Method and apparatus for transmitting or receiving hyper block structure information element in ultra-wideband wireless network system

Abstract

Disclosed are a method and an apparatus for transmitting or receiving a hyper block structure information element (HBS IE) in an ultra-wideband wireless network system. A method, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, may comprise the steps of: receiving an HBS IE by a first device from a second device; and performing a ranging procedure by the first device on the basis of the HBS IE. The HBS IE may be transmitted in a ranging control message (RCM) of a first round of a first block of each hyper block.

Description

Method and device for transmitting or receiving hyper block structure information elements in an ultra-wideband wireless network system

[0001] The present disclosure relates to a method and apparatus for transmitting or receiving a hyper block structure information element in an ultra-wideband wireless network system.

[0002] Low-rate (LR) wireless networks can support low-data-rate connectivity between fixed or mobile devices with limited battery consumption requirements. For example, LR wireless networks can be applied to wireless personal area networks (WPANs). The Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) 802.15.4 standard defines various techniques for the physical layer (PHY) and radio access control (MAC) sublayer for LR wireless networks. For example, the IEEE 802.15.4 standard defines various modes that support precise ranging.

[0003] Ultra-wideband (UWB) wireless networks can support transmitting large amounts of information at low power over a very wide bandwidth (e.g., frequency bands of 3.1 GHz to 10.6 GHz). For example, UWB technology can support converting digitally encoded information into impulse signals with very short time durations, such as sub-nanoseconds, and transmitting them wirelessly. The IEEE 802.15.4z standard defines ultra-wideband (UWB) technology related to ranging technology. For example, the IEEE 802.15.4z standard includes high-rate pulse frequency (HRP) PHY technology, which supports high-speed data communications (e.g., 27-31 Mbps) and accurate two-way ranging and positioning, and high-rate pulse frequency (LRP) PHY technology, which supports various modes for low-speed data communications (e.g., Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) applications). Furthermore, the IEEE 802.15.4z standard includes UWB PHY technology that improves the integrity and accuracy of ranging measurements, and MAC technology that supports the exchange of ranging-related information between devices participating in ranging and the control of time-of-flight (TOF) ranging procedures. Recently, the IEEE 802.15.4ab standard is under discussion for the advancement of UWB PHY / MAC, which includes improvements to wireless network technology based on the IEEE 802.15.4z standard.

[0004] The technical problem of the present disclosure is to provide a method and device for transmitting or receiving a hyper block structure information block (HBS IE) in a UWB wireless network system.

[0005] The technical problems to be achieved in the present disclosure are not limited to the technical problems mentioned above, and other technical problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the technical field to which the present disclosure belongs from the description below.

[0006] A method according to one aspect of the present disclosure may include the steps of: receiving a hyper block structure information element (HBS IE) from a second device by a first device; and performing a ranging procedure by the first device based on the HBS IE. The HBS IE may be transmitted in a ranging control message (RCM) of a first round of a first block of each hyper block.

[0007] A method according to an additional aspect of the present disclosure may include: generating, by a second device, a hyper block structure information element (HBS IE) associated with a ranging procedure of one or more first devices; and transmitting, by the second device, the HBS IE to one or more first devices. The HBS IE may be transmitted in a ranging control message (RCM) of a first round of a first block of each hyper block.

[0008] According to the present disclosure, a method and device for transmitting or receiving a hyper block structure information block (HBS IE) in a UWB wireless network system can be provided.

[0009] The effects that can be obtained from the present disclosure are not limited to the effects mentioned above, and other effects that are not mentioned will be clearly understood by a person having ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure pertains from the description below.

[0010] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and are part of the detailed description to aid in understanding the present disclosure, provide embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the detailed description, describe the technical features of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a wireless communication device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an HRP UWB PPDU format to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0013] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the setup of an HRP UWB PPDU STS packet structure to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0014] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining two-way ranging techniques to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0015] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining examples of formats of RMI IE, RCPCS IE, RRMC IE, and RRTI IE to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0016] FIG. 6 illustrates an example message sequence chart for SS-TWR applying deferred response time results to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0017] FIG. 7 illustrates an example message sequence chart for SS-TWR applying embedded response time results to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0018] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a message sequence chart for SS-TWR using SP3 packets to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0019] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a message sequence chart for a DS-TWR to which delayed response time information to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0020] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a message sequence chart for DS-TWR to which embedded ranging time information to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0021] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the role of a device in a ranging procedure to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0022] Figure 12 shows examples of ARC IE, RDM IE, RBU IE, RR IE, and SRRE IE formats to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0023] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a ranging block structure and ranging phase to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0024] FIG. 14 illustrates examples of timing diagrams for various multi-device ranging to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0025] FIG. 15 shows a time diagram in an example of a block-based mode to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0026] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating examples of various transmission offsets to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0027] FIG. 17 illustrates an example of a message sequence chart for a one-to-many SS-TWR to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0028] FIG. 18 illustrates an example of a message sequence chart for an SP3 one-to-many SS-TWR to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0029] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing examples of transmission offsets and round hopping to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0030] FIG. 20 illustrates an example of a time structure in a hyper block-based mode according to the present disclosure.

[0031] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing another example of the HBS IE format according to the present disclosure.

[0032] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the difference in time structure for a single application to which the present disclosure can be applied and a combination of various applications.

[0033] FIG. 23 is a drawing for explaining the operation of the first device according to the present disclosure.

[0034] FIG. 24 is a drawing for explaining the operation of a second device according to the present disclosure.

[0035] FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of round hopping in hyper block mode according to the present disclosure.

[0036] FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating examples of information elements including current block index information related to the hyper block mode according to the present disclosure.

[0037] FIG. 27 illustrates an example of HRR IE-based operation for hyper block mode according to the present disclosure.

[0038] Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The detailed description set forth below, together with the accompanying drawings, is intended to explain exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure and is not intended to represent the only embodiments in which the present disclosure may be practiced. The following detailed description includes specific details to provide a thorough understanding of the present disclosure. However, one of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the present disclosure may be practiced without these specific details.

[0039] In some cases, to avoid obscuring the concepts of the present disclosure, known structures and devices may be omitted or illustrated in block diagram form focusing on the core functions of each structure and device.

[0040] In the present disclosure, when a component is said to be "connected," "coupled," or "connected" to another component, this may include not only a direct connection but also an indirect connection in which another component exists between them. Furthermore, the terms "comprises" or "has" in the present disclosure specify the presence of the mentioned features, steps, operations, elements, and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or groups thereof.

[0041] In this disclosure, terms such as “first,” “second,” etc. are used only to distinguish one component from another and are not used to limit the components, and do not limit the order or importance between the components unless specifically stated otherwise. Accordingly, within the scope of this disclosure, a first component in one embodiment may be referred to as a second component in another embodiment, and similarly, a second component in one embodiment may be referred to as a first component in another embodiment.

[0042] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to limit the scope of the claims. As used in the description of the embodiments and the appended claims, the singular forms "a," "an," and "the" are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The term "and / or" as used herein may refer to any one of the associated enumerated items, or is meant to refer to and encompass any and all possible combinations of two or more of them. Furthermore, the use of " / " between words in this disclosure has the same meaning as "and / or" unless otherwise stated.

[0043] The examples of the present disclosure can be applied to various wireless communication systems. For example, the examples of the present disclosure can be applied to a wireless network based on the IEEE 802.15 standard (e.g., Zigbee, Bluetooth, etc.). In particular, the examples of the present disclosure can be applied to a wireless network based on the IEEE 802.15.4 standard, and further, can be applied to a newly proposed IEEE 802.15.4ab standard-based UWB wireless network, or a next-generation UWB wireless network after IEEE 802.15.4ab. The wireless communication system to which the examples of the present disclosure are applied is not limited to a wireless network of the IEEE 802.15 series, and can be applied to a wireless local area network (WLAN) technology or Wi-Fi technology of the IEEE 802.11 series, or can be applied to a cellular wireless communication system (e.g., a technology of the Long Term Evolution (LTE) series of the 3rd Generation Partnership Project (3GPP) standard, and 5G New Radio (NR), etc.).

[0044] The IEEE 802.15.4ab standard, which includes techniques to further enhance the UWB PHY / MAC, is under discussion. For example, the IEEE 802.15.4ab standard includes: additional coding, preamble, and modulation techniques to support improved link budget and / or reduced airtime; additional channels and operating frequencies; interference mitigation techniques to support higher device density and higher traffic use cases; improvements to the accuracy, precision, reliability, and interoperability of high-integrity ranging; techniques to reduce complexity and power consumption; definition of hybrid operation with narrowband signaling to assist UWB; improved native discovery and connection setup mechanisms; sensing capabilities to support presence detection and environment mapping; mechanisms to support high data-rate streaming, allowing throughputs of at least 50 Mbps, as well as low-power, low-latency streaming; Support for peer-to-peer, peer-to-multipeer, station-to-infrastructure protocols and infrastructure synchronization mechanisms is being discussed.

[0045] Below, technical features to which examples of the present disclosure can be applied are described.

[0046] FIG. 1 illustrates a block diagram of a wireless communication device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0047] The first device (100) and the second device (200) illustrated in FIG. 1 may be replaced with various terms such as a terminal, a wireless device, a WTRU (Wireless Transmit Receive Unit), a UE (User Equipment), an MS (Mobile Station), a UT (user terminal), an MSS (Mobile Subscriber Station), an MSS (Mobile Subscriber Unit), an SS (Subscriber Station), an AMS (Advanced Mobile Station), a WT (Wireless terminal), or simply a user. In addition, the first device (100) and the second device (200) may be replaced with various terms such as an access point (AP), a BS (Base Station), a fixed station, a Node B, a BTS (Base Transceiver System), a network, an AI (Artificial Intelligence) system, an RSU (road side unit), a repeater, a router, a relay, a gateway, etc.

[0048] If the devices (100, 200) illustrated in FIG. 1 support ranging, they may be referred to as RDEV (ranging-capable device) or ERDEV (enhanced ranging-capable device). For example, the devices (100, 200) illustrated in FIG. 1 may be referred to by various terms, such as a transmitting device, a receiving device, a transmitting RDEV, a receiving RDEV, a transmitting ERDEV, and a receiving ERDEV. For example, the devices (110, 200) may be referred to as an initiator, a responder, an originator, a recipient, a controller, a controlee, and the like, depending on their roles in ranging operations. The role of a device is not fixed, but may be relatively determined based on its relationship with other devices. When a device interacts with multiple devices, the device may perform multiple roles.

[0049] Referring to FIG. 1, a first device (100) and a second device (200) can transmit and receive wireless signals through various UWB wireless network technologies (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4 series). The first device (100) and the second device (200) can include interfaces for a medium access control (MAC) layer and a physical layer (PHY) that follow the provisions of the IEEE 802.15.4 standard. The IEEE 802.15.4-based PHY and MAC are included in a UWB subsystem, and the UWB subsystem can further include a UWB command interface (UCI) corresponding to an interface between a UWB controller and a host. The UWB subsystem can exchange messages with a host system through the UCI.

[0050] In addition, the first device (100) and the second device (200) may additionally support various communication standards (e.g., standards of the IEEE 802.15 series, IEEE 802.11 series, 3GPP LTE series, 5G NR series, etc.) other than the UWB wireless network technology. In addition, the device of the present disclosure may be implemented as various devices such as a mobile phone, a vehicle, a personal computer, an AR (Augmented Reality) device, a VR (Virtual Reality) device, etc. In addition, the device of the present specification may support various communication services such as voice calls, video calls, data communications, autonomous driving, MTC (Machine-Type Communication), M2M (Machine-to-Machine), D2D (Device-to-Device), and IoT (Internet-of-Things).

