Electronic device for performing channel sounding and storage medium thereof

Abstract

Disclosed is an electronic device comprising a communication circuit, a processor, and a memory for storing instructions. The instructions, when executed by the processor, may cause the electronic device to: acquire first channel sounding results by performing RTT-based ranging on an external electronic device; acquire second channel sounding results by performing phase-based ranging on the external electronic device; on the basis of comparing the first channel sounding results with the second channel sounding results, adjust the number of channels to be used to perform a channel sounding procedure on the external electronic device; and measure information related to the distance between the electronic device and the external electronic device by performing the channel sounding procedure via the communication circuit by using the adjusted number of channels.

Description

Electronic device for performing channel sounding and storage medium thereof

[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to an electronic device for performing channel sounding and a storage medium thereof.

[0002] Bluetooth communication technology can provide a short-range wireless communication technology that enables electronic devices to connect with each other for the exchange of data or information. Bluetooth communication technology may include Bluetooth legacy (or Bluetooth classic) communication technology or Bluetooth low energy (BLE) communication technology, and may have various connection topologies such as piconets or scatternets.

[0003] Recently, electronic devices utilizing Bluetooth communication technology are widely used. For example, a pair of earbuds that can be worn on each of a user's ears are widely used as ear-wearable devices. Ear-wearable devices can provide various functions. For example, an ear-wearable device may include a microphone to identify the user's voice and thereby transmit data regarding the user's voice to an electronic device (e.g., a smartphone). Additionally, an ear-wearable device may include a speaker to output audio data received from an electronic device (e.g., a smartphone) through the speaker.

[0004] An electronic device that supports Bluetooth communication can connect with an external electronic device based on Bluetooth communication. To this end, the electronic device may be configured to perform inquiry, inquiry scan, page and page scan based on Bluetooth Classic, and / or BLE advertising and BLE scan based on BLE.

[0005] BLE advertising may refer to the operation of periodically broadcasting advertising data on an advertising physical channel, and BLE scanning may refer to the operation of monitoring the reception of advertising data.

[0006] Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide an electronic device for performing channel sounding and a storage medium thereof.

[0007] Embodiments of the present disclosure may provide an electronic device for adjusting the number of channels used for channel sounding and a storage medium thereof.

[0008] The technical problems to be solved in this disclosure are not limited to those mentioned above, and other unmentioned technical problems will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description below.

[0009] An electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include a communication circuit configured to support Bluetooth communication, at least one processor functionally connected to the communication circuit, and a memory for storing instructions. When the instructions are executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor, the electronic device may: perform round trip time (RTT) based ranging on an external electronic device (220) through the communication circuit to obtain first channel sounding results. When the instructions are executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor, the electronic device may: perform phase-based ranging on the external electronic device through the communication circuit to obtain second channel sounding results. When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor, the electronic device may: adjust the number of channels to be used to perform a channel sounding procedure for the external electronic device based on comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results. When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor, the electronic device may: measure information related to the distance between the electronic device and the external electronic device by performing the channel sounding procedure through the communication circuit using the adjusted number of channels.

[0010] In a non-transient computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the one or more programs may include instructions that, when executed individually or collectively by at least one processor, cause an electronic device to: perform round trip time (RTT) based ranging on an external electronic device to obtain first channel sounding results; perform phase-based ranging on the external electronic device to obtain second channel sounding results; adjust the number of channels to be used to perform a channel sounding procedure on the external electronic device based on a comparison of the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results; and measure information related to the distance between the electronic device and the external electronic device by performing the channel sounding procedure using the adjusted number of channels.

[0011] A method by an electronic device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include: an operation of obtaining first channel sounding results by performing RTT-based ranging on an external electronic device; an operation of obtaining second channel sounding results by performing phase-based ranging on the external electronic device; an operation of adjusting the number of channels to be used to perform a channel sounding procedure on the external electronic device based on comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results; and an operation of measuring information related to the distance between the electronic device and the external electronic device by performing the channel sounding procedure using the adjusted number of channels.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device in a network environment according to various embodiments.

[0013] FIG. 2 is a drawing for explaining channel sounding according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIG. 3 is a drawing for illustrating phase-based ranging according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0015] FIG. 4 is a drawing for illustrating round-trip time-based ranging according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0016] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the calculation of round-trip time according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0017] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a channel sounding procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0018] FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing parameters for setting the frequency hopping period and sub-event length for each CS step according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0019] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for determining the number of channels for channel sounding according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 10 shows a software structure for determining the number of channels used for channel sounding according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0021] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for pre-learning channel adaptation of channel sounding according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0022] FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating a channel sounding setting procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0023] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating a channel sounding start procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 14 shows parameters for setting a channel map according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0025] FIG. 15 shows parameters related to mode setting according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0026] FIG. 16 shows parameters for setting sub-events of a main mode according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0027] FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a channel sounding procedure including channel adaptation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0028] FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a channel sounding procedure including pre-channel adaptation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0029] FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram illustrating a channel map update procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0030] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, specific descriptions of related known functions or configurations are omitted if it is determined that such detailed descriptions would unnecessarily obscure the essence of the present disclosure. Furthermore, terms used below are defined considering their functions in the embodiments of the present disclosure, and these may vary depending on the intentions or practices of the user or operator. Therefore, such definitions should be based on the content throughout the present disclosure.

[0031] It should be noted that technical terms used in this disclosure are used merely to describe one embodiment and are not intended to limit this disclosure. Alternatively, unless specifically defined otherwise in this disclosure, technical terms used in this disclosure shall be interpreted in the sense generally understood by those skilled in the art to which this disclosure pertains, and shall not be interpreted in an overly broad or overly narrow sense. Alternatively, technical terms used in this disclosure may be understood as being replaced by other technical terms understood by those skilled in the art. General terms used in the embodiments of this disclosure shall be interpreted according to their prior definitions or according to the context, and shall not be interpreted in an overly narrow sense.

[0032] Singular expressions used in this disclosure may include plural expressions unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. In this disclosure, terms such as “composed” or “comprising” should not be interpreted as necessarily including all of the various components or operations described in the specification, and should be interpreted as meaning that some of the components or operations may not be included, or that additional components or operations may be included.

[0033] Terms including ordinal numbers, such as first, second, etc., used in this disclosure may be used to describe various components, but said components should not be limited by said terms. Such terms may be used solely for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another. For example, without departing from the scope of this disclosure, the first component may be named the second component, and similarly, the second component may be named the first component.

[0034] When it is stated that one component is "connected" or "connected" to another component, it may be directly connected or connected to that other component, or there may be other components in between. On the other hand, when it is stated that one component is "directly connected" or "directly connected" to another component, it should be understood that there are no other components in between.

[0035] Hereinafter, embodiments according to the present disclosure will be described with reference to the attached drawings. Identical or similar components regardless of drawing symbols are given the same reference numeral, and redundant descriptions thereof will be omitted. In describing the embodiments of the present disclosure, detailed descriptions of related prior art are omitted if it is determined that such detailed descriptions may obscure the essence of the present disclosure. It should be noted that the attached drawings are intended only to facilitate understanding of the embodiments of the present disclosure and should not be interpreted as limiting the present disclosure. The present disclosure should be interpreted as extending to all modifications, equivalents, and substitutions in addition to the attached drawings.

[0036] In this disclosure, embodiments will be described using an electronic device as an example, but the electronic device may be referred to as a terminal, mobile station, mobile equipment (ME), user equipment (UE), user terminal (UT), subscriber station (SS), wireless device, handheld device, or access terminal (AT). In the embodiments of this disclosure, the electronic device may be a device equipped with communication functions, such as a mobile phone, personal digital assistant (PDA), smartphone, wireless modem, or laptop.

[0037] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of an electronic device (101) in a network environment (100) according to various embodiments.

[0038] Referring to FIG. 1, in a network environment (100), an electronic device (101) may communicate with an electronic device (102) through a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range wireless communication network) or with an electronic device (104) or a server (108) through a second network (199) (e.g., a long-range wireless communication network). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may communicate with the electronic device (104) through a server (108). According to one embodiment, the electronic device (101) may include a processor (120), memory (130), input module (150), sound output module (155), display module (160), audio module (170), sensor module (176), interface (177), connection terminal (178), haptic module (179), camera module (180), power management module (188), battery (189), communication module (190), subscriber identification module (196), or antenna module (197). In some embodiments, at least one of these components (e.g., connection terminal (178)) may be omitted from the electronic device (101), or one or more other components may be added. In some embodiments, some of these components (e.g., sensor module (176), camera module (180), or antenna module (197)) may be integrated into a single component (e.g., display module (160)).

[0039] The processor (120) can control at least one other component (e.g., hardware or software component) of the electronic device (101) connected to the processor (120) by executing software (e.g., program (140)), and can perform various data processing or operations. According to one embodiment, as at least part of the data processing or operations, the processor (120) can store commands or data received from other components (e.g., sensor module (176) or communication module (190)) in volatile memory (132), process the commands or data stored in volatile memory (132), and store the resulting data in non-volatile memory (134). According to one embodiment, the processor (120) may include a main processor (121) (e.g., central processing unit or application processor) or an auxiliary processor (123) that can operate independently or together with it (e.g., graphics processing unit, neural processing unit (NPU), image signal processor, sensor hub processor, or communication processor). For example, if the electronic device (101) includes a main processor (121) and an 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 designated function. The auxiliary processor (123) may be implemented separately from the main processor (121) or as part thereof.

[0040] The auxiliary processor (123) may control at least some of the functions or states associated with at least one component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., display module (160), sensor module (176), or communication module (190)) 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. According to one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., image signal processor or communication processor) may be implemented as part of another functionally related component (e.g., camera module (180) or communication module (190)). According to one embodiment, the auxiliary processor (123) (e.g., neural network processing unit) may include a hardware structure specialized for processing an artificial intelligence model. The artificial intelligence model may be generated through machine learning. Such learning may be performed, for example, on the electronic device (101) itself where the artificial intelligence is performed, or through a separate server (e.g., server (108)). The learning algorithm may 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 may include a plurality of artificial neural network layers.An artificial neural network may be 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 the hardware structure, the artificial intelligence model may include a software structure, either additionally or substantially.

