Electronic device and method for performing ranging through UWB

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device that performs ranging using a UWB communication method and a method of operating the electronic device. According to one embodiment, a method of operating a first electronic device may include the step of transmitting a first ranged control message (RCM) containing information for controlling a ranged procedure of a ranged group, wherein the first RCM includes time information set to receive a ranged request from a device not participating in the ranged group; the step of receiving a ranged request from a second electronic device based on the time information; the step of transmitting a second RCM containing information about a slot assigned to the second electronic device; and the step of performing ranged with the second electronic device based on the second RCM.

Description

Technology Field

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device that performs ranging using a UWB communication method and a method of operating the electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] The Internet is evolving from a human-centered network where humans generate and consume information into an IoT (Internet of Things) network where distributed components, such as objects, exchange and process information. IoE (Internet of Everything) technology, which combines IoT with Big Data processing technologies through connections with cloud servers, is also emerging. Implementing IoT requires technological elements such as sensing technology, wired and wireless communication and network infrastructure, service interface technology, and security technology. Recently, technologies such as sensor networks, Machine-to-Machine (M2M) communication, and Machine-Type Communication (MTC) are being researched for connecting objects.

[0003] In an IoT environment, intelligent IT (Internet Technology) services that create new value for human life by collecting and analyzing data generated from connected objects can be provided. Through the convergence and integration of existing IT (Information Technology) with various industries, IoT can be applied to fields such as smart homes, smart buildings, smart cities, smart or connected cars, smart grids, healthcare, smart home appliances, and advanced medical services.

[0004] With the advancement of wireless communication systems enabling the provision of various services, measures to effectively deliver these services are required. For example, in medium access control (MAC), ranging technology that measures the distance between electronic devices using Ultra Wide Band (UWB) can be utilized. UWB is a wireless communication technology that uses a very wide frequency band of several GHz or more in the baseband without using a wireless carrier. For instance, UWB ranging technology can be applied to systems that track the location of personnel or goods within a factory or company. The problem to be solved

[0005] In order to utilize UWB ranging in a system for tracking the location of personnel or goods, a procedure may be required in which a location target device participates in a ranging group that performs ranging among multiple devices. means of solving the problem

[0006] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operation of a first electronic device performing ranging via UWB may include the step of transmitting a first ranging control message (RCM) comprising information for controlling a ranging procedure of a ranging group, wherein the first RCM comprises time information set to receive a ranging request from a device not participating in the ranging group; the step of receiving a ranging request from a second electronic device based on the time information; the step of transmitting a second RCM comprising information about a slot assigned to the second electronic device; and the step of performing ranging with the second electronic device based on the second RCM.

[0007] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method of operation of a second electronic device that performs ranging via UWB may include the step of receiving a first RCM from a first electronic device that controls a ranging procedure of a ranging group, wherein the first RCM includes time information set to receive a ranging request from a device not participating in the ranging group; the step of transmitting a ranging request to the first electronic device based on the time information; the step of receiving a second RCM including information about a slot assigned to the second electronic device; and the step of performing ranging with the ranging group based on the second RCM.

[0008] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a first electronic device that performs ranging via UWB comprises: a communication unit; a memory; and at least one processor that controls the operation of the first electronic device by executing a program stored in the memory, wherein the at least one processor transmits a first RCM containing information for the first electronic device to control a ranging procedure of a ranging group, the first RCM includes time information set to receive a ranging request from a device not participating in the ranging group, receives a ranging request from a second electronic device based on the time information, transmits a second RCM containing information about a slot allocated to the second electronic device, and performs ranging with the second electronic device based on the second RCM.

[0009] According to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a second electronic device that performs ranging via UWB comprises: a communication unit; a memory; and at least one processor that controls the operation of the second electronic device by executing a program stored in the memory, wherein the at least one processor receives a first RCM from a first electronic device that controls a ranging procedure of a ranging group, the first RCM includes time information set to receive a ranging request from a device not participating in the ranging group, transmits a ranging request to the first electronic device based on the time information, receives a second RCM including information about a slot allocated to the second electronic device, and performs ranging with the ranging group based on the second RCM. Brief explanation of the drawing

[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates a Double-Sided Two-Way Ranging (DS-TWR) procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 2a illustrates an example of ranging using a ranging control frame. Figure 2b illustrates an example of a time structure within a ranging interval. Figure 2c illustrates a timing diagram illustrating an example of the DS-TWR procedure. Figure 3 illustrates an example of the process in which an electronic device participates in a ranging group. Figure 4 illustrates the time structure used for beacon-capable ranging. Figure 5 illustrates the time structure of the RCAP (Ranging Contention Access Period) or RCFP (Ranging Contention Free Period). Figure 6 illustrates the format of an RD (Ranging Descriptor) IE (Information Element). Figure 7 illustrates the format of an ACK (Acknowledgement) IE. FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a time structure in which an electronic device transmits a RRF (Ranging Request Frame) within an RCAP and receives an ACK in response to the RRF, according to one embodiment. FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of a method of operation of a first electronic device according to one embodiment. FIG. 10 illustrates the format of a Ranged Round (RR) IE modified according to one embodiment. FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a time structure in which a first electronic device receives an RRF within a ranging slot by utilizing a modified RR IE according to one embodiment. FIG. 12 illustrates the format of a Ranged Device Management (RDM) IE according to one embodiment. FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a time structure of a Range Period (RP) in which an additional slot for RRF reception is allocated according to one embodiment. FIG. 14 illustrates an example of an RDM IE that includes information about a slot designated to receive a ranging request according to one embodiment. FIG. 15 illustrates an example of an RDM IE including a slot assigned to an electronic device to which a ranging request is received and the address of the electronic device according to one embodiment. FIG. 16 illustrates a flowchart of a method of operation of a second electronic device according to one embodiment. FIG. 17 illustrates a block diagram of a first electronic device according to one embodiment. FIG. 18 illustrates a block diagram of a second electronic device according to one embodiment. Specific details for implementing the invention

[0011] Embodiments of the present disclosure are described below in detail with reference to the attached drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement them. However, the present disclosure may be embodied in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. Furthermore, in order to clearly explain the present disclosure in the drawings, parts unrelated to the explanation have been omitted, and similar parts throughout the specification are denoted by similar reference numerals.

[0012] The terms used in this disclosure are described in their current, general form considering the functions mentioned herein; however, they may refer to various other terms depending on the intent of those skilled in the art, case law, the emergence of new technologies, etc. Accordingly, the terms used in this disclosure should not be interpreted solely by their names, but should be interpreted based on the meaning of the terms and the overall content of this disclosure.

[0013] Additionally, terms such as "first," "second," etc., may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

[0014] Furthermore, the terms used in this disclosure are used merely to describe specific embodiments and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Singular expressions include a plural meaning unless the context clearly indicates a singular meaning. Additionally, throughout the specification, when a part is described as being "connected" to another part, this includes not only cases where they are "directly connected" but also cases where they are "electrically connected" with other elements interposed between them. Furthermore, when a part is described as "comprising" a certain component, this means that, unless specifically stated otherwise, it does not exclude other components but may include additional components.