[0051] A first device (100) includes one or more processors (102) and one or more memories (104), and may further include one or more transceivers (106) and / or one or more antennas (108). The processor (102) controls the memories (104) and / or the transceivers (106), and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in the present disclosure. For example, the processor (102) may process information in the memories (104) to generate first information / signals, and then transmit a wireless signal including the first information / signals via the transceivers (106). Furthermore, the processor (102) may receive a wireless signal including second information / signals via the transceivers (106), and then store information obtained from signal processing of the second information / signals in the memory (104). The memory (104) may be connected to the processor (102) and may store various information related to the operation of the processor (102). For example, the memory (104) may perform some or all of the processes controlled by the processor (102), or may store software code including instructions for performing the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in the present disclosure. Here, the processor (102) and the memory (104) may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement UWB wireless network technology (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4 series). The transceiver (106) may be connected to the processor (102) and may transmit and / or receive wireless signals via one or more antennas (108). The transceiver (106) may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transceiver (106) may be used interchangeably with an RF (Radio Frequency) unit. In the present disclosure, a device may also mean a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0052] The second device (200) includes one or more processors (202), one or more memories (204), and may further include one or more transceivers (206) and / or one or more antennas (208). The processor (202) controls the memories (204) and / or the transceivers (206), and may be configured to implement the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in the present disclosure. For example, the processor (202) may process information in the memory (204) to generate third information / signals, and then transmit a wireless signal including the third information / signals via the transceivers (206). Furthermore, the processor (202) may receive a wireless signal including fourth information / signals via the transceivers (206), and then store information obtained from signal processing of the fourth information / signals in the memory (204). The memory (204) may be connected to the processor (202) and may store various information related to the operation of the processor (202). For example, the memory (204) may perform some or all of the processes controlled by the processor (202), or may store software code including instructions for performing the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in the present disclosure. Here, the processor (202) and the memory (204) may be part of a communication modem / circuit / chip designed to implement UWB wireless network technology (e.g., IEEE 802.15.4 series). The transceiver (206) may be connected to the processor (202) and may transmit and / or receive wireless signals via one or more antennas (208). The transceiver (206) may include a transmitter and / or a receiver. The transceiver (206) may be used interchangeably with an RF unit. In the present disclosure, a device may also mean a communication modem / circuit / chip.

[0053] Hereinafter, the hardware elements of the device (100, 200) will be described in more detail. Although not limited thereto, one or more protocol layers may be implemented by one or more processors (102, 202). For example, one or more processors (102, 202) may implement one or more layers (e.g., functional layers such as PHY, MAC). One or more processors (102, 202) may generate one or more Protocol Data Units (PDUs) and / or one or more Service Data Units (SDUs) according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in the present disclosure. One or more processors (102, 202) may generate messages, control information, data, or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in the present disclosure. One or more processors (102, 202) can generate signals (e.g., baseband signals) including PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data or information according to the functions, procedures, proposals and / or methods disclosed in the present disclosure, and provide the signals to one or more transceivers (106, 206). One or more processors (102, 202) can receive signals (e.g., baseband signals) from one or more transceivers (106, 206) and obtain PDUs, SDUs, messages, control information, data or information according to the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in the present disclosure.

[0054] One or more processors (102, 202) may be referred to as a controller, a microcontroller, a microprocessor, or a microcomputer. One or more processors (102, 202) may be implemented by hardware, firmware, software, or a combination thereof. For example, one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), one or more Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), one or more Digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), one or more Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), or one or more Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs) may be included in one or more processors (102, 202). The descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure may be implemented using firmware or software, and the firmware or software may be implemented to include modules, procedures, functions, etc. The descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure may be implemented using firmware or software configured to perform one or more processors (102, 202) or stored in one or more memories (104, 204) and driven by one or more processors (102, 202). The descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or operation flowcharts disclosed in this disclosure may be implemented using firmware or software in the form of codes, instructions and / or sets of instructions.

[0055] One or more memories (104, 204) may be coupled to one or more processors (102, 202) and may store various forms of data, signals, messages, information, programs, codes, instructions, and / or commands. The one or more memories (104, 204) may be configured as ROM, RAM, EPROM, flash memory, hard drives, registers, cache memory, computer-readable storage media, and / or combinations thereof. The one or more memories (104, 204) may be located internally and / or externally to the one or more processors (102, 202). Additionally, the one or more memories (104, 204) may be coupled to the one or more processors (102, 202) via various technologies, such as wired or wireless connections.

[0056] One or more transceivers (106, 206) can transmit user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., as mentioned in the methods and / or flowcharts of the present disclosure, to one or more other devices. One or more transceivers (106, 206) can receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc., as mentioned in the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods and / or flowcharts of the present disclosure, from one or more other devices. For example, one or more transceivers (106, 206) can be coupled to one or more processors (102, 202) and can transmit and receive wireless signals. For example, one or more processors (102, 202) can control one or more transceivers (106, 206) to transmit user data, control information, or wireless signals to one or more other devices. Additionally, one or more processors (102, 202) may control one or more transceivers (106, 206) to receive user data, control information, or wireless signals from one or more other devices. Additionally, one or more transceivers (106, 206) may be coupled to one or more antennas (108, 208), and one or more transceivers (106, 206) may be configured to transmit and receive user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, or the like, as referred to in the descriptions, functions, procedures, proposals, methods, and / or operational flowcharts disclosed in the present disclosure, via one or more antennas (108, 208). In the present disclosure, one or more antennas may be multiple physical antennas or multiple logical antennas (e.g., antenna ports). One or more transceivers (106, 206) can convert received user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. from RF band signals to baseband signals in order to process the received user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. using one or more processors (102, 202).One or more transceivers (106, 206) may convert user data, control information, wireless signals / channels, etc. processed by one or more processors (102, 202) from baseband signals to RF band signals. For this purpose, one or more transceivers (106, 206) may include an (analog) oscillator and / or filter.

[0057] For example, the transceiver (106, 206) of FIG. 1 can perform transmission and reception operations of signals (e.g., packets or PPDUs (Physical layer Protocol Data Units) according to IEEE 802.15.4, etc.). In addition, in the present disclosure, operations in which various devices generate transmission and reception signals or perform data processing or calculations in advance for transmission and reception signals can be performed in the processor (102, 202) of FIG. 1. For example, an example of an operation for generating a transmission / reception signal or performing data processing or operation in advance for a transmission / reception signal may include an operation for determining / obtaining / configuring / computing / decoding / encoding bit information of field(s) included in a PPDU, an operation for determining / configuring / obtaining time resources or frequency resources, etc. used for field(s) included in a PPDU, an operation for determining / configuring / obtaining a specific sequence, etc. used for field(s) included in a PPDU, an operation for determining / configuring / obtaining a power control operation and / or a power saving operation applied to a device, and an operation for determining / obtaining / configuring / computing / decoding / encoding an ACK signal. Additionally, in the examples below, various information (e.g., information related to fields / subfields / control fields / parameters / power, etc.) used by various devices for determining / acquiring / configuring / operating / decoding / encoding transmission / reception signals can be stored in the memory (104, 204) of FIG. 1.

[0058] In the UWB band, devices can perform medium access based on the CSMA / CA (Carrier Sense Multiple Access with Collision Avoidance) mechanism. The CSMA / CA mechanism can perform CCA (Clear Channel Assessment), which senses the wireless channel or medium for a predetermined period of time before the device begins transmitting. Sensing can be performed, for example, using an energy detection (ED) method based on a predetermined threshold. If the sensing result indicates that the medium is idle, the device initiates transmission through the medium. Conversely, if the medium is detected to be occupied or busy, the device may not initiate transmission but wait for a delay period (e.g., a random backoff period) for medium access before attempting transmission. By applying a random backoff period, multiple devices are expected to wait for different periods of time before attempting transmission, thereby minimizing collisions.

[0059] In addition, when a superframe structure is applied, a slotted CSMA-CA mechanism may be applied to data transmission in the CAP (contention access period) of the active portion among the active portion and the inactive portion of the interval between beacons. The CSMA-CA mechanism may not be applied to data transmission within the active portion and in the CFP (contention free period). When a superframe structure is not applied, an unslotted CSMA-CA mechanism may be applied to transmission of all data frames except for an ACK frame for a data request command.

[0060] Ranging Measurement

[0061] Ranging involves measuring the distance between two devices, and a device with ranging capability may be referred to as a ranging-capable device (RDEV) or enhanced ranging-capable device (ERDEV).

[0062] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining an HRP UWB PPDU format to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0063] Figures 2(a) to 2(g) illustrate the encoding process of an HRP UWB PPDU. Through the encoding process, an HRP UWB PPDU having a format including a synchronization header (SHR), a PHY header (PHR), and a PHY payload field can be generated.

[0064] Figure 2(a) shows a PSDU (PHY service data unit) received from MAC through a PHY SAP (service access point). The PSDU may include a MAC PDU.

[0065] In Fig. 2(b), Reed-Solomon encoding can be applied to the PSDU to generate a PHY payload field. The PHY payload field in Fig. 2(b) is non-spread and corresponds to a state before convolution encoding is applied.

[0066] In Fig. 2(c), a PHR field may be added before the PHY payload field. The PHR field may have a size of 19 bits, from bits 0 to 18. For example, bits 0-1 may correspond to a data rate field, bits 2-8 may correspond to a frame length field, bit 9 may correspond to a ranging field, bit 10 may correspond to a reserved field, bits 11-12 may correspond to a preamble duration field, and bits 13-18 may correspond to a SECDED (single error correct, double error detect) field. The data rate field may indicate a data rate value applied to the PHY payload field. The frame length field may indicate the length of a PSDU. The ranging field may indicate whether the corresponding frame is a RFRAME (ranging frame). The preamble duration field may indicate the length (in symbol units) of the SYNC field of the SHR.

[0067] In Fig. 2(d), convolution encoding is applied to generate a coded PHY payload field, and in Fig. 2(e), spreading can be applied to the PHY payload field.

[0068] In Fig. 2(f), an SHR may be added before the PHR. The SHR field may include a SYNC field (or preamble code) and a start-of-frame delimiter (SFD) field.

[0069] In FIG. 2(g), modulation is applied to the SHR, PHR, and PHY payload fields, and the PPDU encoding procedure is terminated. The basic coding rate may be applied to the SHR field. BPM-BPSK (burst position modulation-binary phase shift keying) with a coding rate of 850 kb / s or 110 kb / s may be applied to the PHR field. BPM-BPSK with a coding rate indicated in the PHR may be applied to the PHY payload field. For example,

[0070] FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the setup of an HRP UWB PPDU STS packet structure to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0071] The STS (Scrambled Timestamp Sequence) field may contain a sequence of pseudo-randomized pulses. For example, the STS may contain a sequence of pseudo-random pulses based on AES (Advanced Encryption Standard)-128, and may be utilized for accurate positioning in spread spectrum-based positioning technology in UWB communications.

[0072] The PPDU STS packet structure settings may vary depending on whether the STS field is included and its location.

[0073] Figure 3(a) shows the format corresponding to STS packet setting 0 (i.e., no STS field exists in the PPDU). This format can be defined as mandatory.

[0074] Figure 3(b) shows the format corresponding to STS packet setup 1 (i.e., the STS field is located immediately after the SFD field and before the PHR field). This format can be defined mandatorily.

[0075] Figure 3(c) shows the format corresponding to STS packet setup 2 (i.e., the STS field is located after the PHY payload field). This format may be defined as optional.

[0076] Figure 3(d) shows the format corresponding to STS packet setup 3 (i.e., the STS field is located immediately after the SFD field, there is no PHR field, and there is no Data field (i.e., the PHY payload field)). This format can be defined mandatorily.

[0077] PPDU formats such as those in the examples in Fig. 3 may also be referred to as HRP-ERDEV PPDU formats. In Fig. 3, arrows indicate the RMARKER (ranging marker) reference locations in each format. The RMARKER can be a reference for timestamp measurement or a ranging counter.

[0078] For example, RMARKER can be defined as the time at the local antenna of the start of the first symbol following the SFD of RFRAME. The next higher layer can estimate the relative clock offset between the local reference clocks of the remote transmitter and receiver based on the reporting of the SRMARKER receive ranging counter value for one or more STS segments.

[0079] The ranging counter supported by RDEV corresponds to a set of behavioral properties and capabilities of RDEV that produce ranging counter values. The ranging counter value is an unsigned integer and can be defined to be at least 32 bits long. The unit of the ranging counter is 2 of a 499.2 MHz chip period for the HRP UWB PHY. -7 is defined as approximately 15.65 picoseconds (ps), which is 20 times the base chipping rate of 1 MHz for the LRP UWB PHY. -20is defined as and is approximately 0.9537 ps.

[0080] The ranging capability can be enabled in the RDEV using the MCPS (MAC common part sublayer)-DATA.request primitive and the MLME (MAC sublayer management entity)-RX-ENABLE.request primitive. A primitive can mean a set of commands or parameters exchanged between layers or sublayer entities within a device. For example, an originator can request the ranging capability using the MCPS-DATA.request primitive, and a recipient can activate the ranging capability using the MLME-RX-ENABLE.request primitive.

[0081] Ranging and Localization Methods

[0082] The ranging and localization methods supported by RDEVs and ERDEVs can be based on time-stamping capabilities. Time-based techniques such as single-sided two-way ranging (SS-TWR), double-sided two-way ranging (DS-TWR), and one-way ranging / time difference of arrival (OWR / TDOA) are described below.