[0041] The memory (130) can store various data used by at least one component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120) or sensor module (176)). The data may include, for example, input data or output data for software (e.g., program (140)) and related commands. The memory (130) may include volatile memory (132) or non-volatile memory (134).

[0042] The program (140) may be stored as software in memory (130) and may include, for example, an operating system (142), middleware (144), or an application (146).

[0043] The input module (150) can receive commands or data to be used for a component of the electronic device (101) (e.g., processor (120)) from outside the electronic device (101) (e.g., user). The input module (150) may include, for example, a microphone, a mouse, a keyboard, a key (e.g., a button), or a digital pen (e.g., a stylus pen).

[0044] The sound output module (155) can output a sound signal to the outside of the electronic device (101). The sound output module (155) may include, for example, a speaker or a receiver. The speaker may be used for general purposes, such as multimedia playback or recording playback. The receiver may be used to receive incoming calls. According to one embodiment, the receiver may be implemented separately from the speaker or as part thereof.

[0045] The display module (160) can visually provide information to an external (e.g., 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 said device. According to 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 the force generated by said touch.

[0046] The audio module (170) can convert sound into an electrical signal or, conversely, convert an electrical signal into sound. According to one embodiment, the audio module (170) can acquire sound through the input module (150) or output sound through the sound output module (155) or an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)) (e.g., speaker or headphones) connected directly or wirelessly to the electronic device (101).

[0047] The sensor module (176) can detect the operating state of the electronic device (101) (e.g., power or temperature) or the external environmental state (e.g., user state) and generate an electrical signal or data value corresponding to the detected state. According to one embodiment, the sensor module (176) may include, for example, a gesture sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a barometric pressure sensor, a magnetic sensor, an accelerometer sensor, a grip sensor, a proximity sensor, a color sensor, an IR (infrared) sensor, a biosensor, a temperature sensor, a humidity sensor, or an illuminance sensor.

[0048] The interface (177) may support one or more specified protocols that can be used for the electronic device (101) to be connected directly or wirelessly to an external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (102)). According to 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.

[0049] The connection terminal (178) may include a connector through which the electronic device (101) can 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).

[0050] The haptic module (179) can convert an electrical signal into a mechanical stimulus (e.g., vibration or movement) or an electrical stimulus that the user can perceive through tactile or kinesthetic senses. According to one embodiment, the haptic module (179) may include, for example, a motor, a piezoelectric element, or an electric stimulation device.

[0051] The camera module (180) can capture still images and video. According to one embodiment, the camera module (180) may include one or more lenses, image sensors, image signal processors, or flashes.

[0052] The power management module (188) can manage the power supplied to the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the power management module (188) can be implemented, for example, as at least part of a power management integrated circuit (PMIC).

[0053] The battery (189) can supply power to at least one component of the electronic device (101). According to one embodiment, the battery (189) may include, for example, a non-rechargeable primary battery, a rechargeable secondary battery, or a fuel cell.

[0054] The communication module (190) can support the establishment of a direct (e.g., wired) communication channel or a wireless communication channel between an 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 include one or more communication processors that operate independently of the processor (120) (e.g., application processor) and 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., cellular communication module, short-range wireless communication module, or GNSS (global navigation satellite system) communication module) or a wired communication module (194) (e.g., LAN (local area network) communication module, or power line communication module). The corresponding communication module among these communication modules can communicate with an external electronic device (104) through a first network (198) (e.g., a short-range communication network such as Bluetooth, WiFi (wireless fidelity) direct, or IrDA (infrared data association)) or a second network (199) (e.g., 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 may 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 identify or authenticate the electronic device (101) within a communication network such as the first network (198) or the second network (199) using subscriber information (e.g., International Mobile Subscriber Identifier (IMSI)) stored in the subscriber identification module (196).

[0055] The wireless communication module (192) can support 5G networks and next-generation communication technologies following 4G networks, for example, new radio access technology. NR access technology can support high-speed transmission of high-capacity data (enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB)), minimization of terminal power and connection of multiple terminals (massive machine type communications (mMTC)), or high reliability and low latency (ultra-reliable and low-latency communications (URLLC)). The wireless communication module (192) can support a high-frequency band (e.g., mmWave band) to achieve a high data transmission rate, for example. The wireless communication module (192) can support various technologies for securing performance in the high-frequency band, such as beamforming, massive MIMO (multiple-input and multiple-output), 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), external electronic device (e.g., electronic device (104)), or network system (e.g., 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 eMBB, loss coverage (e.g., 164 dB or less) for realizing mMTC, or U-plane latency (e.g., downlink (DL) and uplink (UL) each 0.5 ms or less, or round trip 1 ms or less) for realizing URLLC.

[0056] An antenna module (197) can transmit a signal or power to or from an external source (e.g., an external electronic device). According to one embodiment, the antenna module (197) may include an antenna comprising a radiator made of a conductor or a conductive pattern formed on a substrate (e.g., a PCB). According to 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 a first network (198) or a second network (199), may be selected from the plurality of antennas, for example, by a communication module (190). A signal or power may be transmitted or received between the communication module (190) and an external electronic device through the selected at least one antenna. According to some embodiments, in addition to the radiator, other components (e.g., a radio frequency integrated circuit (RFIC)) may be additionally formed as part of the antenna module (197).

[0057] According to various embodiments, the antenna module (197) may form a mmWave antenna module. According to one embodiment, the mmWave antenna module may include a printed circuit board, an RFIC disposed on or adjacent to a first surface (e.g., bottom surface) of the printed circuit board and capable of supporting a specified high frequency band (e.g., mmWave band), and a plurality of antennas (e.g., array antennas) disposed on or adjacent to a second surface (e.g., top surface or side surface) of the printed circuit board and capable of transmitting or receiving a signal of the specified high frequency band.

[0058] At least some of the above components can be connected to each other via a communication method between peripheral devices (e.g., bus, GPIO (general purpose input and output), SPI (serial peripheral interface), or MIPI (mobile industry processor interface)) and exchange signals (e.g., commands or data) with each other.

[0059] According to one embodiment, commands or data may be transmitted or received between the electronic device (101) and an external electronic device (104) through 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 performed on the electronic device (101) may be performed on one or more of the external electronic devices (102, 104, or 108). For example, if the electronic device (101) needs to perform a function or service automatically or in response to a request from a user or another device, the electronic device (101) may request one or more external electronic devices to perform at least part of the function or service instead of performing the function or service itself or additionally. One or more external electronic devices that receive the above request may execute at least part of the requested function or service, or 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 provide the result as is or additionally processed as at least part of the response to the request. For this purpose, for example, cloud computing, distributed computing, mobile edge computing (MEC), or client-server computing technology may be used. The electronic device (101) may provide ultra-low latency services using, for example, distributed computing or mobile edge computing. In another embodiment, the external electronic device (104) may include an Internet of Things (IoT) device. The server (108) may be an intelligent server using machine learning and / or neural networks. According to one embodiment, the external electronic device (104) or the server (108) may be included within a 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.

[0060] FIG. 2 is a drawing for explaining channel sounding according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0061] Referring to FIG. 2, an electronic device (210) designated as an initiator (e.g., electronic device (210)) can measure the distance to an external electronic device (220) designated as a reflector (e.g., a smartphone or a wearable device) by using channel sounding. The external electronic device (220) may be located within a range (e.g., area (202)) to which RF signals transmitted from the electronic device (210) reach. The electronic device (210) may be located within a range (e.g., area (204)) to which RF signals transmitted from the external electronic device (220) reach.

[0062] The electronic device (210) exchanges signals related to channel sounding with an external electronic device (220) through wireless channels (e.g., RF channels having center frequencies spaced at least 2 MHz apart in the range of 2402 MHz to 2480 MHz), and as an example, the electronic device (210) can transmit a signal and then the external electronic device (220) can transmit a response signal. Through the alternating transmission and reception described above, the electronic device (210) can measure the exact distance to the external electronic device (220).

[0063] In one embodiment, channel sounding may support phase-based ranging (PBR) or round-trip time (RTT), or both, for accurate coordination in a specified frequency band (e.g., 2.4 GHz spectrum). Phase-based ranging can calculate distance by accumulating the difference between the phase of a transmitted signal and the phase of a reflected signal over multiple frequencies. RTT-based ranging can calculate distance through the time difference between a transmitted signal and a received signal.

[0064] FIG. 3 is a drawing for illustrating phase-based ranging according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0065] Referring to FIG. 3, an electronic device (210) designated as an initiator may transmit a signal (302) having specific frequency and amplitude information to measure the distance to an external electronic device (220) through phase-based ranging. An external electronic device (220) designated as a reflector may measure the phase of the received signal (302) and transmit a response signal (304) containing information of the measured phase to the electronic device (210). The electronic device (210) may determine the relative distance between the electronic device (210) and the external electronic device (220) by comparing the difference between the phase of the received response signal (304) and the phase of the transmitted signal (302). Since manipulating phase information is complex, phase-based ranging can provide a security advantage for distance measurement.

[0066] As an example, a signal E used in phase-based ranging can be expressed as follows in terms of amplitude A and phase θ.

[0067] E = A·sin θ

[0068] The above signal E is distance r, duration t, and carrier frequency f c, speed of light c, and phase transition It can be re-expressed as follows.

[0069] E(r,t,f c ) = A·sin [2πf c (r / ct)+ ]

[0070] The above phase θ can be expressed as follows for frequency f and distance r.

[0071] θ(f,r) = 2πf·r / c (mod 2π)

[0072] The phase difference Δ between two different frequencies f0 and f1 can be expressed as follows.

[0073] Δ = (f1,r)-(f0,r) = 2π(f1-f0)·r / c (mod 2π)

[0074] Then, the distance r can be calculated as follows.

[0075] r = {c / (2πΔ f )}·Δ (mod c / Δ f )

[0076] Frequency difference Δ between BLE-based RF channels available for channel sounding f c / Δ for (e.g., 2 MHz) f Since the distance between the electronic device (210) and the external electronic device (220) is approximately 150m, the distance can be calculated by the above mathematical formula based on the phase difference Δ measured through channel sounding.

[0077] FIG. 4 is a drawing for illustrating round-trip time-based ranging according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0078] Referring to FIG. 4, an electronic device (210) designated as an initiator can measure the round-trip time (RTT) for an external electronic device (220) acting as a reflector. The round-trip time may refer to the time it takes for a designated signal (402) (e.g., RTT packets or CS_SYNC packets) to propagate from the electronic device (210) to the external electronic device (220) and back to the electronic device (210). The electronic device (210) can estimate the distance by assessing the time of flight (ToF), which is the time it takes for each RTT packet to be exchanged between the electronic device (210) and the external electronic device (220).

