Electronic device, method, and non-transitory storage medium for determining transmission position of wireless signal

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to an electronic device, a method, and a non-transitory storage medium for determining a transmission position of a wireless signal. According to an embodiment, the electronic device may, by at least one processor: receive a wireless signal transmitted from a target electronic device by a wireless communication method; instruct an external electronic device, which receives the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device, to be located at a first position in a first direction, so as to obtain first information about a wireless signal received at the first position by the external electronic device and a first distance value between the first position of the external electronic device and a fixed position of the electronic device; obtain a first incident angle on the basis of the first distance value and the first information; instruct the external electronic device to be located at a second position in a second direction different from the first direction so as to obtain second information about a wireless signal received at the second position by the external electronic device and a second distance value between the second position of the external electronic device and the fixed position of the electronic device; obtain a second incident angle on the basis of the second distance value and the second information; and obtain, on the basis of the first incident angle and the second incident angle, three-dimensional position information corresponding to a transmission position of the wireless signal transmitted by the target electronic device to identify the position of the target electronic device. Other embodiments are also possible.

Description

Electronic device, method and non-transitory storage medium for determining the location of transmission of wireless signals

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device, method and non-transitory storage medium for determining a transmission location of a wireless signal.

[0002] With the advancement of digital technology, electronic devices are now available in various forms, such as smartphones, tablet personal computers (PCs), and personal digital assistants (PDAs). Electronic devices are also being developed into wearable devices to enhance portability and accessibility.

[0003] A variety of electronic devices are available to users. These devices utilize wireless communication methods to connect to external electronic devices, enabling them to transmit and receive wireless signals with the external electronic devices and perform positioning. Examples of these wireless communication methods include ultra-wideband (UWB), wireless fidelity (WiFi), and Bluetooth (BT).

[0004] The above information may be provided as background art to aid in understanding the present disclosure. No claim or determination is made as to whether any of the above is applicable as prior art related to the present disclosure.

[0005] In the past, positioning was performed by measuring the phase difference of the received signals of each antenna using a two-dimensional array of wireless signal antennas included in a single device, and measuring the angle of arrival (AoA) in three-dimensional (3D) space using ToF (Time of Flight) by positioning multiple devices far apart using the UWB method. However, unlike UWB, in the case of wireless signals using the Wi-Fi or Bluetooth method, devices with a single antenna or devices that cannot systematically use antennas for positioning cannot use ToF for positioning due to the characteristics of the wireless signal, so even if there were multiple devices with a single antenna, three-dimensional (3D) positioning could not be performed.

[0006] The present disclosure provides an electronic device, a method, and a non-transitory storage medium for determining a transmission location of a wireless signal transmitted from a target electronic device to estimate a location of the target electronic device based on a distance between the electronic device and an external electronic device that receives a wireless signal used for location determination through a single antenna.

[0007] According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device may include an antenna circuit, a communication circuit, a memory, and at least one processor operatively connected to the antenna circuit, the communication circuit, and the memory.

[0008] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to receive a wireless signal transmitted by a wireless communication method from the target electronic device.

[0009] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to instruct the external electronic device to be located at a first location in a first direction, so that the external electronic device, which receives the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device, obtains first information about the wireless signal received at the first location and a first distance value between the first location of the external electronic device and a fixed location of the electronic device.

[0010] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to obtain a first incidence angle based on the first distance value and the first information.

[0011] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to instruct the external electronic device to be located at a second location in a second direction different from the first direction, so as to obtain second information about a wireless signal received by the external electronic device at the second location and a second distance value between the second location of the external electronic device and the fixed location of the electronic device.

[0012] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to obtain a second incidence angle based on the second distance value and the second information.

[0013] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to obtain three-dimensional position information corresponding to a transmission location of the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device to determine the location of the target electronic device based on the first incident angle and the second incident angle.

[0014] According to one embodiment, a method of operating in an electronic device may include receiving a wireless signal transmitted by a wireless communication method from a target electronic device.

[0015] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation in which an external electronic device receiving the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device instructs the external device to be located at a first location in a first direction, so that the external electronic device obtains first information about the wireless signal received at the first location and a first distance value between the first location of the external electronic device and a fixed location of the electronic device.

[0016] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation of obtaining a first incident angle based on the first distance value and the first information.

[0017] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation of instructing the external electronic device to be positioned at a second location in a second direction different from the first direction, thereby obtaining second information about a wireless signal received by the external electronic device at the second location and a second distance value between the second location of the external electronic device and the fixed location of the electronic device.

[0018] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation of obtaining a second incidence angle based on the second distance value and the second information.

[0019] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation of obtaining three-dimensional position information corresponding to a transmission location of the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device to determine the location of the target electronic device based on the first incident angle and the second incident angle.

[0020] According to one embodiment, in a non-transitory storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs may include instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of an electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform an operation of receiving a wireless signal transmitted by a wireless communication method from a target electronic device.

[0021] According to one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of the electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform an operation in which an external electronic device receiving the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device instructs the external device to be located at a first location in a first direction, and the external electronic device obtains first information about the wireless signal received at the first location and a first distance value between the first location of the external electronic device and a fixed location of the electronic device.

[0022] According to one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of the electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform an operation of obtaining a first incident angle based on the first distance value and the first information.

[0023] According to one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of the electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform an operation of instructing the external electronic device to be located at a second location in a second direction different from the first direction, and obtaining second information about a wireless signal received by the external electronic device at the second location and a second distance value between the second location of the external electronic device and the fixed location of the electronic device.

[0024] According to one embodiment, the one or more programs may include instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of the electronic device, cause the electronic device to perform an operation of obtaining a second incident angle based on the second distance value and the second information, and an operation of obtaining three-dimensional location information corresponding to a transmission location of the wireless signal transmitted by the target electronic device to determine the location of the target electronic device based on the first incident angle and the second incident angle.

[0025] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device within a network environment according to various embodiments.

[0026] FIG. 2 is a drawing showing the structure of an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0027] FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example for estimating the location of a wireless signal in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0028] FIGS. 4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating examples for estimating the location of a wireless signal in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0029] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing an example screen for estimating the location of a wireless signal in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0030] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example screen for estimating the location of a wireless signal in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0031] FIG. 7 is a drawing showing an example of an operating method in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0032] FIG. 8 is a drawing showing an example of an operating method in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0033] In connection with the description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may be used for identical or similar components.

[0034] Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the drawings so that those skilled in the art can easily implement the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure may be implemented in various different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. In connection with the description of the drawings, the same or similar reference numerals may be used for the same or similar components. In addition, in the drawings and related descriptions, descriptions of well-known functions and configurations may be omitted for clarity and conciseness. The term "user" used in the embodiments of the present disclosure may refer to a person using an electronic device or a device (e.g., an artificial intelligence electronic device) using an electronic device.

[0035] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device (101) within a network environment (100) according to various embodiments.

[0036] Referring to FIG. 1, in a network environment (100), an electronic device (101) may communicate with an electronic device (102) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network), or may communicate with at least one of an electronic device (104) or a server (108) via a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). In one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (104) via the server (108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120), a memory (130), an input module (150), an audio output module (155), a display module (160), an audio module (170), a sensor module (176), an interface (177), a connection terminal (178), a haptic module (179), a camera module (180), a power management module (188), a battery (189), a communication module (190), a subscriber identification module (196), or an antenna module (197). In some embodiments, the electronic device (101) may omit at least one of these components (e.g., the connection terminal (178)), or may have one or more other components added. In some embodiments, some of these components (e.g., the sensor module (176), the camera module (180), or the antenna module (197)) may be integrated into one component (e.g., the display module (160)).

