RRR IE) having one control octet (4900) as shown in FIG. 49. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0249] FIG. 50 illustrates an exemplary element / row of an RRR table (5000) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the row / element of the RRR table (5000) illustrated in FIG. 50 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 50 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0250] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use an element / row of the RRR table (5000) shown in FIG. 50. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0251] The ranging result request IE (RRR IE) introduced in the embodiments described above can be used to send ranging requests to various devices. Each element of FIG. 35 may have a single control octet to direct the requested information to a specific ranging device. If the same request is applied to multiple ranging devices, a single control octet may be used to direct the requested information to all devices receiving this IE. The number of required control octets is reduced to one from the number of destinations. FIG. 49 illustrates an example of a content field format for a modified RRR IE, and an element or row of such a content field format is shown in FIG. 50.

[0252] In FIG. 49, the address presence field is used to indicate whether the RRR table length and RRR table fields exist: if the address presence field value is 1, the RRR table length and RRR table fields exist, otherwise the RRR table length and RRR table fields do not exist. The RRR table length corresponds to the number of elements or rows in the RRR table, which is equal to the number of devices capable of receiving RRR IE.

[0253] When an RRR IE is transmitted via a unicast frame, the destination address is specified by the MHR. Therefore, the RRR table length and RRR table fields are not required. When an RRR IE is transmitted via a broadcast or multicast message, the device transmitting the IE expects to receive the requested information from all devices receiving the RRR IE, and in this case, the RRR table length and RRR table fields are not required. However, if the requesting device expects responses from a specific set of devices, the RRR table length and RRR table fields exist to list the addresses of those devices. A control flow using an RRR table can be illustrated in FIG. 51.

[0254] FIG. 51 illustrates an exemplary RRR table for a device transmitting an RRR IE (5100) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the RRR table for a device transmitting an RRR IE (5100) illustrated in FIG. 51 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 51 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0255] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use an RRR table for a device transmitting an RRR IE (5100) as shown in FIG. 51. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0256] As illustrated in FIG. 51, the method (5100) begins at step 5102. At step 5102, the method (5100) determines whether a request with RRR IE is sent to all devices capable of receiving the request. At step 5102, if the method determines that the request is sent to all devices, the method (5100) sets Address Present=0 at step 5108. At step 5102, if the method determines that the request is not sent to all devices, the method (5100) determines at step 5104 that the request with RRR IE is sent to two or more specific devices. At step 5104, if the method determines that the request is sent to two or more specific devices, the method sets Address Present=1 at step 5110. In step 5104, if the method determines that the request is being sent to two or more specific devices, the method sets Address Present=1 in step 0.

[0257] Similar to the bit fields for requests in FIG. 36, bits 1 through 5 of the first control octet, as illustrated in FIG. 49, indicate whether certain information is requested or not: if the request bit field value is 1, the information is requested, otherwise it is not requested. These bit fields are, respectively, associated with requests for response time, round-trip measurement, time of propagation (TOF), azimuth AOA, and elevation AOA. Bits 6 through 7 are reserved for future use to request other information.

[0258] Using the structure specified in Fig. 49, when a device requests multiple sets of information from multiple destinations, multiple RRR IEs may be used in a broadcast message, where multiple RRR IEs are used to exchange multiple sets of the requested information.

[0259] FIG. 52 illustrates another example of a modified ranging result request IE (RRR IE) having one control octet (5200) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the modified ranging result request IE (RRR IE) having one control octet (5200) shown in FIG. 52 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 52 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0260] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a modified ranging result request IE (RRR IE) having one control octet (5200) as shown in FIG. 52. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0261] The address type, i.e., a 2-octet or 8-octet address, can be specified by DstAddrMode of MCPS-DATA.request. However, if the address type cannot be specified in this way, one of the reserved bits may be used to indicate the address type. Thus, the content field format of the RRR IE is Fig. 52, and each element of the RRR table remains the same as that shown in Fig. 50.

[0262] The Address Type field is valid when the Address Existence field value is 1, and the RRR table exists. The Address Type field can indicate whether the address type used in the RRR table is a 2-octet short address or an 8-octet extended address: if the Address Type field value is 1, a 2-octet short address is used in the RRR table, otherwise, an 8-octet extended address is used in the RRR table.

[0263] FIG. 53 illustrates an example of a modified ranging result request IE (RRR IE) having ranging control bits (5300) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the modified ranging result request IE (RRR IE) having ranging control bits (5300) illustrated in FIG. 53 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 53 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0264] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a modified ranging result request IE (RRR IE) having ranging control bits (5300) shown in FIG. 53. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0265] If the ranging procedure is not fixed through an in-band or out-of-band coordination process before ranging begins, the two spare bits of FIG. 49 may be used to indicate the state of the RFRAME transmitting this RRR IE. Specifically, the modified RRR IE content field format can be shown in FIG. 53, where the elements of the RRR table remain the same as those of FIG. 50. The values ​​of the ranging control information fields are exemplified in Table 3 below.