[0079] FIG. 5 is a diagram showing the calculation of round-trip time according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0080] Referring to FIG. 5, the electronic device (210) has a time of departure (ToD) of a signal (e.g., RTT packet) for round-trip time-based ranging (e.g., ToD I (502)) and time of arrival (time of arrival: ToA) (e.g., ToA I (508)) can be recorded. An external electronic device (220) can record the time of arrival (ToA) of the signal (e.g., RTT packet) (e.g., ToA R (504)) and departure time (ToD) (e.g., ToD R (506)) can be recorded. The electronic device (210) can calculate the round-trip time between the electronic device (210) and the external electronic device (220) by analyzing the differences between ToA and ToD. As an example, the round-trip time can be calculated as follows.

[0081] RTT = 2 × ToF = (ToA I - ToD I ) + (ToA R - ToD R )

[0082] TOD hereI (502) and ToA I (508) is measured by the electronic device (210) at the time of transmission and reception of a signal (e.g., RTT packet) for round-trip time-based ranging, and TOD R (506) and ToA R (504) is measured by an external electronic device (220) at the time of receiving and transmitting the above signal (e.g., RTT packet).

[0083] Round-trip time-based ranging is susceptible to attenuation, reflection, diffraction, and / or packet loss and can be affected by multipath because it measures the round-trip (traveling) time of a signal, whereas phase-based ranging has relatively high precision but is susceptible to noise or interference and may require complex algorithms. The electronic device (210) can calculate the distance more accurately by accumulating phase difference information for a specified number of RF channels (e.g., 72 CS channels) excluding the frequency band of a specified purpose among the BLE channels when performing phase-based ranging.

[0084] FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a channel sounding procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0085] Referring to FIG. 6, the channel sounding procedure (602) may mean a procedure for exchanging RF signals between two devices (e.g., an electronic device (210) and an external electronic device (220)) through a plurality of RF channels (e.g., CS channels). In one embodiment, the CS channels may be RF channels having designated center frequencies and frequency intervals. In one embodiment, the available CS channels may have center frequencies of 2402 + k MHz (e.g., k is an integer within the range of 2 to 22 and 26 to 76).

[0086] The channel sounding procedure (602) may be divided into one or more CS events (e.g., CS event (606)). One CS event (e.g., CS event (606)) may consist of one or more CS sub-events (e.g., CS sub-event (612)) and may start after an offset (610) from a designated connection anchor point (604).

[0087] A single CS sub-event (e.g., CS sub-event (612)) may consist of two or more CS steps (e.g., CS step (616)), and each CS step (e.g., CS step (616)) has a frequency change period (e.g., T_FCS, time for frequency change spacing) FCS (614)) can be started at intervals.

[0088] For each of the CS steps (e.g., CS step (616)), four CS step types, namely Mode 0, Mode 1, Mode 2, and Mode 3, may be used. Mode 0 may be used to measure a frequency offset to calibrate frequency and timing prior to signal exchange between two devices (e.g., electronic device (210) and external electronic device (220)). Mode 1 may be used to exchange RTT packets, and Mode 2 may be used to exchange information related to phase-based ranging to measure the phase and amplitude of the communication channel. Mode 3 may be used for both RTT-based ranging and phase-based ranging.

[0089] In one embodiment, channel sounding (e.g., RTT-based ranging and / or phase-based ranging) may utilize a specified number (e.g., 72) of RF channels (e.g., CS channels) for distance measurement. In one embodiment, when the CS procedure (602) is initiated, a device (e.g., electronic device (210) or external electronic device (220)) performs frequency hopping (e.g., T) over all of the RF channels (e.g., 72 channels). FCS By alternately performing (614)) and CS steps (e.g., CS steps (616)), a plurality of channel sounding results (e.g., CS sub-event results corresponding to each CS sub-event) can be obtained. In one embodiment, each CS sub-event result is a channel sounding result corresponding to a mode (e.g., mode 1 or mode 2) and a channel (e.g., CS channel index), and may include, for example, a time difference between ToA and ToD for mode 1, or phase information (e.g., a phase correction term (PCT)) for mode 2.

[0090] FIGS. 7 and 8 are diagrams showing parameters for setting the frequency hopping period and sub-event length for each CS step according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0091] Referring to FIG. 7, the device (e.g., electronic device (210) or external electronic device (220)) has a frequency changing period (e.g., T FCSDuring (614)), the electronic device (e.g., electronic device (210) or external electronic device (220)) may perform frequency hopping (702) to tune to an RF channel (e.g., a first RF channel) for a subsequent CS step (e.g., CS step 0 (704)). The device (e.g., electronic device (210) or external electronic device (220)) may alternate between frequency hopping (e.g., frequency hopping (702)) which takes, for example, about 150 μs, and CS steps (e.g., CS step 0 (704), CS step 1, ... CS step N-1).

[0092] Referring to FIG. 8, the Min_Subevent_Len parameter (802) specifies the recommended minimum duration for each CS subevent (e.g., CS subevent (612)), and the Max_Subevent_Len parameter (804) may specify the recommended maximum duration for each CS subevent (e.g., CS subevent (612)). The electronic device (210) may negotiate the Min_Subevent_Len parameter (802) and the Max_Subevent_Len parameter (804) with an external electronic device (220) through a channel sounding setup procedure (e.g., the procedure of FIG. 12). According to the Min_Subevent_Len parameter (802) and the Max_Subevent_Len parameter (804), the length of each CS subevent (e.g., CS subevent (612)) may be from a minimum of 1250 μs to a maximum of 4 s.

[0093] In one embodiment, the duration of each CS step (e.g., CS step (704)) may vary depending on the CS step type (e.g., mode) and the number of antennas. For example, a CS step of mode 1 may take at least 393 μs for one channel when one antenna and BLE 1M PHY are used. For example, a CS step of mode 2 may take at least 505 μs for one channel when one antenna and BLE 1M PHY are used.

[0094] When 72 channels are used, it takes about 28.296 ms to perform CS steps for all channels in Mode 1, and about 36.360 ms to perform CS steps for all channels in Mode 2. Since the execution time increases proportionally as the number of channels used for channel sounding increases, if the number of antennas and connected devices (e.g., external electronic devices (220)) increases, the electronic device (210) may not be able to obtain the result of distance measurement within the desired time.

[0095] In embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic device (210) can reduce the time required for distance measurement by adjusting (e.g., reducing) the number of channels (e.g., CS channels) used for channel sounding. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) can learn the pattern of results measured by phase-based ranging and the pattern of results measured by RTT-based ranging to generate a criterion (e.g., a machine learning model) for adjusting the number of channels required for distance measurement. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) can perform channel adaptation by comparing the results measured by phase-based ranging and the results measured by RTT-based ranging according to the criterion to maintain or reduce the number of channels used for actual distance measurement.

[0096] In one embodiment, if the results measured by phase-based ranging and the results measured by RTT-based ranging are determined to be similar according to a specified criterion (e.g., a model trained through machine learning), the electronic device (210) may determine that the congestion of the surrounding RF environment is low and that good measurement results can be obtained using fewer than the maximum number of channels (e.g., 72). In one embodiment, if the results measured by phase-based ranging and the results measured by RTT-based ranging are determined to be not similar according to a specified criterion (e.g., a machine learning model trained), the electronic device (210) may determine to use the maximum number of channels (e.g., 72).

[0097] In embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic device (210) can reduce the time required for distance measurement by dynamically changing the number of channels (e.g., CS channels) used for channel sounding according to the RF environment. In embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic device (210) can reduce the time required while maintaining the accuracy of distance measurement by selecting channels to be used for subsequent channel sounding (e.g., channel sounding for actual distance measurement) from among all channels (e.g., CS channels) available for channel sounding based on a comparison of results measured by phase-based ranging and results measured by RTT-based ranging.

[0098] FIG. 9 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for determining the number of channels for channel sounding according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. According to embodiments, at least one of the operations described below may be omitted, modified, or executed in a different order. In one embodiment, at least one of the operations described below may be executed by a processor of an electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1). In one embodiment, a memory of an electronic device (210) (e.g., memory (130) of FIG. 1) may store instructions that cause the electronic device (210) to operate according to at least one of the operations described below.

[0099] Referring to FIG. 9, in operation 902, an electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can obtain first channel sounding results by performing round trip time (RTT) based ranging on an external electronic device (e.g., the external electronic device (220) of FIG. 2) through a communication circuit (e.g., the wireless communication module (192) of FIG. 1) configured to support Bluetooth (e.g., BLE). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can determine the first channel sounding results, which include one or more CS sub-event results, by performing RTT-based ranging on a first number of CS channels (e.g., all or at least some of the available CS channels). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) can perform the RTT-based ranging by acting as an initiator or a reflector.

[0100] In operation 904, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may obtain second channel sounding results by performing phase-based ranging on an external electronic device (220) through a communication circuit (e.g., the wireless communication module (192) of FIG. 1) configured to support Bluetooth (e.g., BLE). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may determine the second channel sounding results, which include one or more CS sub-event results, by performing phase-based ranging on a first number of CS channels (e.g., all or at least some of the available CS channels). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may perform the phase-based ranging by acting as an initiator or a reflector.

[0101] In operation 906, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can compare the first channel sounding results with the second channel sounding results. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can compare the pattern of the first channel sounding results (e.g., a channel-specific pattern) with the pattern of the second channel sounding results (e.g., a channel-specific pattern). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can compare the statistical characteristics of the first channel sounding results (e.g., variance, standard deviation, and / or distance accuracy and variability according to the number of channels) with the statistical characteristics of the second channel sounding results (e.g., variance, standard deviation, and / or distance accuracy and variability according to the number of channels).

[0102] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may divide the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results by time according to a specified time interval, divide them by frames containing a specified number of signals (e.g., at least one of signal (302), signal (304), or signal (402)), or divide them by a specified channel, and determine the similarity between a vector representing the divided results of the first channel sounding results and a vector representing the divided results of the second channel sounding results.