[0083] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining two-way ranging techniques to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0084] In the example of Figure 4(a), SS-TWR includes the measurement of the round-trip delay of a single message from one device to another and the response sent to the sending device. Device A initiates the message exchange, device B sends the response, and T_prop corresponds to the propagation time of the RMARKER between the devices.

[0085] Each device precisely measures the transmission and reception times of message frames, allowing it to calculate T_round and T_reply through simple subtraction. The resulting TOF can be estimated as ^T_prop using the formula below.

[0086]

[0087] If the device can estimate the relative clock offset between itself and the remote device, the accuracy of TOF can be improved by the following formula:

[0088]

[0089] Here, C_offs corresponds to the value measured by the receiver of device A relative clock offset between itself and the transmitter of remote device B.

[0090] In the example of Fig. 4(b), DS-TWR corresponds to an extension of SS-TWR, and two round trip times are used and combined to produce a TOF result by reducing errors in the case where an uncorrected clock frequency offset exists even if the response delay is long. Device A initiates the first round trip time measurement, device B responds to it, and then device B initiates the second round trip time measurement, and device A responds to it, thereby completing the entire DS-TWR exchange. T_prop corresponds to the propagation time of the RMARKER between devices.

[0091] Each device precisely measures the transmission and reception times of message frames, allowing it to calculate T_round and T_reply through simple subtraction. The resulting TOF can be estimated as ^T_prop using the formula below.

[0092]

[0093] The example in Fig. 4(c) corresponds to reducing the DS-TWR through the four messages in Fig. 4(b) to three messages. That is, the response to the first round-trip time measurement can be used as the initiation message for the second round-trip time measurement.

[0094] Next, we describe the TDOA method. TDOA is a technique for locating wireless devices (e.g., radio frequency identification (RFID) devices) based on the relative arrival times of a single message or multiple messages. OWR can be used for TDOA. There are two cases for TDOA. In one case, a message is periodically broadcast by a mobile device, and the arrival times of the broadcast messages at multiple stationary nodes synchronized in a predetermined manner can be compared. Typically, the message transmitted by the mobile device is referred to as a blink. In the other case, multiple synchronized nodes can sequentially broadcast messages according to a known transmission time offset. For any pair of stationary synchronized nodes, the difference in arrival times of the blinks in the first case, or the difference in arrival times of the broadcast messages received by the mobile device in the second case, positions the mobile device on a hyperbolic surface. By combining the results from multiple such pairs, the intersection point between the sets of hyperbolic surfaces can be derived, thereby determining the location of the mobile device. In a second case, the transmission offset can be taken into account when calculating the difference in arrival times of messages from synchronized nodes.

[0095] RFID devices typically use the shortest possible blink message (e.g., a multipurpose frame) to reduce power consumption. A multipurpose frame can be 12 octets long and include a short frame control field, a sequence number field, and may not include a destination address field, an extended source address field, or a frame check sequence (FCS).

[0096] Synchronization of fixed nodes can be achieved by distributing clock signals over a wire, or wireless synchronization techniques can be applied. Using UWB messages transmitted between fixed nodes (and known / pre-measured TOF), the relative clock frequency offset and drift between fixed nodes can be calculated. This information can be used to correct the arrival times of blink messages to a common time base, making TDOA data meaningful.

[0097] Setup procedure before ranging exchange

[0098] To reduce power consumption, ranging can be defined as disabled by default. Enabling ranging on all RDEVs participating in a TWR exchange can be performed by a higher layer. Furthermore, if optional capabilities are used, some coordination of the preamble and channel selection can be assumed prior to the TWR exchange.

[0099] Finish-up procedure after ranging exchange

[0100] At the end of a TWR exchange, each device can maintain transmit (TX) and receive (RX) ranging counter values ​​related to round-trip time measurements or response times. To calculate TOF, all of these values ​​are required at the node where the calculation is performed. This can be accomplished using out-of-band (OOB) signaling, custom messages, and ranging measurement information (RMI) information elements (IEs).

[0101] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining examples of formats of RMI IE, RCPCS IE, RRMC IE, and RRTI IE to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0102] Figure 5(a) shows an example of the RMI IE format.

[0103] The RMI IE can be used to send one or more ranging-related measurements to one or more devices. The RMI IE content field can have a format similar to the example in Figure 5(a).

[0104] A value of 1 in the reply time present field may indicate that an RX-to-TX (or TX-to-RX) reply time field is present in each RMI list element, and a value of 0 may indicate that it is not present. The RX-to-TX (or TX-to-RX) reply time may correspond to T_reply described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0105] A value of 1 in the round-trip time present field may indicate that a TX-to-RX round-trip time field exists in each RMI list element, and a value of 0 may indicate that it does not exist. The TX-to-RX round-trip time may correspond to T_round described with reference to FIG. 4.

[0106] A value of 1 in the TOF presence field may indicate that the TOF field exists in each RMI list element, and a value of 0 may indicate that it does not exist.

[0107] A value of 1 in the AOA azimuth present field may indicate that the AOA azimuth field is present in each RMI list element, and a value of 0 may indicate that it is not present.

[0108] A value of 1 in the AOA elevation present field may indicate that the AOA elevation field is present in each RMI list element, and a value of 0 may indicate that it is not present.

[0109] A value of 1 in the AOA FOM (figure of merit) presence field indicates that an AOA azimuth FOM field is present in each RMI list element if an AOA azimuth field is present, and an AOA elevation FOM field is present in each RMI list element if an AOA elevation field is present, and a value of 0 may indicate that neither an AOA azimuth FOM field nor an AOA elevation FOM field is present.

[0110] The address size specifier field can specify the size of the addresses used in the RMI list field (e.g., 2 or 8).

[0111] A value of 0 in the deferred mode field may indicate that the corresponding RMI IE is embedded in the RFRAME, and a value of 1 may indicate that the corresponding RMI IE is included in the deferred message transmitted in the next measurement report phase.

[0112] The RMI list length field can specify the number of elements in the RMI list field. The fields included in the RMI list field are as shown in Fig. 5(a).

[0113] Figure 5(b) shows an example of the RCPCS IE format.

[0114] The RCPCS (ranging channel and preamble code selection) IE can be used to indicate channel selection and / or TX / RX preamble code selection for dynamic preamble code and channel selection (DPS). DPS can include modifying the long preamble to protect against attacking devices intercepting ranging. The RCPCS IE content field can have a format similar to the example in FIG. 5(b).

[0115] A value of 1 in the CCIP (CCI present) field indicates that the CCI field exists, and a value of 0 indicates that it does not exist.

[0116] A value of 1 in the DDP (DPS Duration Present) field may indicate that the DPS duration field exists, and a value of 0 may indicate that it does not exist.

[0117] A value of 1 in the PSP (preamble sequence selection present) field indicates that the preamble sequence selection fields, i.e., the TX preamble code field, the RX preamble code field, and the PSR (preamble symbol repetitions) field, are present, and a value of 0 may indicate that they are not present.

[0118] The channel number field may indicate the UWB channel number for an upcoming ranging exchange.

[0119] The CCI (channel configuration interval) field can specify a channel configuration interval. The channel configuration interval can correspond to the time in RSTU (ranging scheduling time units) between the transmission of the corresponding IE and the reconfiguration of the specified channel.

[0120] RSTU is 416 chips (approximately 833.33ns) for HRP UWB PHY (416 chips = 416 / 499.2*10 6 ) corresponds to 1 microsecond (us) for LRP UWB PHY (= 1 chip at 1MHz base chip rate).

[0121] The DPS Duration field can specify the effective time duration of the DPS. The duration can be specified in RSTU units for ERDEV and in symbol units for non-ERDEV.

[0122] The TX Preamble Code field may indicate the DPS preamble code to be used for transmission during an upcoming ranging exchange by the transmitting side of the IE.

[0123] The RX Preamble Code field may indicate the DPS preamble code that the transmitting side of the IE will use for reception during an upcoming ranging exchange.

[0124] The PSR field may indicate the number of preamble symbol repetitions to be used for the SYNC of each RFRAME of the upcoming ranging transmission.

[0125] The MLMR-DPS.request and MLME-DPS.confirm primitives can be applied to the optional DPS mode of ranging. The ConfigTime parameter of the MLME-DPS.request primitive can be used to specify a future point in time at which the preamble code and / or channel number will be applied. The time at which the DPS change will be applied can be exchanged via the CCI field of the RCPCS IE.

[0126] Basic ranging exchange

[0127] The recipient may turn on or enable ranging in the MAC on the recipient side based on the MLME-RX-ENABLE.request primitive from the next higher layer.

[0128] After ranging is turned on at the receiver side MAC (i.e., by receiving the MLME-RX-ENABLE.request primitive), all received RFRAMEs can generate TX / RX ranging counters.

[0129] An originator can send data to a recipient based on the MCPS-DATA.request primitive.

[0130] The receiver can generate a ranging report for all RFRAMEs and send an ACK frame to the sender.

[0131] A sender can activate Tx-to-Rx turnaround (i.e., repeat data transmission and ACK reception) by receiving an ACK frame from the receiver. The next higher layer may not be involved in this.

[0132] Ranging reporting may include the issue of an MCPS-DATA.confirm primitive on the sender side (i.e., reporting the result of an MCPS-DATA.request primitive invoke), and an MCPS-DATA.indication primitive on the receiver side (i.e., indicating the receipt of data from the sender, or indicating that ranging information is available upon receipt of a packet from the sender).

[0133] Until ranging is disabled, the receiver may generate ranging reports and transmit ACKs to the sender, activate Tx-to-Rx turnaround based on receiving the sender's ACK frame, and repeat the ranging reports.

[0134] Ranging Procedure

[0135] First, we explain the control of ranging and the transfer of results.

[0136] Measurements can be exchanged between RDEVs to complete ToF calculations. To this end, the TWR can be controlled through information elements, and ranging data can be exchanged between RDEVs.

[0137] Specifically, the information elements can be used to transmit ranging data between RDEVs participating in ranging exchange and to control TWR. For various ranging methods, depending on the required use case, the measurement results from both devices can be combined to complete the TOF calculation between RDEVs participating in ranging exchange. That is, one device can transmit its ranging measurement results to another device. The information elements can be specified to provide a mechanism for controlling TWR and to support the transmission of ranging information between devices participating in ranging exchange. To ensure the integrity of the information transmission, a secure private data communication capability can be used.

[0138] Below, we describe the ranging procedure for SS-TWR that applies the deferred response time results.

[0139] FIG. 6 illustrates an example message sequence chart for SS-TWR applying deferred response time results to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0140] In the message sequence diagram for ranging exchange, RRMC IE(0) may represent an RRMC IE that includes a ranging control information field with a value of 0 (i.e., a ranging initiation message for SS-TWR). The AR (Acknowledgment Request) field in the MAC header may indicate whether an ACK is requested.

[0141] The next higher layer of the initiator may have sufficient information to calculate the TOF between devices using the formula described above at the time of receiving the RMI IE (e.g., FIG. 5(a)).

[0142] An initiator may initiate a ranging exchange by issuing an MCPS-DATA.request primitive to request ranging response time information and transmit a ranging frame containing a Ranging Request Measurement and Control (RRMC) information element that includes a ranging control information field.

[0143] Figure 5(c) shows an example of the RRMC IE format.

[0144] The RRMC IE transmits a ranging request and may include information that controls the ranging procedure.

[0145] The response time request, round trip time request, TOF request, AOA azimuth request, and AOA elevation request fields in the RRMC IE format can indicate that the corresponding information is requested if the value is 1, and that the corresponding information is not requested if the value is 0.

[0146] The ranging control information field may have a value of 0 to indicate that the frame is a ranging initiation message for SS-TWR, a value of 1 to indicate that the frame is a response to a ranging initiation message for SS-TWR, a value of 2 to indicate that the frame is a ranging initiation message for DS-TWR, and a value of 3 to indicate that the frame is a continuing DS-TWR and initiates a second round trip time measurement.

[0147] The address size field can specify the size of the addresses used in the RRMC address list field. If the value of the address size field is 0, all addresses in the RRMC address list element can correspond to short addresses. If the value of the address size field is 1, all addresses in the RRMC address list element can correspond to extended addresses.

[0148] The RRMC Address List Length field can indicate the number of addresses in the RRMC Address List field. If no address is provided (e.g., in the case of unicast ranging where the target device can be identified by the destination address in the MHR (MAC header), the RRMC Address List Length field can be omitted.