[0266] Table 3. Values ​​of the Ranged Control Information Field in RRR IE

[0267]

[0268] The modified RRR IE illustrated in FIG. 53, having the ranging control information field specified in Table 3, can perform the same function as that of the RCDT IE for unicast ranging. Furthermore, the modified RRR IE may be used to request information and control ranging procedures for multi-node ranging, i.e., one-to-many or many-to-many. FIG. 54 illustrates an example of a modified ranging report IE (RR IE) with one control octet (5400) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the modified ranging report IE (RR IE) having one control octet (5400) illustrated in FIG. 54 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 54 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0269] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a modified ranging report IE (RR IE) having one control octet (5400) as shown in FIG. 54. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0270] The ranging report IE (RR IE) introduced in the above-described embodiment can be used to send ranging-related measurements to various devices. Each element of FIG. 38 may have a single control octet to indicate the presence of reported information to a specific ranging device. If the same set of information needs to be reported to multiple devices, a single control octet may be used to indicate the reported information that can be authorized to all devices receiving this IE. The number of required control octets is reduced to one from the number of destinations. FIG. 54 illustrates an example of a content field format for a modified RR IE, and an element or row of such a content field format is shown in FIG. 54.

[0271] FIG. 55 illustrates an exemplary element / row of an RR table (5500) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the row / element of the RR table (5500) illustrated in FIG. 55 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 55 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0272] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use an element / row of the RR table (5500) shown in FIG. 55. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0273] The first bit of the control octet, i.e., the address presence field, is used to indicate whether an address field exists in each element of the RR table shown in FIG. 55: if the value of the address presence field is 1, the address field of the RRR table element exists, otherwise it does not exist. Bits 1 through 5 are report presence fields to indicate whether certain information exists within the elements of the RR table: if the report presence field is 1, the corresponding information exists in each element of the RR table, otherwise it does not exist. Bit 6 of the control octet is used to indicate whether this ranging report is transmitted via RFRAME or via a deferred data message: if its value is 0, this RR IE is contained within RFRAME, otherwise it is transmitted via a deferred data message.

[0274] The address type, i.e., a 2-octet or 8-octet address, can be specified by DstAddrMode of MCPS-DATA.request. However, if the address type cannot be specified in this way, the spare bits of FIG. 54 can be used to indicate the address type. Thus, the content field format of the RR IE becomes FIG. 56, and each element of the RR table continues to be the same as shown in FIG. 55.

[0275] The Address Type field is valid when the Address Existence field value is 1. The Address Type field can indicate whether the address type used in the RR table is a 2-octet short address or an 8-octet extended address: if the Address Type field value is 1, a 2-octet short address is used in the RR table, otherwise, an 8-octet extended address is used in the RR table.

[0276] In FIG. 55, the RX-to-TX-reply-time field is the time difference between the reception time of the most recently received RFRAME and the transmission time of the responding RFRAME, which has an RRR IE such as that shown in FIG. 53 from a specific source to request a response time. If the deferred mode field value is 0, the RR IE reporting the response time is contained within the responding RFRAME. If the deferred mode field value is 1, the RR IE is contained in the deferred data message, and the response time being transmitted is related to the most recently transmitted RFRAME prior to this data message. The TX-to-RX round-trip time field is the time difference between the transmission time of the RFRAM initiating the round-trip measurement and the reception time of the responding RFRAME completing the round-trip measurement. The TOF field contains the propagation time estimate.

[0277] The standard for these time values, the immediate response time, the round-trip time, and the TOF is RMARKER. These are all unsigned integer time values, and their time units are specified as the ranging counter time unit in IEEE 802.15.4z.

[0278] The AOA Azimuth field reports the estimated angle of arrival in the azimuth domain of the received RFRAME with RRR IE to request the azimuth AOA, if present. The AOA Elevation field reports the estimated angle of arrival in the elevation domain of the received RFRAME with RRR IE to request the elevation AOA, if present. These fields reporting the AOA contain unsigned integers. The unit of the AOA Azimuth is 2 -16 It is multiplied by 360 degrees, and the unit of AOA altitude is 2 -16 It is multiplied by 180 degrees.

[0279] FIG. 56 illustrates another example of a modified ranging report IE (RR IE) with one control octet (5600) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the modified ranging report IE (RR IE) having one control octet (5600) shown in FIG. 56 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 56 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0280] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use a modified ranging report IE (RR IE) having one control octet (5600) as shown in FIG. 56. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0281] FIG. 57 illustrates an example of a modified ranging request and reporting control (RRRC) IE having one control octet (5700) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The example of the modified ranging request and reporting control (RRRC) IE having one control octet (5700) shown in FIG. 57 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 57 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0282] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may utilize a modified ranging request and reporting control (RRRC) IE having one control octet (5700) as shown in FIG. 57. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may also be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0283] The modified RR IE and RRR IE can be merged into an RRRC IE having one control octet. The content field format of the RRRC IE is exemplified in FIG. 57, and each element of the RRRC table remains the same as that in FIG. 55.

[0284] The definitions of the fields and the meanings of their values ​​are the same as those in FIGS. 45 and 46. It should be noted that control bits within the first octet can be applied to each element of the RRRC table.

[0285] The Request / Report Indicator field is used to indicate whether this RRRC IE is used to request specific information or to report: if the value is 1, this RRRC IE is used to request specific information, otherwise it is used to report specific information, and vice versa. If the RRRC IE is used for requesting, fields for measurement reporting within the RRRC table may not exist.

[0286] The Address Existence field is used to indicate the presence of an address field within each element of the RRRC table: if its value is 1, each element of the RRRC table may contain an address field, otherwise it may not. If the RRRC IE is used for a request and the Address Existence field value is 0, both the RRRC table length and the RRRC table are required.

[0287] When RRRC IE is used for a request, bits 2 through 6 indicate a request for certain information: if the bit field value is 1, the information is requested, otherwise it is not requested. When RRRC IE is used for a report, bits 2 through 6 indicate a report for certain information: if the bit field value is 1, the information is reported within the RRRC table.