[0103] In operation 908, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may determine the number of wireless channels to be used to perform a subsequent channel sounding procedure for the external electronic device based on a result of comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results. In one embodiment, operation 908 may include at least one of operation 910, operation 912, or operation 914.

[0104] In operation 910, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can determine whether the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results are similar according to a predetermined criterion (e.g., a machine learning model trained through the procedure of FIG. 11). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can calculate the similarity between a vector representing the first channel sounding results and a vector representing the second channel sounding results, and determine whether the calculated similarity exceeds a specified threshold. If the similarity is greater than the threshold, in one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can determine that the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results are similar.

[0105] If it is determined that the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results are similar, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may proceed to operation 912. If it is determined that the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results are not similar, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may proceed to operation 914.

[0106] In operation 912, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may determine to use a second number of CS channels, which is reduced from a first number (e.g., all or at least some of the available CS channels), for subsequent channel sounding (e.g., RTT-based ranging and / or phase-based ranging). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may select a second number of CS channels to be used for subsequent channel sounding from among the available CS channels. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may determine the second number of CS channels by selecting CS channels among the available CS channels that will not be used for subsequent channel sounding.

[0107] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may determine the second number of CS channels based on application settings or user input. In one embodiment, the application settings or user input may be obtained by the electronic device (210) before or after performing channel sounding (e.g., RTT-based ranging and / or phase-based ranging). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may determine the second number of CS channels based on a first user input selecting channels to be used for channel sounding, or a second user input reducing the number of channels to be used for channel sounding. In one embodiment, the second user input may reduce the number of channels to be used for channel sounding by a specified value, or reduce the number of channels to be used for channel sounding (e.g., the second number).

[0108] In operation 914, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may decide to continue using a first number of CS channels (e.g., all or at least some of the available CS channels) for subsequent channel sounding, or to use additional CS channels. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may maintain the first number of CS channels for continued use for subsequent channel sounding.

[0109] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may, instead of performing operation 914, increase the number of CS channels to be used for subsequent channel sounding based on the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may increase the number of CS channels to be used for channel sounding based on the difference between the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results, or maintain the number of CS channels when the number of CS channels reaches a maximum value.

[0110] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can adjust (e.g., increase or decrease) the number of CS channels to be used for channel sounding based on changes in operating conditions and / or parameter settings related to channel sounding.

[0111] In operation 916, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can measure information related to the distance between the electronic device and the external electronic device (e.g., one or more channel sounding results) by performing a subsequent channel sounding procedure using the determined number of CS channels (e.g., a first number or a second number).

[0112] Various embodiments of operation 906 and operation 910 are described as follows.

[0113] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) determines whether the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results are similar (e.g., the similarity is greater than a threshold value), and if the first channel sounding results for all channels and the second channel sounding results are similar, proceed to operation 912, and if the first channel sounding results for all channels and the second channel sounding results are not similar, proceed to operation 914.

[0114] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can determine whether the channel-specific pattern of the first channel sounding results is similar to the channel-specific pattern of the second channel sounding results or is similar by more than a specified ratio. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can compare the first channel sounding results for a specified number (e.g., a first number) of channels with the second channel sounding results for the specified number of channels, and if the number of channels where the first channel sounding result and the second channel sounding result are similar (e.g., the similarity is greater than a threshold) exceeds a specified threshold, proceed to operation 912, and if the number of channels where the first channel sounding result and the second channel sounding result match does not exceed the threshold, proceed to operation 914.

[0115] In one embodiment, an electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may calculate the similarity between the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results for a specified number (e.g., a first number) of channels and determine whether the similarity exceeds a set threshold similarity. If the similarity exceeds the threshold similarity, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may determine that the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results are similar and proceed to operation 912. If the similarity does not exceed the threshold similarity, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may determine that the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results are not similar and proceed to operation 914.

[0116] In one embodiment, an electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may analyze the performance and patterns of channel sounding results for RTT-based ranging (e.g., CS sub-events of Mode 1 or Mode 3) and phase-based ranging (e.g., CS sub-events of Mode 2 or Mode 3), and may generate a machine learning model used as a standard for adjusting the number of channels through pre-learning based on the analyzed results. In one embodiment, the machine learning model may specify a method for comparing and analyzing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results.

[0117] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may apply a machine learning model generated through the prior learning to reduce the number of channels to be used for subsequent channel sounding if the performance and / or pattern between the RTT-based ranging and the phase-based ranging channel sounding results are similar. In one embodiment, if it is determined that the performance and / or pattern between the RTT-based ranging and the phase-based ranging channel sounding results are not similar, the number of channels to be used for subsequent channel sounding may be maintained or increased.

[0118] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may update a channel map corresponding to the number of channels adjusted (e.g., decreased or increased). In one embodiment, the channel map has a number of bits corresponding to the maximum number of available CS channels and may indicate which of the available CS channels are used and not used for the channel sounding procedure. Each channel may be represented by a single bit located within the channel map according to the CS channel index. Each bit may be set to a value indicating whether the corresponding CS channel is used for the channel sounding procedure (e.g., used is '1', unused is '0'). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may perform a channel sounding channel map update procedure (e.g., the procedure of FIG. 19) to reflect the updated channel map in the channel sounding procedure. After the above channel sounding channel map update procedure, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can perform a subsequent channel sounding procedure (e.g., RTT-based ranging and / or phase-based ranging) using CS channels corresponding to the adjusted number of channels.

[0119] FIG. 10 shows a software structure for determining the number of channels used for channel sounding according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0120] Referring to FIG. 10, the software structure (1000) may be executed by a processor of the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) or stored in memory (e.g., the memory (130) of FIG. 1). In one embodiment, the software structure (1000) may include at least one of a distance measurement application (1002), a channel adaptation trainer (1004), a database (DB) (1006), a channel adaptation tester (1008), a data collector (1010), or a channel sounding controller (1012).

[0121] In one embodiment, the distance measurement application (1002) may be a control application for an external electronic device (220) (e.g., a wearable device). In one embodiment, the channel adaptation trainer (1004) may generate a criterion (e.g., a machine learning model) used to determine the number of channels for actual channel sounding through machine learning (e.g., deep learning) as a pre-learning module.

[0122] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) performs a channel sounding procedure through a channel sounding controller (1012) for each of the RTT-based ranging and phase-based ranging, and can acquire a CS sub-event result for each CS sub-event through a data collector (1010). In one embodiment, each CS sub-event result may include a channel sounding result of RTT-based ranging or a channel sounding result of phase-based ranging. In one embodiment, the data collector (1010) can acquire CS sub-event results of the electronic device (210), as well as acquire CS sub-event results of an external electronic device (2020) through a ranging service (RAS) and ranging profile (RAP) connection. The acquired data (e.g., channel sounding results of RTT-based ranging and channel sounding results of phase-based ranging) may be stored in a database (1006).

[0123] In one embodiment, the channel adaptation trainer (1004) may perform pre-learning based on the acquired data (e.g., channel sounding results) to analyze patterns or statistical characteristics of the channel sounding results of RTT-based ranging and phase-based ranging, and may create (or update) a machine learning model to be used as a standard for channel adaptation (e.g., adjustment of the number of channels) through machine learning based on the analyzed results. In one embodiment, the machine learning model may include an operation to check whether the patterns or statistical characteristics of the channel sounding results are similar and threshold values ​​for determining similarity.

[0124] In one embodiment, the channel adaptation tester (1008) can measure the distance to an external electronic device (220) by applying the machine learning model and performing channel sounding to evaluate the machine learning model trained by the channel adaptation trainer (1004). In one embodiment, prior to the channel sounding procedure for actual distance measurement to be performed through the distance measurement application (1002), the channel adaptation tester (1008) can determine an appropriate number of channels by performing RTT-based ranging and phase-based ranging, respectively, for a specified time and applying the machine learning model.

[0125] FIG. 11 is a flowchart illustrating a procedure for pre-learning channel adaptation of channel sounding according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. According to embodiments, at least one of the operations described below may be omitted, modified, or executed in a different order. In one embodiment, at least one of the operations described below may be executed by a processor of an electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1). In one embodiment, a memory of an electronic device (210) (e.g., memory (130) of FIG. 1) may store instructions that cause the electronic device (210) to operate according to at least one of the operations described below.

[0126] Referring to FIG. 11, in operation 1102, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can set parameters for channel sounding. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can perform a channel sounding configuration procedure (e.g., the procedure of FIG. 12) and a channel sounding start procedure (e.g., operations 1302 to 1322 of FIG. 13) for setting mode-specific parameters corresponding to each of the CS steps included in the CS procedure.

[0127] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can set parameters for a mode type for RTT-based ranging (e.g., mode 1 and / or mode 3) and a mode type for phase-based ranging (e.g., mode 2 and / or mode 3). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can determine said parameters so as to obtain channel sounding results for various parameter combinations.

[0128] In one embodiment, the channel sounding setting procedure may determine the mode type to be performed for each CS step (e.g., mode 1, mode 2, or mode 3), the number of repetitions, role, RTT type, channel selection method, and / or information indicating the selected channel (e.g., channel map). For example, parameters determined through the channel sounding setting procedure may include at least one of a config ID, a context create instruction field, a main mode type (e.g., mode 1, mode 2, or mode 3), a sub-mode type (e.g., mode 1 or mode 2), the number of steps for the main mode type, a role (e.g., initiator or reflector), an RTT type (e.g., the number of bits of a random sequence), a physical channel modulation method, or a channel map (e.g., a bit map including bit fields corresponding to each CS channel).

[0129] In one embodiment, the channel sounding start procedure may configure a CS procedure, CS events, CS sub-events, an antenna, and a transmission output. For example, parameters determined through the channel sounding start procedure may include at least one of a configuration identifier (Config ID), length of the CS procedure, interval of the CS procedure, CS procedure count, sub-event length, number of sub-events, sub-event interval, event interval, antenna configuration information, physical channel modulation scheme, transmission power level, preferred antenna information, or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) used by the initiator and reflector.

[0130] In operation 1104, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may perform a CS procedure based on the set parameters. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may perform one or more CS procedures. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may perform the CS procedure by acting as an initiator or a reflector.

[0131] In operation 1106, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can determine whether data collection required for channel adaptation has been completed through one or more CS procedures. In one embodiment, the required data may include channel sounding results (e.g., CS sub-event results) measured through one or more CS procedures.