[0149] If the RRMC IE is a broadcast message, and the sender wants to receive responses to the ranging request from all devices, the RRMC Address List Length and RRMC Address List fields may be omitted. Alternatively, if the sender wants to receive responses to the ranging request from specific devices (or a set of devices), the RRMC Address List Length and RRMC Address List fields may be used to select a set of devices for the response.

[0150] For SS-TWR, since the initiator generally calculates the TOF, the responder can request the TOF result by setting the TOF request field of the RRMC IE included in the response message.

[0151] For DS-TWR, since the responder typically computes the TOF, the initiator can request the TOF result by including the RRMC IE in the two messages it sends to perform the DS-TWR exchange.

[0152] If the initiator requests different information from multiple respondents, multiple RRMC IEs may be included in a single broadcast message.

[0153] The RRMC Address List field may contain a list of addresses to which the RRMC IE is directed.

[0154] With respect to the ranging report (or response ranging frame), the initiator side may complete the round-trip time measurement, and the MCPS-DATA.confirm primitive may provide a ranging report defining the round-trip time to the initiator side. On the receiver side, the MCPS-DATA.indication primitive may provide a response-side ranging report defining the response time for the round-trip time measurement.

[0155] Figure 5(d) shows an example of the RRTI (Ranging Reply Time Instantaneous) IE format.

[0156] In association with one or more frames containing an RRMC IE with the Response Time Request field set to 1, an RRTI IE may be included in the response frame to transmit the response time of the response frame.

[0157] The address size specifier field can be defined as shown in the table below.

[0158] The value of the address size specifier field is Address Size. 000 octets, address does not exist. 01 Reserved. 102 octets, short address (16 bits). 118 octets, extended address (64 bits).

[0159] The RRTI list length field can indicate the number of elements in the RRTI list field. The RRTI list field can contain RRTI list elements.

[0160] The RX-to-TX reply time field of the RRTI list field may be set to a value indicating the difference between the transmission time of the response RFRAME containing the RRTI IE and the reference time specified by the upper layer (i.e., T_reply in the example of Fig. 4(a)). The reference time may correspond to the reception time (based on RMARKER) of the RFRAME containing the RRMC IE with the response time request field set to 1.

[0161] The address field of the RRTI list field may be set to the address of the device sending the RRMC IE requesting the response time. In unicast ranging, the address field may be omitted. In scheduled multi-node ranging, the address field may be omitted if the response times of other RDEVs are negotiated in advance and the order is determined.

[0162] Below, we describe the ranging procedure for SS-TWR that applies embedded response time results.

[0163] FIG. 7 illustrates an example message sequence chart for SS-TWR applying embedded response time results to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0164] For SS-TWR that applies the response time result, the ranging exchange can be initiated by a ranging frame that requests ranging response time information and includes an RRMC IE with the Ranging Control Information field set to 0. The responding device can complete the round-trip measurement by transmitting a response frame that includes an embedded RRTI (ranging reply time instantaneous) IE. If the device has the capability to generate the RRTI IE, the number of messages required for ranging measurement can be minimized, thus saving power. However, it may take time to calculate the arrival time of the received ranging message and prepare the RRTI IE value. In some cases, this time may be known a priori in an OOB manner, and the RRTN (ranging reply time negotiation) IE may provide a mechanism to indicate to the device a preferred response time, i.e., the time required to prepare a frame containing the RRTI IE. If this time is known, the ranging initiating device can expect a response message after a certain time and save energy by delaying turning on the receiver until then. This can be applied to both SS-TWR and DS-TWR ranging exchanges.

[0165] In Figure 7, RRMC IE(0) represents an RRMC IE containing a ranging control information field with a value of 0. The communication of the RRTN IE in the dotted box may be performed at any convenient time before the ranging exchange is initiated, or the preferred response time information may be known in advance or exchanged via OOB. Upon receiving the MCPS-DATA.indication primitive containing the responder's RRTI IE, the next higher layer of the initiator may have sufficient information to calculate the TOF between the two devices according to the formula described above.

[0166] Below, the ranging procedure for SS-TWR with fixed response time is described.

[0167] FIG. 8 illustrates an example of a message sequence chart for SS-TWR using a scrambled timestamp sequence packet configuration option three (SP3) packet to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0168] If the responding device has precise control over the transmission time of its response message relative to the arrival time of the ranging initiation message, the response time (i.e., Treply) can have a fixed, known value agreed upon among the devices participating in the ranging exchange. In this case, it may not be necessary to embed the Treply in the response message or transmit it separately in an additional message. The resulting ranging accuracy may depend on how precisely the responding device controls the transmission time of its response message. For example, in TOF, a 1 ns error may correspond to a ranging error of approximately 30 cm.

[0169] HRP-ERDEV PPDU format SP3 can be used for fixed response times.

[0170] In the example of Figure 8, the initiation message in the dotted box may represent communication for agreement and coordination on the use of SP3 packets between devices and all other parameters necessary to allow ongoing communication. While only a single message is shown in the example of Figure 8, a series of messages in each direction may exist to agree on all parameters. For example, the RRNT IE may be used to agree on a fixed response time.

[0171] In each device, the next higher layer may use the MLME-STS.request primitive to configure the SP3 packet format across all devices and to set personal area network information base (PIB) attributes (e.g., phyHrpUwbStsKey, phyHrpUwbStsVCounter, phyHrpUwbStsVUpper96, etc.) to configure the behavior appropriately. Once the upper layer has selected the SP3 packet configuration, subsequent MCPS-DATA primitives relate to SP3 packets until the upper layer changes the packet configuration using the MLME-STS.request primitive.

[0172] The MCPS-DATA.request primitive can be used to initiate a ranging exchange, in which mode the PPDU may not convey MAC data. Although not shown, it can be assumed that the invocation of the MLME-RXENABLE.request primitive turns on the receiver at the appropriate time to receive the PPDU. Since the PHY is configured for SP3 packets, the PHY notifies the MAC layer of the receipt of the PPDU at the end of the scrambled timestamp sequence (STS), and similarly, the MAC, which is aware of the SP3 configuration, can deliver the RxRangingCounter value of the RangingReportDescriptor parameter of the MCPS-DATA.indication primitive. Furthermore, assuming that the RangingStsFom of the RangingReportDescriptor is acceptable, the upper layer can initiate the response by invoking the MCPS-DATA.request primitive specifying the RangingTxTime according to an agreed-upon fixed response time.

[0173] Assuming that the SP3 packet response is received at the initiating device and that the RangingStsFom of the RangingReportDescriptor parameter of the MCPS-DATA.indication primitive is acceptable, the initiating device may have sufficient information to compute the TOF between the devices according to the aforementioned formula based on the known fixed response time.

[0174] The ranging exchange may be repeated multiple times until the upper layers reach a mutual agreement. To resume PHY and MAC data interactions, the next upper layer can use the MLME-STS.request primitive to restore the STS packet settings to values ​​that allow such data interactions. This is illustrated in the last dotted box in Figure 8.

[0175] LRP-REDEV may also support challenge-response ranging with fixed response times, eliminating the need for data messages carrying response times.

[0176] Below, the DS-TWR ranging procedure to which delayed response time information is applied is described.

[0177] FIG. 9 illustrates an example of a message sequence chart for a DS-TWR to which delayed response time information to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0178] A DS-TWR may essentially include the completion of a SS-TWR exchange initiated by each device, and the combination of their results. A DS-TWR may be initiated by the next higher layer transmitting a ranging data frame carrying a RRMC IE with the Ranging Control Information field set to 2 (i.e., RRMC IE(2)). This frame and its ACK may define a first round trip time measurement. Conveying the RRMC IE in the MCPS-DATA.indication primitive may notify the next higher layer to initiate a second round trip time measurement by transmitting a data frame in the other direction. This data frame may include an RRMC IE with the Ranging Control Information field set to 3 (i.e., RRMC IE(3)) to indicate a continuation of the exchange, and may request the result of the response time and the first round trip time measurement by having both the Response Time Request and Round Trip Time Request fields set to 1. An ACK for this message may complete the second round-trip time measurement. A subsequent message from the initiator may convey the result of the first round-trip time measurement and the response time of the second round-trip time measurement via the RMI IE. When the responder receives the second MCPS-DATA.indication primitive (containing the RMI IE), it may have sufficient information to calculate the TOF between the devices according to the formula described above. Subsequent reporting of the ranging result to the initiator using the RMI IE may be performed depending on the value of the TOF request field of the initiating RRMC IE.

[0179] Below, the DS-TWR ranging procedure that applies embedded ranging time information is described.

[0180] FIG. 10 illustrates an example of a message sequence chart for DS-TWR to which embedded ranging time information to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0181] For the 3-message DS-TWR exchange of FIG. 4(c) described above, it is required that the initiator side can embed the response time as part of the completion of the second round trip time measurement. In the example of FIG. 10, the DS-TWR can be initiated by an RFRAME carrying an RRMC IE with the TOF Request field set to 0 (i.e., the initiator side does not request ranging reporting) and the Ranging Control Information field set to 2 (i.e., RRMC IE(2)).

[0182] The responder side may initiate the second measurement using an RFRAME carrying an RRMC IE (i.e., RRMC IE(3)) with the Ranging Control Information field set to 3 to indicate the continuation of the exchange after completing the first round trip timing measurement. In this RRMC IE, both the Response Time Request and Round Trip Time Request fields may be set to 1 to request the result of the first round trip timing measurement and the response time for the second round trip timing measurement. The initiator may complete the exchange by sending a final RFRAME containing the result of the first round trip timing in the RMI IE and the response time for the second round trip timing measurement in the RRTI IE.

[0183] When the responder receives the second MCPS-DATA.indication primitive, it may have sufficient information to calculate the TOF between the devices according to the formula described above. If the initiator of the ranging exchange wants to know the result, the initiator may set the TOF request field of the initiating RRMC IE to a value requesting that the responder send the result in the RMI IE of a subsequent message at the end of the exchange.

[0184] Below, we describe other procedures for adjusting RDEV and ERDEV.

[0185] For successful interoperability of HRP-ERDEV when STS is used, the transmitter and receiver need to be aligned with respect to the seeds (i.e., STS key and data values ​​V) used to generate the STS at the transmitter and to generate the sequence for correlating with the received STS at the receiver. For the coordination of these values, the Secure Private Data Communication capability can be used, and the seeds can be transmitted between devices using the Ranging STS Key and Data (RKSD) IE. The counter values ​​within the RSKD IE can relate to the current packet or future packets, as indicated by the current packet (CP) field of the IE. Upper layers can use the received RSKD IE information (e.g., via PIB attributes such as phyHrpUwbStsKey, phyHrpUwbStsVUpper96, phyHrpUwbStsVCounter) and set the STS seeds appropriately for future packet transmission and reception. The header IE version of the RSKD IE can be used to synchronize the STS generator using information transmitted with the secured payload IE and data.

[0186] When a frame containing an RSKD IE header IE is received, the IE may be passed to the next upper layer to set properties such as phyHrpUwbStsKey, phyHrpUwbStsVUpper96, and phyHrpUwbStsVCounter appropriately for STS generation. If a frame containing an RSKD IE header IE does not pass the encoding security processing, for example, if the receiver does not have a key to validate the message integrity code (MIC), the RSKD IE may be passed to the next upper layer via the HeaderIeList parameter of the MLME-COMM-STATUS.indication primitive.

[0187] Multi-node ranging

[0188] Multi-node ranging can involve ranging between two or more devices. Each device can perform a role in multi-node ranging.

[0189] FIG. 11 is a diagram illustrating the role of a device in a ranging procedure to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0190] A controller may correspond to an ERDEV that sends a ranging control message (RCM) and defines ranging parameters. The RCM may correspond to a data frame containing an advanced control (ARC) IE. A controlee may correspond to an ERDEV that uses the ranging parameters provided by the controller through the RCM. An initiator corresponds to an ERDEV that sends the first ranging message after the RCM and initiates a ranging exchange, and the initiator may be either the controller or the controlee. A responder corresponds to an ERDEV that responds to a ranging initiation message received from the initiator, and the responder may be either the controller or the controlee.

[0191] The next higher layer of the controller can determine the ranging parameters and the role of the ERDEV participating in the ranging exchange (i.e., initiator or responder).

[0192] For example, in Fig. 11(a), an example is shown in which a controller transmitting a ranging control message (RCM) is an initiator transmitting a ranging initiation message in a ranging exchange, and a controllable receiving the RCM is a responder receiving the ranging initiation message in a ranging exchange and transmitting a ranging response message. In Fig. 11(b), an example is shown in which a controller transmitting an RCM is a responder receiving the ranging initiation message in a ranging exchange and transmitting a ranging response message, and a controllable receiving the RCM is an initiator transmitting a ranging initiation message in a ranging exchange.

