Communication method and apparatus

Abstract

A communication method and apparatus, which relate to the technical field of communications, and enable ranging when two communication apparatuses do not establish a connection, thereby improving the measurement efficiency. The method comprises: a second device receiving from a first device a broadcast frame comprising measurement information of the first device; within a time window indicated by the broadcast frame, sending a response frame of the broadcast frame to the first device, wherein the response frame comprises measurement information of the second device; and the second device acquiring measurement configuration information on the basis of the measurement information of the first device and the measurement information of the second device, and performing a position measurement on the first device on the basis of the measurement configuration information, wherein the measurement configuration information is used for indicating starting measurement information and channel information of measurements performed by the first device and the second device.

Description

Communication methods and devices

[0001] This application claims priority to Chinese Patent Application No. 202411609383.2, filed with the State Intellectual Property Office of China on November 12, 2024, entitled "Communication Method and Apparatus", the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0002] This application relates to the field of communication technology, and in particular to a communication method and apparatus. Background Technology

[0003] In a communication system, two communication devices can achieve ranging by interacting with each other based on probe request frames and probe response frames when no connection has been established.

[0004] However, for star-flash systems that do not support probe request frames and probe response frames, how to perform ranging between two communication devices in a star-flash system when no connection is established has become an urgent technical problem to be solved. Summary of the Invention

[0005] This application provides a communication method and apparatus that enables distance measurement when two communication devices have not established a connection, thereby improving measurement efficiency.

[0006] Firstly, this application provides a communication method that can be executed by a second device. Unless otherwise specified, "second device" in this application can refer to the second device itself, a component within the second device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the second device. The method includes: receiving a broadcast frame from a first device, the broadcast frame including measurement information of the first device; sending a response frame to the first device within a time window indicated by the broadcast frame, the response frame including measurement information of the second device; obtaining measurement configuration information based on the measurement information of the first device and the second device; and performing position measurement on the first device based on the measurement configuration information. The measurement configuration information is used to indicate the starting measurement information and channel information for the first and second devices to perform the measurement.

[0007] Based on the first aspect, when no connection is established between the first and second devices, they can exchange measurement information via broadcast frames and their response frames. This allows the second device to obtain measurement configuration information based on the measurement information from both devices, and then perform connectionless measurements. This achieves rapid measurement between adjacent, unfamiliar nodes in the absence of a connection, avoiding the latency required to establish a secure connection and improving measurement efficiency.

[0008] In one possible design, broadcast frames are received via a broadcast channel or a data channel, while response frames are sent via a data channel.

[0009] Based on this possible design, the broadcast frame can be a basic broadcast frame or an extended broadcast frame. The basic broadcast frame can be sent or received via a broadcast channel, while the extended broadcast frame can be sent or received via a data channel.

[0010] In one possible design, the measurement information includes one or more of the following: measurement capability information or device information; wherein the measurement capability information includes one or more of the following: measurement mode, narrowband frequency hopping capability information, or ultra-wideband pulse measurement capability information; the measurement mode includes one or more of the following: narrowband frequency hopping measurement mode, or ultra-wideband pulse measurement mode; and the device information includes one or more of the following: device name, device type, device address, or the name of the communication domain in which the device is located.

[0011] Based on this possible design, by carrying one or more of the above parameters in the measurement information, the measurement configuration information can be determined subsequently based on the measurement information, thereby improving measurement performance and the accuracy of measurement results.

[0012] In one possible design, the narrowband frequency hopping capability information includes one or more of the following: narrowband frequency hopping measurement supported by default configuration, measurement bandwidth, supported measurement frame types, physical layer security information, or multi-tone signal information; wherein the measurement frame types supported by narrowband frequency hopping include one or more of the following: measurement frame type 1, measurement frame type 2, or measurement frame type 3.

[0013] Based on this possible design, narrowband measurement performance can be improved by carrying one or more of the above parameters in the narrowband frequency hopping capability information.

[0014] In one possible design, the ultra-wideband pulse measurement capability information includes one or more of the following: support for default configuration of ultra-wideband pulse measurement, measurement bandwidth, synchronization signal length, number of measurement signal fragments, measurement signal fragment length, codeword information, or physical layer security information.

[0015] Based on this possible design, the performance of ultra-wideband measurement can be improved by carrying one or more of the above parameters in the ultra-wideband pulse measurement capability information.

[0016] In one possible design, obtaining measurement configuration information includes: receiving measurement configuration information from a first device; or, the measurement configuration information is determined by a second device based on the measurement information from the first device and the measurement information from the second device.

[0017] Based on this possible design, the measurement configuration information can be determined by the second device itself, which can reduce signaling overhead compared to receiving measurement configuration information sent by the first device. Alternatively, the measurement configuration information can also be sent by the first device, which can reduce the processing complexity of the second device compared to determining the measurement configuration information itself.

[0018] In one possible design, if the measurement configuration information is determined by the second device, the method further includes sending the measurement configuration information to the first device in a response frame.

[0019] Based on this possible design, when the measurement configuration information is determined by the second device, the second device can also synchronize the measurement configuration information to the first device to improve measurement performance.

[0020] In one possible design, the measurement configuration information includes one or more of the following: configuration of the first or second node, resource configuration information during the initialization phase, start time of the measurement event group, time offset of the measurement event group, period of the measurement event group, number of measurement event groups, total number of events, logical link identifier, interval between events for measurement frame type 1, interval between events for measurement frame type 2, interval between events during the initialization phase, interval within events, frequency hopping measurement mode, frequency hopping random seed, measurement signal type, bandwidth and number of tones of multi-tone signal, and default measurement parameters or measurement parameter set index.

[0021] Based on this possible design, the first and second devices can be initialized and measured according to the above parameters, thereby improving measurement performance.

[0022] In one possible design, the measurement signal in the measurement frame is a narrowband single-frequency sine wave signal, a binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) signal, or a multi-tone signal.

[0023] Based on this possible design, a narrowband measurement signal can be used for connectionless measurement, thereby improving measurement performance.

[0024] In one possible design, position measurement of the first device is performed based on measurement configuration information, including: receiving a first measurement frame from the first device on a preset set of measurement frequencies; wherein the first measurement frame is measurement frame type 2 or measurement frame type 1; and performing frequency hopping measurement on the first device on the preset set of measurement frequencies based on the first measurement frame.

[0025] Based on this possible design, in the initial synchronization, if only one frequency point / channel is used for synchronization measurement in narrowband, low synchronization accuracy may result due to interference or frequency-selective fading. This application addresses this by pre-configuring a set of synchronization channels or adaptively stopping measurements based on the quality of the measurement frame, and by frequency hopping to measure one or more frequency points. This ensures the accuracy of synchronization measurements even under conditions of partial channel interference or frequency-selective fading.

[0026] In one possible design, before receiving the first measurement frame from the first device, the method further includes: receiving measurement frame type 3 from the first device; wherein measurement frame type 3 includes a preamble field, a synchronization signal field, and an equalization protection field; and performing measurement initialization according to measurement frame type 3.

[0027] Based on this possible design, the first and second devices can also perform measurement initialization based on measurement frame type 3 before measurement to improve measurement performance.

[0028] In one possible design, the position measurement of the first device is performed based on measurement configuration information, including: receiving an ultra-wideband measurement frame from the first device; and performing a position measurement of the first device based on the ultra-wideband measurement frame.

[0029] Based on this possible design, unlike the aforementioned measurement using narrowband measurement signals, position measurement can also be performed using ultra-wideband measurement frames, thereby improving measurement performance.

[0030] In one possible design, before receiving an ultrawideband measurement frame from the first device, the method further includes: receiving a narrowband measurement frame from the first device; and performing initial synchronization based on the narrowband measurement frame.

[0031] Based on this possible design, the power consumption of ultra-wideband (UWB) devices is relatively high due to their large operating bandwidth (>500MHz). Narrowband measurement frames can be used for initial synchronization to assist the UWB module in transmitting some / all of the control, security authentication, and measurement information, which helps reduce the power consumption of the UWB module.

[0032] Secondly, this application provides a communication method that can be executed by a first device. Unless otherwise specified, "first device" in this application can refer to the first device itself, a component within the first device (e.g., a processor, chip, or chip system), or a logic module or software capable of implementing all or part of the functions of the first device. The method includes: sending a broadcast frame to a second device, the broadcast frame including measurement information of the first device; receiving a response frame from the broadcast frame of the second device within a time window indicated by the broadcast frame, the response frame including measurement information of the second device; obtaining measurement configuration information based on the measurement information of the first device and the measurement information of the second device; and performing position measurement on the second device based on the measurement configuration information. The measurement configuration information is used to indicate the starting measurement information and channel information for the first and second devices to perform the measurement.

[0033] Based on the second aspect, when no connection is established between the first and second devices, they can exchange measurement information via broadcast frames and their response frames. This allows the second device to obtain measurement configuration information based on the measurement information from both devices, and then perform connectionless measurements. This achieves rapid measurement between adjacent, unfamiliar nodes in the absence of a connection, avoiding the latency required to establish a secure connection and improving measurement efficiency.

[0034] In one possible design, broadcast frames are sent via a broadcast channel or a data channel, and response frames are received via a data channel.

[0035] Based on this possible design, the broadcast frame can be a basic broadcast frame or an extended broadcast frame. The basic broadcast frame can be sent or received via a broadcast channel, while the extended broadcast frame can be sent or received via a data channel.

[0036] In one possible design, the measurement information includes one or more of the following: measurement capability information or device information; wherein the measurement capability information includes one or more of the following: measurement mode, narrowband frequency hopping capability information, or ultra-wideband pulse measurement capability information; the measurement mode includes one or more of the following: narrowband frequency hopping measurement mode, or ultra-wideband pulse measurement mode; and the device information includes one or more of the following: device name, device type, device address, or the name of the communication domain in which the device is located.

[0037] Based on this possible design, by carrying one or more of the above parameters in the measurement information, the measurement configuration information can be determined subsequently based on the measurement information, thereby improving measurement performance and the accuracy of measurement results.

[0038] In one possible design, the narrowband frequency hopping capability information includes one or more of the following: narrowband frequency hopping measurement supported by default configuration, measurement bandwidth, supported measurement frame types, physical layer security information, or multi-tone signal information; wherein the measurement frame types supported by narrowband frequency hopping include one or more of the following: measurement frame type 1, measurement frame type 2, or measurement frame type 3.