[0132] In operation 1108, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) can extract features representing the performance and patterns of the collected data. In one embodiment, the features are statistical characteristics extracted from the results of RTT-based ranging and phase-based ranging (e.g., CS sub-event results), and may include at least one of, for example, variance and / or standard deviation by distance, distance accuracy and / or variability according to the number of channels, measurement performance, or channel-specific patterns. In one embodiment, the features may include, based on the results of RTT-based ranging and phase-based ranging (e.g., CS subevent results), information on how the transmission time of subevent results changes according to the number of channels, information on how the error from the actual distance changes as the distance increases, information on how the accuracy of a non-line-of-sight (LOS) environment changes compared to a line-of-sight (LOS) environment, information on how the accuracy of a non-LOS environment changes according to distance, and at least one of mean excess delay, kurtosis, or skewness calculated based on a signal received from a reflector (e.g., an external electronic device (220)).

[0133] In operation 1110, the electronic device (210) (e.g., the processor (120) of FIG. 1) may generate a machine learning model to be used as a criterion for channel adaptation based on the extracted features. The machine learning model may include information indicating the features to be used for channel adaptation and / or at least one threshold value for determining the features. In one embodiment, the machine learning model may be used in operation 910 of FIG. 9 to compare and analyze the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results to determine whether to perform channel adaptation (e.g., adjustment of the number of channels).

[0134] FIG. 12 is a sequence diagram illustrating a channel sounding setup procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Depending on the embodiments, at least one of the operations described below may be omitted, modified, or executed in a different order. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may include a host A (210a) and a link layer (LL) A (210b). In one embodiment, the external electronic device (220) may include a host B (220a) and a link layer (LL) B (220b).

[0135] Referring to FIG. 12, in operation 1202, an electronic device (210) (e.g., host A (210a) and link layer A (210b)) can establish a communication link (e.g., an asynchronous connection-less ACL link) with an external electronic device (220) (e.g., host B (220a) and link layer B (220b)). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) can discover the external electronic device (220) by receiving advertising packets broadcast from the external electronic device (220) and establish the ACL link with the external electronic device (220). The ACL link can be used to transmit or receive packets between the electronic device (210) and the external electronic device (220).

[0136] In operation 1204, the electronic device (210) (e.g., host A (210a)) may transmit a CS create config command to link layer A (210b) to create a CS configuration. In one embodiment, the CS create config command may include at least one of a configuration identifier (config ID), a context create instruction field, a main mode type (e.g., mode 1, mode 2, or mode 3), a sub-mode type (e.g., mode 1 or mode 2), a number of steps for the main mode type, a role (e.g., initiator or reflector), an RTT type (e.g., number of bits in a random sequence), a physical channel modulation scheme, or a channel map (e.g., a bit map containing bit fields corresponding to each CS channel). In one embodiment, the context create instruction field (e.g., Create_Context) may be set to a value (e.g., 0x01) indicating that the parameters apply to both the electronic device (210) and the external electronic device (220).

[0137] In operation 1206, the electronic device (210) (e.g., link layer A (210b)) can send a response to the CS setting command (e.g., command complete) to host A (210a).

[0138] In operation 1208, an electronic device (210) (e.g., Link Layer A (210b)) may transmit an LL CS configuration request (e.g., an LL_CS_CONFIG_REQ packet) to an external electronic device (220). In one embodiment, the LL_CS_CONFIG_REQ packet may include parameters received via a CS generation configuration command in operation 1204. In operation 1210, an external electronic device (220) (e.g., Link Layer B (220b)) may transmit a response (e.g., an LL_CS_CONFIG_RSP packet) corresponding to the LL_CS_CONFIG_REQ packet to the electronic device (210). The LL_CS_CONFIG_RSP packet may include selected values ​​for at least some of the parameters included in the LL_CS_CONFIG_REQ packet.

[0139] In operation 1212, the electronic device (210) (e.g., Link Layer A (210b)) may send a CS config complete command to host A (210a) based on receiving the LL_CS_RSP packet. In operation 1214, the external electronic device (220) (e.g., Link Layer B (220b)) may include parameters received via the LL_CS_REQ packet in the CS config complete command and transmit them to host B (220a).

[0140] In operation 1216, the electronic device (210) (e.g., host A (210a)) and the external electronic device (220) (e.g., host B (220a)) can use the parameters in subsequent connections (e.g., CS procedure (1322) of FIG. 13).

[0141] FIG. 13 is a sequence diagram illustrating a channel sounding start procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Depending on the embodiments, at least one of the operations described below may be omitted, modified, or executed in a different order. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may include a host A (210a) and a link layer A (210b). In one embodiment, the external electronic device (220) may include a host B (220a) and a link layer (LL) B (220b).

[0142] Referring to FIG. 13, in operation 1302, an electronic device (210) (e.g., host A (210a) and link layer A (210b)) can complete a procedure for CS setup (e.g., the channel sounding setup procedure of FIG. 12) with an external electronic device (220) (e.g., host B (220a) and link layer B (220b)).

[0143] In operation 1304, an electronic device (210) (e.g., host A (210a)) may transmit a CS set procedure parameters command to link layer A (210b) for scheduling one or more CS procedures. In one embodiment, the CS set procedure parameters command may include at least one of a configuration identifier (Config ID), length of a CS procedure, interval of a CS procedure, CS procedure count, sub-event length, antenna configuration information, physical channel modulation scheme, transmission power level, preferred antenna information, or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) used by an initiator and a reflector.

[0144] In operation 1306, the electronic device (210) (e.g., link layer A (210b)) can send a response (e.g., a complete command) to the CS set procedure parameter command to host A (210a).

[0145] In operation 1308, an electronic device (210) (e.g., host A (210a)) may transmit a CS procedure enable command to link layer A (210b) to initiate a CS start procedure. In one embodiment, the CS procedure enable command may include at least one of a configuration identifier (Config ID), length of the CS procedure, interval of the CS procedure, CS procedure count, sub-event length, antenna configuration information, physical channel modulation scheme, transmission power level, preferred antenna information, or signal-to-noise ratio (SNR) used by the initiator and reflector.

[0146] In operation 1310, the electronic device (210) (e.g., link layer A (210b)) can transmit a response (e.g., status command) to the CS procedure enable command to host A (210a).

[0147] In operation 1312, an electronic device (210) (e.g., Link Layer A (210b)) may transmit an LL CS request (e.g., an LL_CS_REQ packet) to an external electronic device (220). In one embodiment, the LL_CS_REQ packet may include parameters received through the CS set procedure parameter command of operation 1304 and the CS procedure enable command of operation 1308. In operation 1314, an external electronic device (220) (e.g., Link Layer B (220b)) may transmit a response (e.g., an LL_CS_RSP packet) corresponding to the LL_CS_REQ packet to the electronic device (210). The LL_CS_RSP packet may include selected values ​​for at least some of the parameters included in the LL_CS_REQ packet. In operation 1316, the electronic device (210) (e.g., link layer A (210b)) may transmit an LL CS instruction (e.g., LL_CS_IND packet) corresponding to the LL_CS_RSP packet to an external electronic device (220). The LL_CS_IND packet may include selected values ​​for at least some of the parameters included in the LL_CS_RSP packet.

[0148] In operation 1318, the electronic device (210) (e.g., Link Layer A (210b)) can transmit a CS procedure enable complete command to host A (210a) after transmitting the LL_CS_IND packet. In operation 1320, the external electronic device (220) (e.g., Link Layer B (220b)) can transmit the parameters included in the CS procedure enable complete command to host B (220a) after receiving the LL_CS_IND packet.

[0149] In operation 1322, the electronic device (210) and the external electronic device (220) can perform a channel sounding procedure based on parameters set through operations 1304 to 1320. In one embodiment, operation 1322 may include at least one of operation 1324, operation 1326, operation 1326a, operation 1328, or operation 1328a.

[0150] In operation 1324, the electronic device (210) (e.g., Link Layer A (210b)) and the external electronic device (220) (e.g., Link Layer B (220b)) can perform CS sub-events. Each of the CS sub-events may include mode-specific channel sounding (e.g., RTT-based ranging or phase-based ranging) based on the set parameters.

[0151] In operations 1326 and 1326a, the electronic device (210) (e.g., host A (210a)) may receive CS sub-event results (e.g., first channel sounding results for RTT-based ranging and second channel sounding results for phase-based ranging) corresponding to each of the plurality of CS sub-events from the link layer A (210b). In one embodiment, depending on the number of CS sub-event results, operation 1326a may be omitted.

[0152] In operations 1328 and 1328a, an external electronic device (220) (e.g., host B (220a)) may receive CS sub-event results corresponding to each of the plurality of CS sub-events from the link layer B (220b) (e.g., first channel sounding results for RTT-based ranging and second channel sounding results for phase-based ranging). In one embodiment, depending on the number of CS sub-event results, operation 1328a may be omitted.

[0153] In operation 1330, an electronic device (210) (e.g., host A (210a) and link layer A (210b)) and an external electronic device (220) (e.g., host B (220a) and link layer B (220b)) may exchange result profiles including the CS sub-event results. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may determine the distance between the electronic device (210) and the external electronic device (220) by additionally considering the CS sub-event results obtained from the external electronic device (220) in operation 1330, along with the CS sub-event results measured by the electronic device (210) (e.g., link layer A (210b)).

[0154] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may extract multiple features for the results of RTT-based ranging and phase-based ranging that are affected by the adjustment of the number of channels, and process the extracted features to use as input for training a machine learning model. In one embodiment, a classification model such as a support vector machine (SVM) may be used for training the machine learning model. The electronic device (210) may generate an SVM model for classifying data according to pre-specified features, tune parameters for the SVM model so that the classification performance evaluation metric is high, and then train the SVM model by performing machine learning or deep learning. In one embodiment, a deep learning technique such as a recurrent neural network (RNN) may be used for training the machine learning model. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may use an RNN to store information accumulated over time and classify current results using previous information. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may select either an SVM or an RNN through prior training and use it to evaluate channel sounding results.

[0155] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) can determine whether to reduce the number of channels to be used in subsequent channel sounding procedures by analyzing channel sounding results measured between the electronic device (210) and an external electronic device (220) based on a machine learning model trained through prior learning (e.g., the procedure of FIG. 11). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) can obtain channel sounding results by performing RTT-based ranging and phase-based ranging for a specified time (e.g., one or more CS procedures) before performing the actual channel sounding procedure.