[0288] Bit 7 of the control octet indicates the deferred mode. If RRRC IE is used for a request, the deferred mode field value allows the device receiving this request to determine whether to include the ranging report in the RFRAME or in the deferred data message: if the value is 1, the deferred data message can be used to send the ranging report, otherwise the ranging report can be included in the RFRAME. If RRRC IE is used for a report, the deferred mode field value indicates whether this report is deferred or transmitted via the RFRAME: if the value is 1, the ranging report is transmitted via the deferred data message, otherwise it is included in the RFRAME.

[0289] Other semantics for the Request for Ranged Results IE (RRR IE) and the Request for Ranged Reporting IE (RR IE) are not excluded from the present disclosure. In this embodiment, the RRR IE is renamed the Request for Ranged Measurement and Reporting IE (RRMC IE), and the RR IE is renamed the Request for Ranged Measurement Information (RMI IE).

[0290] FIG. 58 illustrates an exemplary RRMC IE (or RRR IE) having a ranging control information field (5800) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the RRMC IE having the ranging control information field (5800) illustrated in FIG. 58 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 58 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0291] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use an RRMC IE (or RRR IE) having a ranging control information field (5800) as shown in FIG. 58. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0292] As illustrated in FIG. 58, the length of the RRMC IE content field determines the RRMC table length and the existence of the RRMC table fields: if the length is 1 octet, the RRMC table length and the RRMC table do not exist; if the length exceeds 1 octet, the RRMC table length and the RRMC table exist. The RRMC table length corresponds to the number of row elements within the RRMC table, which is equal to the number of devices receiving requests. The row element format of the RRMC table remains the same as that of FIG. 50.

[0293] When an RRMC IE is transmitted via a unicast frame, the destination address is specified by the MHR. Therefore, the RRMC table length and RRMC table fields are not required. When an RRMC IE is transmitted via a broadcast message, the device sending the IE intends to request it from all devices receiving the RRMC IE; in this case, the RRMC table length and RRMC table fields are not required. However, if the requesting device expects responses from a specific set of devices, the RRMC table length and RRMC table fields exist to list the addresses of those devices.

[0294] The fields for requesting various information, namely bits 0 through 4, remain the same as those shown in FIG. 53. The value of the ranging control information field is exemplified in Table 3 and is used to indicate the use of RFRAME. Using the content field format shown in FIG. 58, when a device requests multiple sets of information from multiple destinations, multiple RRMC IEs may be used within a broadcast message, where multiple RRMC IEs are used to exchange multiple sets of requests.

[0295] In FIG. 50, the address type, i.e., a 2-octet or 8-octet address, can be specified by DstAddrMode of MCPS-DATA.request.

[0296] In a one-to-many SS-TWR, the ranging exchange is initiated by the initiator, and the ranging request measurement and control IE (RRMC IE) is included in the ranging initiation message sent to multiple responders. The ranging control information field of the RRMC IE is set to 0 according to Table 3, which is indicated as the RRMC (O) IE in FIG. 59. The response time request field of the RRMC IE is set to 1, which requests the response time of the responding ERDEV. On the responder side, the MCPS-DATA.Indication conveying the RRMC (O) IE instructs the next-level layer to initiate a ranging response message that conveys the ranging measurement information IE (RMI IE) along with the response time and the RRMC IE. The ranging control information field of the RRMC IE within the response RFRAME is set to 1 according to Table 3, which is indicated as the RRMC (1) IE in FIG. 59.

[0297] In multi-node ranging based on scheduling, responders transmit ranging response messages within the time slots allocated to them, and in multi-node ranging based on contention, responders compete within the time slots of the ranging response phase. After acquiring the ranging response messages, the initiator has full information to calculate the TOF for multiple responders.

[0298] FIG. 59 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (5900) of a one-to-many SS-TWR according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (5900) illustrated in FIG. 59 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 59 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0299] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (5900) shown in FIG. 59. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0300] FIG. 59 illustrates a message sequence diagram for a one-to-many SS-TWR between one initiator and N responders, namely responder 1, responder 2, ..., responder N, where ranging response messages from multiple responders are scheduled in sequential order for transmission. At the point marked (R), the initiator has sufficient information to produce a ranging result for the corresponding pair. Multiple responders may have requests for various ranging results.

[0301] In FIG. 59, for example, responder N requests the TX-to-RX round-trip time, i.e., the round-trip time request field value of the RRMC IE in the ranging response message is set to 1, and responder 1 requests the ranging result directly, i.e., the TOF request field value of the RRMC IE in the ranging response message is set to 1. The final data message is broadcast by an initiator that transmits multiple RMI IEs to perform measurement reporting, where the destinations of the measurement reports can be distinguished by the address field of the RMI IE. If multiple responders request the same set of information, e.g., TOF, the measurement report can be executed by a single RMI IE through the final data message.

[0302] FIG. 60 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (6000) of a one-to-many DS-TWR in which there is no request for a ranging result from the initiator, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (6000) illustrated in FIG. 60 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 60 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0303] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (6000) shown in FIG. 60. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0304] In a one-to-many DS-TWR, a three-way ranging method may be considered sequentially to reduce the number of transmissions. The ranging exchange is initiated by the initiator, and the RRMC IE is included in the ranging initiation message sent to multiple responders. The value of the ranging control information field of the RRMC IE is 2 according to Table 3, which is indicated as the RRMC (2) IE in FIG. 60.