[0037] The processor (120) may, for example, execute software (e.g., a program (140)) to control at least one other component (e.g., a hardware or software component) of the electronic device (101) connected to the processor (120) and perform various data processing or operations. According to one embodiment, as at least a part of the data processing or operations, the processor (120) may store commands or data received from other components (e.g., a sensor module (176) or a communication module (190)) in a volatile memory (132), process the commands or data stored in the volatile memory (132), and store result data in a non-volatile memory (134). According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a main processor (121) (e.g., a central processing unit or an application processor) or an auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., a graphics processing unit, a neural processing unit (NPU), an image signal processor, a sensor hub processor, or a communication processor) that can operate independently or together with the main processor (121). For example, when the electronic device (101) includes the main processor (121) and the auxiliary processor (123), the auxiliary processor (123) may be configured to use less power than the main processor (121) or to be specialized for a given function. The auxiliary processor (123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (121) or as a part thereof.

[0038] The auxiliary processor (123) may control at least a portion of functions or states associated with at least one component (e.g., a display module (160), a sensor module (176), or a communication module (190)) of the electronic device (101), for example, on behalf of the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an inactive (e.g., sleep) state, or together with the main processor (121) while the main processor (121) is in an active (e.g., application execution) state. In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., an image signal processor or a communication processor) may be implemented as a part of another functionally related component (e.g., a camera module (180) or a communication module (190)). In one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., a neural network processing unit) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing artificial intelligence models. The artificial intelligence models may be generated through machine learning. This learning can be performed, for example, on the electronic device (101) itself where the artificial intelligence model is executed, or can be performed through a separate server (e.g., server (108)). The learning algorithm can include, for example, supervised learning, unsupervised learning, semi-supervised learning, or reinforcement learning, but is not limited to the examples described above. The artificial intelligence model can include multiple artificial neural network layers.The artificial neural network may be one of a deep neural network (DNN), a convolutional neural network (CNN), a recurrent neural network (RNN), a restricted Boltzmann machine (RBM), a deep belief network (DBN), a bidirectional recurrent deep neural network (BRDNN), a deep Q-network, or a combination of two or more of the above, but is not limited to the examples described above. In addition to, or alternatively to, a hardware structure, an artificial intelligence model may include a software structure.

[0039] The memory (130) can store various data used by at least one component (e.g., processor (120) or sensor module (176)) of the electronic device (101). The data can include, for example, software (e.g., program (140)) and input data or output data for commands related thereto. The memory (130) can include volatile memory (132) or non-volatile memory (134).

[0040] The program (140) may be stored as software in the memory (130) and may include, for example, an operating system (142), middleware (144), or an application (146).

[0041] The input module (150) can receive commands or data to be used in a component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., a processor (120)) from an external source (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The input module (150) can include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

[0042] The audio output module (155) can output audio signals to the outside of the electronic device (101). The audio output module (155) can include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker can be used for general purposes, such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver can be used to receive incoming calls. In one embodiment, the receiver can be implemented separately from the speaker or as part of the speaker.

[0043] The display module (160) can visually provide information to an external party (e.g., a user) of the electronic device (101). The display module (160) may include, for example, a display, a holographic device, or a projector and a control circuit for controlling the device. In one embodiment, the display module (160) may include a touch sensor configured to detect a touch, or a pressure sensor configured to measure the intensity of a force generated by the touch.

[0044] The audio module (170) can convert sound into an electrical signal, or vice versa, convert an electrical signal into sound. According to one embodiment, the audio module (170) can acquire sound through the input module (150), output sound through the sound output module (155), or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)) (e.g., speaker or headphone) directly or wirelessly connected to the electronic device (101).

[0045] The sensor module (176) can detect the operating status (e.g., power or temperature) of the electronic device (101) or the external environmental status (e.g., user status) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected status. According to one embodiment, the sensor module (176) can include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyro sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an acceleration sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biometric sensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

[0046] The interface (177) may support one or more designated protocols that may be used to directly or wirelessly connect the electronic device (101) with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102)). In one embodiment, the interface (177) may include, for example, a high definition multimedia interface (HDMI), a universal serial bus (USB) interface, an SD card interface, or an audio interface.

[0047] The connection terminal (178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (101) may be physically connected to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)). According to one embodiment, the connection terminal (178) may include, for example, an HDMI connector, a USB connector, an SD card connector, or an audio connector (e.g., a headphone connector).

[0048] The haptic module (179) can convert electrical signals into mechanical stimuli (e.g., vibration or movement) or electrical stimuli that a user can perceive through tactile or kinesthetic sensations. According to one embodiment, the haptic module (179) can include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electrical stimulation device.

[0049] The camera module (180) can capture still images and videos. According to one embodiment, the camera module (180) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0050] The power management module (188) can manage power supplied to the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the power management module (188) can be implemented as, for example, at least a part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0051] A battery (189) may power at least one component of the electronic device (101). In one embodiment, the battery (189) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0052] The communication module (190) may support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102), electronic device (104), or server (108)), and the performance of communication through the established communication channel. The communication module (190) may operate independently from the processor (120) (e.g., application processor) and may include one or more communication processors that support direct (e.g., wired) communication or wireless communication. According to one embodiment, the communication module (190) may include a wireless communication module (192) (e.g., a cellular communication module, a short-range wireless communication module, or a global navigation satellite system (GNSS) communication module) or a wired communication module (194) (e.g., a local area network (LAN) communication module, or a power line communication module). Among these communication modules, the corresponding communication module can communicate with an external electronic device (104) via a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, wireless fidelity (WiFi) direct, or infrared data association (IrDA)) or a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range communication network such as a legacy cellular network, a 5G network, a next-generation communication network, the Internet, or a computer network (e.g., a LAN or WAN)). These various types of communication modules can be integrated into a single component (e.g., a single chip) or implemented as multiple separate components (e.g., multiple chips). The wireless communication module (192) can verify or authenticate the electronic device (101) within a communication network such as the first network (198) or the second network (199) by using subscriber information (e.g., an international mobile subscriber identity (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module (196).

[0053] The wireless communication module (192) can support 5G networks and next-generation communication technologies following the 4G network, such as NR access technology (new radio access technology). The NR access technology can support high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (eMBB (enhanced mobile broadband)), minimization of terminal power and connection of multiple terminals (mMTC (massive machine type communications)), or high reliability and low latency (URLLC (ultra-reliable and low-latency communications)). The wireless communication module (192) can support, for example, a high-frequency band (e.g., mmWave band) to achieve a high data transmission rate. The wireless communication module (192) can support various technologies for securing performance in a high-frequency band, such as beamforming, massive multiple-input and multiple-output (MIMO), full dimensional MIMO (FD-MIMO), array antenna, analog beam-forming, or large scale antenna. The wireless communication module (192) can support various requirements specified in the electronic device (101), an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (104)), or a network system (e.g., the second network (199)). According to one embodiment, the wireless communication module (192) can support a peak data rate (e.g., 20 Gbps or more) for realizing 1eMBB, a loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for realizing mMTC, or a U-plane latency (e.g., 0.5 ms or less for downlink (DL) and uplink (UL), or 1 ms or less for round trip) for realizing URLLC.

[0054] The antenna module (197) can transmit or receive signals or power to or from an external device (e.g., an external electronic device). In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include an antenna including a radiator formed of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). In one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna). In this case, at least one antenna suitable for a communication method used in a communication network, such as the first network (198) or the second network (199), may be selected from the plurality of antennas, for example, by the communication module (190). A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (190) and an external electronic device via the at least one selected antenna. In some embodiments, in addition to the radiator, another component (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as a part of the antenna module (197).