[0015] Throughout this specification, the terms “above” and similar designations may refer to both singular and plural forms. Additionally, unless explicitly specified in the order of the steps describing the method according to the present disclosure, the described steps may be performed in a suitable order. The present disclosure is not limited by the order in which the described steps are described.

[0016] Phrases such as "in one embodiment" appearing in various places in this specification do not necessarily all refer to the same embodiment.

[0017] One embodiment of the present disclosure may be represented by functional block configurations and various processing steps. Some or all of these functional blocks may be implemented by various numbers of hardware and / or software configurations that execute specific functions. For example, the functional blocks of the present disclosure may be implemented by one or more microprocessors or by circuit configurations for a specific function. Additionally, for example, the functional blocks of the present disclosure may be implemented in various programming or scripting languages. The functional blocks may be implemented as algorithms executed on one or more processors. Furthermore, the present disclosure may employ prior art for electronic configuration, signal processing, and / or data processing, etc.

[0018] Furthermore, the connecting lines or connecting members between the components depicted in the drawings are merely illustrative of functional connections and / or physical or circuit connections. In the actual device, connections between components may be represented by various alternative or added functional connections, physical connections, or circuit connections.

[0019] Generally, wireless sensor network technologies are broadly classified into Wireless Local Area Network (WLAN) and Wireless Personal Area Network (WPAN) technologies based on detection range. In this context, WLAN is a technology based on IEEE 802.11 that allows access to a backbone network within a radius of approximately 100 meters. Wireless Personal Area Network is a technology based on IEEE 802.15, including Bluetooth, ZigBee, and Ultra Wide Band (UWB). A wireless network in which these technologies are implemented can consist of multiple electronic communication devices. These multiple electronic communication devices perform communication during the active period using a single channel. That is, during the active period, the electronic communication devices can collect packets and transmit the collected packets.

[0020] UWB can refer to a short-range high-speed wireless communication technology that utilizes a wide frequency band of several GHz or more, low spectral density, and short pulse widths (1 to 4 nsec) in the baseband state. UWB can also refer to the band itself to which UWB communication is applied. Below, the ranging method between electronic devices is explained based on the UWB communication method, but this is merely one example, and in reality, various wireless communication technologies can be used.

[0021] An electronic device according to the embodiments of the present disclosure may include a fixed terminal or a mobile terminal implemented as a computer device, and may communicate with other devices and / or servers using wireless or wired communication methods. For example, the electronic device may include, but is not limited to, a smartphone, a mobile terminal, a laptop computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a PDA (personal digital assistant), a PMP (portable multimedia player), a navigation system, a slate PC, a tablet PC, a desktop computer, a digital TV, a refrigerator, an artificial intelligence speaker, a wearable device, a projector, a smart key, a smart car, a printer, etc.

[0022] D2D communication refers to a method in which geographically close electronic devices communicate directly without passing through infrastructure such as a base station. Various embodiments of the present disclosure relate to medium access control (MAC) based on D2D communication, and for medium access control, it is necessary to measure the distance between electronic devices. In this case, UWB ranging technology may be used to measure the distance between electronic devices.

[0023] UWB ranging methods according to various embodiments of the present disclosure can be used in an indoor positioning system. An indoor positioning system refers to a system that measures the location of moving objects present indoors. For example, UWB ranging technology can be used in a system that tracks the location of personnel or goods within a factory or company.

[0024] In an indoor positioning system, the location of a specific electronic device can be obtained through message exchange between at least one electronic device whose location is known in advance and the specific electronic device. The at least one electronic device whose location is known and the specific electronic device can estimate the bidirectional Time of Flight (TOF) by exchanging messages including timestamps. The location of the specific electronic device can be estimated based on the TOF.

[0025] FIG. 1 illustrates a Double-Sided Two-Way Ranging (DS-TWR) procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 1 illustrates a DS-TWR method for acquiring TOF through the exchange of poll frames and response frames between a first electronic device and a second electronic device.

[0027] RMARKER is the time the receiving antenna received the message, T round1 θ is the time T taken to receive a response again for the first message transmitted by the first electronic device to the second electronic device. reply1 represents the time taken for the second electronic device to send a response to the first message received from the first electronic device. round2 θ is the time T taken to receive a response again for the second message transmitted by the second electronic device to the first electronic device. reply2 represents the time taken for the first electronic device to send a response to the second message received from the second electronic device. round1 , T round2 , T reply1 , T reply2 The value can be calculated using the timestamp within the message. The first electronic device or the second electronic device is T round1 , T round2 , Treply1 , T reply2 Based on, T corresponding to TOF prop The value can be estimated according to [Equation 1] below. For example, T prop at the speed of light (e.g., 3 10 6 The distance between the first electronic device and the second electronic device can be calculated by multiplying by m / s.

[0028] [Mathematical Formula 1]

[0029]

[0030] An electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may use a ranging control message prior to performing a ranging procedure. Two types of devices associated with ranging control may be referred to as "controller" or "controlly".

[0031] FIG. 2a illustrates an example of ranging using a ranging control message.

[0032] First, a controller can be defined as a device that controls ranging within a ranging group by transmitting a Ranged Control Message (RCM) to multiple electronic devices included in the ranging group. The controller may broadcast a Ranged Control Message containing various Information Elements (IEs), such as ranging parameters and scheduling information. For example, the scheduling information included in the RCM broadcast by the controller may include information on when and which electronic device will transmit a message while acting as an Initiator or a Responder. An Initiator is an electronic device that transmits the Ranged Initiator Message, which is the first transmission message during the Ranged Message exchange process. A Responder is an electronic device that responds to the Ranged Initiator Message.

[0033] Meanwhile, the controller may be defined as a device that utilizes ranging parameters received from the controller. At least one controller may be managed by the controller. The controller may perform ranging based on information within the received RCM. The method for determining the role of the device (e.g., the role of the controller or the role of the controller, the role of the initiator or the role of the responder) and the method for selecting the ranging parameters may be implemented in various ways. If the controller is configured to transmit a ranging initiation message as illustrated in the flowchart (201) of FIG. 2a, the controller may become the initiator and transmit the ranging initiation message. On the other hand, if the controller is configured to transmit a ranging initiation message as illustrated in the flowchart (202) of FIG. 2a, the controller may become the initiator and transmit the ranging initiation message.

[0034] An electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can perform ranging in units of ranging blocks.

[0035] Figure 2b illustrates an example of a time structure within a ranging interval.

[0036] A ranging block is the largest unit of time within the ranging time structure. A ranging block consists of multiple ranging rounds. A ranging round represents the period required to complete one entire range-measurement cycle for TOF measurement between ranging devices participating in a ranging exchange. Among the ranging rounds, the ranging round assigned to electronic devices, during which the electronic devices actually transmit messages, is defined as the active ranging round.