[0156] FIG. 14 shows parameters for setting a channel map according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0157] Referring to FIG. 14, the electronic device (210) can set up a channel map (1400) by performing a channel sounding setup procedure (e.g., the procedure of FIG. 12). The channel map (1400) may include bit fields corresponding to each of a plurality of channels available for BLE communication. As an example, the channel map (1400) may include 80 1-bit fields, and the most significant bit (bit 79) may be unused to indicate whether 79 channels are in use. For example, the electronic device (210) may set the bits corresponding to channels (e.g., 79 channels) from 2402 MHz to 2480 MHz in the channel map (1400) to 0 or 1 to indicate whether the corresponding channel is in use. In one embodiment, channels n=0,1,23,24,25,77,78 are ignored, and a specified number (e.g., 72) of the available channels may be used for channel sounding.

[0158] FIG. 15 shows parameters related to mode setting according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0159] Referring to FIG. 15, a CS generation setting command used in a channel sounding setting procedure (e.g., the CS generation setting command of operation 1204 in FIG. 12) may include a Main_Mode_Type field (1502) and a Sub_Mode_Type field (1504) for indicating a mode type for a specified CS sub-event. The Main_Mode_Type field (1502) may indicate any one of Mode 1, Mode 2, or Mode 3. The Sub_Mode_Type field (1504) may indicate any one of Mode 1, Mode 2, or Mode 3.

[0160] FIG. 16 shows parameters for setting sub-events of a main mode according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0161] Referring to FIG. 16, a CS generation setting command used in a channel sounding setting procedure (e.g., the CS generation setting command of operation 1204 in FIG. 12) may include a Min_Main_Mode_Steps field (1602) and a Max_Main_Mode_Steps field (1604) for indicating the range of CS sub-events to be executed in main mode. The Min_Main_Mode_Steps field (1602) indicates the minimum number of CS main mode steps to be executed before the sub-mode step, and the Max_Main_Mode_Steps field (1604) may indicate the maximum number of CS main mode steps to be executed before the sub-mode step.

[0162] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) can be configured to have steps of Mode 1, Mode 2, and Mode 3 mixed during CS procedures through the settings of the main mode type field (1502) and the sub mode type field (1504), and can change the range of steps to be executed in the main mode through the settings of the minimum main mode step field (1602) and the maximum main mode step field (1604).

[0163] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) sets the channel map (1400) to use all available channels as initial values ​​for the evaluation step, and sets relevant parameters (e.g., main mode type field (1502), sub mode type field (1504), minimum main mode step field (1602), and / or maximum main mode step field (1604)) so that both RTT-based ranging and phase-based ranging are performed a uniform number of times, and then performs one or more CS procedures based on the set parameters (i.e., channel map (1400), main mode type field (1502), sub mode type field (1504), minimum main mode step field (1602), and / or maximum main mode step field (1604)).

[0164] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may perform at least one channel sounding procedure (e.g., a preliminary channel sounding procedure) to determine the number of channels before performing a channel sounding procedure (e.g., an actual channel sounding procedure) at the request of an application (e.g., a distance measurement application (1002)). To perform the preliminary channel sounding procedure to determine the number of channels, the electronic device (210) may set up a channel map (1400) for all channels to use, set up related parameters (e.g., a main mode type field (1502), a sub mode type field (1504), a minimum main mode step field (1602), and / or a maximum main mode step field (1604)) so that RTT-based ranging and phase-based ranging are performed a uniform number of times, and then perform at least one preliminary channel sounding procedure for a specified time. When the number of channels is determined through the above-described preliminary channel sounding procedure, the electronic device (210) can set related parameters (e.g., channel map (1400), main mode type field (1502), sub mode type field (1504), minimum main mode step field (1602), and / or maximum main mode step field (1604)) according to the determined number of channels and perform an actual channel sounding procedure based on the set parameters at the request of an application.

[0165] FIG. 17 is a flowchart illustrating a channel sounding procedure including channel adaptation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Depending on the embodiments, at least one of the operations described below may be omitted, modified, or executed in a different order. In one embodiment, at least one of the operations described below may be executed by a processor of an electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1). In one embodiment, a memory of the electronic device (210) (e.g., memory (130) of FIG. 1) may store instructions that cause the electronic device (210) to operate according to at least one of the operations described below.

[0166] Referring to FIG. 17, in operation 1702, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) may perform a channel sounding setup procedure (e.g., the procedure of FIG. 12). In operation 1704, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) may perform a channel sounding start procedure (e.g., operations 1302 to 1322 of FIG. 13). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) may, through the channel sounding setup procedure and / or the channel sounding start procedure, set up a channel map (1400) for all channels to use and set related parameters (e.g., main mode type field (1502), sub mode type field (1504), minimum main mode step field (1602), and / or maximum main mode step field (1604)) so that RTT-based ranging and phase-based ranging are performed a uniform number of times.

[0167] In operation 1706, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can determine whether channel adaptation is required to adjust the number of channels for channel sounding. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can determine whether to perform channel adaptation based on user settings or hardware settings. If channel adaptation is performed, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can proceed to operation 1708. If channel adaptation is not required, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can proceed to operation 1716.

[0168] In operation 1708, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can extract features necessary for channel adaptation (e.g., statistical characteristics, variance and / or standard deviation by distance, accuracy and / or variability according to the number of channels, measurement performance, or at least one of channel-specific patterns) from data (e.g., channel sounding results) obtained through a pre-channel sounding procedure performed based on parameters set in operation 1702 and operation 1704.

[0169] In operation 1710, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) may perform channel adaptation based on the extracted features. The channel adaptation may include an operation to determine whether to reduce the number of channels to be used in the channel sounding procedure by analyzing the features based on a predetermined criterion (e.g., a machine learning model trained through the procedure of FIG. 11).

[0170] In operation 1712, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can determine whether it is decided to reduce the number of channels as a result of the channel adaptation. If it is decided to reduce the number of channels, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can proceed to operation 1714. If it is not decided to reduce the number of channels, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can proceed to operation 1716 while maintaining the number of channels.

[0171] In operation 1714, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) may perform a channel map update procedure according to the reduced number of channels (e.g., the procedure of FIG. 19). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) may update a channel map (e.g., channel map (1400)) to indicate channels that will not be used according to the reduced number of channels, and may provide information about the updated channel map (1400) to an external electronic device (220) through the channel map update procedure.

[0172] In operation 1716, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can measure information about the distance between the electronic device (210) and an external electronic device (220) by performing one or more channel sounding procedures based on the updated channel map.

[0173] FIG. 18 is a flowchart illustrating a channel sounding procedure including pre-channel adaptation according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Depending on the embodiments, at least one of the operations described below may be omitted, modified, or executed in a different order. In one embodiment, at least one of the operations described below may be executed by a processor of an electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120) of FIG. 1). In one embodiment, a memory of the electronic device (210) (e.g., memory (130) of FIG. 1) may store instructions that cause the electronic device (210) to operate according to at least one of the operations described below.

[0174] Referring to FIG. 18, in operation 1802, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can determine whether channel adaptation is required to adjust the number of channels for channel sounding. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can determine whether to perform channel adaptation based on user settings or hardware settings. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can determine to perform channel adaptation when a distance measurement is requested from an application (e.g., a distance measurement application (1002)). If channel adaptation is performed, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can proceed to operation 1708. If channel adaptation is not required, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can proceed to operation 1716.

[0175] In operation 1804, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) may perform a channel sounding setting procedure (e.g., the procedure of FIG. 12 or operation 1702 of FIG. 17). In operation 1806, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) may perform a channel sounding start procedure (e.g., operations 1302 to 1322 of FIG. 13, or operation 1704 of FIG. 17). In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can set the channel map (1400) for use by all channels through the channel sounding setting procedure and / or the channel sounding start procedure, and set related parameters (e.g., main mode type field (1502), sub mode type field (1504), minimum main mode step field (1602), and / or maximum main mode step field (1604)) so that RTT-based ranging and phase-based ranging are performed a uniform number of times.

[0176] In operation 1808, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can perform a channel sounding procedure based on parameters set in operation 1804 and operation 1806. In operation 1810, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can extract features necessary for channel adaptation (e.g., statistical characteristics, variance and / or standard deviation by distance, accuracy and / or variability according to the number of channels, measurement performance, or at least one of channel-specific patterns) from data obtained through the channel sounding procedure (e.g., channel sounding results).

[0177] In operation 1812, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) may perform channel adaptation based on the extracted features. The channel adaptation may include an operation to determine whether to reduce the number of channels to be used in the channel sounding procedure by analyzing the features based on a predetermined criterion (e.g., a machine learning model trained through the procedure of FIG. 11).

[0178] In operation 1814, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can determine whether it is decided to reduce the number of channels as a result of the channel adaptation. If it is decided to reduce the number of channels, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can proceed to operation 1816. If it is not decided to reduce the number of channels, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can proceed to operation 1818 while maintaining the number of channels.

[0179] In operation 1816, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can update the channel map according to the reduced number of channels. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can update the channel map (e.g., channel map (1400)) to indicate channels that will not be used according to the reduced number of channels.

[0180] In operation 1818, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) may perform a channel sounding setting procedure (e.g., the procedure of FIG. 12 or operation 1702 of FIG. 17) to set new parameters including the updated channel map according to the result of performing the channel adaptation.

[0181] In operation 1820, the electronic device (210) (e.g., processor (120)) can measure information about the distance between the electronic device (210) and the external electronic device (220) by performing a channel sounding start procedure (e.g., operations 1302 to 1322 of FIG. 13) and a channel sounding procedure based on new parameters including the updated channel map.

[0182] FIG. 19 is a sequence diagram illustrating a channel map update procedure according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Depending on the embodiments, at least one of the operations described below may be omitted, modified, or executed in a different order. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may include a host A (210a) and a link layer A (210b). In one embodiment, the external electronic device (220) may include a host B (220a) and a link layer (LL) B (220b).

[0183] Referring to FIG. 19, in operation 1902, an electronic device (210) (e.g., host A (210a) and link layer A (210b)) may be performing a channel sounding procedure (e.g., operation 1322 and / or operation 1330 of FIG. 13)) with an external electronic device (220) (e.g., host B (220a) and link layer B (220b)). In one embodiment, the channel sounding procedure may include pre-channel sounding for channel adaptation or training a machine learning model for channel adaptation.