[0055] According to various embodiments, the antenna module (197) may form a mmWave antenna module. In one embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on or adjacent a first side (e.g., a bottom side) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a designated high-frequency band (e.g., a mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., an array antenna) disposed on or adjacent a second side (e.g., a top side or a side side) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving signals in the designated high-frequency band.

[0056] At least some of the above components can be interconnected and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., a bus, GPIO (general purpose input and output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), or MIPI (mobile industry processor interface)).

[0057] According to one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (104) via a server (108) connected to a second network (199). Each of the external electronic devices (102 or 104) may be the same or a different type of device as the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, all or part of the operations executed in the electronic device (101) may be executed in one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104, or 108). For example, when the electronic device (101) is to perform a certain function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) may, instead of or in addition to executing the function or service itself, request one or more external electronic devices to perform the function or at least a part of the service. One or more external electronic devices that receive the request may execute at least a portion of the requested function or service, or an additional function or service related to the request, and transmit the result of the execution to the electronic device (101). The electronic device (101) may process the result as is or additionally and provide it as at least a portion of a response to the request. For this purpose, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used, for example. The electronic device (101) may provide an ultra-low latency service by using distributed computing or mobile edge computing, for example. In another embodiment, the external electronic device (104) may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server (108) may be an intelligent server utilizing machine learning and / or a neural network. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) or the server (108) may be included in the second network (199).The electronic device (101) can be applied to intelligent services (e.g., smart home, smart city, smart car, or healthcare) based on 5G communication technology and IoT-related technology.

[0058] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a structure of a wireless signal in an electronic device according to one embodiment. FIG. 3 is a diagram illustrating an example for determining a transmission location of a wireless signal in an electronic device according to one embodiment. FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B are diagrams illustrating an example for determining a transmission location of a wireless signal in an electronic device according to one embodiment. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for determining a transmission location of a wireless signal in an electronic device according to one embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of a screen for determining a transmission location of a wireless signal in an electronic device according to one embodiment.

[0059] Referring to FIGS. 2, 3, 4, 5, and 6, an electronic device (101) according to one embodiment (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIG. 1) may include a processor (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1), a communication circuit (220) (e.g., the wireless communication module (192) of FIG. 1), an antenna circuit (230) (e.g., the antenna module (197) of FIG. 1), a memory (240) (e.g., the memory (130) of FIG. 1), a display (250) (e.g., the display module (150) of FIG. 1), and an audio output circuit (e.g., the audio output module (155) of FIG. 1). Without being limited thereto, the electronic device may further include other components illustrated in FIG. 1. According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may use an external electronic device (201) to determine (e.g., confirm, measure, The electronic device (101) can communicate with an external electronic device (201) and a target electronic device (203) via a wireless communication method (e.g., a Wi-Fi communication method or a Bluetooth communication method) through a communication circuit (220). Here, the external electronic device (201) may be a wearable device or a movable wireless communication device (e.g., a portable device or home appliance capable of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth communication) including a single antenna for positioning. The wireless signal may be a Wi-Fi signal or a Bluetooth signal.

[0060] According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may be operatively connected to a communication circuit (220), an antenna circuit (230), a memory (240), and a display (250), and may be operatively connected to other components necessary to determine a transmission location of a wireless signal.

[0061] According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may execute an application related to position determination in response to a request to determine a transmission location of a wireless signal transmitted by the target electronic device (203) to estimate the location of the target electronic device (203), and control the display (250) to display execution screens (510, 520 and / or 610) related to determining the transmission location of the wireless signal.

[0062] According to one embodiment, the processor (210) controls the communication circuit (230) to receive a wireless signal transmitted from a target electronic device (203) through a single antenna (231), in response to a request for determining a transmission location of a wireless signal, and controls the communication circuit (230) to communicate with an external electronic device (201) that receives the same wireless signal. According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may control the single antenna (231) included in the antenna module (230) to be used for determining a transmission location of the wireless signal. Here, the antenna module (230) may include one antenna or may include multiple antennas, and when including multiple antennas, one of the multiple antennas may be used for determining a transmission location of the wireless signal. According to one embodiment, when the processor (210) receives a wireless signal transmitted from a target electronic device (203) through a single antenna (231), the processor (210) may receive in real time information (e.g., first information and second information) about the wireless signal used for measuring an angle of arrival (AOA) from an external electronic device (201) that receives the wireless signal at the same time. Here, the information about the wireless signal may include at least one of reception identification information (e.g., ID or MAC), reception time (t0), phase information, or signal strength of the wireless signal as low-level physical layer information. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device (201) may periodically acquire and store information about the wireless signal, and transmit the information to the electronic device (101) periodically or upon request of the electronic device (101) (e.g., upon measuring an angle of arrival or upon measuring a distance).

[0063] According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may induce (e.g., instruct) the external electronic device (201) to be positioned at a first position in a first direction (e.g., horizontal direction or x-axis direction) based on the fixed position of the electronic device (101), as illustrated in FIG. 3. The processor (210) may control the display (250) to display a message (511) (e.g., “Attach the smartwatch to the smart phone and move it slowly as follows”) for inducing the positioning at the first position in the first direction and / or an image (513) for inducing the positioning at the first position in the first direction on the execution screen (510). According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may control an audio output module (e.g., audio output module (155) of FIG. 1) to output the message for inducing the positioning at the first position in the first direction as voice information. According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit a message to the external electronic device (201) via the communication circuit (230) to induce the device to be positioned at a first position in a first direction. Without being limited thereto, the processor (210) may induce the device to be positioned at a first position in the first direction by using a vibration or light.

[0064] According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may receive first information about a wireless signal received at a first location at a first time from the external electronic device (201), based on the external electronic device (201) being located at a first location in a first direction, as illustrated in FIG. 4A, and obtain a first distance value (d1) between the first location and a fixed location of the electronic device (101) (e.g., between a single antenna (231) of the electronic device (101) and a single antenna (401) of the external electronic device (201). The processor (210) may obtain the first distance value by measuring how much the output power decreases from when the wireless signal is transmitted from the target electronic device (203) until it is received by the electronic device (101), for example, using a received signal strength indicator (RSSI). The processor (210) may obtain the first distance value, for example, using an I MU sensor. Here, the method using the received signal strength indicator (RSSI) takes advantage of the fact that the attenuation of signal strength is constant according to distance, and is a method with a small distance measurement error within a radius of 1 m.

[0065] According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may measure (e.g., obtain, calculate, or confirm) a first incident angle (θ1) based on a first distance value (d1) and first information about a wireless signal received by the external electronic device (201), as illustrated in FIGS. 4A and 4B. Here, the first incident angle may be an angle between a direction (e.g., the first direction) in which a wireless signal received at a first time point through a single antenna (401) of the external electronic device (201) at a first location in a first direction (e.g., the horizontal axis or the x-axis) arrives and a reference direction, as illustrated in FIG. 4B. The processor (210) may obtain the first incident angle (θ1) by using a time difference (Δt) (e.g., the difference between the time it takes for the wireless signal to arrive at the single antenna of the external electronic device and the time it takes for the wireless signal to arrive at the single antenna of the electronic device) or a phase difference, a signal speed (c), and the first distance value (d1) for the wireless signal received at the first time point in the first location. The first incident angle (θ1) can be calculated using the following <Mathematical Formula 1>.