[0305] When a responder receives a ranging start message, the responder may generate a ranging response message containing an RRMC IE to initialize a second round-trip measurement. The value of the ranging control information field of the RRMC IE is set to 3 according to Table 3, which is indicated as the RRMC (3) IE in FIG. 58. To request the first round-trip time and response time of the final RFRAME from the initiator, the response time request and round-trip time request fields within the RRMC IE of the ranging response message are set to 1. As with a one-to-many SS-TWR, the ranging response messages of multiple responders may be scheduled or may compete for the corresponding time slots during the ranging response phase. At this time, the initiator generates a final RFRAME that merges the RMI IEs reporting the requested response time and round-trip time to the multiple responders.

[0306] FIG. 59 illustrates a message sequence diagram for a one-to-many DS-TWR between one initiator and N responders, namely responder 1, responder 2, ..., responder N, where ranging response messages from multiple responders are scheduled in sequential order for transmission. At the point marked (R), the responders have sufficient information to produce a ranging result. If the response time request, round-trip measurement request, and TOF request fields within the RRMC IE in the ranging initiator message are set to 0, the responder may not send the ranging result or related time measurement back to the initiator.

[0307] FIG. 61 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (6100) of a one-to-many DS-TWR in which there is no request for a ranging result from the initiator in a deferred mode, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (6100) illustrated in FIG. 61 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 61 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0308] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (6100) shown in FIG. 61. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0309] FIG. 61 illustrates a message sequence diagram for a one-to-many DS-TWR when the deferred mode field value within the ARC IE of the RCM is set to 1. Accordingly, the initiator transmits the first round-trip time and the second response time to the responders through the RMI IE within the deferred data frame, wherein the deferred mode field of the RMI IE is set to 1.

[0310] FIG. 62 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (6200) of a one-to-many DS-TWR in which a request for a first response time and a second round-trip time is made from an initiator according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (6200) illustrated in FIG. 62 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 62 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0311] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (6200) shown in FIG. 62. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0312] In FIG. 62, the initiator requests a first response time and a second round-trip time from the responder by setting the response time request and round-trip time request fields within the RRMC IE of the ranging initiation message to 1. Upon receiving the RRMC (2) IE via MCPS-DATA.indication, the responder's next-level layer uses the RRMC (3) IE to initialize the second round-trip measurement via MCPS-DATA.request. Meanwhile, the responder's next-level layer generates an RMI IE that reports the response time of the ranging response message to the initiator. Since the initiator requests the second round-trip time from the responder, a separate data frame after the ranging transmissions is used by each responder to retransmit that information. Thus, the initiator may calculate the TOF after the measurement reporting step.

[0313] FIG. 63 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (6300) of a one-to-many DS-TWR in which a request for a ranging result is made from an initiator, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (6300) illustrated in FIG. 63 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 63 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0314] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (6300) shown in FIG. 63. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0315] In FIG. 63, the initiator requests the ranging result, i.e., the TOF, by setting the field value of the TOF request within the RRMC IE of the ranging initiation message to 1. Accordingly, the responders each transmit the ranging result (RMI IE) through separate data frames based on time scheduling or contention.

[0316] In one embodiment, RRR IE is renamed as Ranged Request Measurement and Reporting IE (RRMC IE), and RR IE is renamed as Ranged Measurement Information (RMI IE).

[0317] FIG. 64 illustrates an exemplary ranging response time instantaneous IE content field format (6400) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the ranging response time instantaneous IE content field format (6400) illustrated in FIG. 64 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 64 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0318] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the ranging response time moment IE content field format (6400) shown in FIG. 64. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0319] The ranging response time moment IE (RRTI IE) conveys the response time(s) of a response frame containing the RRTI IE for a frame(s) containing an RRMC IE in which the response time request field that requested this response is 1. The content field of the RRTI IE may be in a format such as that shown in FIG. 64.

[0320] Each row element of the RRTI table may be in the format shown in Fig. 65.

[0321] FIG. 65 illustrates an exemplary RRTI table row element format (6500) according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the RRTI table row element format (6500) illustrated in FIG. 65 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 65 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0322] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the RRTI table row element format (6500) shown in FIG. 65. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0323] The address presence field of FIG. 64 is used to indicate the presence of an address field within each row element of the RRTI table illustrated in FIG. 65: if the address presence field value is 1, the address field of each row element exists, otherwise it does not exist.

[0324] The RRTI table length field indicates the number of row elements within the RRTI. The RRTI table stores response times for various RDEVs.

[0325] The RX-to-TX-reply-time field is the time difference between the reception time of the most recently received RFRAME delivering an RRMC IE with a response time request field of 1 from a specific source, and the transmission time of the response RFRAME containing an RRTI IE. The reference for these time values ​​is RMARKER. The time unit follows the ranging counter time unit within the IEEE 802.15.4z specification, but other appropriate time units are not excluded.

[0326] The RRTI IE can be used to report response times within the RFRAME in response to multiple RDEVs requesting response times via the RRMC IE, where the response time request field is 1. The address field in FIG. 65 can be used to identify the IDs of the RDEV(s). For ranging between one initiator and one responder, the address field may be omitted as it is identified by the destination address field of the MAC header. For multi-node ranging, the address field may not exist when response times to multiple RDEVs are stored in a pre-agreed order.

[0327] For an SS-TWR with a response time result here, a ranging exchange is initiated by the next-level layer that triggers the MCPS-DATA.request primitive to send a ranging frame containing a ranging request measurement and control IE (RRMC IE) requesting ranging response time information. The ranging control information field is set according to Table 3.