[0184] In operation 1904, an electronic device (210) (e.g., host A (210a)) may transmit a CS channel setup command (e.g., a CS set channel classification command) to link layer A (210b) to update channel information (e.g., a channel map (1400)). The CS channel setup command may include a channel map (1400) containing updated information. In operation 1906, the electronic device (210) (e.g., link layer A (210b)) may transmit a response (e.g., a completion command) to the CS set channel classification command to host A (210a).

[0185] In operation 1908, the electronic device (210) (e.g., Link Layer A (210b)) may transmit a CS channel map instruction (e.g., LL_CS_CHANNEL_MAP_IND packet) containing the channel map (1400) to an external electronic device (220). In one embodiment, the LL_CS_CHANNEL_MAP_IND packet may contain the channel map received via a CS channel setup command in operation 1904. The external electronic device (220) (e.g., Link Layer B (220b)) may store the channel map obtained from the LL_CS_CHANNEL_MAP_IND packet so that it can be used in a subsequent channel sounding procedure. In operation 1920, the electronic device (210) (e.g., Link Layer A (210b)) and the external electronic device (220) (e.g., Link Layer B (220b)) may wait for a specified procedure interval before applying the channel map.

[0186] In operation 1922, the electronic device (210) and the external electronic device (220) can perform a channel sounding procedure based on the channel map obtained through operation 1908. In one embodiment, operation 1922 may include at least one of operation 1924, operation 1926, operation 1926a, operation 1928, or operation 1928a.

[0187] In operation 1924, an electronic device (210) (e.g., Link Layer A (210b)) and an external electronic device (220) (e.g., Link Layer B (220b)) may perform CS sub-events. Each of the CS sub-events may include mode-specific channel sounding (e.g., RTT-based ranging or phase-based ranging) based on the set parameters. Each of the CS sub-events may be executed using channels indicated as available by the channel map. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may transmit a designated RTT packet through at least one channel identified by the channel map and, after receiving the RTT packet through the channel, measure the RTT for the channel. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may transmit a designated signal for phase measurement through at least one channel identified by the channel map and, after receiving a response through the channel, measure the phase difference for the channel.

[0188] In operations 1926 and 1926a, the electronic device (210) (e.g., host A (210a)) may receive CS sub-event results (e.g., channel sounding results for RTT-based ranging and channel sounding results for phase-based ranging) corresponding to each of the plurality of CS sub-events from the link layer A (210b). In one embodiment, depending on the number of CS sub-event results, operation 1926a may be omitted.

[0189] In operation 1928 and operation 1928a, an external electronic device (220) (e.g., host B (220a)) may receive CS sub-event results (e.g., channel sounding results for RTT-based ranging and channel sounding results for phase-based ranging) corresponding to each of the plurality of CS sub-events from the link layer B (220b). In one embodiment, operation 1928a may be omitted depending on the number of CS sub-event results.

[0190] In operation 1930, an electronic device (210) (e.g., host A (210a) and link layer A (210b)) and an external electronic device (220) (e.g., host B (220a) and link layer B (220b)) may exchange result profiles including the CS sub-event results. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may determine the distance between the electronic device (210) and the external electronic device (220) by additionally considering the CS sub-event results obtained from the external electronic device (220) in operation 1930, along with the CS sub-event results measured by the electronic device (210) (e.g., link layer A (210b)).

[0191] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may update a channel map (e.g., channel map (1400)) to reduce the number of channels to be used for subsequent channel sounding if it is determined that the performance and patterns between the results of RTT-based ranging and phase-based ranging are similar based on a machine learning model generated in prior learning (e.g., the procedure of FIG. 11), and to maintain or increase the number of channels if it is determined that the results are not similar. The updated channel map may be transmitted from the electronic device (210) to an external electronic device (220) in operation 1908.

[0192] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may determine whether to reduce the number of channels through the trained machine learning model based on data obtained by performing both RTT-based ranging and phase-based ranging for a specified time during a test phase prior to actual distance measurement. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may save channel resources and reduce the time required to measure distance by reflecting the adjusted number of channels in the update of the channel map.

[0193] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may collect result data at regular intervals while at least one channel sounding procedure is performed, process it as in the pre-learning step, extract features of the result data, and determine whether to reduce the number of channels through the machine learning model based on the extracted features. If it is determined that the number of channels will be reduced, the electronic device (210) may update the channel map through a channel sounding setting procedure (e.g., the procedure of FIG. 12) or update the channel map through a channel sounding channel map update procedure (e.g., the procedure of FIG. 19).

[0194] In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may determine channels that will not be used and / or channels that will not be used based on the reduced number of channels. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may arbitrarily determine the channel indices of the channels that will not be used. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may obtain channel-specific statistical characteristics based on CS sub-event results and select channels that have outliers or have a relatively large deviation from the average based on the channel-specific statistical characteristics not to be used. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may update the channel map by setting the bit field corresponding to the channel index of the channel selected not to be used among the available channels in the channel map to '0'. In one embodiment, the electronic device (210) may update the channel map so that at least 15 channels are used.

[0195] In one embodiment, a channel sounding procedure using all 72 channels may take 28.296 ms for Mode 1 and 36.360 ms for Mode 2. According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a channel sounding procedure using a reduced number (e.g., 15 channels) takes about 5.895 ms for Mode 1 and about 7.575 ms for Mode 2, which is a reduction of about 79% compared to using all 72 channels. By reducing the number of channels required for channel sounding through the embodiments of the present disclosure, not only can the phenomenon of measurement time delay for channel sounding be offset even if the number of antennas and / or measurement target devices increases, but the effect of increasing the number of measurement target devices can also be obtained.

[0196] The embodiments of the present disclosure can improve resource usage efficiency while minimizing performance degradation of channel sounding in an electronic device (210) that requires limited resource usage. The embodiments of the present disclosure can reduce measurement time without reducing measurement performance by using fewer channels when measuring distance through Bluetooth channel sounding.

[0197] An electronic device (210) according to one embodiment may include a communication circuit (192) configured to support Bluetooth communication, at least one processor (120) functionally connected to the communication circuit, and a memory (130) for storing instructions. When the instructions are executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor, the electronic device may: perform round trip time (RTT) based ranging on an external electronic device (220) through the communication circuit to obtain first channel sounding results. When the instructions are executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor, the electronic device may: perform phase-based ranging on the external electronic device through the communication circuit to obtain second channel sounding results. When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor, the electronic device may: adjust the number of channels to be used to perform a channel sounding procedure for the external electronic device based on comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results. When the above instructions are executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor, the electronic device may: measure information related to the distance between the electronic device and the external electronic device by performing the channel sounding procedure through the communication circuit using the adjusted number of channels.

[0198] In one embodiment, the first channel sounding results may be obtained through the RTT-based ranging using a first number of channels, and the second channel sounding results may be obtained through the phase-based ranging using the first number of channels. In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to determine whether to reduce the number of channels such that the number of channels is less than the first number, based on comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results.

[0199] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to: reduce the number of channels to a second number less than the first number based on determining that the similarity between the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results exceeds a threshold similarity set by a specified criterion, and determine the number of channels to the first number based on determining that the similarity between the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results is less than the threshold similarity.

[0200] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to train a machine learning model that establishes a specified criterion to be used for comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results by performing one or more channel sounding procedures before acquiring the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results.

[0201] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to: use the machine learning model to extract features to be used to adjust the number of channels from the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results.

[0202] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to: determine, based on comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results, at least one channel to be used and / or at least one channel not to be used among a plurality of available channels, generate a channel map indicating the at least one channel to be used and at least one channel not to be used among the first number of channels, and transmit information about the channel map to the external electronic device through the communication circuit before performing the channel sounding procedure.

[0203] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to: compare a first statistical characteristic for the first channel sounding results and a second statistical characteristic for the second channel sounding results. In one embodiment, the first statistical characteristic includes variance, standard deviation, and / or distance accuracy and variability according to the number of channels associated with the first channel sounding results, and the second statistical characteristic may include variance, standard deviation, and / or distance accuracy and variability according to the number of channels associated with the second channel sounding results.

[0204] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to: reduce the number of channels when it is determined that the measurement performance and channel-specific pattern of the first channel sounding results are similar to the measurement performance and channel-specific pattern of the second channel sounding results according to a predetermined standard, and maintain the number of channels when it is determined that the measurement performance and channel-specific pattern of the first channel sounding results are not similar to the measurement performance and channel-specific pattern of the second channel sounding results according to the specified standard.

[0205] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to reduce the number of channels by determining not to use at least one channel having a relatively large outlier and / or a relatively large deviation among a plurality of available channels, based on the channel-specific pattern of the first channel sounding results and the channel-specific pattern of the second channel sounding results.

[0206] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to set parameters related to one or more channel sounding procedures for performing the RTT-based ranging and the phase-based ranging.

[0207] In a non-transient computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs according to one embodiment of the present disclosure, the one or more programs may include instructions that, when executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120), cause an electronic device (210) to: perform round trip time (RTT) based ranging on an external electronic device (220) to obtain first channel sounding results, perform phase-based ranging on the external electronic device to obtain second channel sounding results, adjust the number of channels to be used to perform a channel sounding procedure on the external electronic device based on a comparison of the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results, and measure information related to the distance between the electronic device and the external electronic device by performing the channel sounding procedure using the adjusted number of channels.

[0208] In one embodiment, the first channel sounding results may be obtained through the RTT-based ranging using a first number of channels, and the second channel sounding results may be obtained through the phase-based ranging using the first number of channels. In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to determine whether to reduce the number of channels such that the number of channels is less than the first number, based on comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results.

[0209] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to: reduce the number of channels to a second number less than the first number based on determining that the similarity between the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results exceeds a threshold similarity set by a specified criterion, and determine the number of channels to the first number based on determining that the similarity between the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results is less than the threshold similarity.

[0210] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to train a machine learning model that establishes a specified criterion to be used for comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results by performing one or more channel sounding procedures before acquiring the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results.

[0211] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to: use the machine learning model to extract features to be used to adjust the number of channels from the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results.