[0066]

[0067] According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may induce the external electronic device (201) to move or be positioned at a second position in a second direction (e.g., vertical direction or y-axis direction) different from the first direction based on the fixed position of the electronic device (101), as illustrated in FIG. 3. The processor (210) may control the display (250) to display a message (521) (e.g., “Keep the smartphone fixed and move it slowly upward”) for inducing the external electronic device (201) to be positioned at the second position in the second direction and / or an image (523) for inducing the external electronic device (201) to be positioned at the second position in the second direction on the execution screen (520). According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may control an audio output module (e.g., audio output module (155) of FIG. 1) to output the message for inducing the external electronic device (201) to be positioned at the second position in the second direction as audio information. According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit a message to the external electronic device (201) via the communication circuit (230) to induce the electronic device (101) to be positioned at a second position in a second direction. Without being limited thereto, the processor (210) may induce the electronic device (101) to be positioned at a second position in the second direction by using vibration or light. Here, the electronic device (101) (e.g., the antenna (231) of the electronic device (101)) may have a fixed position, and the external electronic device (201) (e.g., a single antenna (401) of the external electronic device (201)) may not have a fixed position and may change from a first position to a second position, for example, for two position measurements.

[0068] According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may obtain second information about a wireless signal received by the external electronic device (201) at a second point in time at a second location, and obtain a second distance value (d2) between the second location and a fixed location of the electronic device (101) (e.g., between the antenna (231) of the electronic device (101) and the antenna (201) of the external electronic device (201). The processor (210) may obtain the second distance value by measuring how much the output power decreases after the wireless signal is transmitted from the target electronic device (203) until it is received by the electronic device (101), for example, using a received signal strength indicator (RSSI). The processor (210) may obtain the second distance value, for example, using an IMU sensor.

[0069] According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may obtain a second incident angle (θ2) based on the second distance value and the second information. Here, the second incident angle may be an angle between a direction (e.g., the second direction) in which a wireless signal received at a second point in time through a single antenna (401) of an external electronic device (201) at a second location in a second direction (e.g., the vertical axis or the y-axis) arrives and a reference direction, as illustrated in FIG. 4B. The processor (210) may obtain the second incident angle (θ2) using a time difference (Δt) (e.g., the difference between the time it takes for the signal to arrive at the single antenna of the external electronic device and the time it takes for the signal to arrive at the single antenna of the electronic device) or a phase difference, a signal speed (c), and the second distance value (d2) for the wireless signal received at the second location and at the second point in time. The second incident angle (θ2) may be calculated using the following <Mathematical Formula 2>.

[0070]

[0071] According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may determine a transmission location of a wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device (203) to estimate the location of the target electronic device (203) based on the first incident angle and the second incident angle. The processor (210) may obtain three-dimensional location information (e.g., spherical coordinate system (r, θ1, θ2)) of a direction in which the wireless signal is transmitted. The processor (210) may estimate the location of the target electronic device (203) based on three-dimensional location information (e.g., spherical coordinate system (r, θ1, θ2)) corresponding to the transmission location of the wireless signal. According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may control the display (250) to display, on the execution screen (610), graphic objects (611, 613) (e.g., text or symbols) representing three-dimensional position information (e.g., spherical coordinates (r, θ1, θ2)) or an estimated position of the target electronic device (203), as illustrated in FIG. 6. Without being limited thereto, the electronic device according to one embodiment may provide the estimated position of the target electronic device as voice information. According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may transmit the acquired three-dimensional position information (e.g., spherical coordinates (r, θ1, θ2)) to an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102, 104) or the server (108) of FIG. 1 or the external electronic device (201) of FIG. 2). According to one embodiment, the external electronic device may provide an estimated location of the target electronic device (203) based on the received three-dimensional location information (e.g., display a graphic object representing the estimated location or output audio information).

[0072] According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may be a hardware component (function) or a software component (program) including at least one of various components provided in the electronic device (201), as a hardware module or a software module (e.g., an application program). According to one embodiment, the processor (210) may include, for example, one or a combination of two or more of hardware, software, or firmware. The processor (210) may omit at least some of the above components, or may be configured to further include other components for performing image processing operations in addition to the above components.

[0073] According to one embodiment, the communication circuit (220) can communicate with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102, 104) of FIG. 1, the server (108) of FIG. 1, or the external electronic device (201) of FIG. 2) and a target electronic device (e.g., the target electronic device (203) of FIG. 2) using a wireless communication method (e.g., a Wi-Fi method or a Bluetooth method). The communication circuit (220) can receive a wireless signal (e.g., a Wi-Fi signal or a Bluetooth signal) of a wireless communication method from the target electronic device (203). The communication circuit (220) can receive information about a wireless signal received by the external electronic device (201) from the target electronic device (203) through the wireless communication method from the external electronic device (201). According to one embodiment, the communication module (230) can include a Wi-Fi (wireless-fidelity) circuit or a Bluetooth circuit.

[0074] According to one embodiment, the antenna circuit (230) may be electrically connected to the communication circuit (220) and operatively connected to the processor (210) to transmit or receive a wireless signal processed by the communication circuit (220). According to one embodiment, the antenna circuit (230) may include a single antenna (231) or a plurality of antennas including the single antenna (231). Here, the single antenna (231) may be used to determine a transmission location of a wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device (203). According to one embodiment, at least one antenna other than the single antenna (231) among the plurality of antennas may be set not to be used to determine a transmission location of the wireless signal.

[0075] A memory (240) according to one embodiment (e.g., memory (130) of FIG. 1) may store applications (functions or programs) related to positioning, applications related to wireless communication, and / or other applications related to the operations of the present disclosure. A memory (240) according to one embodiment may store various data generated during execution of a program (140) as well as a program used for a functional operation (e.g., program (140) of FIG. 1). According to one embodiment, the memory (240) may largely include a program area (140) and a data area (not shown). The program area (140) may store related program information for operating the electronic device (101), such as an operating system (OS) that boots the electronic device (101) (e.g., operating system (142) of FIG. 1). The data area (not shown) may store transmitted and / or received data and generated data according to various embodiments. In addition, the memory (240) may be configured to include at least one storage medium among flash memory, hard disk, multimedia card micro type memory (e.g., secure digital (SD) or extreme digital (XD) memory), RAM, and ROM. According to one embodiment, the memory (240) may store information related to positioning of a wireless signal transmission location.

[0076] According to one embodiment, the display (250) may be implemented in the form of a touch screen. When the display (250) is implemented together with an input module in the form of a touch screen, it may display various pieces of information generated according to a user's touch action. According to one embodiment, the display (250) may display various execution screens related to the positioning of a wireless signal transmission location. According to one embodiment, the display (250) may display a first message (e.g., message (511) of FIG. 5) and / or an image (e.g., image (513) of FIG. 5) that induces the external electronic device (201) to be positioned at a first position in a first direction. According to one embodiment, the display (250) may display a second message (e.g., message (521) of FIG. 5) and / or an image (e.g., image (523) of FIG. 5) that induces the external electronic device (201) to be positioned at a second position in a second direction. According to one embodiment, the display (250) can identify (or estimate) the location of the target electronic device based on three-dimensional location information, and display an execution screen including a graphic object representing the three-dimensional location information or the identified (or estimated) location. According to one embodiment, the display (250) can be configured as at least one of a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor LCD (TFT-LCD), an organic light emitting diodes (OLED), a light emitting diode (LED), an active matrix organic LED (AMOLED), a flexible display, and a three-dimensional display. In addition, some of these displays can be configured as transparent or light-transmitting so that the outside can be seen through them. This can be configured as a transparent display including a TOLED (transparent OLED).According to another embodiment, it may further include other display circuits (e.g., an extended display or a flexible display) mounted in addition to the display (250).

[0077] According to one embodiment, the audio output circuit (260) may output a first message as voice information that induces the external electronic device (201) to be positioned at a first position in a first direction. According to one embodiment, the audio output circuit (260) may output a second message as voice information that induces the external electronic device (201) to be positioned at a second position in a second direction. According to one embodiment, the audio output circuit (260) may output voice information indicating the position of the target electronic device (203) identified based on three-dimensional position information.