[0039] Based on this possible design, narrowband measurement performance can be improved by carrying one or more of the above parameters in the narrowband frequency hopping capability information.

[0040] In one possible design, the ultra-wideband pulse measurement capability information includes one or more of the following: support for default configuration of ultra-wideband pulse measurement, measurement bandwidth, synchronization signal length, number of measurement signal fragments, measurement signal fragment length, codeword information, or physical layer security information.

[0041] Based on this possible design, the performance of ultra-wideband measurement can be improved by carrying one or more of the above parameters in the ultra-wideband pulse measurement capability information.

[0042] In one possible design, obtaining measurement configuration information includes: a response frame including measurement configuration information; or, the measurement configuration information is determined by a first device based on measurement information from a first device and measurement information from a second device.

[0043] Based on this possible design, the measurement configuration information can be determined by the first device itself, which can reduce signaling overhead compared to receiving measurement configuration information sent by the second device. Alternatively, the measurement configuration information can also be sent by the second device, which can reduce the processing complexity of the first device compared to the first device determining the measurement configuration information itself.

[0044] In one possible design, if the measurement configuration information is determined by the first device, the method further includes sending the measurement configuration information to the second device.

[0045] Based on this possible design, when the measurement configuration information is determined by the first device, the first device can also synchronize the measurement configuration information to the second device to improve measurement performance.

[0046] In one possible design, the measurement configuration information includes one or more of the following: configuration of the first or second node, resource configuration information during the initialization phase, start time of the measurement event group, time offset of the measurement event group, period of the measurement event group, number of measurement event groups, total number of events, logical link identifier, interval between events for measurement frame type 1, interval between events for measurement frame type 2, interval between events during the initialization phase, interval within events, frequency hopping measurement mode, frequency hopping random seed, bandwidth and number of tones for the measurement signal type multi-tone signal, and default measurement parameters or measurement parameter set index.

[0047] Based on this possible design, the first and second devices can be initialized and measured according to the above parameters, thereby improving measurement performance.

[0048] In one possible design, the measurement signal in the measurement frame is a narrowband single-frequency sine wave signal, a binary phase-shift keying (BPSK) signal, or a multi-tone signal.

[0049] Based on this possible design, a narrowband measurement signal can be used for connectionless measurement, thereby improving measurement performance.

[0050] In one possible design, the position measurement of the second device is performed according to the measurement configuration information, including: receiving a first measurement frame from the second device on a preset measurement frequency point set; wherein the first measurement frame is measurement frame type 2 or measurement frame type 1; and performing frequency hopping measurement on the second device on the preset measurement frequency point set according to the first measurement frame.

[0051] Based on this possible design, in the initial synchronization, if only one frequency point / channel is used for synchronization measurement in narrowband, low synchronization accuracy may result due to interference or frequency-selective fading. This application addresses this by pre-configuring a set of synchronization channels or adaptively stopping measurements based on the quality of the measurement frame, and by frequency hopping to measure one or more frequency points. This ensures the accuracy of synchronization measurements even under conditions of partial channel interference or frequency-selective fading.

[0052] In one possible design, before receiving the first measurement frame from the second device, the method further includes: receiving measurement frame type 3 from the second device; wherein measurement frame type 3 includes a preamble field, a synchronization signal field, an equalization protection field, a switching interval field, and a measurement signal field; and performing measurement initialization according to measurement frame type 3.

[0053] Based on this possible design, the first and second devices can also perform measurement initialization based on measurement frame type 3 before measurement to improve measurement performance.

[0054] In one possible design, the position measurement of the second device is performed based on the measurement configuration information, including: receiving an ultra-wideband measurement frame from the second device; and performing the position measurement of the second device based on the ultra-wideband measurement frame.

[0055] Based on this possible design, unlike the aforementioned measurement using narrowband measurement signals, position measurement can also be performed using ultra-wideband measurement frames, thereby improving measurement performance.

[0056] In one possible design, before receiving an ultrawideband measurement frame from the second device, the method further includes: receiving a narrowband measurement frame from the second device; and performing initial synchronization based on the narrowband measurement frame.

[0057] Based on this possible design, the power consumption of ultra-wideband (UWB) devices is relatively high due to their large operating bandwidth (>500MHz). Narrowband measurement frames can be used for initial synchronization to assist the UWB module in transmitting some / all of the control, security authentication, and measurement information, which helps reduce the power consumption of the UWB module.

[0058] Thirdly, this application provides a communication device that can be applied to the second device described in the first aspect to realize the functions performed by the second device. The communication device can be the second device, or it can be a chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip of the second device, etc. The communication device can execute the functions performed by the second device through hardware, or it can execute corresponding software through hardware. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the above functions. For example, a transceiver module and a processing module. The transceiver module can independently complete the following transceiver operations, or it can cooperate with the processing module to complete the following transceiver operations; correspondingly, the processing module can independently complete the following processing operations, or it can cooperate with the transceiver module to complete the following processing operations, without limitation.

[0059] For example, the transceiver module is configured to receive a broadcast frame from a first device, the broadcast frame including measurement information of the first device; the transceiver module is further configured to send a response frame to the first device within a time window indicated by the broadcast frame, the response frame including measurement information of a second device; the processing module is configured to obtain measurement configuration information based on the measurement information of the first device and the measurement information of the second device, and perform position measurement on the first device based on the measurement configuration information. The measurement configuration information is used to indicate the starting measurement information and channel information for the first and second devices to perform the measurement.

[0060] Optionally, the transceiver module and processing module of the communication device in the third aspect may also perform the corresponding functions in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, as detailed in the above method examples, and the beneficial effects that can be achieved can also be found in the foregoing related content.

[0061] Fourthly, this application provides a communication device that can be applied to the first device described in the second aspect to realize the functions performed by the first device. The communication device can be the first device itself, or it can be a chip, chip system, or system-on-a-chip (SoC) of the first device. The communication device can execute the functions performed by the first device through hardware or through corresponding software. The hardware or software includes one or more modules corresponding to the aforementioned functions. For example, a transceiver module and a processing module. The transceiver module can independently complete the following transceiver operations or cooperate with the processing module to complete the following transceiver operations; correspondingly, the processing module can independently complete the following processing operations or cooperate with the transceiver module to complete the following processing operations, without limitation.

[0062] For example, the transceiver module is configured to send a broadcast frame to the second device, the broadcast frame including measurement information of the first device; the transceiver module is further configured to receive a response frame from the broadcast frame of the second device within a time window indicated by the broadcast frame, the response frame including measurement information of the second device; the processing module is configured to obtain measurement configuration information based on the measurement information of the first device and the measurement information of the second device, and perform position measurement on the second device based on the measurement configuration information. The measurement configuration information is used to indicate the starting measurement information and channel information for the first and second devices to perform the measurement.

[0063] Optionally, the transceiver module and processing module of the communication device in the fourth aspect may also perform the corresponding functions in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect, as detailed in the above method examples, and the beneficial effects that can be achieved can also be found in the foregoing related content.

[0064] Fifthly, this application provides a communication device comprising one or more processors; the one or more processors being configured to run computer programs or instructions, such that when the one or more processors execute the computer instructions or instructions, the communication method described in any one of the first to second aspects is performed.

[0065] In one possible design, the communication device further includes one or more memories coupled to one or more processors, the memories used to store the aforementioned computer programs or instructions. In one possible implementation, the memories are located outside the communication device. In another possible implementation, the memories are located inside the communication device. In embodiments of this application, the processor and memory may also be integrated into a single device, i.e., the processor and memory may be integrated together. In one possible implementation, the communication device further includes a transceiver for receiving and / or transmitting information.

[0066] In one possible design, the communication device further includes one or more communication interfaces coupled to one or more processors, and the communication interfaces are used to communicate with other modules outside the communication device.

[0067] In a sixth aspect, this application provides a communication device including an interface circuit and a logic circuit; the interface circuit is used for inputting and / or outputting information; the logic circuit is used for performing the communication method as described in any one of the first to second aspects, processing and / or generating information based on the information.

[0068] In a seventh aspect, this application provides a computer-readable storage medium storing computer instructions or programs that, when executed on a computer, cause the communication method described in any one of the first to second aspects to be performed.

[0069] Eighthly, this application provides a computer program product containing computer instructions that, when run on a computer, causes the communication method described in any one of the first to second aspects to be executed.

[0070] Ninthly, this application provides a computer program that, when run on a computer, causes the communication method described in any one of the first to second aspects to be executed.

[0071] In a tenth aspect, this application provides a chip comprising: a processor coupled to a memory for storing programs or instructions, wherein when the programs or instructions are executed by the processor, a communication method as described in any one of the first to second aspects is executed.

[0072] The technical effects of any of the design methods in aspects five through ten are similar to those in aspects one through two, and will not be elaborated upon further.

[0073] In one aspect, this application provides a communication system that may include communication means for performing the communication as described in the first aspect or any possible design of the first aspect, and communication means for performing the communication as described in the second aspect or any possible design of the second aspect. Attached Figure Description

[0074] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0075] Figure 2 is a system block diagram of inter-device interaction provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0076] Figure 3 is a system block diagram of another device interaction provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0077] Figure 4 is a schematic diagram of the topology of a typical scenario 1 provided in the embodiment of this application;

[0078] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of the topology of a typical scenario 2 provided in the embodiments of this application;

[0079] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0080] Figure 7 is a schematic diagram of an event group provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0081] Figure 8 is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0082] Figure 9 is a schematic diagram of a measurement frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0083] Figure 10 is a schematic diagram of a frequency hopping measurement provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0084] Figure 11 is a schematic diagram of an SLE measurement process provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0085] Figure 12 is a schematic diagram of a bidirectional SLE measurement provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0086] Figure 13 is a flowchart of another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0087] Figure 14 is a schematic diagram of an ultra-wideband measurement frame provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0088] Figure 15 is a schematic diagram of a measurement frame type 4 provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0089] Figure 16 is a structural diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0090] Figure 17 is a schematic diagram of a communication device provided in an embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0091] Before describing the embodiments of this application, the technical terms involved in the embodiments of this application will be described.

[0092] With the continuous development of global communication technologies, the development speed and application of wireless communication technology have surpassed those of wired communication technology, showing a booming development trend. Intelligent transportation equipment, smart home devices, robots, and other intelligent devices are gradually entering people's daily lives. Based on wireless communication technology, wireless measurement, sensing, and positioning can be achieved, for example, in applications such as indoor positioning, keyless entry and start, asset management, object presence detection, and motion perception.