[0212] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to: determine, based on comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results, at least one channel to be used and / or at least one channel not to be used among a plurality of available channels, generate a channel map indicating the at least one channel to be used and at least one channel not to be used among the first number of channels, and transmit information about the channel map to the external electronic device before performing the channel sounding procedure.

[0213] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to: compare a first statistical characteristic for the first channel sounding results and a second statistical characteristic for the second channel sounding results. In one embodiment, the first statistical characteristic includes variance, standard deviation, and / or distance accuracy and variability according to the number of channels associated with the first channel sounding results, and the second statistical characteristic may include variance, standard deviation, and / or distance accuracy and variability according to the number of channels associated with the second channel sounding results.

[0214] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to: reduce the number of channels when it is determined that the measurement performance and channel-specific pattern of the first channel sounding results are similar to the measurement performance and channel-specific pattern of the second channel sounding results according to a predetermined standard, and maintain the number of channels when it is determined that the measurement performance and channel-specific pattern of the first channel sounding results are not similar to the measurement performance and channel-specific pattern of the second channel sounding results according to the specified standard.

[0215] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to reduce the number of channels by determining not to use at least one channel having a relatively large outlier and / or a relatively large deviation among a plurality of available channels, based on the channel-specific pattern of the first channel sounding results and the channel-specific pattern of the second channel sounding results.

[0216] In one embodiment, the instructions may cause the electronic device to set parameters related to one or more channel sounding procedures for performing the RTT-based ranging and the phase-based ranging.

[0217] A method by an electronic device (210) according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include: an operation of obtaining first channel sounding results by performing RTT-based ranging on an external electronic device (220); an operation of obtaining second channel sounding results by performing phase-based ranging on the external electronic device; an operation of adjusting the number of channels to be used to perform a channel sounding procedure on the external electronic device based on comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results; and an operation of measuring information related to the distance between the electronic device and the external electronic device by performing the channel sounding procedure using the adjusted number of channels.

[0218] The electronic device according to the various embodiments disclosed in this document may be of various forms. The electronic device may include, for example, a portable communication device (e.g., a smartphone), a computer device, a portable multimedia device, a portable medical device, a camera, a wearable device, or a consumer electronics device. The electronic device according to the embodiments of this document is not limited to the devices described above.

[0219] The various embodiments of this document and the terms used therein are not intended to limit the technical features described in this document to specific embodiments, and should be understood to include various modifications, equivalents, or substitutions of said 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 said items unless the relevant context clearly indicates otherwise. In this document, phrases such as "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" may each include any one of the items listed together in the corresponding phrase, or all possible combinations thereof. Terms such as "first," "second," or "first" or "second" may be used simply to distinguish said components from other said components and do not limit said components in any other aspect (e.g., importance or order). Where any (e.g., 1st) component is referred to as “coupled” or “connected” to another (e.g., 2nd) component, with or without the terms “functionally” or “communicationly,” it means that said any component may be connected to said other component directly (e.g., via a wire), wirelessly, or through a third component.

[0220] The term “module” as used in the 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, for example. A module may be a component formed integrally, or a minimum unit of said component or a part thereof 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).

[0221] Various embodiments of the present document may be implemented as software (e.g., program (140)) comprising one or more instructions stored in a storage medium (e.g., internal memory (136) or external memory (138)) readable by a machine (e.g., electronic device (101)). For example, a processor (e.g., processor (120)) of the machine (e.g., electronic device (101)) may call at least one of the one or more instructions stored from the storage medium and execute it. This enables the machine to be operated 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 that can be executed by an interpreter. The storage medium readable by the machine may be provided in the form of a non-transitory storage medium. Here, 'non-temporary' simply means that the storage medium is a tangible device and does not contain a signal (e.g., electromagnetic waves), and the term does not distinguish between cases where data is stored semi-permanently and cases where it is stored temporarily.

[0222] According to one embodiment, the method according to the various embodiments disclosed herein may be provided as included in a computer program product. The computer program product may be traded between a seller and a buyer as a product. The computer program product may be distributed in the form of a device-readable storage medium (e.g., compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM)), or distributed online (e.g., download or upload) through an application store (e.g., Play Store™) or directly between two user devices (e.g., smartphones). In the case of online distribution, at least a portion of the computer program product may be temporarily stored or temporarily created on a device-readable storage medium, such as the memory of a manufacturer's server, an application store's server, or a relay server.

[0223] According to various embodiments, each component (e.g., module or program) of the components described above may include a singular or multiple entities, and some of the multiple entities may be separated and placed in other components. According to various embodiments, one or more of the components or operations of the aforementioned components may be omitted, or one or more other components or operations may be added. Generally or additionally, multiple components (e.g., module or program) may be integrated into a single component. In this case, the integrated component may perform one or more functions of each of the multiple components in the same or similar manner as those performed by the corresponding component among the multiple components prior to integration. According to various embodiments, operations performed by the module, program, or other components 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 (210), A communication circuit (192) configured to support Bluetooth communication; At least one processor (120) functionally connected to the communication circuit above; and The electronic device includes a memory (130) for storing instructions, wherein the instructions are executed individually or collectively by the at least one processor: RTT (round trip time) based ranging is performed on an external electronic device (220) through the above communication circuit to obtain first channel sounding results, and Phase-based ranging is performed on the external electronic device through the communication circuit to obtain second channel sounding results, and Based on comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results, the number of channels to be used to perform a channel sounding procedure for the external electronic device is adjusted, and An electronic device that measures information related to the distance between the electronic device and the external electronic device by performing the channel sounding procedure through the communication circuit using the above-mentioned adjusted number of channels.

2. In claim 1, the first channel sounding results are obtained through the RTT-based ranging using a first number of channels, and the second channel sounding results are obtained through the phase-based ranging using the first number of channels, and The above instructions cause the electronic device to: An electronic device that determines whether to reduce the number of channels such that the number of channels is less than the first number, based on comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results.

3. In claim 2, the instructions cause the electronic device to: Based on the determination that the similarity between the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results exceeds a threshold similarity set by a specified criterion, the number of channels is reduced to a second number that is less than the first number, and An electronic device that determines the number of channels to be the first number based on determining that the similarity between the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results is less than the threshold similarity.

4. In any one of claims 1 to 3, the instructions cause the electronic device to: An electronic device for training a machine learning model to establish a designated criterion to be used for comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results by performing one or more channel sounding procedures before obtaining the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results.

5. In claim 4, the above instructions cause the electronic device to: An electronic device that uses the machine learning model above to extract features to be used for adjusting the number of channels from the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results.

6. In any one of claims 1 to 5, the instructions cause the electronic device to: Based on comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results, at least one channel to be used in the channel sounding procedure and / or at least one channel not to be used among a plurality of available channels are determined, and A channel map is generated that indicates at least one channel to be used and at least one channel not to be used among the first number of channels, and An electronic device that transmits information about the channel map to the external electronic device through the communication circuit prior to performing the above channel sounding procedure.

7. In any one of claims 1 to 6, the instructions cause the electronic device to: Comparing the first statistical characteristics of the first channel sounding results and the second statistical characteristics of the second channel sounding results, The first statistical characteristic above includes variance, standard deviation, and / or distance accuracy and variability according to the number of channels related to the first channel sounding results, and An electronic device wherein the second statistical characteristic includes variance, standard deviation, and / or distance accuracy and variability according to the number of channels related to the second channel sounding results.

8. In claim 7, the above instructions cause the electronic device to: If the measurement performance and channel-specific patterns of the first channel sounding results are determined to be similar to the measurement performance and channel-specific patterns of the second channel sounding results according to a predetermined standard, the number of channels is reduced, and An electronic device that maintains the number of channels when it is determined that the measurement performance and channel-specific patterns of the first channel sounding results are not similar to the measurement performance and channel-specific patterns of the second channel sounding results according to the specified criteria.

9. In claim 8, the above instructions cause the electronic device to: An electronic device that reduces the number of channels by determining not to use at least one channel having a relatively large outlier and / or a relatively large deviation among a plurality of available channels, based on the channel-specific pattern of the first channel sounding results and the channel-specific pattern of the second channel sounding results.

10. In any one of claims 1 to 9, the instructions cause the electronic device to: An electronic device for setting parameters associated with one or more channel sounding procedures for performing the above RTT-based ranging and the above phase-based ranging.

11. In a non-transient computer-readable storage medium storing one or more programs, the electronic device (210) causes the one or more programs to be executed individually or collectively by at least one processor (120): RTT (round trip time) based ranging is performed on an external electronic device (220) to obtain first channel sounding results, and Phase-based ranging is performed on the above external electronic device to obtain second channel sounding results, and Based on comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results, the number of channels to be used to perform a channel sounding procedure for the external electronic device is adjusted, and A storage medium comprising instructions for measuring information related to the distance between the electronic device and the external electronic device by performing the channel sounding procedure using the above-mentioned adjusted number of channels.

12. In claim 11, the first channel sounding results are obtained through the RTT-based ranging using the first number of channels, and the second channel sounding results are obtained through the phase-based ranging using the first number of channels, and The above instructions cause the electronic device to: A storage medium that determines whether to reduce the number of channels such that the number of channels is less than the first number, based on comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results.

13. In claim 12, the instructions cause the electronic device to: Based on the determination that the similarity between the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results exceeds a threshold similarity set by a specified criterion, the number of channels is reduced to a second number that is less than the first number, and A storage medium that determines the number of channels to be the first number based on determining that the similarity between the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results is less than the threshold similarity.

14. In any one of claims 11 to 13, the instructions cause the electronic device to: Based on comparing the first channel sounding results and the second channel sounding results, at least one channel to be used in the channel sounding procedure and / or at least one channel not to be used among a plurality of available channels are determined, and A channel map is generated that indicates at least one channel to be used and at least one channel not to be used among the first number of channels, and A storage medium that transmits information about the channel map to the external electronic device prior to performing the above channel sounding procedure.

15. In any one of claims 11 to 14, the instructions cause the electronic device to: If the measurement performance and channel-specific patterns of the first channel sounding results are determined to be similar to the measurement performance and channel-specific patterns of the second channel sounding results according to a predetermined standard, the number of channels is reduced, and A storage medium that maintains the number of channels when it is determined that the measurement performance and channel-specific patterns of the first channel sounding results are not similar to the measurement performance and channel-specific patterns of the second channel sounding results according to the specified criteria.

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