[0078] According to another embodiment, when the electronic device (101) is movable from a first location to a second location and the external electronic device (201) that receives the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device (203) has a fixed location, the electronic device (101) may perform an operation of the external electronic device (201) according to the above-described embodiment to determine the transmission location of the wireless signal, and the external electronic device (201) may perform an operation of determining the transmission location of the wireless signal of the electronic device (101) according to the above-described embodiment to determine the transmission location of the wireless signal. According to another embodiment, when an electronic device (101) is movable from a first location to a second location and performs wireless communication with another electronic device (not shown) at a fixed location (e.g., an electronic device capable of Wi-Fi or Bluetooth communication), and the other electronic device does not include a configuration for positioning a transmission location of a wireless signal, the electronic device (101) movable from the first location to the second location may measure (or acquire) a first incidence angle and a second incidence angle, and acquire three-dimensional position information based on the first incidence angle and the second incidence angle, as in the above-described embodiment. According to another embodiment, the electronic device (101) may periodically acquire information on a wireless signal received through a single antenna (231) and store the information in a memory (240), acquire first information for measuring (or acquiring) the first incidence angle from the memory (240), and acquire second information for measuring (or acquiring) the second incidence angle from the memory (240).

[0079] An electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1 to 6) according to one embodiment may implement a software module (e.g., a program (140) of FIG. 1) for estimating the location of a wireless signal of a target electronic device. A memory (e.g., a memory (130) of FIG. 1 and a memory (240) of FIG. 2) of the electronic device may store commands (e.g., instructions) to implement the software module. At least one processor (e.g., a processor (120) of FIG. 1 and a processor (210) of FIG. 2) may execute the commands stored in the memory to implement the software module and control hardware (e.g., a communication module (190), an antenna module (197), a display module (160) of FIG. 1) associated with a function of the software module.

[0080] A software module of an electronic device according to an embodiment may be configured to include a kernel (or HAL), a framework (e.g., middleware (144) of FIG. 1) (220), and an application (e.g., application (146) of FIG. 1). At least a portion of the software module may be preloaded on the electronic device (101) or may be downloadable from a server (e.g., server (108)).

[0081] According to one embodiment, the kernel may include, but is not limited to, a system resource manager or device driver, and may further include other modules. The system resource manager may perform control, allocation, or retrieval of system resources. The device driver may include, for example, a display driver, a camera driver, a Bluetooth driver, a shared memory driver, a USB driver, a keypad driver, a WIFI driver, an audio driver, or an inter-process communication (IPC) driver.

[0082] According to one embodiment, the framework may be configured to include, for example, a wireless communication module (e.g., WIFI or Bluetooth), but is not limited thereto, and may further include other modules. The framework may provide functions commonly required by applications or provide various functions to applications through an application programming interface (API) (not shown) so that applications can efficiently use limited system resources within an electronic device. The wireless communication module may, for example, manage wireless connections using a wireless communication method (e.g., WIFI or Bluetooth). The framework may include modules that form a combination of various functions of the aforementioned components. The framework may provide specialized modules for each type of operating system to provide differentiated functions. The framework may dynamically delete some existing components or add new components.

[0083] According to one embodiment, the application may be configured to include an application (e.g., a module, a manager, or a program) related to location estimation of a wireless signal. The application may further include a module (or application) (not shown) for wireless communication with an external electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (102, 104) and / or the server (108) of FIG. 1 or the wearable device (201) and the target electronic device (203) of FIG. 2). The application may include an application received from an external electronic device (e.g., the server (108) or the electronic device (102, 104)). According to one embodiment, the application may include a preloaded application or a third-party application downloadable from a server. The components and names of the components of the software module according to the illustrated embodiment may vary depending on the type of operating system. According to one embodiment, at least a portion of the software module may be implemented as software, firmware, hardware, or a combination of at least two or more thereof. At least a portion of the software module (201) may be implemented (e.g., executed) by, for example, a processor (e.g., an AP). At least a portion of the software module may include, for example, a module, a program, a routine, a set of instructions, or a process for performing at least one function.

[0084] As such, in one embodiment, the main components of the electronic device have been described through the electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1 and 2. However, in various embodiments, not all of the components illustrated through FIGS. 1 and 2 are essential components, and the electronic device (101) may be implemented with more components than the illustrated components, or with fewer components. In addition, the positions of the main components of the electronic device (101) described above through FIGS. 1 and 2 may be changed according to various embodiments.

[0085] According to one embodiment, an electronic device (e.g., an electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1 to 6) may include an antenna circuit (e.g., an antenna module (197) of FIG. 1 and an antenna circuit (230) of FIG. 2), a communication circuit (e.g., a communication module (190) of FIG. 1 and a communication circuit (220) of FIG. 2), a memory (e.g., a memory (130) of FIG. 1 and a memory (240) of FIG. 2)) and at least one processor operatively connected to the antenna circuit, the communication circuit and the memory (e.g., a processor (120) of FIG. 1 and a processor (210) of FIG. 2).

[0086] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to receive a wireless signal transmitted by a wireless communication method from a target electronic device (e.g., the target electronic device (203) of FIG. 2).

[0087] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to instruct the external electronic device to be located at a first location in a first direction, so that the external electronic device, which receives the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device, obtains first information about the wireless signal received at the first location and a first distance value between the first location of the external electronic device and a fixed location of the electronic device.

[0088] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to obtain a first incidence angle based on the first distance value and the first information.

[0089] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to instruct the external electronic device to be located at a second location in a second direction different from the first direction, so as to obtain second information about a wireless signal received by the external electronic device at the second location and a second distance value between the second location of the external electronic device and the fixed location of the electronic device.

[0090] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to obtain a second incidence angle based on the second distance value and the second information.

[0091] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to obtain three-dimensional position information corresponding to a transmission location of the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device to determine the location of the target electronic device based on the first incident angle and the second incident angle.

[0092] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to provide a first message instructing the external electronic device to be positioned at the first location in the first direction, and to provide a second message instructing the external electronic device to be positioned at the second location in the second direction.

[0093] According to one embodiment, the antenna circuit includes a single antenna used to determine a transmission location of the wireless signal, and can receive the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device through the single antenna.

[0094] In one embodiment, the wireless signal may be a Wi-Fi signal or a Bluetooth signal.

[0095] In one embodiment, the external electronic device may be a wearable device or a movable wireless communication device that receives the wireless signal through a single antenna used to determine the transmission location of the wireless signal.

[0096] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may further include a display (e.g., display module (160) of FIG. 1 and display (250) of FIG. 2).

[0097] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to control the display to identify a location of the target electronic device based on the three-dimensional location information and to display an execution screen including a graphic object representing the identified location.

[0098] According to one embodiment, the electronic device may further include an audio output circuit (e.g., the audio output module (155) of FIG. 1 and the audio output circuit (260) of FIG. 2). According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to control the audio output circuit to identify a location of the target electronic device based on the three-dimensional location information and output audio information representing the identified location.

[0099] In one embodiment, the first direction may be the x-axis direction or the horizontal direction with respect to the fixed position. In one embodiment, the second direction may be the y-axis direction or the vertical direction with respect to the fixed position.

[0100] According to one embodiment, the first information may include at least one of identification information, phase information, signal measurement time, or signal strength of a wireless signal received at a first time point at the first location of the external electronic device.

[0101] According to one embodiment, the second information may include at least one of identification information, phase information, signal measurement time, or signal strength of a wireless signal received at a second time point at the second location of the external electronic device.

[0102] According to one embodiment, the at least one processor may be configured to obtain the first incident angle using a time difference or phase difference, a signal speed, and the first distance value for a wireless signal received at the first location and at a first time, and to obtain the second incident angle using a time difference or phase difference, a signal speed, and the second distance value for a wireless signal received at the second location and at a second time.