[0037] A ranging round consists of multiple ranging slots. A ranging slot represents a interval for transmitting a single ranging frame. For example, within a ranging slot, a single MAC frame (e.g., a ranging control frame, a pole frame, a response frame, etc.) as defined in the standard IEEE 802.15.4z can be transmitted. A ranging slot is a multiple of the RSTU (Ranging Scheduling Time Unit), which is the minimum transmission unit defined at the MAC layer, and the RSTU value varies depending on the PHY layer. For example, for HRP (high rate pulse repetition frequency) UWB PHY, 1 RSTU = 833.33 ns.

[0038] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, in a single ranging round, one-way ranging (OWR), single-sided two-way ranging (SS-TWR), or double-sided two-way ranging (DS-TWR), etc., may be used for ranging and localization. Ranged frames for OWR, SS-TWR, or DS-TWR may be transmitted within the ranging slots of the ranging round.

[0039] Figure 2c illustrates a timing diagram illustrating an example of the DS-TWR procedure.

[0040] As illustrated in FIG. 2c, the ranging round consists of a Ranged Control Phase (RCP), a Ranged Initiation Phase (RIP), a Ranged Response Phase (RRP), a Ranged Final Phase (RFP), a Measurement Report Phase (MRP), and a Ranged Control Update Phase (RCUP).

[0041] As previously explained, an RCM is a control message broadcast by the controller when a ranging round begins. The controller of a ranging group controls other electronic devices belonging to that ranging group using the ranging parameters, scheduling information, etc., included in the RCM. In Fig. 2c, I m is a ranging start message transmitted from initiator m. R n is a ranging response message transmitted from respondent n. F m is a ranging end message transmitted from the initiator m. MR m is a measurement report transmitted from initiator m or responder m. The Ranged Control Update Message (RCUM) is a message additionally transmitted at the end of a ranged round by the controller to update the ranged parameters, etc., that were previously transmitted via RCM.

[0042] After the controller sends an RCM in the ranging control phase, the initiator sends a ranging start message to the responders in the ranging start phase. In the ranging response phase, each responder sends a response message to the initiator as a response to the ranging start message sent in the previous RIP. When the initiator sends a ranging end message to the responders in the ranging end phase, the electronic devices report the ranging measurement report in the measurement reporting phase. In the ranging control update phase, an RCUM containing update information for ranging parameters, etc., is sent.

[0043] In order to apply UWB ranging to an indoor positioning system (e.g., a system for tracking the location of personnel or goods within a company), a tag node that is the target of location measurement may be required to participate in a surrounding ranging group consisting of anchor nodes located nearby as a device joining the ranging (hereinafter referred to as a participating RDEV (ranging device)).

[0044] Figure 3 illustrates an example of the process in which an electronic device participates in a ranging group.

[0045] In order for a participating RDEV to perform a ranging procedure, as shown in FIG. 3, it first needs to participate in the ranging group by sending a ranging request frame (RRF) to a controller managing the ranging group. The participating RDEV may adopt a strategy of sending the RRF at a time pre-scheduled by the controller of a specific ranging group or sending it in a competitive manner at a random time.

[0046] In this disclosure, a contention-based RRF transmission method and a scheduling-based RRF transmission method are proposed as means for participating RDEVs to transmit RRFs. Scheduling-based RRF transmission takes place during the ranging period (RP), which is the time interval where actual ranging occurs, whereas contention-based RRF transmission takes place during the ranging management period (RMP), which is separately allocated for the transmission of management frames in addition to the RP.

[0047] Below, after describing the time structure regarding RP and RMP, beacon transmission in RMP, and beacon-enabled transmission, methods for a participating device to transmit an RRF according to various embodiments of the present disclosure are described.

[0048] Figure 4 illustrates the time structure used for beacon-capable ranging.

[0049] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the total time structure used by the ranging group may be divided into an RMP allocated for management frame transmission and an RP allocated for actual ranging through the exchange of ranging messages.

[0050] An enhanced beacon frame (EBF) containing a ranging descriptor (RD) IE containing total time structure information can be defined as a beacon.

[0051] As illustrated in FIG. 4, beacons can be transmitted repeatedly at beacon intervals by the controller of the ranging group. The length of the beacon interval is defined as a multiple of the ranging beacon slot (RBS), and the RBS is again defined as a multiple of the ranging scheduling time unit (RSTU), which is the minimum unit of transmission. For example, 1 RSTU can be 833.33ns. In this case, the RMP and RP are composed of the previously defined RBSs, and their respective lengths can be expressed in RBS units.

[0052] Depending on the frame transmission method, RMP can be composed of a smaller time unit, the ranging contention access period (RCAP) and the ranging contention free period (RCFP).

[0053] Figure 5 illustrates the time structure of RCAP or RCFP.

[0054] Like RMP, RCAP and RCFP can be composed of one or more RBSs. In RCAP, electronic devices in a ranging group transmit management frames in a contention manner, whereas in RCFP, they can transmit management frames at a time predetermined by the controller. A management frame may refer to a frame transmitted for the management of the ranging group or the management of ranging devices within the group. For example, beacon frames transmitted from the controller to the controller, or RRFs transmitted from the controller to the controller, may be included in management frames.

[0055] Figure 6 illustrates the RD IE format.

[0056] The RD IE carries information about the ranging time structure. The RD IE may be included within the beacon of the ranging time structure. The content field of the RD IE is configured as shown in FIG. 6. The RD IE may further include the beacon interval duration, transmission time information of the first ranging control message (RCM) indicating the start time of the RP, and time structure information for the RCAP and RCFP constituting the RMP.

[0057] First, referring to the RD IE (601) illustrated in FIG. 6, the Slot size multiplier for RBS field carries information about the ranging slot duration as a multiplier of the RSTU. The Slot size multiplier for RBS field expresses the RBS length in RTSU units. The Beacon interval field carries information about the time interval to the next beacon. The beacon interval can be expressed as a multiple of the RBS or a multiple of the RSTU. Therefore, the length of the Beacon interval field may vary depending on which unit the beacon interval is expressed in.

[0058] The First RCM slot field indicates the transmission position of the first RCM within the beacon interval of the ranging time structure and can be expressed as a multiple of RBS or RSTU. If there is no ranging interval within the current beacon interval, the value of the first RCM slot becomes 0. The Ranging management (RM) table length field indicates the number of rows in the ranging management table. Each row of the RM table can be configured as shown in the table (602) of FIG. 6. If there is no RMP within the current ranging interval, the value of the RM Table length is 0.

[0059] Table (602) represents row elements that constitute the RM table within the RD IE. Each row element of the RM table specifies the start RBS number and end RBS number of the RCAP or RCFP present in the RMP. The RCAP / RCFP indicator field within each row element indicates whether the set of slots specified within that column uses RCAP or RCFP. For example, if the value of the RCAP / RCFP indicator field is 0, the row element is time information for RCAP, and conversely, if the value of the RCAP / RCFP indicator is 1, the row element is time information for RCFP.