[0193] A ranging session can be defined as a group of ERDEVs participating in a continuous ranging procedure established by an initial set of ranging parameters. A ranging session can include only one controller and one or more initiators. The controller can set the initial ranging parameters and update the parameters during the ranging session.

[0194] Figure 12 shows examples of ARC IE, RDM IE, RBU IE, RR IE, and SRRE IE formats to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0195] Figure 12(a) shows an example of the ARC IE format.

[0196] A controller can use the ARC IE to transmit ranging configuration information to a controlled entity. The ARC IE can be transmitted to a single controller via a unicast frame or to multiple controllers via a broadcast frame.

[0197] The controlee can use the ARC IE to send its preferred ranging parameters to the controller along with the Ranging Change Request (RCR) IE.

[0198] Each field of ARC IE can be defined as follows:

[0199] Meaning of the value of the multi-node mode field 0 Single device to single device (unicast) 1 Multi-node one-to-many 2 Multi-node many-to-many 3 Reserved

[0200] Meaning of the value of the ranging round usage field 0 OWR (one-way ranging) 1 SS-TWR (single-sided two-way ranging) 2 DS-TWR (double-sided two-way ranging) 3 Ranging ancillary information exchange

[0201] The value of the STS packet config field. The resulting STS packet configuration. 0 The STS field is not included in the PPDU (Figure 3(a)). 1 STS packet structure #1 (Figure 3(b)). 2 STS packet structure #2 (Figure 3(c)). 3 STS packet structure #3 (Figure 3(d)).

[0202] The value of the schedule mode field is the selected ranging schedule mode and behavior. 0 Contention-based ranging is used for subsequent ranging rounds, and the RDM IE and RCPS IE are used for controlled participation. 1 Scheduled-based ranging is used for subsequent ranging rounds, and participation and time slot allocation for ranging is fixed or controlled through the use of the RDM IE.

[0203] The contention-based ranging type corresponds to a method in which the controller is unaware of the presence or number of controllees, and thus ERDEVs perform contention-based ranging. Because collisions can occur, filtering of incorrect or erroneous ranging results may be required at higher layers. The initiator or responder may compete to transmit within an appropriate time slot. If the initiator and responder compete, the ranging contention phase structure (RCPS) information element is added to the ARC information element to specify different phases (e.g., distinguished by slot index) in the RCM. Upon receiving the RCM, the controllee is informed that it has been selected to participate in a ranging round. The time-scheduled ranging type corresponds to a method in which the controller is aware of all controllees and specifies a precise schedule for ranging transmissions. The controller can select devices participating in ranging, assign them ranging roles (i.e., initiator or responder), and allocate time slots through the RDM (ranging device management) IE. If the device roles and transmission schedules are pre-specified, such as through OOB signaling, the RDM IE can be omitted.

[0204] Whether deferred mode is allowed in the measurement report. 0RRTI IE is embedded in the response frame so that the round-trip measurement is completed immediately. 1Round-trip time or response time is reported in the measurement reporting phase.

[0205] The value of the time structure indicator field. The selected ranging time structure behavior. 0 The time structure is interval-based, and the RIU IE is used to control ranging interval updates. 1 The time structure is block-based, and the RR IE is used to control ranging interval updates.

[0206] The RCM Validity Rounds field indicates the number of consecutive ranging rounds controlled by the RCM, which can be used to define a set of ranging rounds. The MMRCR (multiple message receipt confirmation request) field can indicate whether multiple message receipt confirmation is requested.

[0207] The content control field can indicate whether other fields are present in the ARC IE. Bits 0, 1, 2, and 3 of the content control field correspond to a field indicating the presence of a ranging block duration (RBD) field (i.e., RBDP), a field indicating the presence of a ranging round duration (RRD) field (i.e., RRDP), a field indicating the presence of a ranging slot duration (RSD) field (i.e., RSDP), and a field indicating the presence of a session ID field (i.e., SIP), respectively. Bits 4-7 of the content control field may be reserved.

[0208] The RBD field can indicate the duration (in RSTU units) of the ranging block.

[0209] The RRD field can indicate the duration of a ranging round (in units of ranging slots, i.e., the number of ranging slots within a ranging round).

[0210] The RSD field can indicate the duration (in RSTU units) of the ranging slot.

[0211] The SID field can indicate a unique identifier for each controller.

[0212] If the ranging block structure is identical to the previously specified duration, one or more of the duration fields (e.g., RBD field, RRD field, RSD field) may not be present in the ACI IE of the current RCM. In this case, other fields (e.g., Schedule Mode field, STS Packet Configuration field, etc.) may be used to update the corresponding ranging parameters.

[0213] Figure 12(b) shows an example of the RDM (ranging device management) IE format.

[0214] The RDM IE can be used by the controller to exchange scheduling information between ERDEVs for a set of ranging rounds specified in the same RCM.

[0215] The SIU (slot index usage) field can indicate whether the slot index of an RDM list element is used. If the value is 0, the RDM IE can be used to assign ranging roles (i.e., initiator or responder) to controllable parties for contention-based ranging. If the value is 1, the RDM IE can be used to allocate time slots and assign ranging roles to controllable parties for scheduling-based ranging.

[0216] The address size field indicates the size of the address used in the RDM list field, with 0 indicating that a short address (16 bits) is used and 1 indicating that an extended address (64 bits) is used.

[0217] The RDM list length field can indicate the number of RDM list elements.

[0218] The ranging role field in the RDM list can indicate the initiator or responder. The ranging slot index field in the RDM list can indicate the slot index assigned to the device with the corresponding address. The address field in the RDM list can indicate the address of each device participating in ranging.

[0219] Figure 12(c) shows an example of the RBU (ranging block update) IE format.

[0220] The RBU IE can be used by the controller to inform the controllable(s) of the updated ranging block structure.

[0221] The relative ranging block index field may indicate the number of remaining ranging blocks according to the current configuration before switching to a new configuration.

[0222] The updated block duration field may indicate the duration (in RSTU units) of the new ranging block.

[0223] The updated ranging round duration field may indicate a ranging round duration value that is an integer multiple of the ranging slot duration within the new ranging block structure.

[0224] The updated ranging slot duration can indicate the duration (in RSTU units) of a ranging slot within the new ranging block structure.

[0225] Figure 12(d) shows an example of the RR (Ranging Round) IE format.

[0226] The ranging block index field can indicate the index of a ranging block.

[0227] The hopping mode field can indicate whether hopping mode is supported for the ranging block.

[0228] The round index field can indicate a ranging round index within a ranging block.

[0229] The transmission offset field may indicate the transmission offset value (in RSTU units) of a ranging round within a block. The transmission offset may have a maximum value equal to the maximum slot duration minus the packet duration.

[0230] For the current ranging round (i.e., the ranging round in the ranging block with block index i), the RR IE may be included in the RCM of the ranging block with block index i. In this case, the RR IE may correspond to information that supports ERDEV synchronization for the block structure.

[0231] For the next ranging round (i.e., the ranging round in the next ranging block with block index i+1), when the last message of the current ranging round (i.e., the ranging block with block index i) is transmitted from the controller to the controlled party(ies), the RR IE may be transmitted within the final message to inform the ranging round information for the ranging block with block index i+1.

[0232] If the last message within the current ranging round (i.e., ranging block with block index i) is transmitted from the controllable, the controllable can transmit a RR IE in the RCM of the next ranging block with block index i+1 to inform the ranging round information for the ranging block with block index i+2.

[0233] In this case, the RCM in the ranging block with block index i+1 may contain two RR IEs. One RR IE may be applied to the ranging round of the ranging block with block index i+1, and the other RR IE may be applied to the ranging round of the ranging block with block index i+2.

[0234] Figure 12(e) shows an example of the SRRR (SP3 ranging request reports) IE format.

[0235] The SRRR IE can be used to request reporting of AOA and / or response time and / or round-trip time measurements from a requestor to a provider.

[0236] Each of the requester address size specifier field and the provider address size specifier field can have values ​​of 00, 01, 10, and 11 as shown in Table 1 above, and can indicate that the address does not exist, or that a short address (16 bits) or an extended address (64 bits) is used.

[0237] The RAOA (report of AOA) field can indicate whether a report on AOA is requested.

[0238] The RRT (report of reply time) field can indicate whether a report on the response time is requested.

[0239] The RRTT (report of round-trip time) field can indicate whether to request a report on the round-trip time.

[0240] The RTOF (report of TOF) field can indicate whether a report on TOF is requested.

[0241] The Requester Address field may be set to the address of the device transmitting the signal for which AOA is being measured or initiating ranging.

[0242] The Provider Address field can be set to the address of the device measuring AOA.

[0243] Ranging block and round structure

[0244] FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a ranging block structure and ranging phase to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0245] In Fig. 13(a), a ranging block is a time interval for performing ranging, and one ranging block can include N ranging rounds.

[0246] A ranging round is a time sufficient for ERDEVs participating in a ranging exchange to complete a ranging measurement cycle, and one ranging round may include M ranging slots.

[0247] A ranging slot may correspond to a time sufficient for transmission of one or more RFRAMEs.

[0248] The slot duration, or the number of slots included in a ranging round, may vary between ranging rounds. To achieve this, the controller can send an RCM to the controlled party(ies) that changes the ranging round settings.

[0249] The RCM (ranging control message) is the first message transmitted by the controller and may be transmitted in the first slot of a ranging round. The RCM may include configuration information for ranging parameters.

[0250] RCUM (ranging control update message) is a message transmitted by the controller in the last slot of the ranging round(s) specified by the RCM to update ranging parameters for the next ranging round(s). The IE(s) included in the RCM for updating ranging parameters may be included in the RCUM.

[0251] A RIUM (ranging interval update message) is a message sent by the controller to update the interval between ranging blocks and to facilitate synchronization between participating ERDEVs. The RCUM contains the scheduled time of the first RIUM, and may contain the scheduled time of the next RIUM (if used) before the start of the next ranging block.

[0252] Figure 13(b) describes the phases in the ranging procedure.

[0253] RCP (ranging control phase) corresponds to the phase in which the controller transmits RCM.

[0254] RP (ranging phase) can include RIP (ranging initiation phase), RRP (ranging response phase), and RFP (ranging final phase).

[0255] RIP corresponds to the phase where the initiator sends ranging initiation message(s) to the responder(s).

[0256] RRP corresponds to the phase in which the responder(s) send response message(s) to the initiator.

[0257] RFP corresponds to the phase in which the initiator sends ranging final message(s) to the responder, and can only be used in DS-TWR.

[0258] MRP (measurement report phase) is the phase in which participating ERDEVs exchange service information related to ranging measurements.

[0259] RCUP (ranging control update phase) corresponds to the phase in which the controller transmits RCUM, and if RCUP exists, the phase can be located in the last slot of the set of ranging rounds specified by RCM.

[0260] RIUP (ranging interval update phase) corresponds to the phase in which the controller transmits RIUM.

[0261] FIG. 14 illustrates examples of timing diagrams for various multi-device ranging to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0262] Fig. 14(a) is an example of OWR, Fig. 14(b) is an example of SS-TWR, Fig. 14(c) is an example of a combination of RCP and RIP in SS-TWR, Fig. 14(d) is an example of DS-TWR, Fig. 14(e) is an example of many-to-many SS-TWR, and Fig. 14(b) is an example of many-to-many DS-TWR.

[0263] Below we will explain the ranging mode.

[0264] In interval-based mode, the average time of ranging rounds is variable, and a time structure can be applied with adaptive spacing.

[0265] In block-based mode, the average duration of ranging rounds is constant. That is, ranging blocks with the same duration can be repeated in block-based mode.

[0266] Ranging mode selection can be determined based on the OOB mechanism or the time structure indicator field within the ARC IE.

[0267] FIG. 15 shows a time diagram in an example of a block-based mode to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0268] In block-based mode, the ranging block structure can utilize a structured timeline. The ranging block structure setup can include specifying the ranging block duration (RBD), ranging round duration (RRD), and ranging slot duration (RSD) based on the corresponding fields in the ARC IE.

[0269] The number of ranging rounds is equal to the ranging block duration divided by the ranging round duration.

[0270] The number of ranging slots is equal to the ranging round duration divided by the ranging slot duration.