[0328] The responding ranging frame completes the round-trip measurement and provides the MCPS-DATA.confirm primitive to the initiating side timestamps defining the round-trip time. The responding side supplies the MCPS-DATA.indication primitive timestamps defining the response time for the round-trip measurement to the responding side. This response time is transmitted to the initiating side via the ranging measurement information IE (RMI IE) delivered by the following message.

[0329] FIG. 66 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (6600) of an SS-TWR having a deferred response time result according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (6600) illustrated in FIG. 66 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 66 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0330] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (6600) shown in FIG. 66. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0331] FIG. 66 shows a message sequence diagram for this exchange, where RRMC (0) IE represents a transmitted RRMC IE with a ranging control information field value of 0. At the point separated by (R), the initiating stage has sufficient information to calculate TOF between the two devices.

[0332] FIG. 67 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (6700) of an SS-TWR having an embedded response time according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (6700) illustrated in FIG. 67 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 67 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0333] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (6700) shown in FIG. 67. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0334] FIG. 67 shows a message sequence diagram for this exchange, where RRMC (0) IE represents a transmitted RRMC IE with a ranging control information field value of 0. At any convenient time before the ranging exchange is initiated, the transmission of the RPRT IE shown in the dotted box may occur or be out of band. At the point marked (R), the initiating end has sufficient information to calculate the range between the two devices.

[0335] DS-TWR essentially involves completing SS-TWR exchanges that are initiated at any one stage or combine results. A DS-TWR exchange is initiated by a higher-level layer transmitting a ranging data frame that carries an RRMC with a ranging control information field configured according to Table 3. This frame and acknowledgment define a first round-trip measurement, and the RRMC IE transmission via the MCPS-DATA.Indication primitive instructs the higher-level layer to transmit an RFRAME in the opposite direction to initiate a second round-trip measurement for the exchange.

[0336] This RFRAME includes an RRMC IE with a ranging control information field set by Table 3 to indicate that this is a continuation of the exchange. The fields for the response time request and the round-trip measurement request have a value of 1 to request the response time and the first round-trip measurement. Acknowledgment of this message completes the second round-trip measurement. The next message from the initiator transmits the response time for the first round-trip time measurement and the second round-trip time measurement through the RMI IE.

[0337] FIG. 68 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (6800) of a DS-TWR with a delayed response time result according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (6800) illustrated in FIG. 68 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 68 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0338] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (6800) shown in FIG. 68. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0339] FIG. 68 shows a message sequence diagram for such exchange. At the point marked (R), the responding end has sufficient information to calculate the distance between the two devices. Subsequent reporting to the initiating end regarding the ranging result through the RMI IE depends on the value of the TOF request field in the initiating RRMC IE.

[0340] FIG. 69 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (6900) of a DS-TWR having three messages according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (6900) illustrated in FIG. 69 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 69 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0341] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (6900) shown in FIG. 69. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0342] To embed time stamp information within the RFRAME(s), the DS-TWR of the 3 message requires that the initiating stage be able to include the response time as a part that completes the second round-trip measurement. Referring to the message sequence diagram of FIG. 69, the DS-TWR is initiated by an RFRAME that transmits an RRMC IE having a ranging control information field set according to Table 3.

[0343] In this case, the TOF request field initiating the RRMC IE with a value of 0 indicates that the initiating side does not require a report on the ranging result. The responding side completes the first round-trip measurement and initiates the second measurement through the RFRAME, which transmits the RRMC IE with the ranging control information field set according to Table 3 to indicate that this is a continuation of the exchange.

[0344] The response time request and round-trip measurement request fields of these RRMC IEs are set to 1 to indicate requests for response times for the first round-trip measurement and the second round-trip measurement. The original initiator completes the exchange by sending a final RFRAME that conveys the response times for the first round-trip time measurement via the RMI IE and the second round-trip measurement via the RRTI IE.

[0345] At the point distinguished by (R), the responding end has sufficient information to calculate the distance between the two devices. If the ranging exchange indicator desires a result, this may be requested through the TOF request field of the initiating RRMC IE to request the responding side to transmit the result within the RMI IE via a subsequent message at the end of the exchange, as illustrated in FIG. 68.

[0346] In a one-to-many SS-TWR, the ranging exchange is initiated by the initiator, and the ranging request measurement and control IE (RRMC IE) is included in a ranging initiation message that is broadcast to multiple responders. The ranging control information field of the RRMC IE can be set to 0 according to Table 3, which is indicated as the RRMC (O) IE in FIG. 65.

[0347] The response time request field of the RRMC IE is set to 1, which requests the response time of the responding ERDEV. On the responder side, MCPS-DATA.Indication, which passes the RRMC(O) IE, tells the next-level layer to initiate a ranging response message. Through the RequestRrti setting to insert the RRTI IE, MCPS-DATA.Request also passes the RRMC IE to the responder to control the ranging procedure and send request(s).

[0348] FIG. 70 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (7000) of a one-to-many SS-TWR according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (7000) illustrated in FIG. 70 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 70 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0349] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (7000) shown in FIG. 70. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0350] The ranging control information field of the RRMC IE in the response RFRAME can be set to 1 according to Table 3, which is indicated as the RRMC (1) IE in FIG. 70. The response RFRAME is sent to the initiator, where the destination address in the MAC header may be the initiator's address.

[0351] In multi-node ranging based on scheduling, responders transmit ranging response messages within the time slots allocated to them, and in multi-node ranging based on contention, responders compete within the time slots of the ranging response phase. After acquiring the ranging response messages, the initiator has full information to calculate the TOF for multiple responders.