[0103] According to one embodiment, the first distance value and the second distance value can be obtained using a received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

[0104] Figure 7 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operating method in an electronic device according to one embodiment. In the following embodiments, each operation may be performed sequentially, but is not necessarily performed sequentially. For example, the order of each operation may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel.

[0105] Referring to FIG. 7, an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1 and 2) according to one embodiment may, in operation 701, perform communication with a target electronic device (e.g., the target electronic device (203) of FIG. 3) and an external electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device (201) of FIGS. 3 and 4A) using a wireless communication method. The electronic device may receive a wireless signal from the target electronic device using a wireless communication method. The external electronic device may receive a wireless signal transmitted by the target electronic device. For example, the wireless communication method may be a short-range wireless communication method (e.g., a Wi-Fi or Bluetooth method).

[0106] In operation 703, an electronic device according to one embodiment can induce (e.g., instruct) a wearable device to move to a first position in a first direction, thereby obtaining first information about a wireless signal received by an external electronic device at the first position and a first distance value between the first position of the external electronic device and a fixed position of the electronic device.

[0107] In operation 705, an electronic device according to an embodiment may obtain a first angle of arrival (AOA) (θ1) of a wireless signal based on a first distance value and first information about a wireless signal received from a wearable device. Here, the first angle of arrival may be an angle between a direction (e.g., a first direction) from which a wireless signal received through an antenna of the wearable device at a first location arrives and a reference direction. An electronic device according to an embodiment may obtain the first angle of arrival (θ1) using a time difference (Δt) (e.g., a difference between a time of arrival at a single antenna of an external electronic device and a time of arrival at a single antenna of the electronic device) or a phase difference, a signal speed (c), and a first distance value (d1) for a wireless signal received at a first time point at a first location. The first angle of arrival (θ1) may be calculated using the above <Mathematical Formula 1>.

[0108] In operation 707, the electronic device according to one embodiment can induce the wearable device to move to a second position in a second direction, so as to obtain second information about a wireless signal received by the external electronic device at the second position and a second distance value between the second position of the external electronic device and a fixed position of the electronic device.

[0109] In operation 709, the electronic device according to one embodiment may obtain a second incident angle (θ2) of the wireless signal based on the second distance value and second information about the wireless signal received from the wearable device. Here, the second incident angle may be an angle between a direction (e.g., the second direction) in which the wireless signal received through the antenna of the wearable device at the second location arrives and a reference direction. The electronic device according to one embodiment may obtain the second incident angle (θ2) using a time difference (Δt) (e.g., the difference between the time it takes for the wireless signal to arrive at a single antenna of the external electronic device and the time it takes for the wireless signal to arrive at a single antenna of the electronic device) or a phase difference, a signal speed (c), and the second distance value (d2) for the wireless signal received at the second time point at the second location. The second incident angle (θ2) may be calculated using the above <Mathematical Formula 2>.

[0110] In operation 711, three-dimensional position information (e.g., spherical coordinate system (r, θ1, θ2)) of the direction in which the wireless signal is transmitted can be obtained based on the first incident angle and the second incident angle.

[0111] Figure 8 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operating method in an electronic device according to one embodiment. In the following embodiments, the operations may be performed sequentially, but are not necessarily performed sequentially. For example, the order of the operations may be changed, and at least two operations may be performed in parallel.

[0112] Referring to FIG. 8, an electronic device according to one embodiment (e.g., electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1 and 2) may, in operation 801, execute an application related to positioning in response to a request to determine (e.g., confirm, measure, detect, or estimate) the location of a target electronic device.

[0113] In operation 803, an electronic device according to one embodiment may communicate with a target electronic device and a wearable device using a wireless communication method. According to one embodiment, the electronic device may receive a wireless signal from the target device using a wireless communication method. The wearable device may receive a wireless signal transmitted by the target electronic device. For example, the wireless communication method may be short-range wireless communication (e.g., Wi-Fi or Bluetooth).

[0114] In operation 805, the electronic device according to one embodiment may display a first message (e.g., message (311) of FIG. 3 (“Attach the smart watch to the smart phone and move it slowly as follows”) for inducing the wearable device to move (or position) to a first position in a first direction and / or an image for inducing the device to be positioned at a first position in a first direction on a running screen (e.g., first running screen (510) of FIG. 3). Here, the message may be output as voice information using an audio output device of the electronic device, but is not limited thereto, and may be output using vibration or light.

[0115] In operation 807, an electronic device according to one embodiment may obtain (or receive) first information about a wireless signal received at a first location from an external electronic device based on the wearable device moving to a first location, and obtain a first distance value between the first location of the external electronic device and a fixed location of the electronic device.

[0116] In operation 809, an electronic device according to an embodiment may obtain a first incident angle based on a first distance value and first information. Here, the first incident angle may be an angle between a direction (e.g., a first direction) in which a wireless signal received through an antenna of a wearable device at a first location arrives and a reference direction. An electronic device according to an embodiment may obtain a first incident angle (θ1) using a time difference (Δt) (e.g., a difference in time between arrival at a single antenna of an external electronic device and arrival at a single antenna of the electronic device) or a phase difference, a signal speed (c), and a first distance value (d1) for a wireless signal received at a first time point at a first location. The first incident angle (θ1) may be calculated using the above <Mathematical Formula 1>.

[0117] In operation 811, the electronic device according to one embodiment may display a second message (e.g., message (521) of FIG. 3 (“Move upward slowly while holding the smartphone”) for inducing the external electronic device to move (or position) to a second position in a second direction and / or an image for inducing the external electronic device to be positioned at a second position in a second direction on a running screen (e.g., second running screen (520) of FIG. 3). Here, the second message may be output as voice information using an audio output device of the electronic device, but is not limited thereto, and may be output using vibration or light.

[0118] In operation 813, the electronic device according to one embodiment may obtain (or receive) second information about a wireless signal received at a second location from the external electronic device based on the external electronic device moving to a second location, and obtain a second distance value between the second location of the external electronic device and the fixed location of the electronic device.

[0119] In operation 815, the electronic device according to one embodiment may obtain a second incident angle (θ2) based on the second distance value and the second information. Here, the second incident angle may be an angle between a direction (e.g., the second direction) in which a wireless signal received through an antenna of a wearable device at a second location arrives and a reference direction. The electronic device according to one embodiment may obtain the second incident angle (θ2) using a time difference (Δt) (e.g., a difference in time between arrival at a single antenna of an external electronic device and arrival at a single antenna of the electronic device) or a phase difference, a signal speed (c), and the second distance value (d2) for the wireless signal received at a point in time at the second location. The second incident angle (θ2) may be calculated using the above <Mathematical Formula 2>.

[0120] In operation 817, three-dimensional position information (e.g., spherical coordinate system (r, θ1, θ2)) of the direction in which the wireless signal is transmitted can be obtained based on the first incident angle and the second incident angle.

[0121] In operation 819, the electronic device according to one embodiment may display a graphic object (e.g., text or symbol) representing the estimated location of the target electronic device on the display based on the acquired three-dimensional location information (e.g., spherical coordinate system (r, θ1, θ2)). For example, the electronic device may display a graphic object (611, 613) representing the estimated location of the target electronic device, such as the third execution screen (610) illustrated in FIG. 6. According to one embodiment, the electronic device may display an execution screen displaying at least one of a virtual reality space, an image, or a map for a place including the estimated location of the target electronic device, and may display a graphic object (611, 613) representing the estimated location of the target electronic device on the displayed execution screen. Without being limited thereto, the electronic device according to one embodiment may provide the estimated location of the target electronic device as voice information.