[0060] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, a method for transmitting and receiving control frames, including a ranging request frame (RRF), between a participating RDEV and a controller is proposed. In particular, according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, at what point within a beacon interval the participating RDEV can send an RRF in order to join a ranging group is designed.

[0061] According to one embodiment, a participating RDEV can transmit an RRF on a contention basis at any RCAP within an RMP without separate scheduling.

[0062] According to another embodiment, the controller pre-schedules time resources within the RP, and the participating RDEV can transmit the RRF at the scheduled time.

[0063] Below, prior to describing a method for transmitting an RRF based on contention in an RCAP according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an ACK IE used for frame transmission within an RMP is described.

[0064] Figure 7 illustrates the format of an ACK (Acknowledgement) IE.

[0065] An electronic device capable of ranging can recognize that the transmission of a frame was successful if, after transmitting a frame, it receives an ACK message for the transmitted frame before a predetermined timeout period has elapsed.

[0066] Table (701) of FIG. 7 illustrates the format of the ACK IE that constitutes the ACK message. If the frame transmitted by the electronic device is a general data frame, the RRF indicator field value of the ACK message may be 0. On the other hand, if the frame transmitted by the electronic device is an RRF, the RRF indicator value of the ACK message is 1, and the value of the ACK field value field may include the result of the ranging request as shown in Table (702). For example, if the value of the ACK field value field is 0, it may mean that the controller rejects the ranging request of the electronic device. If the value of the ACK field value field is 1, it may mean that the controller approves the ranging request of the electronic device.

[0067] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a time structure in which an electronic device transmits an RRF within an RCAP and receives an ACK in response to the RRF, according to one embodiment.

[0068] As shown in FIG. 8, an electronic device according to one embodiment can transmit frames including RRF in a competitive manner within an RCAP in an RMP. The electronic device can transmit frames to a controller in a competitive manner within an RCAP in an RMP.

[0069] After transmitting a frame, the electronic device waits for the reception of an ACK message for a predetermined ACK timeout period. If an ACK message is not received by the time the ACK timeout period has elapsed, the electronic device may consider the transmission of the frame to have failed. If the transmission of the frame is considered to have failed, the electronic device may retransmit the frame after a random backoff period has elapsed.

[0070] If a participating RDEV transmits an RRF and receives an ACK message within the ACK timeout period, the participating RDEV can check the ACK field value included in the ACK message to determine whether the controller has approved the ranging request. If it is confirmed that the controller has approved the participating RDEV's ranging request, the participating RDEV can join the ranging group and perform the ranging procedure based on the RCM transmitted by the controller within the RP.

[0071] As illustrated in FIG. 8, in order to transmit an RRF from an RCAP within an RMP, the RMP must exist within the beacon interval in addition to the RP where actual ranging is performed. However, in the beacon-capable ranging time structure illustrated in FIG. 4, the beacon interval may consist of only one or more RPs without an RMP. Therefore, since the method illustrated in FIG. 8 cannot be used in a beacon interval consisting only of RPs, participating RDEVs may have to wait for a long time until a beacon interval containing an RMP appears.

[0072] Meanwhile, even if an RMP exists at every beacon interval, a participating RDEV intending to transmit an RRF must receive a beacon to determine when the RCAP will be released. Therefore, a participating RDEV may have to wait, on average, about half of the beacon interval to receive a beacon.

[0073] If the controller broadcasts beacons at short intervals for quick participation, participating RDEVs may need to listen to the medium more frequently to receive the beacons. In other words, if the controller broadcasts beacons at short intervals, participating RDEVs may need to wake up more frequently to receive the beacons. Therefore, if the beacon transmission interval is shortened, the power consumption of the participating RDEVs increases, and the power consumption of the controller also increases.

[0074] Accordingly, according to another embodiment of the present disclosure, a method is proposed in which a participating device can participate in a ranging group within an RP rather than an RMP. That is, by scheduling the RRF using IEs defined within the RP, the participation procedure can be performed with relatively little overhead and the power consumption of the controller and the participating RDEV can be minimized.

[0075] A controller according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can perform scheduling for transmitting RRFs within an RP. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the controller pre-schedules time resources within the RP, and participating RDEVs can transmit RRFs to the controller at the scheduled time.

[0076] Hereinafter, the operation method of a controller controlling a ranging group and a participating RDEV intending to participate in the ranging group will be specifically examined according to some embodiments of the present disclosure. When ranging is performed among a plurality of electronic devices included in a ranging group, one of the plurality of electronic devices may become the controller, and the remaining electronic devices may become controllers. Additionally, an electronic device participating in a given ranging group may become a participating RDEV intending to newly participate in another ranging group. Accordingly, in the following description, the controller of the ranging group may be referred to as the first device, and the participating RDEV intending to participate in the ranging group may be referred to as the second device. However, the terms first and second are used for the purpose of distinguishing the devices from one another, and the embodiments are not limited to the following description.

[0077] FIG. 9 illustrates a flowchart of an operation method of a first electronic device that performs ranging through UWB according to one embodiment.

[0078] In step S910, a first electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may transmit a first Ranged Control Message (RCM) containing information for controlling a ranged procedure of a ranged group. The first electronic device may broadcast the first RCM to surrounding electronic devices. The first electronic device may broadcast the first RCM to electronic devices participating in a ranged group and electronic devices intending to participate in a ranged group. The first RCM according to one embodiment may include time information set for receiving a ranged request from a device not participating in a ranged group.

[0079] As an example, time information set to receive a ranging request may include transmission offset information for the RRF.

[0080] The first RCM may include a Ranged Round Information Element (RR IE) used for ranged in a ranged group. The RR IE may contain information about the current ranged round and may further include an offset set to receive a ranged request from a device not participating in the ranged group. A format of the RR IE modified according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated in FIG. 10.

[0081] As another example, time information set to receive a ranging request may include transmission slot information for the RRF.

[0082] The first RCM may include a Ranged Device Management Information Element (RDM IE) that includes information about slots assigned to devices included in a ranged group. The RDM IE may further include information about slots designated to receive ranged requests. In the RDM IE according to one embodiment, the address of the slot designated to receive ranged requests may be specified as a predetermined value. For example, the address of the slot designated to receive ranged requests is 0xFFFF It may be designated as such. A format of RDM IE according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated in FIG. 12.

[0083] In step S920, a first electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may receive a ranging request from a second electronic device based on time information.

[0084] As an example, the second electronic device may transmit an RRF to the first electronic device at a time determined based on transmission offset information for an RRF included in the first RCM. The first electronic device may receive the RRF as a ranging request.

[0085] As another example, the second electronic device may transmit an RRF to the first electronic device at a time determined based on transmission slot information for an RRF included in the first RCM. The first electronic device may receive the RRF as a ranging request.

[0086] In step S930, the first electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may transmit a second RCM containing information about a slot assigned to the second electronic device.