[0352] FIG. 70 illustrates a message sequence diagram for a one-to-many SS-TWR between one initiator and N responders, namely responder 1, responder 2, ..., responder N, where ranging response messages from multiple responders are scheduled in sequential order for transmission. At the point marked (R), the initiator has sufficient information to produce a ranging result for the corresponding pair. Multiple responders may have requests for various ranging results.

[0353] In FIG. 70, for example, responder N requests the TX-to-RX round-trip time, i.e., the round-trip time request field value of the RRMC IE in the ranging response message is set to 1, and responder 1 requests the ranging result directly, i.e., the TOF request field value of the RRMC IE in the ranging response message is set to 1. The final data message is broadcast by an initiator that transmits multiple RMI IEs to perform measurement reporting, where the destinations of the measurement reports can be distinguished by the address field of the RMI IE. If multiple responders request the same set of information, e.g., TOF, the measurement report can be executed by a single RMI IE through the final data message.

[0354] In a one-to-many DS-TWR, three-way ranging methods may be considered sequentially to reduce the number of transmissions. The ranging exchange is initiated by the initiator, and the RRMC IE is included in the ranging initiation message sent to multiple responders. The value of the ranging control information field of the RRMC IE can be 2 according to Table 3, which is indicated as the RRMC (2) IE in FIG. 71.

[0355] FIG. 71 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (7100) of a one-to-many DS-TWR in which there is no request for a ranging result from the initiator, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (7100) illustrated in FIG. 71 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 71 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0356] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (7100) shown in FIG. 71. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0357] When a responder receives a ranging initiation message, the responder may generate a ranging response message containing an RRMC IE to initialize a second round-trip measurement. The value of the ranging control information field of the RRMC IE may be 3 according to Table 3, which is indicated as the RRMC (3) IE in FIG. 71. To request the first round-trip time and response time of the final RFRAME from the initiator, the response time request and round-trip time request fields within the RRMC IE of the ranging response message are set to 1. As with a one-to-many SS-TWR, the ranging response messages of multiple responders may be scheduled or may compete for the corresponding time slots during the ranging response phase. At this time, the initiator generates a final RFRAME by merging an RMI IE reporting round-trip times and an RRTI IE reporting response times to multiple responders. The initiator's next-level layer requests the MAC sublayer to set RequestRrtiTx and RrtiNodeList to generate an RRTI IE and insert it into the final RFRAME that delivers response times to multiple responders.

[0358] FIG. 71 illustrates a message sequence diagram for a one-to-many DS-TWR between one initiator and N responders, namely responder 1, responder 2, ..., responder N, where ranging response messages from multiple responders are scheduled in sequential order for transmission. At the point marked (R), the responders have sufficient information to produce a ranging result. If the response time request, round-trip measurement request, and TOF request fields within the RRMC IE in the ranging initiator message are set to 0, the responder may not send the ranging result or related time measurement back to the initiator.

[0359] FIG. 72 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (7200) of a one-to-many DS-TWR in which a request for a first response time and a second round-trip time is made from an initiator according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (7200) illustrated in FIG. 72 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 72 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0360] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (7200) shown in FIG. 72. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0361] In FIG. 72, the initiator requests the first response time and the second round-trip time from the responder by setting the response time request and round-trip time request fields in the RRMC IE of the ranging initiation message to 1. Upon receiving the RRMC (2) IE via MCPS-DATA.indication, the next higher layer of the responder initializes the second round-trip measurement via MCPS-DATA.request using the RRMC (3) IE. Meanwhile, RequestRrtiTx in MCPS-DATA.request is configured to insert the RRTI IE into the response RFRAME. To send the final RFRAME, the next higher layer of the initiator configures RequestRrti and RrtiNodeList in MCPS-DATA.request to insert the RRTI IE, and also transmits the RMI IE reporting the first round-trip time measurements to the MAC layer.

[0362] Because the initiator requests a second round-trip time from the responder, a separate data frame after the ranging transmissions is used by each responder to retransmit the information. Thus, the initiator may calculate the TOF after the measurement reporting phase.

[0363] FIG. 73 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (7300) of a one-to-many DS-TWR in which a request for a ranging result is made from an initiator, according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (7300) illustrated in FIG. 73 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 73 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0364] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (7300) shown in FIG. 73. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0365] In FIG. 73, the initiator requests the ranging result, i.e., TOF, by setting the field value of the TOF request within the RRMC IE of the ranging initiation message to 1. Accordingly, the responders each transmit the ranging result (RMI IE) through separate data frames based on time scheduling or competition.

[0366] In a many initiators-to-many responders (M2M) scenario, the controller sends an RCM with a ranging configuration to multiple initiators and responders. In a one-to-many ranging scenario, only one ranging initiator message exists during the ranging initiation phase (RIP) from a single initiator, and multiple initiators may send ranging initiator messages during the RIP through scheduling or competition during M2M ranging. The ranging initiator message includes an RRMC IE, where the ranging control information field value is set to 0 and the response time request field value is set to 1.

[0367] After collecting ranging initiation messages from multiple initiators, the next-level layer of the responders initiates a response RFRAME via MCPS-DATA.request, where RequestRrtiTx and RrtiNodeList are configured to insert an RRTI IE. The response RFRAMEs are sent to the initiators in the ranging response phase based on time scheduling or contention determined by the ranging settings.