[0093] Taking the intelligent cockpit wireless communication system under SparkLink / NearLink technology as an example, multiple communication domains exist within the vehicle. Each communication domain contains a master node (also known as a grant node, or G node) and at least one slave node (also known as a terminal node, or T node). The master node schedules the slave nodes to enable data transmission between them. Passive Entry Passive Start (PEPS) is an example of an in-vehicle wireless positioning application, which can be implemented based on SparkLink wireless communication technology. In PEPS applications, users do not need to use a key; instead, the in-vehicle positioning system locates the user's car key / mobile phone to automatically lock or unlock the doors. Moreover, the anchor points of the in-vehicle positioning system can be reused for wireless sensing, such as sensing a person's kicking motion at the trunk to automatically open / close the trunk upon detecting the kicking motion.

[0094] In ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, the bandwidth of the transmitted wireless signal exceeds 500MHz. When the symbol of the wireless signal is a very narrow time-domain pulse, it is also called impulse response UWB (IR-UWB). Meanwhile, the Sparklink Positioning (SLP) standard being developed by the Sparklink Consortium also uses narrow time-domain pulses (bandwidth > 500MHz) as measurement signals for ranging, angle measurement, sensing, and positioning. Both SLP and UWB rely on measuring the time of flight (TOF) of the pulse for precise ranging.

[0095] In a Wi-Fi communication system, two communication devices can achieve ranging by interacting with each other based on probe request frames and probe response frames when no connection has been established.

[0096] For example, taking two communication devices as an access point device and a site device, the access point device and the site device can interact with probe request frames and probe response frames without association or before association to achieve fine timing measurement (FTM).

[0097] In the aforementioned ranging method based on Wi-Fi communication systems, two communication devices in a connectionless state can achieve ranging through the exchange of probe request frames and probe response frames. However, for SparkLink systems (such as SparkLink low energy (SLE)), probe request frames and probe response frames are not supported. Therefore, how to perform ranging between two communication devices in a SparkLink system when no connection has been established has become an urgent technical problem to be solved.

[0098] In addition, the problem of measuring when a T node has established a connection with a G node but cannot establish a connection with another G node, i.e. the roaming problem in the positioning system, and the problem of how to quickly complete the measurement between a node and its neighboring nodes when there is no connection, all require that the two communication devices in the Starflash system can complete the ranging when no connection is established.

[0099] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this application provides a communication method in which a second device receives a broadcast frame from a first device, including measurement information of the first device; and within a time window indicated by the broadcast frame, sends a response frame to the first device, the response frame including measurement information of the second device. The second device obtains measurement configuration information based on the measurement information of the first and second devices, and performs position measurement on the first device according to the measurement configuration information; wherein the measurement configuration information is used to indicate the starting measurement information and channel information for the first and second devices to perform the measurement. The broadcast frame is the carrier of broadcast information and can be a basic or extended broadcast frame of Sparklink SLE, or a broadcast message (e.g., a system information block (SIB)) in Sparklink Basic (SLB), or a broadcast frame in Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE). The time window indicated by the broadcast frame refers to a receiving window reserved by the transmitting device after the broadcast frame, within which the transmitting device is prepared to receive response frames sent by any device in response to the broadcast frame.

[0100] In this embodiment, when the first device and the second device are not connected, they can exchange measurement information via broadcast frames and their response frames. The second device can then obtain measurement configuration information based on this information and perform connectionless measurements. This achieves rapid measurement between adjacent, unfamiliar nodes in the absence of a connection, avoids the latency required to establish a secure connection, and improves measurement efficiency.

[0101] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0102] The communication method provided in this application can be used in any communication system, such as a third-generation partnership project (3GPP) communication system, for example, a long-term evolution (LTE) system; a fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication system; a hybrid LTE and 5G network system; a new radio (NR) system; a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) system; a device-to-device (D2D) communication system; a machine-to-machine (M2M) communication system; an internet of things (IoT) system; a narrow band internet of things (NB-IoT) system; enhanced mobile broadband (eMBB); ultra-reliable and low-latency communication (URLLC); enhanced machine-type communication (eMTC); and various types of future communication systems. It can also be used in non-terrestrial communication networks. Network (NTN) systems (such as satellite communication systems) and non-3GPP communication systems are not restricted.

[0103] The communication method provided in this application can also be applied to, but is not limited to, short-range wireless communication systems and wireless communication systems that support longer-distance transmission (such as 1-18km, or over 18km) (such as the future Starlight wireless communication system). The short-range wireless communication system can include short-range wireless communication technology (also known as Starlight technology), which has advantages such as ultra-low latency, ultra-high reliability, and precise synchronization, making it suitable for applications in smart cars, smart homes, smart terminals, and smart manufacturing. For example, applications in smart car scenarios include: immersive in-vehicle sound field & noise reduction, wireless interactive projection, and 360-degree panoramic surround view, which can achieve an immersive interactive experience and improve vehicle safety.

[0104] Wireless communication systems that support longer transmission distances (e.g., 1–18 km) mainly include future StarSpark wireless communication systems, such as StarSpark 2.0 and StarSpark 3.0 wireless communication systems. They are not only suitable for communication scenarios with low latency requirements, such as the aforementioned vehicle communication and industrial control scenarios, but also for communication scenarios with low latency requirements.

[0105] The communication method provided in this application can also be applied to communication systems based on narrowband frequency hopping measurement and orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) signal measurement, such as Bluetooth Low Energy, Wi-Fi, or other OFDM-based systems, UWB systems, etc., without limitation.

[0106] In some possible implementations, the above-mentioned communication system may be used in conjunction with a mobile communication system, such as, but not limited to, fourth-generation (4G) communication systems (e.g., LTE systems), 5G communication systems (e.g., NR systems), and future mobile communication systems.

[0107] The communication system provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to Figure 1.

[0108] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a communication system provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 1, the communication system may include at least one terminal node and at least one management node.

[0109] For example, the communication system illustrated in Figure 1 can be a wireless short-range communication system.

[0110] In this embodiment, the management node can be a node in the wireless short-range communication system that has resource scheduling capabilities and sends control information such as resource management information and / or data scheduling information. The terminal node can be a node in the wireless short-range communication system that receives the control information such as resource management information and / or data scheduling information sent by the management node, and performs data transmission or reception based on the control information. For ease of description, the short-range protocol in the wireless short-range communication system is referred to as the Star Flash protocol in this embodiment.

[0111] In the StarScan protocol corresponding to StarScan technology, there are uplink and downlink transmissions between the management node and the terminal nodes. Uplink transmission is achieved through the T-link, which is the link between the terminal node and the management node, also known as the uplink. This link can carry data channels, access channels, feedback signals, etc., from the terminal node to the management node. The symbol used for T-link transmission is called the T symbol. Downlink transmission is achieved through the G-link, which is the link between the management node and the terminal nodes, also known as the downlink. This link can carry data channels, control channels, broadcast channels, synchronization signals, etc., from the management node to the terminal nodes. The symbol used for G-link transmission is called the G symbol.

[0112] A communication domain refers to a system consisting of a group of nodes with communication relationships and the communication connections (i.e., communication links) between the nodes. A communication domain can also be called a cell. In wireless communication scenarios, a certain communication area or range may include one or more communication domains. A communication domain includes a master node (i.e., management node) and at least one slave node (i.e., terminal node). The master node manages the time and frequency resources of the communication domain and has the function of scheduling resources for communication, positioning, measurement, or sensing between nodes in the communication domain.

[0113] In this embodiment, the communication device has wireless communication capabilities and can be configured with multiple antennas. These multiple antennas may include at least one transmitting antenna for transmitting signals and at least one receiving antenna for receiving signals. Additionally, each communication device also includes a transmitter chain and a receiver chain. Those skilled in the art will understand that these chains may include multiple components related to signal transmission and reception (e.g., processors, modulators, multiplexers, demodulators, demultiplexers, or antennas). The communication device can be a management node or a terminal node, and this is not limited.

[0114] In Figure 1, the management node is located on the network side of the aforementioned communication system. It assists terminal nodes in achieving wireless access and is either a device with wireless transceiver capabilities or a chip or chip system that can be installed on that device. This management node includes, but is not limited to: network devices, access network devices, access network nodes, radio access network (RAN) nodes, RAN entities or access nodes, base stations, evolved NodeBs (eNodeBs), access points (APs), transmission reception points (TRPs or transmission points (TPs), next generation NodeBs (gNBs), future base stations in future mobile communication systems, base stations in future mobile communication systems, or access points (APs) in wireless fidelity (Wi-Fi) systems. The management node can be a macro base station, micro base station, indoor station, relay node, donor node, open radio access network (ORAN), or a wireless controller in a centralized radio access network (CRAN) scenario. Management nodes can also be one or a group of antenna panels (including multiple antenna panels) in a 5G base station. Alternatively, they can be network nodes constituting a gNB, TRP, TP, or transmission measurement function (TMF), such as a central unit (CU), a distributed unit (DU), a CU-control plane (CP), a CU-user plane (UP), a radio unit (RU), or a roadside unit (RSU) with base station functionality. Optionally, management nodes can also be servers, wearable devices, vehicles, or in-vehicle equipment. For example, the management node in vehicle-to-everything (V2X) technology can be an RSU. Optionally, management nodes can also be control units in autonomous driving, central controllers in smart factories / smart homes, handheld or automatic remote controls for flying equipment, etc. Optionally, management nodes can also be control devices such as central control or control panels, such as drone controllers or control units in industrial control.All or part of the functions of the management node in this application can also be implemented through software functions running on hardware, or through virtualization functions instantiated on a platform (such as a cloud platform). The management node in this application can also be a logical node, logical module, or software capable of implementing all or part of the management node functions.

[0115] In this application embodiment, the form of the management node is not limited. The device used to implement the function of the management node can be the management node itself; it can also be a device that supports the management node in implementing this function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the management node or used in conjunction with the management node.