[0087] A first electronic device according to one embodiment may determine whether to approve a ranging request from a second electronic device. Based on the decision to approve the ranging request from the second electronic device, the first electronic device may allocate a predetermined slot to the second electronic device. The first electronic device may generate and transmit a second RCM including the slot allocated to the second electronic device and the address of the second electronic device. For example, the second RCM may include an RDM IE that includes information regarding the slot allocated to each of the devices in a ranging group including the second electronic device, the assigned role, and the address of each device.

[0088] In step S940, the first electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can perform ranging with the second electronic device based on the second RCM.

[0089] When a second electronic device according to one embodiment joins a ranging group, the first electronic device and the second electronic device can transmit and receive a frame for ranging, measure the time required for the ranging frame to be transmitted, and calculate the distance between the first electronic device and the second electronic device based on the measured time.

[0090] If the first electronic device is configured to transmit a pole frame by the second RCM, the first electronic device can become the initiator and transmit the pole frame. On the other hand, if the second electronic device is configured to transmit a pole frame by the second RCM, the second electronic device can become the initiator and transmit the pole frame.

[0091] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, electronic devices can perform ranging in various ways. For example, between electronic devices participating in a ranging group, single-sided bidirectional ranging or double-sided bidirectional ranging may be performed.

[0092] One-sided bidirectional ranging is a method of performing ranging by measuring the round-trip delay of a message from one electronic device to another electronic device and the response returned to the electronic device. Two-sided bidirectional ranging is an extension of one-sided bidirectional ranging, which is a method of performing two round-trip time measurements and combining the two round-trip time measurements to derive a Time-Of-Flight (TOF) result.

[0093] For example, if the first electronic device and the second electronic device perform one-sided bidirectional ranging based on the second RCM, and the first electronic device is set as the initiator and the second electronic device is set as the responder, ranging can be performed as follows. The first electronic device can transmit a first ranging frame to the second electronic device and receive a second ranging frame from the second electronic device in response to the first ranging frame. Based on the first ranging frame and the second ranging frame, the first electronic device can calculate the time required for the second ranging frame to be transmitted from the second electronic device to the first electronic device. Based on the calculated time, the first electronic device can calculate the distance between the first electronic device and the second electronic device.

[0094] Referring to FIG. 10, a modified RR IE form according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0095] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, scheduling information regarding a ranging round can be transmitted, wherein a Transmission offset for RRF field is added to the existing RR IE.

[0096] The Ranging block index field of the RR IE illustrated in FIG. 10 contains index information of the ranging block to which the ranging round belongs, and the range of its value is 0 to 65535. The Hopping mode field is an indicator bit indicating whether the ranging block to which the ranging round belongs uses a hopping mode. The electronic device uses no hopping mode if the value of the Hopping mode field is 0, and uses hopping mode if it is 1. The Transmission offset field contains the transmission offset value of the ranging round within the ranging block, and the transmission offset for RRF field represents the transmission offset value for RRF transmission of the ranging round, with the unit being RSTU.

[0097] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the modified RR IE is included in the RCM and transmitted at the start of the ranging round, and information about the next ranging round is transmitted along with the RCUM (Ranging Control Update Message) or RIUM (Ranging Interval Update Message) at the end of the current ranging round.

[0098] According to one embodiment, an RRF scheduling method utilizing a transmission offset adds a transmission time for RRF transmission within a ranging slot. As illustrated in FIG. 10, the modified RR IE according to one embodiment of the present disclosure has a transmission offset for RRF field added to the existing RR IE.

[0099] FIG. 11 illustrates an example of a time structure in which a first electronic device receives an RRF within a ranging slot by utilizing a modified RR IE according to one embodiment.

[0100] The second electronic device can receive an RCM broadcast by a controller of a surrounding ranging group (hereinafter referred to as the first electronic device) through a listening process. Based on the received RCM, the second electronic device can identify transmission information of the corresponding ranging group (e.g., time structure, transmission offset for RRF transmission, etc.). The second electronic device transmits an RRF to the first electronic device using the information identified through the reception of the RCM. The second electronic device that has transmitted the RRF can determine whether the ranging request is successful by checking whether its address is included in the RDM IE of the next RCM sent by the first electronic device. The second electronic device can use the RDM IE as a Block ACK for the RRF. If it is determined that the transmission of the RRF has failed, the second electronic device can retransmit the RRF after a random backoff time or transmit the RRF to a controller of another ranging group.

[0101] FIG. 12 illustrates the format of a Ranged Device Management (RDM) IE according to one embodiment.

[0102] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, transmission slot information for RRF can be added to and transmitted to an existing RDM IE. In a method for allocating slots for RRF transmission according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, it must be indicated that the slots allocated for RRF transmission within the RP are dedicated slots for RRF transmission. Accordingly, an RDM IE containing slot scheduling information is modified according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0103] Table (1201) of FIG. 12 illustrates the format of an RDM IE that is included in and transmitted in an RCM. The RDM IE includes scheduling for electronic devices included in a ranging group and type information for each of the electronic devices.

[0104] The SIP (Slot Index Present) field of the RDM IE indicates whether the slot index field is used in the RDM table column element (1202). If the SIP value is 0, the RDM table column element (1202) excludes the slot index field, and if the SIP value is 1, the RDM table column element (1202) includes the slot index field. The RDM table length field defines the number of RDM table column elements (1202). Thus, if the SIP value is 1, the RDM table length value is equal to the number of allocated time slots. Conversely, if the SIP value is 0, the RDM table length value is equal to the number of electronic devices included in the ranging group. Additionally, the device type field of the RDM table column element (1202) defines the type of the ranging electronic device (e.g., initiator or responder), and the address field contains the address information of the corresponding ranging electronic device. Address information can be represented by a 2-octet short format or an 8-octet extended format.

[0105] FIG. 13 illustrates an example of a time structure of an RP in which an additional slot for receiving RRF is allocated according to one embodiment.

[0106] A first electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may designate slots (1303, 1306) for transmitting RRF within an RP. For the slots (1303, 1306) allocated for RRF transmission, the RDM IE within the RCM may designate the address of the slot as 0xFFFF rather than the address of a specific electronic device. That is, the slots (1303, 1306) having the address 0xFFFF within the RDM IE are slots allocated so that a participating RDEV can send RRF to a controller.

[0107] FIG. 14 illustrates an example of an RDM IE that includes information about a slot designated to receive a ranging request according to one embodiment.

[0108] In FIG. 13, if the RDM IE within the first RCM includes the RDM table shown in FIG. 14, the second electronic device can send RRFs to the first electronic device in slots 3 and 6 within the RDM IE, where the address is set to 0xFFFF.

[0109] An example of an RDM IE included in a second RCM transmitted by a first electronic device when two participating RDEVs succeed in participating in the first block of FIG. 13 is shown in FIG. 15.