[0122] According to one embodiment, an electronic device may transmit acquired three-dimensional position information (e.g., spherical coordinate system (r, θ1, θ2)) to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102, 104) or server (108) of FIG. 1). According to one embodiment, the external electronic device may provide an estimated position of the target electronic device (e.g., display a graphic object representing the estimated position or output voice information) based on the received three-dimensional position information.

[0123] An electronic device according to one embodiment can identify (e.g., measure or estimate) the location of a target electronic device whose location is unknown or the location of a user carrying the target electronic device by the operating method described in FIGS. 7 and 8.

[0124] According to one embodiment, a method of operating an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1 to 6) may include an operation of receiving a wireless signal transmitted by a wireless communication method from a target electronic device (e.g., the target electronic device (203) of FIG. 3).

[0125] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation in which an external electronic device (201) receiving the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device instructs the external device to be located at a first location in a first direction, so that the external electronic device obtains first information about the wireless signal received at the first location and a first distance value between the first location of the external electronic device and a fixed location of the electronic device.

[0126] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation of obtaining a first incident angle based on the first distance value and the first information.

[0127] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation of instructing the external electronic device to be positioned at a second location in a second direction different from the first direction, thereby obtaining second information about a wireless signal received by the external electronic device at the second location and a second distance value between the second location of the external electronic device and the fixed location of the electronic device.

[0128] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation of obtaining a second incidence angle based on the second distance value and the second information.

[0129] According to one embodiment, the method may include an operation of obtaining three-dimensional position information corresponding to a transmission location of the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device to determine the location of the target electronic device based on the first incident angle and the second incident angle.

[0130] According to one embodiment, the method may further include providing a first message instructing the external electronic device to be positioned at the first location in the first direction and providing a second message instructing the external electronic device to be positioned at the second location in the second direction.

[0131] According to one embodiment, the wireless signal is received through a single antenna of the electronic device used to determine the transmission location of the wireless signal, and the wireless signal may be a Wi-Fi signal or a Bluetooth signal.

[0132] In one embodiment, the external electronic device may be a wearable device or a movable wireless communication device that receives the wireless signal through a single antenna used to determine the transmission location of the wireless signal.

[0133] According to one embodiment, the method may further include an operation of confirming a location of the target electronic device based on the three-dimensional location information and an operation of displaying an execution screen including a graphic object representing the confirmed location on a display of the electronic device.

[0134] According to one embodiment, the method may further include an operation of confirming a location of the target electronic device based on the three-dimensional location information and an operation of outputting audio information indicating the confirmed location through an audio output circuit of the electronic device (e.g., an audio output module (155) of FIG. 1 and an audio output circuit (260) of FIG. 2).

[0135] According to one embodiment, the first direction may be an x-axis direction or a horizontal direction with respect to the fixed position, and the second direction may be a y-axis direction or a vertical direction with respect to the fixed position.

[0136] According to one embodiment, the first information may include at least one of identification information, phase information, signal measurement time, or signal strength of a wireless signal received at a first time point at the first location of the external electronic device.

[0137] According to one embodiment, the second information may include at least one of identification information, phase information, signal measurement time, or signal strength of a wireless signal received at a second time point at the second location of the external electronic device.

[0138] According to one embodiment, the operation of obtaining the first incident angle may include an operation of obtaining the first incident angle using a time difference or phase difference, a signal speed, and the first distance value for a wireless signal received at a first point in time at the first location.

[0139] According to one embodiment, the operation of obtaining the second incident angle may include an operation of obtaining the second incident angle using a time difference or phase difference, a signal speed, and the second distance value of a wireless signal received at a second time point at the second location.

[0140] According to one embodiment, the first distance value and the second distance value can be obtained using a received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

[0141] According to one embodiment, in a non-transitory storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs, when executed by at least one processor (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1 and the processor (210) of FIG. 2) of an electronic device (e.g., the electronic device (101) of FIGS. 1 to 6), cause the electronic device to: receive a wireless signal transmitted by a wireless communication method from a target electronic device (e.g., the target electronic device (203) of FIG. 3); instruct an external electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device (201) of FIG. 3) receiving the wireless signal transmitted by the target electronic device to be located at a first position in a first direction, so that the external electronic device obtains first information about the wireless signal received at the first position and a first distance value between the first position of the external electronic device and a fixed position of the electronic device; instruct the external electronic device to be located at a second position in a second direction different from the first direction; The external electronic device may include instructions for executing an operation of obtaining second information about a wireless signal received at the second location and a second distance value between the second location of the external electronic device and the fixed location of the electronic device, an operation of obtaining a second incident angle based on the second distance value and the second information, and an operation of obtaining three-dimensional location information corresponding to a transmission location of the wireless signal transmitted by the target electronic device to determine the location of the target electronic device based on the first incident angle and the second incident angle.

[0142] The present disclosure utilizes the distances between different locations between an electronic device and an external electronic device that receive wireless signals for positioning through a single antenna, and shares information about wireless signals received from each device, thereby obtaining angles of incidence (e.g., first angles of incidence and second angles of incidence) for different locations, and based on the angles of incidence (e.g., first angles of incidence and second angles of incidence) for different locations, the transmission location of a wireless signal transmitted by a target electronic device can be determined, and the location of the target electronic device can be estimated based on three-dimensional position information corresponding to the determined transmission location. In addition, the present disclosure has the effect of allowing the location of the target electronic device to be more conveniently and easily identified by displaying information about the location of the target electronic device estimated based on the three-dimensional position information to the user or providing it as voice information. In addition, various effects that can be directly or indirectly identified through the present disclosure can be provided. 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 those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains from the description below.

[0143] The embodiments disclosed in this document are presented for the purpose of explaining and understanding the disclosed technical content, and do not limit the scope of the technology described in this document. Therefore, the scope of this document should be interpreted to include all modifications or various other embodiments based on the technical concepts of this document.

[0144] Electronic devices according to the various embodiments disclosed in this document may take various forms. Electronic devices may include, for example, portable communication devices (e.g., smartphones), computer devices, portable multimedia devices, portable medical devices, cameras, wearable devices, or home appliances. Electronic devices according to the embodiments of this document are not limited to the aforementioned devices.

[0145] The various embodiments of this document and the terminology used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, but should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutes of the embodiments. In connection with the description of the drawings, similar reference numerals may be used for similar or related components. The singular form of a noun corresponding to an item may include one or more of the items, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, each of the phrases "A or B", "at least one of A and B", "at least one of A or B", "A, B, or C", "at least one of A, B, and C", and "at least one of A, B, or C" can include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase among those phrases, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used merely to distinguish one component from another, and do not limit the components in any other respect (e.g., importance or order). When a component (e.g., a first component) is referred to as "coupled" or "connected" to another (e.g., a second component), with or without the terms "functionally" or "communicatively," it means that the component can be connected to the other component directly (e.g., wired), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0146] The term "module" used in various embodiments of this document may include a unit implemented in hardware, software, or firmware, and may be used interchangeably with terms such as logic, logic block, component, or circuit. A module may be an integral component, or a minimum unit or part of such a component that performs one or more functions. For example, according to one embodiment, a module may be implemented in the form of an application-specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0147] Various embodiments of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., a program (140)) including one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., an internal memory (136) or an external memory (138)) readable by a machine (e.g., an electronic device (101)). For example, a processor (e.g., a processor (120)) of the machine (e.g., an electronic device (101)) may call at least one instruction among the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to operate to perform at least one function according to the at least one called instruction. The one or more instructions may include code generated by a compiler or code executable by an interpreter. The machine-readable storage medium may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-transitory' simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain signals (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently or temporarily on the storage medium.