[0271] An ERDEV receiving an RCM can set up an associated timeline for ranging based on the initial ranging block structure and the values ​​of fields within the ARC IE. The ranging block structure can be set up and / or fixed by the next higher layer.

[0272] The ranging block structure can be repeatedly transmitted by the controller in every RCM (e.g., via the ARC IE). When a change or update of the ranging block structure (i.e., a new ranging block duration, ranging round duration, and / or ranging slot duration) is required, the controller can transmit an RBU IE for the new configuration. The RBU IE can be transmitted via the RCM or the final data frame in the ranging message sequence. Each time an RBU IE is transmitted, the controller can decrement the Relative Ranging Block Index by one until it becomes 0. This can indicate whether the new configuration is to be used in the next block and whether the RCM ARC IE of the next block includes the new configuration.

[0273] Below we will explain indexing.

[0274] For ranging blocks, the block index is given as 0 for the first ranging block, and relative block indices are determined for the remaining blocks using block index 0 as a reference.

[0275] For a ranging round, if one ranging block contains N ranging rounds, the round index is given as 0 for the first ranging round in the current ranging block, and relative round indices (e.g., 1, ..., M-1) are determined for the remaining N-1 rounds using round index 0 as a reference.

[0276] For ranging slots, if one ranging round includes M ranging slots, the slot index is given as 0 for the first ranging slot in the current ranging round, and relative slot indices (e.g., 1, ..., M-1) are determined for the remaining M-1 slots using slot index 0 as a reference.

[0277] A new ranging message exchange can be sent / received as the first RCM in the ranging slot with index 0 of the ranging round with index 0 of the ranging block with index 0. That is, the RCM packet can be sent at the beginning of the first ranging slot of the first ranging round. The RCM can include a RR IE to inform information related to the ranging rounds within the current ranging block.

[0278] FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating examples of various transmission offsets to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0279] The RR IE included in the RCM may include transmission offset information as information associated with the ranging round within the current ranging block. In subsequent ranging rounds, the controller may initiate transmission in each slot based on a different transmission offset. The transmission offset may have a value less than the ranging slot duration minus the UWB packet duration. The transmission offset may be expressed as a multiple of the RSTU.

[0280] Transmit offsets can be applied across ranging rounds. That is, the same transmit offset can be applied to all packet transmissions within the same ranging round. The next higher layer of the controller can select the transmit offset and communicate it to all other devices via the RR IE. The controller can also vary the transmit offset for each ranging round based on the power required to reduce interference.

[0281] One-to-many ranging procedure

[0282] FIG. 17 illustrates an example of a message sequence chart for a one-to-many SS-TWR to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0283] In a ranging procedure for a one-to-many TWR, the ranging exchange is initiated by an initiator sending a RRMC IE, which may be included in a ranging initiation message that is broadcast to multiple responders.

[0284] An RRMC IE with the Ranging Control Information field set to 0 (i.e., RRMC IE(0)) may be sent as an SS-TWR Ranging Initiation message. The Response Time Request field of the RRMC IE may be set to 1 to request a response time from the response ERDEV.

[0285] The RRMC IE transmitted via the MCPS-DATA.indication primitive from each of Responder-1 to Responder-N may signal to the next higher layer that a ranging response should be performed. Each responder may insert the RequestRrtiTxList parameter into the RRTI IE (as a response to the response time request in the RRMC IE) and transmit an RRMC IE with the Ranging Control Information field set to 1 (i.e., RRMC IE(1)) to the initiator. Here, the response RFRAMEs may be transmitted in a unicast manner to the initiator.

[0286] When the initiator receives each ranging response frame, the initiator has enough information to compute the TOF of that responder.

[0287] The final message broadcast by the initiator may include one or more RMI IE(s) for measurement reporting (if requested by the RRMC IE). Multiple RMI IEs may be distinguished by their associated devices by their address fields. For example, Responder-1 may set the TOF Request field in the RRMC IE to 1, and Responder-N may set the Round Trip Time Request field in the RRMC IE to 1. If multiple responders request the same set of information, such as TOF, measurement reporting from the initiator may be performed via a single RMI IE in the final data message.

[0288] FIG. 18 illustrates an example of a message sequence chart for an SP3 one-to-many SS-TWR to which the present disclosure may be applied.

[0289] At the start of a ranging round, the RCM may send ranging configuration information and related IEs. The SRRR IE (I, R_1) may have the RAOA and RRTT fields set to 1 if the Responder-1 requests AOA and round-trip time from the Initiator.

[0290] Multi-node SP3 ranging can be based on scheduling specified by the next higher layer of the controller (i.e. each time slot is assigned to be used by a specific ERDEV).

[0291] The RDM IE within the RCM may contain information for allocating time slots and device roles within a ranging round. The ARC IE specifies the ranging procedure and the SP3 packet format so that the next upper layer of the ERDEV can recognize the start and end of the SP3 ranging phase and issue the MLME-STS primitive to enable / disable SP3 packets before / after the ranging phase.

[0292] An RSKD IE may be included to exchange portions of the STS seed to initiate STS generation between participating ERDEVs in RCM. Based on the scheduling information of the ranging transmission, the STS counter values ​​of the participating ERDEVs may be appropriately set for transmitting and receiving SP3 packets.

[0293] In the SP3 ranging phase, the next higher layer can use MLME-STS.request to select the SP3 packet format, configure the operation on both sides appropriately, and set the phyHrpUwbStsKey, phyHrpUwbStsVUpper96, and phyHrpUwbStsVCounter properties to the correct values. Since the ranging schedule is specified by the RCM preceding the SP3 ranging, the devices already know the participants. Each time slot can be assigned to a specific (E)RDEV.

[0294] In the measurement reporting phase, the initiator may send the AOA and round-trip time to Responder-1 via the RMI IE. Responder-1 to Responder-N may each embed the requested response time in the RMI IE they send to the initiator.

[0295] As another example, in the SP3 ranging phase of a message sequence for an SP3 one-to-many DS-TWR, after the initiator receives an SP3 frame as a ranging response message from each responder, the initiator may transmit an SP3 frame as a ranging complete message to each responder, through which the local value of the initiator's TxRangingCounter may be conveyed to each responder. In the measurement reporting phase, the initiator may transmit an RMI IE including the response time and round trip time to the responders, and in response, each responder may transmit an RMI IE including an AOA to the initiator.

[0296] RR IE for block-based mode

[0297] The RR IE described with reference to FIG. 12(d) can be used to signal ranging round information for the current ranging round or ranging information for the next ranging round in block-based mode.

[0298] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing examples of transmission offsets and round hopping to which the present disclosure can be applied.

[0299] In the first ranging round of the ranging message exchange, an RCM packet may be transmitted at the beginning of a ranging slot. This RCM may include a RR IE signaling information about the ranging round of the current ranging block. In subsequent ranging rounds, the controller may decide to start transmission in each slot according to a different transmission offset (see Figure 16). This may be signaled by the controller via the Transmit Offset field of the next RR IE. This offset must be less than the ranging slot duration minus the UWB packet duration. The transmission offset may be expressed as an integer multiple of the RSTU.

[0300] Participating devices may continue to use the same ranging round in the next ranging block. That is, they may use ranging round m in ranging block n and also use ranging round m in ranging block n+1. Alternatively, the controller may decide to hop to a different ranging round in the next ranging block. That is, participating devices may use ranging round m in ranging block n and also use ranging round k (where k is a different index value from m) in ranging block n+1.

[0301] The criteria for determining when to change the transmit offset and / or hop to a different relative ranging round can be determined by the next higher layer function / protocol. The devices participating in the ranging exchange can have a pre-agreed hopping sequence known to all devices, or each device can exchange all the information necessary to generate the hopping sequence in advance. Accordingly, when a hopping is triggered, the participating devices know which ranging round is used in each ranging block. When the ranging block structure is updated (by sending an RBU IE or by the next higher layer protocol), the participating devices can set the transmit offset to 0 and reset the block, round, and slot indices at the beginning of the new ranging block structure.

[0302] In an assigned ranging round of a ranging block, the controller can set up a ranging round by sending an RCM including an ARC IE and a RR IE. The next higher layer of the controller can select the hopping mode and the transmission offset to be used in the ranging round of the next ranging block. If the last scheduled message in the current ranging round i is a message transmitted by the controller to the controllables, the controller can send an RR IE in that last message of the current ranging round to signal to the participating devices whether to hop to a different round in the ranging round of the next ranging block i+1 and / or whether to use a different transmission offset. If the last scheduled message of the current ranging round is not from the controller, the controller can send a second RR IE in the RCM of the ranging round of the ranging block i+1 to signal to the participating devices whether to hop to a different round in the ranging round of the next ranging block i+2 and / or whether to use a different transmission offset. In this case, the RCM of ranging block i+1 contains two instances of RR IEs, the first RR IE is applied to ranging block i+1, and the second RR IE is applied to ranging block i+2. The contents of the RR IE may be a ranging block index field and a ranging round index of the current ranging block, a hopping mode field and a transmission offset field for the ranging round of the next ranging block. After receiving the RR IE in the final message of the ranging message sequence or as the second RR IE of the RCM, the next upper layer of the controllable entity may use the indicated ranging round and transmission offset in the subsequent ranging block.If the controllable does not receive the RR IE (either in the final message of the message exchange or in the RCM), for example due to interference, the controllable may turn on hopping in the next ranging block and move to a new ranging round (determined by the new hopping mode, the next ranging block index, and the hopping sequence), and apply a transmit offset of 0.

[0303] A device that correctly receives the RR IE in the last message in the current round but misses the ARC IE may use the contents of the RR IE for block structure resynchronization and may receive the RCM and ARC IE in the next ranging block as long as the ranging block structure does not change. The ranging block structure specified by the RR IE and RBU IE transmitted in the last message or RCM and the ARC IE and RR IE transmitted in the RCM allows each participating device to maintain synchronization with respect to the ranging block structure even while in an idle state where it saves energy by turning off its receiver in unused slots.

[0304] Hyperblock mode

[0305] FIG. 20 illustrates an example of a time structure in a hyper block-based mode according to the present disclosure.

[0306] In the example of Figure 20(a), a hyper block may correspond to a group of blocks. A hyper block-based mode may allow groups of blocks with different settings (e.g., block duration, round duration, slot duration, etc.). A hyper block may be executed based on an interval-based mode or a block-based mode. Different hyper blocks may have the same or different settings.

[0307] As in the example of Fig. 20(b), information regarding the settings for the hyper block structure can be repeatedly transmitted by the controller via the RCM. For this purpose, an HBS (hyper block structure) IE can be defined. For example, the HBS IE can include the index of the corresponding block, the block duration for each of all blocks included in the hyper block, and a list of controllables corresponding to each block. A controllable that receives the HBS IE included in the RCM can be aware that the hyper block structure is being applied / progressed, and can be aware of which block it is performing an operation on.

[0308] For hyper-block-based mode execution, the controller may send an RCM containing an HBS IE to the controllable(s) to establish a hyper-block. For block establishment, the RCM of the corresponding block may further include an ARC IE.

[0309] The controller may advertise the allocated block to each participating device or network (e.g., a ranging area network (RAN)) by allocating a hyper block advertisement (HBA) round at least once in each hyper block. The HBA round may be fixed as the first round of each ranging block in each hyper block, or may correspond to a negotiated round of some block in each hyper block (e.g., negotiation may be performed during session setup). In each HBA round, the controller may send a scheduling information element (IE) containing a block allocation schedule for the corresponding hyper block.

[0310] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing another example of the HBS IE format according to the present disclosure.

[0311] In the example of Fig. 21(a), the hyper block index field can indicate the index of the hyper block.

[0312] The content control field may include a block duration unit field, a round duration presence field within a block description list element, and a slot duration presence field within a block description list element, as shown in FIG. 21(b).

[0313] The block duration unit field of the content control field can indicate the size of the block duration field as follows.

[0314] Meaning of the value of the block duration unit field 0 (00) The size of the block duration field is 1 octet, and the unit of the block duration field is the number of rounds 1 (01) The size of the block duration field is 2 octets, and the unit of the block duration field is the number of slots 2 (10) The size of the block duration field is 3 octets, and the unit of the block duration field is the number of RSTUs 3 (11) Reserved

[0315] The round duration presence field of the content control field can indicate that a round duration field exists in a block description list element if its value is 1, and can indicate that it does not exist if its value is 0. The slot duration presence field of the content control field can indicate that a slot duration field exists in a block description list element if its value is 1, and can indicate that it does not exist if its value is 0.

[0316] Referring again to FIG. 21(a), the block description list length field can indicate the total number of blocks belonging to the hyper block.