[0368] FIG. 74 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (7400) of an M2M SS-TWR according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (7400) illustrated in FIG. 74 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 74 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0369] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (7400) shown in FIG. 74. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 as shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0370] FIG. 74 illustrates a message sequence diagram for an M2M SS-TWR between M initiators and N responders, namely initiator 1, initiator 2, ..., initiator M and responder 1, responder 2, ..., responder N, wherein the transmission of both the ranging initiation and ranging response messages is scheduled in sequential order. Contention-based transmissions for both the ranging initiation phase and the ranging response phase may also be performed. At the point marked (R), the initiator has sufficient information to produce a ranging result for the corresponding pair. The responsibility of the upper layers is to ensure that each required response is supplied without delay so that the MAC can transmit the required response at a specific time, and likewise ensure that any message the receiver needs to receive is received without delay.

[0371] The controller can verify this using ARC IE and RDM IE. In FIG. 74, the responders do not request ranging results. However, as in FIG. 70, the responders may request ranging results or related time measurements from the initiators to produce ranging results that require additional data frames transmitted from the initiators.

[0372] FIG. 75 illustrates an exemplary message sequence diagram (7500) of an M2M DS-TWR according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The embodiment of the message sequence diagram (7500) illustrated in FIG. 75 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 75 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0373] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 as shown in FIG. 1) may use the message sequence diagram (7500) shown in FIG. 75. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one of Group 1 or Group 2 electronic devices such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0374] In M2M DS-TWR, based on the ranging setting, multiple initiators may compete or be time-scheduled within the time slots of the ranging initiation phase to send ranging initiation messages that transmit RRMC IEs. The ranging control information field value of the RRMC IE may be 2, which is indicated as the RRMC (2) IE of FIG. 75.

[0375] After the ranging initiation phase, the responder generates a ranging response message containing an RRMC IE to initialize a second round-trip measurement. The value of the ranging control information field may be 3, which is indicated as RRMC (3 IE) in FIG. 75. The fields for the response time request and round-trip time request within the RRMC IE are set to 1.

[0376] Ranged response messages may be transmitted via time scheduling or contention determined by the ranged settings. Then, the initiator forms a final RFRAME including an RRTI IE for reporting response time and an RMI IE for reporting round-trip time.

[0377] FIG. 75 illustrates a message sequence diagram for M2M DS-TWR between M initiators and N responders, where both the ranging initiation messages and the ranging response messages are scheduled in a sequential order for transmission. At the point marked (R), the responders have sufficient information to produce ranging results. If the response time request, round-trip measurement request, and TOF request fields within the RRMC IE in the ranging initiation message are set to 0, the responder may not send the ranging result or the related time measurement back to the initiator.

[0378] FIG. 76 illustrates a flowchart of a safety ranging operation method (7600) according to embodiments of the present disclosure that can be performed by a first network entity. The embodiment of the method (7600) illustrated in FIG. 6 is for illustrative purposes only. FIG. 6 does not limit the scope of the present disclosure to any specific embodiment.

[0379] In one embodiment, an electronic device (501) such as that shown in FIG. 5 (e.g., 101-103 and 111-116 such as that shown in FIG. 1) may use the method (7600) shown in FIG. 76. The electronic device (501) may be one of at least one electronic device of Group 1 or Group 2 such as that shown in FIG. 6. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as an initiator or responder as shown in FIG. 34. The electronic device (501) may be implemented as a controller or controller as shown in FIG. 34.

[0380] As illustrated in FIG. 76, the method (7600) begins at step 7602. In step 7602, the first network entity generates a Medium Access Control (MAC) Common Part Sublayer Data Request (MCPS-DATA.request) primitive, which includes a ranging enable indicator and a ranging request measurement and control IE (RRMC IE) with a response time request.

[0381] In step 7604, the first network object transmits first MAC data containing RRMC IE to the second network object.

[0382] In one embodiment, the RRMC IE includes a response time request field, a round-trip measurement request field, a time-of-flight (ToF) request field, an angle of arrival (AOA) azimuth request field, an AoA elevation request field, a ranging control information field, a spare bit field, an RRMC table length field, and an RRMC table field.

[0383] In such an embodiment, the ranging control information field contains a value, the value indicating the following: when the value is set to 0, the frame is used for a ranging start message of unilateral bidirectional ranging (SS-TWR); when the value is set to 1, the frame is used to respond to a ranging start message of SS-TWR; when the value is set to 2, the frame is used for a ranging start message of bidirectional ranging (DS-TWR); the frame is used to sustain DS-TWR and initiate a second round-trip time measurement.

[0384] In step 7606, the first network object receives second MAC data from the second network object, including a ranging response time moment IE (RRTI IE) and an RRMC IE.

[0385] In step 7608, the first network object checks the local value of the receive ranging counter (RxRangingCounter).

[0386] In one embodiment, the first network entity transmits the MCPS-DATA.request primitive from the upper layer to the MAC layer; after sending the first MAC data to the second network entity, transmits the MCPS-DATA.confirm primitive containing the local value of the transmission ranging counter (TxRangingCounter) from the MAC layer to the upper layer; after receiving the second MAC data from the second network entity, transmits the MCPS-DATA.indication primitive and RRMC IE having the local value of the reception ranging counter (RxRangingCounter) from the MAC layer to the upper layer.

[0387] In one embodiment, a first network object generates an MCPS-Data.request primitive containing at least one ranging measurement information IE (RMI IE) along with information requested by the first network object; transmits the MCPS-Data.request primitive from an upper layer to a MAC layer; and transmits first MAC data containing an RRMC IE to a second network object.