[0116] In Figure 1, the terminal node is a device, equipment, module, chip, or chip system with transceiver functions. The terminal node can also be referred to as terminal equipment, user equipment (UE), access terminal, subscriber unit, user station, mobile station (MS), mobile station, remote station, remote terminal, mobile device, user terminal, terminal, wireless communication equipment, user agent, or user equipment. The terminal nodes in the embodiments of this application can be mobile phones, cellular phones, smartphones, tablets, mice, remote controls, styluses, set-top boxes, routers, cameras, screens, smart screens, wireless data cards, personal digital assistant computers (PDAs), wireless modems, handsets, laptop computers, smartwatches, smart bracelets, wireless headphones, electronic whiteboards, machine-type communication (MTC) terminals, computers with wireless transceiver capabilities, virtual reality (VR) terminals, augmented reality (AR) terminals, smart home devices (e.g., refrigerators, televisions, air conditioners, washing machines, rice cookers, table lamps, electricity meters, etc.), smart robots, robotic arms, workshop equipment, wireless terminals in autonomous driving, wireless terminals in industrial control, wireless terminals in self-driving, wireless terminals in remote medical care, wireless terminals in smart grids, and transportation security. Wireless terminals in various applications include those related to safety, smart cities, smart homes, in-vehicle terminals, in-vehicle screens, in-vehicle audio systems, car keys, roadside units (RSUs) with terminal functions, and flying equipment (e.g., intelligent robots, hot air balloons, drones, airplanes). The terminal node in this application can also be an in-vehicle module, in-vehicle component, in-vehicle chip, or in-vehicle unit integrated into a vehicle as one or more components or units. The terminal node can also be other devices with terminal functions; for example, it can be a device that performs terminal functions in device-to-device (D2D) communication.

[0117] The embodiments of this application do not limit the device form of the terminal. The device used to implement the function of the terminal node can be the terminal node itself; it can also be a device that supports the terminal node in implementing the function, such as a chip system. The device can be installed in the terminal node or used in conjunction with the terminal node. In the embodiments of this application, the chip system can be composed of chips or can include chips and other discrete devices.

[0118] It should be noted that the solutions in the embodiments of this application can also be applied to other communication systems, and the corresponding names can be replaced by the names of the corresponding functions in other communication systems.

[0119] Based on the above description of the terminal node and the management node, optionally, the communication method provided in the embodiments of this application can be implemented by the aforementioned terminal node or management node, or by components of the terminal node or management node, such as by application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), or software (such as program code in memory) deployed in the terminal node or management node, without limitation.

[0120] Based on the above description of the communication system, the embodiments of this application are used in wireless communication systems that perform measurements when no connection is established or no association is completed. Establishing a connection involves devices performing steps such as device discovery, device scanning, authentication, secure handshake, and association through the physical layer / medium access control (MAC) layer / routing layer / application layer, etc., to establish a communication link. For example, if two devices are a G node and a T node, and the G node and T node establish a communication link (GT link), then the two devices are connected; otherwise, if the two devices do not have any communication link (GT link or TT link), then the two devices are not connected. Typically, when two devices (mobile phones / tablets / laptops / wearable devices, etc.) do not belong to the same user account or do not have any connection relationship between any layers, the two devices are said to be not connected, and the devices can be referred to as unfamiliar devices / unfamiliar nodes.

[0121] In this embodiment, a single device can perform measurements using narrowband signals and / or ultra-wideband signals. Ultra-wideband signals refer to signals with a bandwidth > 500 MHz, while narrowband signals refer to signals with a bandwidth less than or equal to 500 MHz. Narrowband and ultra-wideband signals can be generated by the same wireless module or by different wireless modules; this application does not impose any limitations.

[0122] When the narrowband and ultra-wideband signals of a single device are generated by different wireless modules, for example, in a high-precision measurement wireless system where a single device has both a narrowband (NB) module and an ultra-wideband module, the narrowband module can be at least one of the following modules: SLE or SLB, BLE, Zigbee, Wi-Fi, etc., from StarSpark wireless communication; the ultra-wideband module can be various UWB technologies, such as SLP, IR-UWB, or DS-UWB from StarSpark. In this application embodiment, ultra-wideband can refer to SLP technology, IR-UWB technology (e.g., IR-UWB in the IEEE 802.15.4 standard), or DS-UWB of direct-sequence spread spectrum in the StarSpark Consortium, etc., without limitation. In this application embodiment, the narrowband module and the ultra-wideband module can also be referred to as the narrowband physical layer (PHY) and the ultra-wideband PHY, respectively.

[0123] Ultra-wideband (UWB) signals, with their bandwidth exceeding 500MHz, possess high ranging resolution and accuracy. For example, in line-of-sight (LOS) scenarios, UWB measurement signals achieve centimeter-level ranging accuracy. This high accuracy also allows for precise measurement of the target's diameter, resulting in highly accurate angle measurement. It can be applied to scenarios requiring high accuracy in ranging, angle measurement, and sensing, such as directional remote controls for precise pointing on television screens, PEPS digital car keys, and digital smart locks. Digital car keys and digital locks can use UWB signal measurement to identify the approach / remote movement of a legitimate user's key device, automatically unlocking or locking accordingly.

[0124] Based on the above description of narrowband and ultra-wideband, for example, when the initiating node and the subsequent node only support narrowband (such as SLE), the system block diagram for inter-device interaction can be as shown in Figure 2. In this diagram, both the initiating and subsequent nodes have logically or physically narrowband modules internally. These narrowband modules may include narrowband MAC and narrowband PHY. When the initiating and subsequent nodes interact, they use narrowband signals for connection establishment, security authentication, control management, data transmission, measurement interaction, etc., and their air interface includes narrowband signal interaction. The narrowband module can be a logical module or a physical module, without limitation.

[0125] In another example, when both the initiating node and the subsequent node support narrowband (e.g., SLE) and ultra-wideband (e.g., SLP), the system block diagram for inter-device interaction can be shown in Figure 3. Here, both the initiating and subsequent nodes contain logically or physically defined narrowband and ultra-wideband modules. The narrowband module may include a narrowband MAC and a narrowband PHY, while the ultra-wideband module includes an ultra-wideband MAC and an ultra-wideband PHY. When the initiating and subsequent nodes interact, they use narrowband and ultra-wideband signals for connection establishment, security authentication, control management, data transmission, and measurement interaction. Their air interface includes the interaction of narrowband and / or ultra-wideband signals. The narrowband and ultra-wideband modules can be logical or physical modules, without restriction.

[0126] In the two examples above, the initiating node refers to the node that initiates the communication / measurement, which can be a management node or an end node. The subsequent node refers to the node that responds to the communication initiated by the initiating node, which can also be a management node or an end node. In StarSpark SLE, in an event, the node that sends data / measurement signals at the beginning of the event is called the initiating node, and the node that sends data / measurement signals after the initiating node has transmitted its data is called the subsequent node.

[0127] The embodiments of this application can be used in connectionless measurement between terminal devices, vehicle-mounted wireless positioning scenarios (e.g., PEPS), indoor / outdoor positioning / ranging / sensing scenarios, and can also be used in other wide-area wireless communication or local wireless communication scenarios. In this application, the steps for achieving positioning, ranging, angle measurement, or sensing are similar, so any of the terms "positioning," "ranging," "angle measurement," "measurement," or "sensing" can refer to "positioning, ranging, angle measurement, measurement, or sensing."

[0128] Typical Scenario 1: Device 1 and Device 2 are mobile phones / tablets / wearable devices / laptops, etc., with positioning capabilities. A topology diagram of typical scenario 1 is shown in Figure 4. Device 1 and Device 2 are not connected, but connectionless measurements are required. The measurement results (such as distance measurement / angle measurement / received signal strength indication (RSSI)) can be used to determine whether Device 1 and Device 2 are close to each other, whether they are pointing at each other, or whether they are in the same room / vehicle cabin, etc. Another example is in a precise pointing application for a remote control, where the remote control and a large-screen TV without a connection are considered a pair of connectionless measurement devices.

[0129] Typical Scenario 2: As shown in Figure 5, Device 2 and Device 3 are anchor points with positioning capabilities, while Device 1 is the tag being located. Mobile phones, tablets, wearable devices, etc., can all serve as positioning tags, while the positioning anchor points can be positioning devices deployed indoors or in vehicle cabins. When a positioning tag already connected to Device 2 roams into the coverage area of ​​Device 3, since Device 1 cannot simultaneously establish connections with both Device 2 and Device 3, connectionless measurements can be performed between Device 1 and Device 3.

[0130] The communication method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described below with reference to the communication systems shown in Figures 1 to 5 and Figure 6 below. The first device can be any node or device in the communication system shown in Figures 1 to 5, and the second device can be any node or device in the communication system shown in Figures 1 to 5 that performs connectionless measurement with the first device.

[0131] When two unfamiliar devices (such as the first device and the second device) approach each other, they need to obtain various physical quantities such as distance / channel state information (CSI) / RSSI / AOA based on measurements to determine whether to initiate a pre-connection. Based on this, the first device and the second device can perform position measurements using the communication methods described in Figures 6 to 15 below.

[0132] Pre-connection refers to the process where two or more devices have completed some steps in establishing a connection. For example, they may obtain the other party's device information (such as the communication domain name) by receiving broadcast information, present the device information to the device user through a user interface or an application, and quickly establish a connection with the device and enter the subsequent communication process after obtaining the user's authorization.

[0133] Figure 6 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application. As shown in Figure 6, the method includes:

[0134] Step 601: The first device sends a broadcast frame to the second device; correspondingly, the second device receives the broadcast frame from the first device.

[0135] The broadcast frame includes measurement information from the first device.

[0136] The first device can send a broadcast frame to the second device via a broadcast channel; correspondingly, the second device receives a broadcast frame from the first device via a broadcast channel. Alternatively, the first device can also send a broadcast frame to the second device via a data channel; correspondingly, the second device receives a broadcast frame from the first device via a data channel. Here, the broadcast frame is the carrier of broadcast information. For example, the broadcast frame can be a basic broadcast frame for StarSignal SLE, an extended broadcast frame for StarSignal SLE, a broadcast message in StarSignal SLB (e.g., SIB), or a broadcast frame in BLE. The basic broadcast frame can be sent or received via a broadcast channel. The extended broadcast frame can be sent or received via a data channel. When a device receives both a basic broadcast frame and an extended broadcast frame, and receives a queryable extended broadcast frame, the discovering device can send one or more response frames using one or more time windows starting from the offset of the response frame (e.g., a query request frame) specified in the extended broadcast frame.

[0137] The measurement information may include one or more of the following: measurement capability information or equipment information.

[0138] The measurement capability information may include one or more of the following: measurement mode, narrowband frequency hopping capability information, or ultra-wideband pulse measurement capability information.