[0317] The block description list field may contain a list of description(s) for each of the entire blocks belonging to the hyperblock.

[0318] Figure 21(c) shows an example of the format of each of one or more elements included in the block description list.

[0319] The block index field may indicate the index of a block within a hyperblock. The block index may correspond to the index of a block associated with a controllist field within the block description list (i.e., a device belonging to the controllist is allocated).

[0320] The size of the block duration field is determined based on the value of the block duration unit field of the aforementioned content field, and can be set to an unsigned integer value indicating a block duration value based on the unit.

[0321] The round duration field can be set to an unsigned integer value corresponding to the number of slots per round.

[0322] The slot duration field can be set to an unsigned integer value corresponding to the slot duration in RSTU units.

[0323] FIG. 22 is a diagram showing the difference in time structure for a single application to which the present disclosure can be applied and a combination of various applications.

[0324] The existing ranging block structure described with reference to Figures 13 and 15 repeats ranging blocks of the same length. To support diverse applications, a new time structure combining different blocks is required. For example, a new time structure combining ranging techniques based on different numbers of slots for ranging and DL-TDOA can be considered. To define a flexible time slot that can accommodate this, it is necessary to allow ranging blocks and ranging rounds to have different durations.

[0325] The example in Fig. 22(a) is an example of an indoor localization use case, and blocks of the same structure may be repeated.

[0326] For a public transportation use case such as the example in Figure 22(b), DL-TDOA operation is required for position measurement when a user approaches a subway gate, ranging operation is required when the user selects a specific gate, and competition for access is required when the user first approaches the gate.

[0327] In the example of Fig. 19(a), the ranging time structure for a single application (e.g., indoor positioning) has the same block duration, while in the example of Fig. 22(b), in a public transportation use case that requires a combination of multiple applications (e.g., DL-TDOA, ranging, and competition), positioning and ranging can be performed more efficiently by supporting different block durations. For each application included in the example of Fig. 22(b), the respective ranging time structures (e.g., scheduling information such as durations for ranging blocks / ranging rounds / ranging slots for configuration) may be different, and it is necessary to define a higher-level time structure to accommodate this as a single service.

[0328] Additionally, a definition of a container is required that allows for the transmission and reception of scheduling information for hyperblocks, along with the aforementioned time structure, at stages such as setup. For this purpose, an operating option called hyperblock mode can be applied. A hyperblock is a time structure for a group of multiple blocks, and each block in a hyperblock can have a flexible, different block duration, thereby supporting various applications, as described above.

[0329] Improved hyper-block mode-based operation

[0330] When the controlee(s) receive the HBS IE from the RCM, the hyper block structure specified in the HBS IE can be applied. Here, there is a problem that the starting point at which the hyper block is applied cannot be clearly determined from the perspective of each controlee(s). Specifically, in order to operate according to the hyper block mode after the ranging session, etc. are set up for the controlee(s), each controlee must be able to clearly determine the initial starting point at which the hyper block structure is repeated. If this is not known, problems such as different starting points of hyper blocks between controlees may occur due to the ambiguity about the starting point at which the hyper block structure signaled by the HBS IE should be applied.

[0331] In order to solve this problem, the present disclosure describes various examples of preventing ambiguity by indicating to the controllable(s) the index of the current block in which the RCM including the HBS IE is received, or by fixing the point in time at which the controllable(s) receive the RCM including the HBS IE from the controller to a specific point in time.

[0332] Various examples of the present disclosure for the application of HBS IE are described below.

[0333] FIG. 23 is a drawing for explaining the operation of the first device according to the present disclosure.

[0334] In the example of Fig. 23, the first device may correspond to a controlee, and the second device may correspond to a controller. Additionally, the first device and the second device may correspond to ERDEVs.

[0335] In step S2310, the first device can receive the HBS IE transmitted from the second device.

[0336] In some examples, the HBS IE may be transmitted from the second device in the RCM of the first round of the first block of each hyperblock. For example, the first block of a hyperblock may correspond to the first block in time order among the block(s) within the hyperblock. For example, the first round of a block may correspond to the first round in time order among the round(s) of the block, or round index 0. For example, the RCM including the HBS IE may be transmitted in the first slot of the first round. For example, the first slot of a round may correspond to the first slot in time order among the slot(s) included in the round, or slot index 0.

[0337] In some examples, the HBS IE may be included in an RCM transmitted by the second device. The RCM transmitted by the second device may be transmitted in the first slot of any round (e.g., the first slot in time order, or the slot corresponding to slot index 0). Furthermore, the HBS IE may be transmitted from the second device in the RCM of the first round (e.g., the first round in time order) of the first block (e.g., the first block in time order) of each hyperblock. Accordingly, the HBS IE may also be expressed as being transmitted in an RCM transmitted in the first slot of each hyperblock (e.g., the first slot in time order among all slot(s) within each hyperblock).

[0338] In some examples, the HBS IE may be transmitted in the first slot (e.g., the first slot in time order) of each hyperblock, and may not be transmitted in other slot(s) within the respective hyperblock.

[0339] In step S2320, the first device can perform a ranging process based on the HBS IE.

[0340] In some examples, the HBS IE may include a block description list field. For example, the block description list field may include one or more list elements. Each element may include a block index field, a block duration field, a round duration field, and a slot duration field. Accordingly, each block structure within each hyperblock may be set up by specifying values ​​of the block duration field, the round duration field, and the slot duration field. Accordingly, the first device may perform a ranging procedure according to the hyperblock structure.

[0341] In the example of FIG. 23, a message including the HBS IE can be configured as a UWB PPDU (see FIGS. 2 and 3).

[0342] In the example of FIG. 23, the first device can obtain a message by decoding the received PPDU. By extracting the HBS IE included in the obtained message, the first device can obtain information about the hyper block structure through the HBS IE.

[0343] For example, a first device (e.g., a controlled device) can extract an HBS IE included in a control message (e.g., an RCM), and determine in which block in the hyperblock it is included / allocated, based on information about the hyperblock structure included in the HBS IE, such as a block description list within the hyperblock (e.g., elements of blocks included in the hyperblock), each block duration, a round duration within the block, a slot duration, and / or hyperblock scheduling information included in the scheduling IE (e.g., information about which block each device is active in, a hyperblock bitmap scheduling bitmap within a scheduling list element, etc.). Based on this, the first device can determine a duty cycle for which block it will operate in and which block it will enter a sleep mode in.

[0344] The method described in the example of FIG. 23 may be performed by the first device (100) of FIG. 1. For example, one or more processors (102) of the first device (100) of FIG. 1 may be configured to receive a hyper block structure information element (HBS IE) from the second device (200) through one or more transceivers (106), and perform a ranging procedure based on the HBS IE through one or more transceivers (106). Furthermore, one or more memories (104) of the first device (100) may store commands for performing the method described in the example of FIG. 20 or the examples described below when executed by one or more processors (102).

[0345] For example, the processor (102) can perform decoding on the received packet. Specifically, noise and interference can be removed through amplification and filtering, and the signal can be converted into binary data through sampling, demodulation, and decoding. For example, a BPSK or O-QPSK demodulator can be used in the decoding process, and a process of mapping chips to symbols, convolution, Reed-Salomon decoding, etc. can be performed. The restored data can be used to extract the original transmitted information. This can include error correction, data recovery techniques, etc. to confirm that the transmitted data has been accurately received. In addition, the processor (102) can decode the data field of the packet received through the transceiver (106). In addition, the processor (102) can process the decoded data. For example, the processor (102) can perform a processing operation to transmit information about the decoded data field to a higher layer (e.g., a MAC layer). Additionally, if the generation of a signal is instructed from the upper layer to the PHY layer in response to data transmitted to the upper layer, subsequent operations can be performed.

[0346] FIG. 24 is a drawing for explaining the operation of a second device according to the present disclosure.

[0347] In step S2410, the second device may generate an HBS IE associated with the ranging process of one or more first devices.

[0348] In step S2420, the second device may transmit an HBS IE to one or more first devices. In some examples, the second device may transmit the HBS IE in the RCM of the first round of the first block of each hyper block.

[0349] Specific examples of the time at which the HBS IE is transmitted, the information included in the HBS IE, etc. are the same as those described in the example of Fig. 23, so redundant descriptions are omitted.

[0350] In the example of FIG. 24, a second device (e.g., a controller device) may generate a control message (e.g., an RCM) including the aforementioned HBS IE, scheduling IE, etc. The HBS IE may be generated to include scheduling information of a hyper block (e.g., a block description list (e.g., elements of blocks included in a hyper block), each block duration, a round duration within a block, a slot duration), and / or the scheduling IE may be generated to include hyper block scheduling information (e.g., information about which block each device is active in, a hyper block bitmap scheduling bitmap within a scheduling list element, etc.). The second device may convert a packet including the HBS IE and / or scheduling IE generated in this manner into a PPDU and transmit it to the first device.

[0351] The method described in the example of FIG. 24 may be performed by the second device (200) of FIG. 1. For example, one or more processors (202) of the second device (200) of FIG. 1 may be configured to generate a hyper block structure information element (HBS IE) associated with a ranging procedure of one or more first devices, and transmit the HBS IE to one or more first devices via one or more transceivers (206). Furthermore, one or more memories (204) of the second device (200) may store commands for performing the method described in the example of FIG. 21 or the examples described below when executed by one or more processors (202).

[0352] For example, the processor (202) may construct a packet based on information stored in the memory (204). The packet generated by the processor (202) may have the format of the HBS IE described in the present disclosure. The processor (202) may generate a transmission packet and store information about the transmission packet in the memory (204).

[0353] The examples of FIGS. 23 and 24 may correspond to some of the various examples of the present disclosure. Below, various examples of the present disclosure, including the examples of FIGS. 23 and 24, are described in more detail.

[0354] FIG. 25 is a diagram illustrating an example of round hopping in hyper block mode according to the present disclosure.

[0355] In the example of Figure 25, a transmission in round M of block n of hyperblock k represents an example of a hopping sequence that hops to round 1 of block n (i.e., a block with a relative block index equal to that of the previous hyperblock) in the next hyperblock (i.e., hyperblock k+1), and then hops to round 1 of block n (i.e., a block with a relative block index equal to that of the previous hyperblock) in the next hyperblock (i.e., hyperblock k+2).

[0356] Also, in the example of FIG. 25, a transmission in round m of block n of hyperblock k hops to round p of block n (i.e., the same relative block index as the block index of the previous hyperblock) in the next hyperblock (i.e., hyperblock k+1) (where m is different from p), and then hops to round 0 of block n (i.e., the same relative block index as the block index of the previous hyperblock) in the next hyperblock (i.e., hyperblock k+2).

[0357] Example 1

[0358] This embodiment relates to a method for signaling current block index information for hyper block mode.

[0359] FIG. 26 is a diagram illustrating examples of information elements including current block index information related to the hyper block mode according to the present disclosure.

[0360] Figure 26(a) is an example of adding current block index information to HBS IE.

[0361] The block index field included in the HBS IE may indicate the index of the current block. The current block may refer to the index of the block that includes the time unit (e.g., slot / round) in which the HBS IE is transmitted / received. This should be distinguished from the block index field included in each element of the block description list, which indicates one or more blocks within a hyperblock.

[0362] The round index field included in the HBS IE may indicate the index of the current round. The current round may refer to the index of the round that includes the time unit (e.g., slot) in which the HBS IE is transmitted / received. The round index field may be omitted from the HBS IE.

[0363] The same description as in the example of FIG. 21 may be applied to the remaining fields except for the block index field and the round index field of FIG. 26(a). For example, the hyper block index field may indicate the index of the hyper block including the point in time at which the HBS IE is transmitted. The content control field may include fields for block duration unit, round duration presence, and slot duration presence (as in the example of FIG. 21(b)). The block description list length field may indicate a value corresponding to the total number of blocks belonging to the hyper block. Each of one or more list elements included in the block description list may include fields for block index, block duration, round duration, and slot duration.

[0364] Figure 26(b) is an example of adding current block index information to the scheduling IE.

[0365] The block index field included in the scheduling IE may indicate the index of the current block. The current block may refer to the index of the block that includes the time unit (e.g., slot / round) in which the scheduling IE is transmitted / received.

[0366] The round index field included in the scheduling IE may indicate the index of the current round. The current round may refer to the index of the round that includes the time unit (e.g., slot) in which the scheduling IE is transmitted / received. The round index field may be omitted in the scheduling IE.

[0367] For the remaining fields except for the block index field and round index field of Fig. 26(b), the description of the fields included in the existing scheduling IE can be applied in the same manner.