[0110] FIG. 15 illustrates an example of an RDM IE including a slot assigned to an electronic device to which a ranging request is received and the address of the electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0111] If the addresses of the participating RDEVs that succeed in joining are 0x1234 and 0x42AD respectively, slot 1 and slot 2 may be assigned to each of the participating RDEVs. The first electronic device may transmit a second RCM including the slots assigned to the participating RDEVs that succeed in joining, the assigned roles, and the addresses of the participating RDEVs. The RDM IE of the second RCM allows the newly joining participating RDEV to transmit an RRF by specifying the addresses of slot 3 and slot 6 as 0xFFFF, just like the RDM IE of the first RCM.

[0112] Participating RDEVs that sent RRF in the first block can determine that they have succeeded in joining the ranging group if the slot assigned to them is included in the RDM IE of the second RCM.

[0113] FIG. 16 illustrates a flowchart of a method of operation of a second electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0114] In step S1610, a second electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may receive a first RCM from a first electronic device that controls the ranging procedure of a ranging group. The first RCM according to one embodiment may include time information set to receive a ranging request from a device that is not participating in the ranging group.

[0115] As an example, time information set to receive a ranging request may include transmission offset information for the RRF.

[0116] The first RCM may include an RR IE used for ranging in a ranging group. The RR IE may contain information about the current ranging round and may further include an offset set to receive a ranging request from a device not participating in the ranging group. The format of the RR IE modified according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated in FIG. 10, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0117] As another example, time information set to receive a ranging request may include transmission slot information for the RRF.

[0118] The first RCM may include an RDM IE that includes information about slots assigned to devices included in a ranging group. The RDM IE may further include information about slots designated to receive ranging requests. In the RDM IE according to one embodiment, the address of the slot designated to receive ranging requests may be specified as a predetermined value. For example, the address of the slot designated to receive ranging requests may be specified as 0xFFFF. The format of the RDM IE according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated in FIG. 12, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0119] In step S1620, a second electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may transmit a ranging request to a first electronic device based on time information.

[0120] As an example, the second electronic device can transmit an RRF to the first electronic device at a time determined based on transmission offset information for the RRF included in the first RCM.

[0121] As another example, the second electronic device can transmit an RRF to the first electronic device at a time determined based on transmission slot information for an RRF included in the first RCM.

[0122] In step S1630, a second electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may receive a second RCM from a first electronic device that includes information about a slot assigned to the second electronic device.

[0123] For example, the second RCM may include an RDM IE that includes information regarding the slot assigned to each of the devices in a ranging group including the second electronic device, the assigned role, and the address of each device. The second electronic device may determine that it has succeeded in joining the ranging group if the RDM IE of the second RCM includes a slot assigned to it.

[0124] In step S1640, the second electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can perform ranging with a ranging group based on the second RCM.

[0125] When a second electronic device according to one embodiment joins a ranging group, the second electronic device and other electronic devices in the ranging group can transmit and receive a frame for ranging, measure the time required for the ranging frame to be transmitted, and measure the position of the second electronic device based on the measured time. The method of performing ranging can be varied depending on the implementation method, and details that overlap with the description of FIG. 9 above are omitted.

[0126] FIG. 17 illustrates a block diagram of a first electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0127] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the first electronic device (100) may be a fixed terminal or a mobile terminal. The first electronic device (100) may be, for example, at least one of a smartphone, a navigation system, a computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a smart home appliance, an artificial intelligence speaker, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), a smart key, and a wearable device, but is not limited thereto. The first electronic device (100) may communicate with other devices and / or servers via a network using a wireless or wired communication method.

[0128] Referring to FIG. 17, a first electronic device (100) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may include a communication unit (110), a processor (120), and a memory (130). However, the first electronic device (100) may be implemented with more or fewer components than those shown in FIG. 17.

[0129] Although the first electronic device (100) in FIG. 17 is illustrated as including a single processor, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the first electronic device (100) may include a plurality of processors. At least some of the operations and functions of the processor (120) described below may be performed by a plurality of processors. The first electronic device (100) illustrated in FIG. 17 may perform the operation method of the first electronic device (100) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and the descriptions of FIG. 1 through 16 may be applied. Accordingly, content that overlaps with what has been described above is omitted.

[0130] A communication unit (110) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can perform wired or wireless communication with another device or network. To this end, the communication unit (110) may include a communication module that supports at least one of various wired or wireless communication methods. For example, the communication module may be in the form of a chipset, or it may be a sticker / barcode (e.g., a sticker including an NFC tag) containing information necessary for communication.

[0131] Wireless communication may include, for example, at least one of cellular communication, Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, UWB (Ultra Wide Band), or NFC (Near Field Communication). Wired communication may include, for example, at least one of USB or HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface).

[0132] In one embodiment, the communication unit (110) may include a communication module for short-range communication. For example, the communication unit (110) may include a communication module for performing various short-range communications, such as infrared communication and MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission), in addition to the UWB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, and NFC described above.

[0133] A processor (120) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure controls the overall operation of the first electronic device (100) by executing a program stored in memory (130) and may include at least one processor such as a CPU, GPU, etc. The processor (120) may control other components included in the first electronic device (100) to perform UWB ranging.

[0134] Regarding the specific method by which the processor (120) controls the overall operation of the first electronic device (100) to perform ranging, the description of FIG. 9 may be applied, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0135] A processor (120) according to one embodiment may broadcast a first RCM containing information for controlling a ranging procedure of a ranging group. The processor (120) may transmit the first RCM to electronic devices participating in a ranging group and electronic devices intending to participate in a ranging group through a communication unit (110). The first RCM according to one embodiment may include time information set to receive a ranging request from a device not participating in a ranging group.

[0136] As an example, time information set to receive a ranging request may include transmission offset information for the RRF.

[0137] The first RCM may include an RR IE used for ranging in a ranging group. The RR IE may contain information about the current ranging round and may further include an offset set to receive a ranging request from a device not participating in the ranging group. A format of the RR IE modified according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated in FIG. 10.

[0138] As another example, time information set to receive a ranging request may include transmission slot information for the RRF.

[0139] The first RCM may include an RDM IE that includes information about slots assigned to devices included in a ranging group. The RDM IE may further include information about slots designated to receive ranging requests. For example, within an RDM IE according to one embodiment, the address of a slot designated to receive ranging requests may be specified as a predetermined value. For example, the address of a slot designated to receive ranging requests may be specified as 0xFFFF. The format of an RDM IE according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated in FIG. 12.

[0140] A processor (120) according to one embodiment may receive a ranging request from a second electronic device based on time information included in a first RCM. The processor (120) may receive an RRF from the second electronic device at a time determined based on transmission offset information for an RRF included in the first RCM.

[0141] A processor (120) according to another embodiment can receive an RRF from a second electronic device at a time determined based on transmission slot information for an RRF included in a first RCM.