[0139] The measurement mode may include one or more of the following: narrowband frequency hopping measurement mode (e.g., SLE measurement) or ultra-wideband pulse measurement mode (e.g., SLP measurement). That is, the device may support narrowband frequency hopping measurement mode, ultra-wideband pulse measurement mode, or both. For example, the narrowband frequency hopping measurement mode can be a phase-based measurement mode or a time-of-flight measurement mode; this narrowband frequency hopping measurement mode can also be called the SLE measurement mode. The ultra-wideband pulse measurement mode can be a single-channel measurement mode or a multi-channel splicing (frequency hopping) measurement mode; this ultra-wideband pulse measurement mode can also be called the SLP measurement mode.

[0140] The narrowband frequency hopping capability information may include one or more of the following: support for default narrowband frequency hopping measurement, measurement bandwidth, supported measurement frame types, physical layer security information, or multi-tone signal information. For SLE devices, the default narrowband frequency hopping measurement refers to a default channel bandwidth of 1MHz, measurement frame type 1, and a measurement signal length of the default value (e.g., 80µs). When using the default narrowband frequency hopping measurement, only 1 bit is needed to indicate the measurement capability of this device, offering advantages of speed and efficiency, especially suitable for use in frames with limited lengths (e.g., a maximum broadcast frame length of 255 bytes), such as broadcast frames and their response frames. The aforementioned measurement bandwidth can be 1MHz, 2MHz, or 4MHz, etc., without limitation. Supported measurement frame types may include one or more of the following: measurement frame type 1, measurement frame type 2, or measurement frame type 3. When the measurement frame type is indicated as Measurement Frame Type 1, the measurement signal length, intra-event interval (defined as the time between the end of transmission of the first node and the start of transmission of the subsequent node in an event), and inter-event interval (defined as the time between the end of transmission of the preceding event and the start of transmission of the following event in two adjacent events within an event group, i.e., the SLE frequency point) need to be indicated. When the measurement frame type is indicated as Measurement Frame Type 2, the measurement signal length, intra-event interval, and inter-event interval need to be indicated. Measurement Frame Type 3 is used to indicate the initialization time and / or measurement time. Physical layer security information is used to indicate the security type of the measurement signals sent by the device, and may include a security random seed for the measurement link.

[0141] The ultra-wideband pulse measurement capability information may include one or more of the following: support for default-configured ultra-wideband pulse measurement, measurement bandwidth, synchronization signal length, number of measurement signal fragments, fragment length of measurement signal, codeword information, or physical layer security information. The measurement bandwidth can be 500MHz, 1.3GHz, etc., without limitation. Physical layer security information indicates the security type of the measurement signal transmitted by the device and may include a security random seed for the measurement link.

[0142] The device information may include one or more of the following: device name, device type, device address, or the name of the communication domain in which the device is located.

[0143] Step 602: Within the time window indicated by the broadcast frame, the second device sends a response frame of the broadcast frame to the first device; correspondingly, within the time window indicated by the broadcast frame, the first device receives a response frame of the broadcast frame from the second device.

[0144] The response frame includes measurement information from the second device. This response frame can also be called a request frame or a query request frame; there is no limitation on its name. The description of the measurement information can be found in the relevant description in step 601 above, and will not be repeated here.

[0145] The time window indicated by the broadcast frame refers to a receiving window reserved by the broadcast frame sending device (such as the first device) after the broadcast frame. Within the window, the broadcast frame sending device (such as the first device) is prepared to receive response frames sent by any device (such as the second device) in response to the broadcast frame.

[0146] The second device can send a response frame to the first device through a data channel; correspondingly, the first device receives a response frame from the second device through a data channel.

[0147] Step 603: The second device obtains measurement configuration information based on the measurement information of the first device and the measurement information of the second device.

[0148] The measurement configuration information can be used to instruct the first and second devices to perform initial measurement information and channel information.

[0149] The initial measurement information can be used to indicate one or more of the following: the time when the measurement started, and the time offset relative to the time when the measurement configuration information was sent / received. Channel information may include the channel corresponding to mode-0 (BLE) during the initialization phase (SLE) or channel sounding.

[0150] For example, the measurement configuration information may include one or more of the following: configuration of the first or last node, resource configuration information during the initialization phase, start time of the measurement event group, time offset of the measurement event group, period of the measurement event group, number of measurement event groups, total number of events, logical link identifier, interval between events for measurement frame type 1, interval between events for measurement frame type 2, interval between events during the initialization phase, interval within events, frequency hopping measurement mode, frequency hopping random seed, measurement signal type (Gaussian frequency-shift keying (GFSK) or binary phase shift keying (BPSK)), bandwidth and number of tones of the multi-tone signal, default measurement parameters or parameter set index.

[0151] Among them, the event group start time is the earliest start time of the multiple events contained in the event group. The event group period is the time difference between the start times of two adjacent event groups. For example, taking an event group including events G and T, the specific event group period can be seen in the event group period interval shown in Figure 7. In Figure 7, after G and T complete one transmit / receive interaction on frequency 1, they hop to frequency 2 to interact, that is, one measurement event is completed on each frequency point, and multiple measurement events are completed on multiple frequency points. The number of measurement event groups indicates the number of event groups to be measured. Measurement stops after completion. For example, the number of measurement event groups N can be seen in Figure 7. The logical link identifier (LLID) is used in unicast mode for the synchronization signal field of the receiving node to generate subsequent measurement frames. The logical link identifier used to constitute the synchronization signal field of measurement frame type 1 and initialization phase measurement frame type 3 must be indicated. Inter-event interval for Measurement Frame Type 1: In two adjacent events, the time between the end of the transmission of the preceding event and the start of the transmission of the following event is defined as the inter-event interval for Measurement Frame Type 1, in microseconds. See Figure 7 for an example of the inter-event interval. Inter-event interval for Measurement Frame Type 2: In two adjacent events, the time between the end of the transmission of the preceding event and the start of the transmission of the following event is defined as the inter-event interval for Measurement Frame Type 2, in microseconds. See Figure 7 for an example of the inter-event interval. Inter-event interval for Initialization Phase: The time between the end of the transmission of an initialization phase event and the start of the transmission of the following event is defined as the inter-event interval for the initialization phase, in microseconds. Intra-event interval: In an event, the time between the end of the transmission of the first node and the start of the transmission of the subsequent node is defined as the intra-event interval. See Figure 7 for an example of the intra-event interval. Frequency hopping measurement mode indicates a frequency sweep measurement mode that measures sequentially from low frequency to high frequency, or a measurement mode using random frequency hopping. It is understandable that once the measurement configuration information includes default measurement parameters, it means that, apart from the resource configuration information, all other measurement parameters adopt pre-configured measurement parameters to minimize broadcast and response frame overhead. For example, when the measurement configuration information includes default measurement parameters, it may not include other measurement parameters with predefined default values, because the default measurement parameters indicate that other measurement parameters also adopt default values. Parameters such as GFSK measurement signal type, measurement event group period, number of measurement event groups, total number of events, logical link identifier, interval between events for measurement frame type 1, interval between events for measurement frame type 2, interval between events during initialization phase, interval within events, and frequency hopping measurement mode all indicate that default settings are used.The measurement parameter set index is an index that indicates the pre-configured set of necessary measurement parameters to accommodate measurement needs with different measurement capabilities and efficiencies. For example, when the measurement parameter set index is 1, the measurement signal type is GFSK, the frequency hopping measurement mode indicates a sweep frequency measurement mode that measures sequentially from low to high frequencies, and the measurement frame type is measurement frame type 2; when the measurement parameter set index is 2, the measurement signal type is BPSK, the frequency hopping measurement mode indicates a random frequency hopping measurement mode, and the measurement frame type is measurement frame type 1.

[0152] For SLE measurement configuration information, it can be selected from the SLE narrowband frequency hopping measurement signal configuration. In order to shorten the frame length of the broadcast frame / response frame, some optional capability information, such as multi-antenna related configuration information, security signal configuration information (security random seed), 5.1GHz or 5.8GHz frequency hopping channel indication, etc., are not indicated in the response frame.

[0153] Optionally, the second device may obtain measurement configuration information by referring to either of the following two possible designs:

[0154] In the first possible design, the first device sends measurement configuration information to the second device; correspondingly, the second device receives measurement configuration information from the first device.

[0155] The first device can determine the measurement configuration information based on the measurement information of the first device and the measurement information of the second device, and send it to the second device.

[0156] Optionally, the first device may send measurement configuration information to the second device via unicast.

[0157] In the second possible design, the second device determines the measurement configuration information based on the measurement information of the first device and the measurement information of the second device.

[0158] Optionally, the second device can also send measurement configuration information to the first device. For example, the second device can send the measurement configuration information to the first device in a response frame. When the second device sends the response frame, it has not established a connection with the first device; therefore, the measurement parameter configuration is in a connectionless state.

[0159] By configuring the first or last node in the measurement configuration information, the receiving node in the measurement configuration information can be configured as the first or last node for bidirectional measurement, so as to clearly indicate whether the receiving node sends measurement frames as the first or last node during the initialization and bidirectional measurement phases.

[0160] Step 604: The second device performs position measurement on the first device according to the measurement configuration information.

[0161] The second device can receive measurement frames from the first device according to the measurement configuration information, and perform position measurement on the first device based on the received measurement frames to obtain the measurement result. The specific measurement process can be found in the relevant descriptions in Figures 8 or 13 below, and will not be repeated here.

[0162] The measurement results may include one or more of the following: CSI, measurement frame arrival time information, measurement frame departure time information, RSSI, carrier frequency offset, or measurement frame time difference information. The measurement frame time difference is equal to the difference between the measurement frame departure time and the measurement frame arrival time. Measurement frame arrival time information and measurement frame departure time information can be obtained from measurement frames at a single frequency point or multiple frequency points. When obtaining arrival and departure times from multiple measurement frames at multiple frequency points, the frequency domain CSI information of multiple frequency points can be coherently combined to obtain the arrival time of the time domain first path.

[0163] Based on the method described in Figure 6, when no connection is established between the first device and the second device, they can exchange measurement information via broadcast frames and their response frames. The second device can then obtain measurement configuration information based on this information and perform connectionless measurements. This achieves rapid measurement between adjacent, unfamiliar nodes in the absence of a connection, avoids the latency required to establish a secure connection, and improves measurement efficiency.