[0148] According to one embodiment, the method according to various embodiments disclosed in this document may be provided as a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between sellers and buyers as a product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)) or may be provided through an application store (e.g., Play Store). TM ) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smart phones), online distribution (e.g., downloading or uploading). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be at least temporarily stored or temporarily created in a machine-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or an intermediary server.

[0149] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., a module or a program) of the above-described components may include one or more entities, and some of the entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Alternatively or additionally, a plurality of components (e.g., a module or a program) may be integrated into a single component. In such a case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the plurality of components identically or similarly to those performed by the corresponding component among the plurality of components prior to the integration. According to various embodiments, the operations performed by a module, program, or other component may be executed sequentially, in parallel, iteratively, or heuristically, or one or more of the operations may be executed in a different order, omitted, or one or more other operations may be added.

Claims

1. In an electronic device (101), Antenna circuit (197, 230); Communication circuit (190, 220); memory (130, 240); and At least one processor (120, 210) operatively connected to the antenna circuit, the communication circuit and the memory, At least one processor, Receives a wireless signal transmitted by a wireless communication method from a target electronic device (203), Instructing an external electronic device (201) that receives the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device to be located at a first location in a first direction, so that the external electronic device obtains first information about the wireless signal received at the first location and a first distance value between the first location of the external electronic device and a fixed location of the electronic device, Obtaining a first incidence angle based on the first distance value and the first information, Instructing the external electronic device to be located at a second location in a second direction different from the first direction, so as to obtain second information about a wireless signal received by the external electronic device at the second location and a second distance value between the second location of the external electronic device and the fixed location of the electronic device, Obtaining a second incidence angle based on the second distance value and the second information, An electronic device configured to obtain three-dimensional position information corresponding to a transmission location of the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device to determine the location of the target electronic device based on the first incident angle and the second incident angle.

2. In the first paragraph, the at least one processor, Providing a first message instructing the external electronic device to be positioned at the first location in the first direction; An electronic device configured to provide a second message directing the external electronic device to be positioned at the second location in the second direction.

3. In paragraph 1 or 2, The above antenna circuit includes a single antenna (231) used to determine the transmission location of the wireless signal, and receives the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device through the single antenna, The above wireless signal is a Wi-Fi signal or a Bluetooth signal, An electronic device, wherein the external electronic device is a wearable device or a movable wireless communication device that receives the wireless signal through a single antenna (401) used to determine the transmission location of the wireless signal.

4. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 3, Includes additional displays (160, 250), At least one processor, An electronic device configured to control the display to identify the location of the target electronic device based on the three-dimensional location information and to display an execution screen including a graphic object representing the identified location.

5. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 4, It further includes an audio output circuit (155, 260), At least one processor, An electronic device configured to control the audio output circuit to identify the location of the target electronic device based on the three-dimensional location information and to output audio information indicating the identified location.

6. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 5, The above first direction is the x-axis direction or the horizontal direction based on the fixed position, The above second direction is the y-axis direction or the vertical direction based on the fixed position, The first information includes at least one of identification information, phase information, signal measurement time, or signal strength of a wireless signal received at the first location of the external electronic device at the first time point, An electronic device, wherein the second information includes at least one of identification information, phase information, signal measurement time, or signal strength of a wireless signal received at the second location of the external electronic device at the second time point.

7. In any one of paragraphs 1 to 6, the at least one processor, Obtaining the first incident angle by using the time difference or phase difference, signal speed and the first distance value for the wireless signal received at the first point in time at the first location, It is set to obtain the second incident angle by using the time difference or phase difference, signal speed and the second distance value of the wireless signal received at the second point in time at the second location, An electronic device wherein the first distance value and the second distance value are obtained using a received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

8. In the operating method in the electronic device (101), An action of receiving a wireless signal transmitted by a wireless communication method from a target electronic device (203); An operation of instructing an external electronic device (201) that receives the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device to position the external device at a first location in a first direction, so that the external electronic device obtains first information about the wireless signal received at the first location and a first distance value between the first location of the external electronic device and a fixed location of the electronic device; An operation of obtaining a first incidence angle based on the first distance value and the first information; An operation of instructing the external electronic device to be positioned at a second location in a second direction different from the first direction, thereby obtaining second information about a wireless signal received by the external electronic device at the second location and a second distance value between the second location of the external electronic device and the fixed location of the electronic device; An operation of obtaining a second incidence angle based on the second distance value and the second information; and A method comprising an operation of obtaining three-dimensional position information corresponding to a transmission position of the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device to determine the position of the target electronic device based on the first incident angle and the second incident angle.

9. In paragraph 8, the method, An action of providing a first message instructing the external electronic device to be positioned at the first location in the first direction; and Further comprising the action of providing a second message directing the external electronic device to be positioned at the second position in the second direction; The above wireless signal is received through a single antenna of the electronic device used to determine the transmission location of the above wireless signal, The above wireless signal is a Wi-Fi signal or a Bluetooth signal, A method wherein the external electronic device is a wearable device or a mobile wireless communication device that receives the wireless signal through a single antenna used to determine the transmission location of the wireless signal.

10. In the 8th or 9th paragraph, the method, An operation of confirming the location of the target electronic device based on the three-dimensional location information; and A method further comprising the action of displaying an execution screen including a graphic object indicating the identified location on a display of the electronic device.

11. In any one of the 8th to 10th clauses, the method, An operation of confirming the location of the target electronic device based on the three-dimensional location information; and A method further comprising an action of outputting voice information indicating the above-determined location through an audio output circuit (155, 260) of the electronic device.

12. In any one of paragraphs 8 to 11, The above first direction is the x-axis direction or the horizontal direction based on the fixed position, The above second direction is the y-axis direction or the vertical direction based on the fixed position, The first information includes at least one of identification information, phase information, signal measurement time, or signal strength of a wireless signal received at the first location of the external electronic device at the first time point, A method wherein the second information includes at least one of identification information, phase information, signal measurement time, or signal strength of a wireless signal received at the second location of the external electronic device at the second time point.

13. In any one of the 8th to 12th clauses, the operation of obtaining the first incident angle is as follows: A method comprising an operation of obtaining the first incident angle using a time difference or phase difference, a signal speed, and the first distance value for a wireless signal received at a first point in time at the first location.

14. In any one of the 8th to 13th clauses, the operation of obtaining the second incident angle is as follows: An operation of obtaining the second incident angle by using the time difference or phase difference, signal speed, and the second distance value of the wireless signal received at the second point in time at the second location, A method in which the first distance value and the second distance value are obtained using a received signal strength indicator (RSSI).

15. In a non-transitory storage medium storing one or more programs, the one or more programs, when executed by at least one processor (120, 210) of an electronic device (101), cause the electronic device to: An action of receiving a wireless signal transmitted by a wireless communication method from a target electronic device (203); An operation of instructing an external electronic device (201) that receives the wireless signal transmitted from the target electronic device to position the external device at a first location in a first direction, so that the external electronic device obtains first information about the wireless signal received at the first location and a first distance value between the first location of the external electronic device and a fixed location of the electronic device; An operation of obtaining a first incidence angle based on the first distance value and the first information; An operation of instructing the external electronic device to be positioned at a second location in a second direction different from the first direction, thereby obtaining second information about a wireless signal received by the external electronic device at the second location and a second distance value between the second location of the external electronic device and the fixed location of the electronic device; An operation of obtaining a second incidence angle based on the second distance value and the second information; and A non-transitory storage medium comprising instructions for executing an operation of obtaining three-dimensional position information corresponding to a transmission location of the wireless signal transmitted by the target electronic device to determine the location of the target electronic device based on the first incident angle and the second incident angle.

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