[0142] A processor (120) according to one embodiment may determine whether to approve a ranging request from a second electronic device. The processor (120) may decide to approve the ranging request from the second electronic device and may allocate a predetermined slot to the second electronic device. The processor (120) may transmit a second RCM including the slot allocated to the second electronic device and the address of the second electronic device. For example, the processor (120) may transmit a second RCM including an RDM IE that includes information regarding the slot allocated to each of the devices in a ranging group including the second electronic device, the assigned role, and the address of each device.

[0143] A processor (120) according to one embodiment can perform ranging with a second electronic device based on a second RCM. When the second electronic device according to one embodiment joins a ranging group, the processor (120) can transmit and receive a frame for ranging with the second electronic device, measure the time required for the ranging frame to be transmitted, and calculate the distance between the first electronic device and the second electronic device based on the measured time.

[0144] FIG. 18 illustrates a block diagram of a second electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0145] According to various embodiments of the present disclosure, the second electronic device (200) may be a fixed terminal or a mobile terminal. The second electronic device (200) may be, for example, at least one of a smartphone, a navigation system, a computer, a digital broadcasting terminal, a smart home appliance, an artificial intelligence speaker, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants), a PMP (Portable Multimedia Player), a smart key, and a wearable device, but is not limited thereto. The second electronic device (200) may communicate with other devices and / or servers via a network using a wireless or wired communication method.

[0146] Referring to FIG. 18, a second electronic device (200) according to various embodiments of the present disclosure may include a communication unit (210), a processor (220), and a memory (230). However, the second electronic device (200) may be implemented with more or fewer components than those shown in FIG. 18.

[0147] In FIG. 18, the second electronic device (200) is depicted as including a single processor, but the embodiment is not limited thereto, and the second electronic device (200) may include a plurality of processors. At least some of the operations and functions of the processor (220) described below may be performed by a plurality of processors. The second electronic device (200) shown in FIG. 18 may perform operation methods according to various embodiments of the present disclosure, and the descriptions of FIG. 1 through 16 may apply. Accordingly, content that overlaps with what has been described above is omitted.

[0148] A communication unit (210) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure can perform wired or wireless communication with another device or network. To this end, the communication unit (210) may include a communication module that supports at least one of various wired or wireless communication methods. For example, the communication module may be in the form of a chipset, or it may be a sticker / barcode (e.g., a sticker including an NFC tag) containing information necessary for communication.

[0149] Wireless communication may include, for example, at least one of cellular communication, Wi-Fi (Wireless Fidelity), Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, UWB (Ultra Wide Band), or NFC (Near Field Communication). Wired communication may include, for example, at least one of USB or HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface).

[0150] In one embodiment, the communication unit (210) may include a communication module for short-range communication. For example, the communication unit (210) may include a communication module for performing various short-range communications, such as infrared communication and MST (Magnetic Secure Transmission), in addition to the UWB, Wi-Fi, Wi-Fi Direct, Bluetooth, and NFC described above.

[0151] A processor (220) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure controls the overall operation of a second electronic device (200) by executing a program stored in memory (130) and may include at least one processor such as a CPU, GPU, etc. The processor (220) may control other components included in the second electronic device (200) to perform UWB ranging. Regarding the specific method by which the processor (220) controls the overall operation of the second electronic device (200) to perform ranging, the description of FIG. 16 may be applied, and redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0152] A processor (220) according to one embodiment may receive a first RCM from a first electronic device that controls the ranging procedure of a ranging group. The first RCM according to one embodiment may include time information set to receive a ranging request from a device that is not participating in the ranging group.

[0153] As an example, time information set to receive a ranging request may include transmission offset information for the RRF. The first RCM may include an RR IE used for ranging in a ranging group. The RR IE may contain information about the current ranging round and may further include an offset set to receive a ranging request from a device not participating in the ranging group. A format of the RR IE modified according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated in FIG. 10.

[0154] As another example, time information set for receiving a ranging request may include transmission slot information for the RRF. The first RCM may include an RDM IE that includes information about slots allocated to devices included in the ranging group. The RDM IE may further include information about a slot designated to receive a ranging request. For example, within an RDM IE according to one embodiment, the address for the slot designated to receive a ranging request may be specified as a predetermined value. For example, the address for the slot designated to receive a ranging request may be specified as 0xFFFF. The format of an RDM IE according to one embodiment of the present disclosure is illustrated in FIG. 12.

[0155] A processor (220) according to one embodiment can transmit a ranging request to a first electronic device based on time information included in the first RCM.

[0156] As an example, the processor (220) can transmit the RRF to the first electronic device at a time determined based on transmission offset information for the RRF included in the first RCM.

[0157] As another example, the processor (220) can transmit the RRF to the first electronic device at a time determined based on the transmission slot information for the RRF included in the first RCM.

[0158] A processor (220) according to one embodiment can receive a second RCM from a first electronic device that includes information about a slot assigned to a second electronic device.

[0159] For example, the second RCM may include an RDM IE that includes information regarding the slot assigned to each of the devices in a ranging group including the second electronic device, the assigned role, and the address of each device. The second electronic device may determine that it has succeeded in joining the ranging group if the RDM IE of the second RCM includes a slot assigned to it.

[0160] A processor (220) according to one embodiment can perform ranging with a ranging group based on a second RCM.

[0161] When a second electronic device according to one embodiment joins a ranging group, a processor (220) according to one embodiment can transmit and receive a frame for ranging with other electronic devices in the ranging group, measure the time required for the ranging frame to be transmitted, and calculate the distance between the other electronic devices and the second electronic device based on the measured time.

[0162] Various embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented as a software program comprising instructions stored on a computer-readable storage media.

[0163] A computer is a device capable of calling instructions stored from a storage medium and performing operations according to the disclosed embodiments according to the called instructions, and may include an image transmission device and an image reception device according to the disclosed embodiments.

[0164] Computer-readable storage media may be provided in the form of non-transitory storage media. Here, 'non-transitory' means merely that the storage medium does not contain a signal and is tangible, without distinguishing whether data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily on the storage medium.

[0165] Additionally, the electronic device or method according to the disclosed embodiments 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.

[0166] A computer program product may include a software program and a computer-readable storage medium on which the software program is stored. For example, a computer program product may include a product in the form of a software program (e.g., a downloadable app) that is electronically distributed through a manufacturer of an electronic device or an electronic market (e.g., Google Play Store, App Store). For electronic distribution, at least a portion of the software program may be stored on a storage medium or temporarily created. In this case, the storage medium may be a server of the manufacturer, a server of the electronic market, or a storage medium of a relay server that temporarily stores the software program.

[0167] A computer program product may include a storage medium of a server or a storage medium of a terminal in a system composed of a server and a terminal (e.g., a ranging electronic device). Alternatively, if there is a third device (e.g., a smartphone) that is communicationally connected to the server or terminal, the computer program product may include a storage medium of the third device. Alternatively, the computer program product may include the S / W program itself that is transmitted from the server to the terminal or the third device, or transmitted from the third device to the terminal.