[0164] The measurement results obtained from the above measurement process can be used to determine whether the first and second devices are close to each other, whether they are pointing towards the other device, or whether they are in the same room / vehicle cabin, etc. In addition, when a narrowband device (such as the first device mentioned above) has already established a connection with an anchor point 1 but cannot establish a connection with another anchor point 2 (such as the second device mentioned above), the method shown in Figure 6 above can achieve connectionless measurement with anchor point 2. By including more anchor point measurements, the probability of LOS path measurement is increased, and the geometric dilution precision (GDOP) required for positioning is increased, thereby improving positioning accuracy.

[0165] Based on the method described in Figure 6 above, the second device can perform position measurement on the first device based on the method described in Figure 8 below. Figure 8 is a flowchart of a communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, which includes:

[0166] Steps 801 and 802: The first device sends a first measurement frame to the second device; correspondingly, the second device receives the first measurement frame from the first device.

[0167] The first device can send the first measurement frame to the second device at different frequency points. For example, as shown in step 801b of FIG8, the first device can send the first measurement frame to the second device at frequency point 1, and as shown in step 802b of FIG8, the first device can send the first measurement frame to the second device at frequency point 2.

[0168] Step 803: The second device performs position measurement on the first device according to the first measurement frame and obtains the measurement result.

[0169] The first measurement frame can be either measurement frame type 2 or measurement frame type 1. Position measurement refers to phase-based ranging or angle measurement based on acquiring the CSI of the first and second devices. As shown in Figure 9, measurement frame type 1 can include a measurement signal field, a preamble signal field, a synchronization signal field, and an equalization protection field. Measurement frame type 2 includes a measurement signal field.

[0170] The measurement signal in the measurement frame is a narrowband single-frequency sine wave signal, a BPSK signal, or a multi-tone signal, where the multi-tone signal can be a multi-tone signal from the Star Flash SLE standard. The synchronization signal is generated based on the logical link identifier, which in turn comes from the measurement configuration information.

[0171] Compared to measurement frame type 1, measurement frame type 2 only includes the measurement signal field and has a shorter frame length, which is beneficial for achieving fast measurement and saving power. Compared to measurement frame type 2, measurement frame type 1 has an additional preamble signal field, synchronization signal field, and equalization protection field. The synchronization signal field is used to calculate the flight time of the measurement frame and verify the distance, which provides higher security.

[0172] Optionally, as shown in steps 800a and 800b of Figure 8, the measurement frame interaction occurs during the initialization phase between the first device and the second device. Before sending the first measurement frame of the measurement phase to the second device, the first device may also send measurement frame type 3 of the initialization phase to the second device. As shown in step 800c of Figure 8, the second device acts as the first node, and can perform measurement initialization based on the received measurement frame type 3. Steps 801a and 801b in Figure 8 describe the bidirectional measurement frame interaction between the first device and the second device at frequency point 1 during the measurement phase, while steps 802a and 802b describe the bidirectional measurement frame interaction at frequency point 2 during the measurement phase.

[0173] For measurement frame type events on a single SLE frequency point, an initialization phase event can be used for configuration. If an initialization phase exists in the configuration event group, the first event in each event group is called the initialization phase event. In this event, the first and subsequent nodes transmit according to the rules determined by the interaction type of the initialization phase.

[0174] As shown in Figure 9, measurement frame type 3 may include a preamble signal field, a synchronization signal field, and an equalization protection field. Alternatively, measurement frame type 3 may include a preamble signal field, a synchronization signal field, an equalization protection field, a switching interval field, and a measurement signal field.

[0175] Optionally, when the first device acts as the initiating node, the measurement frame type 3 sent by the first device to the second device includes a preamble signal field, a synchronization signal field, and an equalization protection field. When the first device acts as the subsequent node, the measurement frame type 3 sent by the first device to the second device includes a preamble signal field, a synchronization signal field, an equalization protection field, a switching interval field, and a measurement signal field.

[0176] Optionally, the first device may transmit measurement frame type 3 on one channel of 2.4 GHz (e.g., 2408 MHz). Then, it may transmit measurement frame type 2 or measurement frame type 1 on all the remaining channels.

[0177] Furthermore, when a device incorporates both narrowband and ultra-wideband technologies, narrowband can be used to solve the initial synchronization problem for ultra-wideband. During initial synchronization, if narrowband uses only one frequency / channel for synchronization measurement, low synchronization accuracy can result due to interference or frequency-selective fading. In this embodiment, by pre-configuring a set of synchronization channels or adaptively stopping measurements based on the quality of the measurement frame, frequency hopping can be used to measure one or more frequency points. This ensures the accuracy of synchronization measurements even under conditions of partial channel interference or frequency-selective fading.

[0178] That is, the first device can send a first measurement frame to the second device on a preset set of measurement frequencies, and the second device can perform frequency hopping measurement on the preset set of measurement frequencies based on the first measurement frame to obtain the measurement result.

[0179] For example, taking SLE measurement as an example, as shown in Figure 10, for 2402 to 2480 MHz, the second device can use a 1 MHz / 2 MHz narrowband signal for frequency hopping measurement.

[0180] The methods described in Figures 6 and 8 above are descriptions of the process of "the second device measuring the position of the first device". It is understood that the first device can also measure the position of the second device by referring to the relevant descriptions in Figures 6 and 8 above. Alternatively, the first device and the second device can also perform bidirectional measurements by referring to the methods described in Figures 6 and 8 above, based on the acquired measurement configuration information.

[0181] Taking bidirectional measurement as an example, the specific measurement process may include: the first device can send a first measurement frame to the second device, and the second device performs position measurement on the first device based on the received first measurement frame to obtain a first measurement result; the second device can send a second measurement frame to the first device, and the first device performs position measurement on the second device based on the received second measurement frame to obtain a second measurement result.

[0182] Optionally, when the second device obtains the first measurement result, it can also send a third measurement result to the first device. This third measurement result can be part or all of the first measurement result. The first device then obtains the first target measurement result based on the obtained second measurement result and the received third measurement result. Correspondingly, the first device can also send a fourth measurement result to the second device. This fourth measurement result can be part or all of the second measurement result. The second device then obtains the second target measurement result based on the obtained first measurement result and the received fourth measurement result.

[0183] The first measurement result / second measurement result may include one or more of the following: channel state information, measurement frame arrival time information, measurement frame departure time information, received signal strength, carrier frequency offset, or measurement frame time difference information.

[0184] The third / fourth measurement result may include one or more of the following: channel state information, measurement frame arrival time information, measurement frame departure time information, or carrier frequency offset.

[0185] The measurement results of the first target / second target may include one or more of the following: distance measurement results or angle measurement results.

[0186] Optionally, when the second device sends a third measurement result to the first device, or the first device sends a fourth measurement result to the second device, the transmission can be encrypted or unencrypted to achieve a shorter measurement time.

[0187] Optionally, before sending the first measurement frame to the second device, the first device may also send measurement frame type 3 to the second device to achieve measurement initialization; before sending the second measurement frame to the first device, the second device may also send measurement frame type 3 to the first device to achieve measurement initialization.

[0188] For example, taking the SLE measurement process as an example, as shown in Figure 11, the first device and the second device can exchange their respective measurement information through broadcast frames (basic broadcast frames, extended broadcast frames) and response frames, and obtain measurement configuration information. Based on the measurement configuration information, they perform bidirectional SLE measurement, obtain measurement results, and transmit them. The response frame contains the measurement information of the second device, while the measurement configuration information is sent by the first device through a narrowband frequency hopping measurement signal configuration message. Then, the first and second devices simultaneously perform narrowband frequency hopping measurement according to the measurement configuration information using SLE bidirectional measurement event groups. The first or second device feeds back the measured CSI and time difference of arrival for each frequency point as measurement results to the peer device to obtain the final ranging or angle measurement results. As shown in Figure 12, the SLE bidirectional measurement includes an initialization phase based on measurement frame type 3 and a measurement phase based on measurement frame type 2 (or measurement frame type 1). Through bidirectional measurement in the initial synchronization phase, the first and second devices can measure one or more carrier frequency offset (CFO) values. During the bidirectional measurement phase, the first device and the second device each transmit a measurement frame (measurement frame type 2 or measurement frame type 1) containing a narrowband measurement signal at a single frequency. This measurement signal can be a single-frequency sine wave. The first device can be the initiating node, and the second device can be the subsequent node. Alternatively, the second device can be the initiating node, and the first device can be the subsequent node.

[0189] Unlike the methods described in Figures 8 to 12 above, where the first and second devices use narrowband measurement signals for measurement or bidirectional measurement, the first and second devices can also perform measurement or bidirectional measurement based on ultra-wideband measurement frames. The following uses Figure 13 as an example to describe in detail the process of the second device measuring the first device based on ultra-wideband measurement frames.

[0190] Figure 13 illustrates another communication method provided in an embodiment of this application, the method comprising:

[0191] Step 1301: The first device sends an ultra-wideband measurement frame to the second device; correspondingly, the second device receives the ultra-wideband measurement frame from the first device.

[0192] Step 1302: The second device performs position measurement on the first device based on the ultra-wideband measurement frame and obtains the measurement result.

[0193] As shown in Figure 14, the ultra-wideband measurement frame may include: a synchronization signal and a channel impulse response training sequence.

[0194] It is understandable that the above-described measurement process based on ultra-wideband measurement frames can also be described as a star-studded SLP measurement process. In this SLP measurement process, precise synchronization can be achieved through a pair of devices (i.e., the first device and the second device) at the beginning of the ultra-wideband measurement frame using a synchronization signal, further eliminating the effects of timing and frequency deviations. The SLP portion of the measurement is completed through bidirectional 2-message and bidirectional 3-message methods, i.e., by exchanging 2 ultra-wideband measurement frames and 3 ultra-wideband measurement frames respectively. Since no connection is established beforehand for SLP, the above measurement process is a connectionless SLP measurement.

[0195] Optionally, as shown in steps 1300a and 1300b in Figure 13, before the first device sends an ultra-wideband measurement frame to the second device, the first device may also send a narrowband measurement frame to the second device, and the second device performs initial synchronization based on the narrowband measurement frame.