[0368] Figure 26(c) shows an exemplary format of a new IE including current block index information.

[0369] The new IE may be referred to as a Hyper Block Ranging Round (HRR) IE, but the scope of the present disclosure is not limited by that name, and the scope of the present disclosure includes examples of IEs with other names having a format such as that shown in FIG. 26(c).

[0370] The hopping mode field included in the HRR IE can indicate whether hopping mode (e.g., round hopping) is supported for the ranging hyperblock. A value of 0 indicates that hopping mode is not applied, and a value of 1 indicates that hopping mode is applied.

[0371] If hopping mode is not supported, the hyperblock index field included in the HRR IE may indicate the index of the current hyperblock. The current hyperblock may refer to the index of the hyperblock that includes the time unit (e.g., slot / round / block) in which the HRR IE is transmitted / received. If hopping mode is supported, the hyperblock index field included in the HRR IE may also indicate the index of the next hyperblock to which round hopping will be applied.

[0372] If hopping mode is not supported, the block index field included in the HRR IE may indicate the index of the current block. The current block may refer to the index of the block that includes the time unit (e.g., slot / round) in which the scheduling IE is transmitted / received. If hopping mode is supported, the block index field included in the HRR IE may also indicate the index of the next block to which round hopping will be applied.

[0373] For example, when the hopping mode is enabled, the value of the block index field may be set to be the same as the value of the previous block index, so as to hop to any round within a block of the same block index of the next hyper block. Alternatively, when the hopping mode is enabled, the value of the block index field may be set to be different from the value of the previous block index, so as to hop to any round within a block of a different block index of the next hyper block.

[0374] If hopping mode is not supported, the round index field included in the HRR IE may indicate the index of the current round. The current round may refer to the index of the round that includes the time unit (e.g., slot) in which the scheduling IE is transmitted / received. If hopping mode is supported, the round index field included in the HRR IE may also indicate the index of the round in the next block to which round hopping will be applied.

[0375] The transmission offset field may indicate the transmission offset value (in RSTU units) of a ranging round within a block. The transmission offset may have a maximum value equal to the maximum slot duration minus the packet duration.

[0376] FIG. 27 illustrates an example of HRR IE-based operation for hyper block mode according to the present disclosure.

[0377] As in the example of 2710 of FIG. 27, when providing information about the current ranging round (i.e., the ranging round of the current ranging block i), the HRR IE may be included in the RCM of the ranging block i. When the HRR IE is transmitted in the RCM of the current ranging round, it may help the device (e.g., ERDEV) to synchronize the block structure.

[0378] When providing information about the next ranging round (i.e., the ranging round of the next ranging block i+1), the following rules may apply in hyperblock mode:

[0379] As in example 2720 of FIG. 27, when the last scheduled message within a ranging round of the current ranging block (e.g., block i) of the ranging hyperblock k is transmitted from the controller to the controllables, the HRR IE can be transmitted in the final message to signal ranging round information within the ranging block of the same relative block index in the next ranging hyperblock k+1 (i.e., ranging block i in the next hyperblock k+1 having the same relative block index as the ranging block index i in the current hyperblock k).

[0380] As in example 2730 of FIG. 27, if the last scheduled message within a ranging round of the current ranging block (e.g., block i) of the ranging hyperblock k is not transmitted from the controller to the controllables, the controller may send an HRR IE to signal ranging round information within a ranging block of the same relative block index in the next ranging hyperblock k+1 (i.e., ranging block i in the next hyperblock k+1) within the ranging block of the same relative block index in the ranging hyperblock k+2 (i.e., ranging block index i in hyperblock k+2). In this case, the RCM within the ranging block of the same relative block index in the ranging hyperblock k+1 (i.e., block index i) may contain two HRR IE instances. The first HRR IE may contain information corresponding to the ranging hyperblock k+1, and the second HRR IE may contain information regarding the ranging hyperblock k+2.

[0381] Example 2

[0382] This embodiment relates to a method for allowing a controllable entity to infer current ranging information based on a specific point in time at which an HBS IE is signaled.

[0383] For example, in addition to the method of embodiment 1 for signaling an IE including current ranging information, a rule for signaling an existing HBS IE may be defined so that the current ranging information can be inferred.

[0384] The existing HBS IE signaling was defined as having no restrictions, allowing the HBS IE to be transmitted in any arbitrary RCM. In the present disclosure, a new rule for the HBS IE signaling can be defined as "the HBS IE must be transmitted in the RCM of the first round of the first block of a hyperblock."

[0385] Here, the first block of a hyperblock may correspond to the first block in chronological order among all block(s) of the hyperblock. The first round of a block may correspond to the first round in chronological order among all round(s) of the block. If the round index of a block starts from 0, the first round of the block may correspond to round index 0.

[0386] When the RCM is transmitted by the controller to the controllable(s), it corresponds to a message that is transmitted in the first slot of a ranging round and sets the ranging parameters. Therefore, the rule that the HBS IE transmitted by the controller to the controllable(s) is transmitted in the RCM implies that it is transmitted in the first slot of a round. Here, the first slot of a round may correspond to the first slot in chronological order among all slot(s) of the round. If the slot index in a round starts from 0, the first slot of the round may correspond to slot index 0.

[0387] Accordingly, the rule that "HBS IE must be transmitted in the RCM of the first round of the first block of a hyperblock" has the same meaning as the rule that "HBS IE must be transmitted in the RCM of the first slot of a hyperblock". Here, the first slot of a hyperblock may correspond to the first slot in chronological order among all slot(s) of the hyperblock.

[0388] Furthermore, the HBS IE may be transmitted only in the first slot of a hyperblock and may not be transmitted in other slots of that hyperblock.

[0389] Accordingly, when the responder (or controlled entity) receives the HBS IE, it can know that hyper block mode exists and infer information about the current ranging round.

[0390] The block description list of HBS IE provides information on all blocks in the form of a list, and the timing information of each block / round / slot can be inferred using the block duration field, round duration field, and slot duration field included in each list element.

[0391] For example, we can assume that a hyperblock contains three blocks, and that the list elements are set to indicate that each block / round / slot duration is applied as in the example in the table below.

[0392] Block IndexBlock DurationRound DurationSlot Duration062114412841

[0393] With the information set as above, the respondent(s) (controlee(s)) can know that the total duration of one hyperblock is a length corresponding to 18 time units (e.g., slots). In addition, for block index 0 with a block duration of 6, it can be known that there are three such rounds since one round has a duration of 2. Next, for block index 1 with a block duration of 4, it can be known that there is one such round since one round has a duration of 4. Next, for block index 2 with a block duration of 8, it can be known that there are two such rounds since one round has a duration of 4. Therefore, from the above information, the starting point for each block index and round index can be inferred as in the examples in the table below.

[0394] Block Index Round Index Start Time 00001202410620102114

[0395] The respondent(s) (controlee(s)) can infer, based on the above information, that the point in time when 2 to 3 unit times have passed from the RCM start time when the HBS IE is received corresponds to a position where the block index is 0 and the round index is 1 within the hyper block structure, and that the point in time when 6 to 9 unit times have passed corresponds to a position where the block index is 1 and the round index is 0 within the hyper block structure.

[0396] According to the examples of the present disclosure, by directly or indirectly signaling the reference point for applying the hyper block mode in the controllables, the ambiguity of the current ranging block / round in the hyper block-based mode is removed, so that the ranging process according to the hyper block structure can be performed accurately and efficiently.

[0397] The embodiments described above are combinations of components and features of the present disclosure in a predetermined form. Each component or feature should be considered optional unless explicitly stated otherwise. Each component or feature may be implemented without being combined with other components or features. Furthermore, it is also possible to form embodiments of the present disclosure by combining some components and / or features. The order of operations described in the embodiments of the present disclosure may be changed. Some components or features of one embodiment may be included in another embodiment or may be replaced with corresponding components or features of another embodiment. It is self-evident that claims that do not have an explicit citation relationship in the patent claims may be combined to form embodiments or incorporated as new claims through post-application amendments.

[0398] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without departing from the essential characteristics thereof. Therefore, the above detailed description should not be construed as limiting in any respect, but rather as illustrative. The scope of the present disclosure should be determined by a reasonable interpretation of the appended claims, and all modifications within the scope of equivalents of the present disclosure are intended to be included within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0399] The scope of the present disclosure includes software or machine-executable instructions (e.g., an operating system, an application, firmware, a program, etc.) that cause operations according to the methods of various embodiments to be executed on a device or a computer, and a non-transitory computer-readable medium having such software or instructions stored thereon and executable on the device or computer. Instructions that can be used to program a processing system to perform the features described in the present disclosure can be stored on / in a storage medium or a computer-readable storage medium, and a computer program product including such a storage medium can be used to implement the features described in the present disclosure. The storage medium can include, but is not limited to, high-speed random access memory, such as DRAM, SRAM, DDR RAM, or other random access solid state memory devices, and can include non-volatile memory, such as one or more magnetic disk storage devices, optical disk storage devices, flash memory devices, or other non-volatile solid state storage devices. The memory optionally includes one or more storage devices remotely located from the processor(s). The memory or, alternatively, the non-volatile memory device(s) within the memory comprise a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium. The features described in this disclosure may be incorporated into software and / or firmware stored on any of the machine-readable media, which may control the hardware of the processing system and allow the processing system to interact with other mechanisms that utilize results according to embodiments of the present disclosure. Such software or firmware may include, but is not limited to, application code, device drivers, operating systems, and execution environments / containers.

[0400] The method proposed in this disclosure has been described with a focus on examples applied to IEEE 802.15.4-based systems, but can be applied to various UWB wireless networks or wireless communication systems in addition to IEEE 802.15.4-based systems.

Claims

1. A step of receiving a hyper block structure information element (HBS IE) from a second device by a first device; and A step of performing a ranging procedure by the first device based on the HBS IE is included, The above HBS IE is transmitted in the RCM (ranging control message) of the first round of the first block of each hyper block.

2. In paragraph 1, A method wherein the first block is the first block in chronological order among one or more blocks within each hyper block.

3. In paragraph 2, The above first round corresponds to round index 0, method.

4. In paragraph 3, A method wherein the RCM is transmitted in the first slot of the first round.

5. In paragraph 4, The above first slot corresponds to slot index 0, the method.

6. In paragraph 1, A method wherein the RCM is transmitted by the second device.

7. In paragraph 1, The above HBS IE is transmitted in the RCM transmitted in the first slot of each of the above hyper blocks.

8. In paragraph 1, A method wherein the HBS IE is transmitted in the first slot of each hyper block and is not transmitted in other slots within each hyper block.

9. In paragraph 1, The above HBS IE comprises a block description list field.

10. In paragraph 9, Each element of the above block description list field is: A method comprising a block index field, a block duration field, a round duration field, and a slot duration field.

11. In paragraph 10, A method in which each block structure is set up by specifying values ​​of the block duration field, the round duration field, and the slot duration field.

12. In paragraph 1, The above first device corresponds to a controlee, The above second device corresponds to a controller, method.

13. In paragraph 1, A method wherein the first device and the second device are enhanced ranging-capable devices (ERDEVs).

14. One or more transmitters and receivers; and comprising one or more processors connected to said one or more transceivers, One or more of the above processors: Receiving a hyper block structure information element (HBS IE) from a second device through the one or more transceivers; and A ranging procedure based on the above HBS IE is set to be performed through the one or more transceivers, The above HBS IE is a first device transmitted in the RCM (ranging control message) of the first round of the first block of each hyper block.

15. A step of generating a hyper block structure information element (HBS IE) associated with a ranging procedure of one or more first devices by a second device; and comprising a step of transmitting the HBS IE to the one or more first devices by the second device, The above HBS IE is transmitted in the RCM (ranging control message) of the first round of the first block of each hyper block.

16. One or more transmitters and receivers; and comprising one or more processors connected to said one or more transceivers, One or more of the above processors: Generating a hyper block structure information element (HBS IE) associated with a ranging procedure of one or more first devices; and The HBS IE is set to be transmitted to the one or more first devices via the one or more transceivers, The above HBS IE is a second device transmitted in the RCM (ranging control message) of the first round of the first block of each hyper block.

17. One or more processors; and A processing device comprising one or more computer memories operatively connected to said one or more processors and storing instructions for performing a method according to any one of claims 1 to 13 based on execution by said one or more processors.

18. One or more non-transitory computer-readable media storing one or more instructions that are executed by one or more processors to control the performance of a method according to any one of claims 1 to 13.

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