[0168] In this case, one of the server, terminal, and third device may execute the computer program product to perform the method according to the disclosed embodiments. Alternatively, two or more of the server, terminal, and third device may execute the computer program product to perform the method according to the disclosed embodiments in a distributed manner.

[0169] For example, a server (e.g., a cloud server or an artificial intelligence server, etc.) can execute a computer program product stored on the server to control a terminal connected to the server in communication to perform a method according to the disclosed embodiments.

[0170] As another example, the third device may execute a computer program product to control a terminal connected to the third device in communication to perform a method according to the disclosed embodiment. As a specific example, the third device may remotely control a ranging device to control it to perform ranging.

[0171] When the third device executes a computer program product, the third device may download the computer program product from a server and execute the downloaded computer program product. Alternatively, the third device may execute a computer program product provided in a preloaded state to perform the method according to the disclosed embodiments.

Claims

Claim 1 A method of operation of a first electronic device that performs ranging via Ultra Wide Band (UWB), comprising the step of the first electronic device transmitting a first Ranged Control Message (RCM) containing information for controlling a ranging procedure of a ranging group, wherein the first RCM comprises a Ranged Round Information Element (RR IE) including a first transmission offset for the ranging group and a second transmission offset set to receive a ranging request from a device not participating in the ranging group, and a first Ranged Device Management Information Element (RDM IE) including information about a slot designated to receive the ranging request, and the address of the slot designated to receive the ranging request is set to 0xFFFF; the step of receiving the ranging request from a second electronic device not participating in the ranging group based on the second transmission offset and the information about the slot designated to receive the ranging request; and based on the received ranging request A step of determining whether to approve the second electronic device participating in the ranging group; a step of transmitting a second RCM containing information about a slot assigned to the second electronic device when the second electronic device is approved to participate in the ranging group, wherein the second RCM includes a second RDM IE including a slot assigned to each device of the ranging group and an address of each device of the ranging group, and where the second RDM IE further includes an address of the second electronic device, the second RDM IE indicates approval of the ranging request from the second electronic device;A method of operating a first electronic device, comprising the step of performing ranging with the second electronic device based on the second RCM.; Claim 2 delete Claim 3 delete Claim 4 delete Claim 5 delete Claim 6 delete Claim 7 delete Claim 8 A method of operation of a first electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the step of performing the ranging comprises: transmitting a first ranging frame to the second electronic device; receiving a second ranging frame from the second electronic device; calculating the time required for the second ranging frame to be transmitted from the second electronic device to the first electronic device based on the first ranging frame and the second ranging frame; and calculating the distance between the first electronic device and the second electronic device based on the calculated time. Claim 9 A method of operation of a second electronic device that performs ranging via Ultra Wide Band (UWB), comprising the step of receiving a first Ranged Control Message (RCM) from a first electronic device that controls the ranging procedure of a ranging group, wherein the first RCM comprises a Ranged Round Information Element (RR IE) including a first transmission offset for the ranging group and a second transmission offset set to receive a ranging request from a device not participating in the ranging group, and a first Ranged Device Management Information Element (RDM IE) including information about a slot designated to receive the ranging request, and the address of the slot designated to receive the ranging request is set to 0xFFFF; the step of transmitting the ranging request for participation in the ranging group to the first electronic device based on the second transmission offset and the information about the slot designated to receive the ranging request; and the step wherein, based on the ranging request, the second electronic device A method of operation of a second electronic device, comprising the step of receiving a second RCM containing information about a slot assigned to the second electronic device when participation in the ranging group is approved, wherein the second RCM includes a second RDM IE including a slot assigned to each device of the ranging group and an address of each device of the ranging group, and where the second RDM IE further includes an address of the second electronic device, the second RDM IE indicates approval of the ranging request from the second electronic device; and the step of performing ranging with the ranging group based on the second RCM. Claim 10 In a first electronic device that performs ranging via UWB (Ultra Wide Band), the device comprises: a communication unit; a memory; and includes at least one processor that controls the operation of the first electronic device by executing a program stored in the memory, wherein the at least one processor transmits a first Ranged Control Message (RCM) containing information for the first electronic device to control a ranged procedure of a ranged group, and the first RCM includes a Ranged Round Information Element (RR IE) including a first transmission offset for the ranged group and a second transmission offset set to receive a ranged request from a device not participating in the ranged group, and a first Ranged Device Management Information Element (RDM IE) including information about a slot designated to receive the ranged request, and the address of the slot designated to receive the ranged request is set to 0xFFFF, and receives the ranged request from a second electronic device not participating in the ranged group based on the second transmission offset and the information about the slot designated to receive the ranged request, and based on the received ranged request Determining whether to approve the participation of the second electronic device in the ranging group, and if the participation of the second electronic device in the ranging group is approved, transmitting a second RCM containing information about a slot assigned to the second electronic device, wherein the second RCM includes a second RDM IE including a slot assigned to each device in the ranging group and an address of each device in the ranging group, and wherein the second RDM IE further includes an address of the second electronic device,A first electronic device characterized in that the second RDM IE indicates an acknowledgment of the ranging request from the second electronic device, and performs ranging with the second electronic device based on the second RCM. Claim 11 delete Claim 12 delete Claim 13 delete Claim 14 delete Claim 15 delete Claim 16 A first electronic device according to claim 10, wherein the at least one processor transmits a first ranging frame to the second electronic device, receives a second ranging frame from the second electronic device, calculates the time required for the second ranging frame to be transmitted from the second electronic device to the first electronic device based on the first ranging frame and the second ranging frame, and performs ranging by calculating the distance between the first electronic device and the second electronic device based on the calculated time. Claim 17 In a second electronic device that performs ranging via UWB, a communication unit; a memory;and includes at least one processor that controls the operation of the second electronic device by executing a program stored in the memory, wherein the at least one processor receives a first Ranged Control Message (RCM) from a first electronic device that controls a ranged procedure of a ranged group, and the first RCM includes a Ranged Round Information Element (RR IE) comprising a first transmission offset for the ranged group and a second transmission offset set to receive a ranged request from a device not participating in the ranged group, and a first Ranged Device Management Information Element (RDM IE) comprising information about a slot designated to receive the ranged request, and the address of the slot designated to receive the ranged request is set to 0xFFFF, and transmits the ranged request for participation in the ranged group to the first electronic device based on the second transmission offset and the information about the slot designated to receive the ranged request, and based on the ranged request, the second electronic device A second electronic device characterized by receiving a second RCM containing information about a slot assigned to the second electronic device when participation in the ranging group is approved, wherein the second RCM includes a second RDM IE including a slot assigned to each device of the ranging group and an address of each device of the ranging group, and wherein, if the second RDM IE further includes an address of the second electronic device, the second RDM IE indicates approval of the ranging request from the second electronic device, and performing ranging with the ranging group based on the second RCM. Claim 18 One or more computer-readable recording media storing a program for performing the method of claim 1 on a computer. Claim 19 One or more computer-readable recording media storing a program for performing the method of claim 9 on a computer.

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