[0196] Because ultra-wideband (UWB) devices have a large operating bandwidth (>500MHz), their power consumption is relatively high. Adding a narrowband module inside the UWB device can assist the UWB module in transmitting some / all of the control information, security authentication information, and measurement information, which helps reduce the power consumption of the UWB module. Therefore, in this embodiment, a device (first device, second device) can contain one narrowband module and one UWB module. The narrowband module and the UWB module can be logical modules or physical modules. The narrowband module also undertakes the initial synchronization (also known as coarse synchronization) of the UWB module. The measurement frame used for initial synchronization can be a narrowband single-carrier signal, such as the unmodulated carrier signal transmitted through the 1MHz / 2MHz / 4MHz channel of StarSpark SLE (also known as a single-tone signal / single-frequency sine wave), or it can be an orthogonal frequency division multiplexing signal of StarSpark SLB / Wi-Fi.

[0197] In this system, the narrowband module of the star flash device is an SLE module, and the ultra-wideband module is an SLP module. Similarly, the BLE measurement frame used for initial synchronization is a UWB module for the ultra-wideband module. When the narrowband measurement frame uses bidirectional measurement of SLE measurement frame type 4, the SLE device can complete timing synchronization and CFO estimation through measurement frame type 4 (time synchronization frame + frequency offset estimation frame).

[0198] That is, the aforementioned narrowband measurement frame can be measurement frame type 4, which can include time synchronization frame and frequency offset estimation frame.

[0199] As shown in Figure 15, the time synchronization frame can be wireless frame type 1, including a 10µs preamble field, a 32-bit synchronization signal field, and a 4-bit equalization protection field. The 32-bit synchronization signal can be measured to obtain CFO2. When the synchronization signal uses GFSK modulation, the preamble signal uses a GFSK-modulated sequence of alternating [0, 1] intervals, with a preamble signal length of 10µs. When the synchronization signal uses phase shift keying (PSK) modulation, the preamble signal uses a BPSK-modulated sequence of alternating [0, 1] intervals without phase rotation, with a preamble signal length of 10µs.

[0200] The frequency offset estimation frame includes measurement frame type 2, which can include only the measurement signal, which can be a signal composed of a single-frequency sine wave. This measurement signal can be used to measure and obtain CFO1.

[0201] It is understandable that the difference between Figure 8 and Figure 13 is that different measurement frames are used in the measurement process. After the first and second devices obtain the measurement results according to the method shown in Figure 13, they can process the measurement results with reference to the relevant descriptions in Figures 8 to 12 above, which will not be repeated here.

[0202] It should be noted that the various embodiments of this application can be implemented independently or in combination, without limitation. Unless otherwise specified or in conflict, the terminology and / or descriptions between the different embodiments provided in this application are consistent and can be referenced mutually. Technical features in different embodiments can be combined to form new embodiments based on their inherent logical relationships.

[0203] It is understood that in the embodiments of this application, the executing entity may perform some or all of the steps in the embodiments of this application. These steps or operations are merely examples, and the embodiments of this application may also perform other operations or variations thereof. Furthermore, the various steps may be executed in different orders as presented in the embodiments of this application, and it is not necessarily necessary to execute all the operations in the embodiments of this application.

[0204] The foregoing primarily describes the solutions provided in this application from the perspective of device-to-device interaction. It is understood that each device, in order to achieve the aforementioned functions, includes corresponding hardware structures and / or software modules for executing each function. Those skilled in the art should readily recognize that, based on the algorithm steps of the examples described in conjunction with the embodiments disclosed herein, this application can be implemented in hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in hardware or by computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered beyond the scope of this application.

[0205] This application embodiment can divide each device into functional modules according to the above method example. For example, each function can be divided into a separate functional module, or two or more functions can be integrated into one processing module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. It should be noted that the module division in this application embodiment is illustrative and only represents one logical functional division. In actual implementation, there may be other division methods.

[0206] In some embodiments, this application also provides a communication device 160 for transmitting a starburst signal. The communication device 160 may include: a module for receiving a broadcast frame from a first device, the broadcast frame including measurement information of the first device; a module for sending a response frame of the broadcast frame to the first device within a time window indicated by the broadcast frame, the response frame including measurement information of a second device; a module for obtaining measurement configuration information based on the measurement information of the first device and the measurement information of the second device, the measurement configuration information being used to instruct the first device and the second device to perform measurement starting information and channel information; and a module for performing position measurement on the first device based on the measurement configuration information.

[0207] Optionally, as shown in FIG16, the module for receiving broadcast frames and sending response frames may be a communication module 1602, the module for obtaining measurement configuration information may be a communication module 1602 or a processing module 1601, and the module for performing measurement may be a communication module 1602 and a processing module 1601.

[0208] Alternatively, the communication device 160 may include: a module for sending a broadcast frame to a second device, the broadcast frame including measurement information of the first device; a module for receiving a response frame from the broadcast frame of the second device within a time window indicated by the broadcast frame, the response frame including measurement information of the second device; a module for obtaining measurement configuration information based on the measurement information of the first device and the measurement information of the second device, the measurement configuration information being used to instruct the first device and the second device to perform measurement starting information and channel information; and a module for performing position measurement on the second device based on the measurement configuration information.

[0209] Optionally, as shown in FIG16, the module for sending broadcast frames and receiving response frames can be a communication module 1602, the module for obtaining measurement configuration information can be a communication module 1602 or a processing module 1601, and the module for performing measurement can be a communication module 1602 and a processing module 1601.

[0210] In this application embodiment, the communication module and the processing module can be deployed simultaneously in the StarScan module, Bluetooth module, or Wi-Fi module; or, in this application embodiment, the communication module can be deployed in the StarScan module, Bluetooth module, or Wi-Fi module, and the processing module can be deployed in other modules besides the StarScan module, Bluetooth module, or Wi-Fi module; or, in this application embodiment, the processing module can be deployed in the StarScan module, Bluetooth module, or Wi-Fi module, and the communication module can be deployed in other modules besides the StarScan module, Bluetooth module, or Wi-Fi module. This application embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0211] This application embodiment also provides a communication device as shown in FIG17. Both the first device and the second device can adopt the composition structure shown in FIG17, or include the components shown in FIG17. FIG17 is a schematic diagram of the composition of a communication device 1700 provided in this application embodiment. The communication device 1700 can be the first device or a chip or system-on-a-chip in the first device; it can also be the second device or a chip or system-on-a-chip in the second device. As shown in FIG17, the communication device 1700 includes a processor 1701, a transceiver 1702, and a communication line 1703.

[0212] Furthermore, the communication device 1700 may also include a memory 1704. The processor 1701, the memory 1704, and the transceiver 1702 can be connected via a communication line 1703.

[0213] The processor 1701 can be a central processing unit (CPU), a network processor (NP), a digital signal processor (DSP), a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a programmable logic device (PLD), or any combination thereof. The processor 1701 can also be other devices with processing capabilities, such as circuits, devices, or software modules, without limitation.

[0214] Transceiver 1702 is used to communicate with other devices or other communication networks. These other communication networks can be Ethernet, radio access network (RAN), wireless local area network (WLAN), etc. Transceiver 1702 can be a module, circuit, transceiver, or any device capable of enabling communication.

[0215] Communication line 1703 is used to transmit information between the components included in communication device 1700.

[0216] Memory 1704 is used to store instructions. These instructions can be computer programs.

[0217] The memory 1704 can be a read-only memory (ROM) or other type of static storage device that can store static information and / or instructions; it can also be a random access memory (RAM) or other type of dynamic storage device that can store information and / or instructions; it can also be an electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), a compact disc read-only memory (CD-ROM) or other optical disc storage, optical disc storage (including compressed optical discs, laser discs, optical discs, digital universal optical discs, Blu-ray discs, etc.), magnetic disk storage media or other magnetic storage devices, etc., without limitation.

[0218] It should be noted that the memory 1704 can exist independently of the processor 1701, or it can be integrated with the processor 1701. The memory 1704 can be used to store instructions, program code, or some data, etc. The memory 1704 can be located inside or outside the communication device 1700, without limitation. The processor 1701 is used to execute the instructions stored in the memory 1704 to implement the communication method provided in the following embodiments of this application.

[0219] In one example, processor 1701 may include one or more CPUs, such as CPU0 and CPU1 in Figure 17.

[0220] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1700 may include multiple processors, for example, in addition to processor 1701 in FIG17, it may also include processor 1707.

[0221] As an optional implementation, the communication device 1700 also includes an output device 1705 and an input device 1706. For example, the input device 1706 is a device such as a keyboard, mouse, microphone, or joystick, and the output device 1705 is a device such as a display screen or speaker.

[0222] It should be noted that the communication device 1700 may be a desktop computer, a portable computer, a web server, a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a wireless terminal, an embedded device, a chip system, or a device with a similar structure to that shown in Figure 17. Furthermore, the composition shown in Figure 17 does not constitute a limitation on the communication device. In addition to the components shown in Figure 17, the communication device may include more or fewer components than shown, or combine certain components, or have different component arrangements.

[0223] In this embodiment of the application, the chip system may be composed of chips or may include chips and other discrete devices.

[0224] Furthermore, the actions, terms, etc., involved in the various embodiments of this application can be referenced interchangeably without limitation. The message names or parameter names in the messages exchanged between the various devices in the embodiments of this application are merely examples, and other names may be used in specific implementations without limitation.

[0225] This application also provides a computer program product that, when executed by a computer, can implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0226] This application also provides a computer program that, when executed by a computer, can implement the functions of any of the above method embodiments.

[0227] This application also provides a computer-readable storage medium. All or part of the processes in the above method embodiments can be implemented by a computer program instructing related hardware. This program can be stored in the computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, it can include the processes of the above method embodiments. The computer-readable storage medium can be an internal storage unit of the terminal (including a data sending end and / or a data receiving end) of any of the foregoing embodiments, such as the terminal's hard disk or memory. The computer-readable storage medium can also be an external storage device of the terminal, such as a plug-in hard disk, smart media card (SMC), secure digital (SD) card, flash card, etc., equipped on the terminal. Further, the computer-readable storage medium can include both the terminal's internal storage unit and external storage devices. The computer-readable storage medium is used to store the computer program and other programs and data required by the terminal. The computer-readable storage medium can also be used to temporarily store data that has been output or will be output.

[0228] It should be noted that the terms "first" and "second," etc., in the specification, claims, and drawings of this application are used to distinguish different objects, not to describe a specific order. "First" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of indicated technical features. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" and "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of this embodiment, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means two or more.

[0229] Furthermore, the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion. For example, a process, method, system, product, or apparatus that includes a series of steps or units is not limited to the steps or units listed, but may optionally include steps or units not listed, or may optionally include other steps or units inherent to such process, method, product, or apparatus.