[0388] In such an embodiment, at least one RMI IE includes an address presence field, a response time presence field, a round-trip measurement presence field, a ToF presence field, an AoA azimuth presence field, an AoA elevation presence field, a smoke mode field, a reserve field, an RMI list length field, and an RMI list field; the RMI list field includes an RX-to-TX response time field, a TX-to-RX round-trip field, a ToF field, an AoA azimuth field, an AoA elevation field, and an address field.

[0389] Although this disclosure is described with exemplary embodiments, various changes and modifications may be proposed to those skilled in the art. This disclosure is intended to encompass such changes and modifications as falling within the scope of the appended claims. The content of this application should not be interpreted as implying that any specific element, step, or function is an essential component to be included in the claims.

Claims

Claim 1 A method performed by a first device in a wireless communication system, comprising: identifying a first ranging request measurement and control information element (RRMC IE) including a response time request; transmitting first data including the first RRMC IE to a plurality of second devices; receiving second data including a ranging reply time instantaneous IE (RRTI IE) and a second RRMC IE from at least one of the plurality of second devices; and identifying the time of reception of the second data, wherein the first RRMC IE includes a response time request field, a round-trip time measurement request field, a time-of-flight (ToF) request field, an angle of arrival (AOA) azimuth request field, an elevation request field, a ranging control information field, a spare bit field, an RRMC table length field, and an RRMC table field. Claim 2 A method according to claim 1, further comprising: a step of identifying the transmission time of the first data after transmitting the first data; and a step of calculating requested information based on the second data. Claim 3 A method according to claim 1, wherein the RRMC table field includes at least one address to which the first RRMC IE is directed from the first device. Claim 4 A method according to paragraph 3, wherein the ranging control information field includes a value regarding the use of a frame, wherein when the value is set to 0, the value indicates that the frame is used for a ranging start message of single-sided two-way ranging (SS-TWR); when the value is set to 1, the value indicates that the frame is used to respond to the ranging start message of the SS-TWR; and when the value is set to 2, the value indicates that the frame is used for a ranging start message of double-sided two-way ranging (DS-TWR); and the value indicates that the frame is used to initiate a duration and a second round-trip time measurement of the DS-TWR. Claim 5 A method according to claim 1, further comprising: identifying at least one ranging measurement information IE (RMI IE) containing requested information; and transmitting third data containing the at least one RMI IE to the plurality of second devices. Claim 6 In paragraph 5, the method wherein the at least one RMI IE comprises an address presence field, a response time presence field, a round-trip time measurement presence field, a ToF presence field, an AoA azimuth presence field, an AoA elevation presence field, a deferred mode field, a reserve field, an RMI list length field, and an RMI list field. Claim 7 In claim 6, the method wherein the RMI list field comprises an RX-to-TX response time field, a TX-to-RX round-trip time field, a ToF field, an AoA azimuth field, an AoA elevation field, and an address field toward which at least one RMI IE is directed. Claim 8 A method performed by a second device in a wireless communication system, comprising: receiving first data from a first device including a first ranging request measurement and control information element (RRMC IE) including a response time request; transmitting second data to the first device including a ranging reply time instantaneous IE (RRTI IE) and a second RRMC IE; and identifying the time of reception of the first data, wherein the first RRMC IE includes a response time request field, a round-trip time measurement request field, a time-of-flight (ToF) request field, an angle of arrival (AOA) azimuth request field, an elevation request field, a ranging control information field, a spare bit field, an RRMC table length field, and an RRMC table field. Claim 9 A method according to claim 8, further comprising the step of identifying the transmission time of the second data after transmitting the second data. Claim 10 delete Claim 11 A method according to claim 8, wherein the ranging control information field includes a value regarding the use of a frame, wherein when the value is set to 0, the value indicates that the frame is used for a ranging start message of single-sided two-way ranging (SS-TWR); when the value is set to 1, the value indicates that the frame is used to respond to the ranging start message of the SS-TWR; and when the value is set to 2, the value indicates that the frame is used for a ranging start message of double-sided two-way ranging (DS-TWR); and the value indicates that the frame is used to initiate a duration and a second round-trip time measurement of the DS-TWR. Claim 12 A method according to claim 8, further comprising: receiving third data including at least one RMI IE (ranging measurement information IE) from the first device; and identifying the at least one RMI IE including information requested by the second device. Claim 13 In paragraph 12, the method wherein at least one RMI IE comprises an address presence field, a response time presence field, a round-trip time measurement presence field, a ToF presence field, an AoA azimuth presence field, an AoA elevation presence field, a deferred mode field, a reserve field, an RMI list length field, and an RMI list field. Claim 14 In paragraph 13, the method wherein the RMI list field comprises an RX-to-TX response time field, a TX-to-RX round-trip time field, a ToF field, an AoA azimuth field, an AoA elevation field, and an address field toward which at least one RMI IE is directed. Claim 15 In a first device of a wireless communication system, a transceiver; The first device comprises at least one processor coupled to the transceiver, wherein the at least one processor identifies a first ranging request measurement and control information element (RRMC IE) including a response time request, transmits first data including the first RRMC IE to a plurality of second devices, receives second data including a ranging reply time instantaneous IE (RRTI IE) and a second RRMC IE from at least one of the plurality of second devices, and identifies the time of reception of the second data, wherein the first RRMC IE includes a response time request field, a round-trip time measurement request field, a time-of-flight (ToF) request field, an angle of arrival (AOA) azimuth request field, an elevation request field, a ranging control information field, a spare bit field, an RRMC table length field, and an RRMC table field.

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