[0230] It should be understood that in this application, "at least one (item)" means one or more. "More than one" means two or more. "At least two (items)" means two or three or more. "And / or" is used to describe the relationship between related objects, indicating that there can be three relationships. For example, "A and / or B" can mean: only A exists, only B exists, and A and B exist simultaneously, where A and B can be singular or plural. The character " / " generally indicates that the related objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. "At least one (item) of the following" or similar expressions refer to any combination of these items, including any combination of single or plural items. For example, at least one (item) of a, b, or c can mean: a, b, c, "a and b", "a and c", "b and c", or "a and b and c", where a, b, and c can be single or multiple. Both "...when" and "if" indicate that a corresponding action will be taken under certain objective circumstances. They are not time limits, nor do they require a judgment action to be taken when the action is taken, nor do they imply any other limitations.

[0231] In the embodiments of this application, the terms "exemplary" or "for example" are used to indicate that something is an example, illustration, or description. Any embodiment or design that is described as "exemplary" or "for example" in the embodiments of this application should not be construed as being more preferred or advantageous than other embodiments or design. Specifically, the use of terms such as "exemplary" or "for example" is intended to present the relevant concepts in a specific manner to facilitate understanding.

[0232] In this application, "sending information to... (terminal node)" can be understood as the destination of the information being a terminal node. This can include sending information directly or indirectly to a terminal node. "Receiving information from... (terminal node)" can be understood as the source of the information being a terminal node, and can include receiving information directly or indirectly from a terminal node. Information may undergo necessary processing between the source and destination, such as format changes, but the destination can understand the valid information from the source.

[0233] Through the above description of the embodiments, those skilled in the art can clearly understand that, for the sake of convenience and brevity, only the division of the above functional modules is used as an example. In actual applications, the above functions can be assigned to different functional modules as needed, that is, the internal structure of the device can be divided into different functional modules to complete all or part of the functions described above.

[0234] In the several embodiments provided in this application, it should be understood that the disclosed apparatus and methods can be implemented in other ways. For example, the apparatus embodiments described above are merely illustrative; for instance, the division of modules or units is only a logical functional division, and in actual implementation, there may be other division methods. For example, multiple units or components may be combined or integrated into another device, or some features may be ignored or not executed. Furthermore, the mutual coupling or direct coupling or communication connection shown or discussed may be through some interfaces; the indirect coupling or communication connection between devices or units may be electrical, mechanical, or other forms.

[0235] The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate. A component shown as a unit can be one or more physical units; that is, it can be located in one place or distributed in multiple different locations. Some or all of the units can be selected to achieve the purpose of this embodiment according to actual needs.

[0236] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into one processing unit, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into one unit. The integrated unit can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional unit.

[0237] If the integrated unit is implemented as a software functional unit and sold or used as an independent product, it can be stored in a readable storage medium. Based on this understanding, the technical solution of this application embodiment, or all or part of the technical solution, can be embodied in the form of a software product. This software product is stored in a storage medium and includes several instructions to cause a device (which may be a microcontroller, chip, etc.) or processor to execute all or part of the steps of the methods described in the various embodiments of this application. The aforementioned storage medium includes various media capable of storing program code, such as USB flash drives, portable hard drives, ROM, RAM, magnetic disks, or optical disks.

Claims

1. A communication method characterized by comprising: include: Receive a broadcast frame from a first device; wherein the broadcast frame includes measurement information from the first device; Within the time window indicated by the broadcast frame, a response frame to the broadcast frame is sent to the first device; wherein the response frame includes measurement information from the second device; Based on the measurement information of the first device and the measurement information of the second device, measurement configuration information is obtained; wherein, the measurement configuration information is used to indicate the starting measurement information and channel information for the first device and the second device to perform the measurement; The position of the first device is measured according to the measurement configuration information.

2. The method according to claim 1, characterized in that, The broadcast frame is received via a broadcast channel or a data channel, and the response frame is sent via a data channel.

3. The method according to claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The measurement information includes one or more of the following: measurement capability information, or equipment information; The measurement capability information includes one or more of the following: measurement mode, narrowband frequency hopping capability information, or ultra-wideband pulse measurement capability information; the measurement mode includes one or more of the following: narrowband frequency hopping measurement mode, or ultra-wideband pulse measurement mode. The device information includes one or more of the following: device name, device type, device address, or the name of the communication domain in which the device is located.

4. The method according to claim 3, characterized in that, The narrowband frequency hopping capability information includes one or more of the following: support for default-configured narrowband frequency hopping measurement, measurement bandwidth, supported measurement frame types, physical layer security information, or multi-tone signal information; The measurement frame types supported by the narrowband frequency hopping include one or more of the following: measurement frame type 1, measurement frame type 2, or measurement frame type 3.

5. The method according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that, The ultra-wideband pulse measurement capability information includes one or more of the following: support for default configuration of ultra-wideband pulse measurement, measurement bandwidth, synchronization signal length, number of measurement signal fragments, measurement signal fragment length, codeword information, or physical layer security information.

6. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that, The acquisition of measurement configuration information includes: Receive measurement configuration information from the first device; or The measurement configuration information is determined by the second device based on the measurement information of the first device and the measurement information of the second device.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein, When the measurement configuration information is determined by the second device, the method further includes: The measurement configuration information is sent to the first device in the response frame.

8. The method according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The measurement configuration information includes one or more of the following: configuration of the first or second node, resource configuration information during the initialization phase, start time of the measurement event group, time offset of the measurement event group, period of the measurement event group, number of measurement event groups, total number of events, logical link identifier, interval between events for measurement frame type 1, interval between events for measurement frame type 2, interval between events during the initialization phase, interval within events, frequency hopping measurement mode, random seed for frequency hopping, measurement signal type, bandwidth and number of tones of multi-tone signal, and default measurement parameters or measurement parameter set index.

9. The method according to claim 8, characterized in that, The measurement signal in the measurement frame is a narrowband single-frequency sine wave signal, a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) signal, or a multi-tone signal.

10. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 9, characterized in that, The step of measuring the position of the first device according to the measurement configuration information includes: A first measurement frame is received from the first device on a preset set of measurement frequency points; wherein the first measurement frame is measurement frame type 2 or measurement frame type 1; Based on the first measurement frame, frequency hopping measurement is performed on the first device on the preset measurement frequency point set.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein, Before receiving the first measurement frame from the first device, the method further includes: Receive measurement frame type 3 from the first device; wherein, the measurement frame type 3 includes a preamble field, a synchronization signal field, and an equalization protection field; Measurement initialization is performed according to the measurement frame type 3.

12. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 8, characterized in that, The step of measuring the position of the first device according to the measurement configuration information includes: Receive ultrawideband measurement frames from the first device; The position of the first device is measured based on the ultra-wideband measurement frame.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein, Before receiving the ultra-wideband measurement frame from the first device, the method further includes: Receive narrowband measurement frames from the first device; Initial synchronization is performed based on the narrowband measurement frame.

14. A communication method, comprising: include: A broadcast frame is sent to the second device; wherein the broadcast frame includes measurement information from the first device; Within the time window indicated by the broadcast frame, a response frame from the second device is received; wherein the response frame includes measurement information from the second device; Based on the measurement information of the first device and the measurement information of the second device, measurement configuration information is obtained; wherein, the measurement configuration information is used to indicate the starting measurement information and channel information for the first device and the second device to perform the measurement; The position of the second device is measured according to the measurement configuration information.

15. The method according to claim 14, characterized in that, The broadcast frame is sent via a broadcast channel or a data channel, and the response frame is received via a data channel.

16. The method according to claim 14 or 15, characterized in that, The measurement information includes one or more of the following: measurement capability information, or equipment information; The measurement capability information includes one or more of the following: measurement mode, narrowband frequency hopping capability information, or ultra-wideband pulse measurement capability information; the measurement mode includes one or more of the following: narrowband frequency hopping measurement mode, or ultra-wideband pulse measurement mode. The device information includes one or more of the following: device name, device type, device address, or the name of the communication domain in which the device is located.

17. The method according to claim 16, characterized in that, The narrowband frequency hopping capability information includes one or more of the following: support for default-configured narrowband frequency hopping measurement, measurement bandwidth, supported measurement frame types, physical layer security information, or multi-tone signal information; The measurement frame types supported by the narrowband frequency hopping include one or more of the following: measurement frame type 1, measurement frame type 2, or measurement frame type 3.

18. The method according to claim 16 or 17, characterized in that, The ultra-wideband pulse measurement capability information includes one or more of the following: support for default configuration of ultra-wideband pulse measurement, measurement bandwidth, synchronization signal length, number of measurement signal fragments, measurement signal fragment length, codeword information, or physical layer security information.

19. The method according to any one of claims 14-18, characterized by, The acquisition of measurement configuration information includes: The response frame includes the measurement configuration information; or The measurement configuration information is determined by the first device based on the measurement information of the first device and the measurement information of the second device.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein, When the measurement configuration information is determined by the first device, the method further includes: The measurement configuration information is sent to the second device.

21. The method according to any one of claims 14-20, characterized in that, The measurement configuration information includes one or more of the following: configuration of the first or second node, resource configuration information during the initialization phase, start time of the measurement event group, time offset of the measurement event group, period of the measurement event group, number of measurement event groups, total number of events, logical link identifier, interval between events for measurement frame type 1, interval between events for measurement frame type 2, interval between events during the initialization phase, interval within events, frequency hopping measurement mode, random seed for frequency hopping, measurement signal type, bandwidth and number of tones of multi-tone signal, and default measurement parameters or measurement parameter set index.

22. The method according to claim 21, characterized in that, The measurement signal in the measurement frame is a narrowband single-frequency sine wave signal, a binary phase shift keying (BPSK) signal, or a multi-tone signal.

23. The method according to any one of claims 14-22, characterized by, The step of measuring the position of the second device according to the measurement configuration information includes: A first measurement frame from the second device is received on a preset set of measurement frequency points; wherein the first measurement frame is measurement frame type 2 or measurement frame type 1; Based on the first measurement frame, frequency hopping measurement is performed on the second device on the preset measurement frequency point set.

24. The method of claim 23, wherein, Before receiving the first measurement frame from the second device, the method further includes: Receive measurement frame type 3 from the second device; wherein, the measurement frame type 3 includes a preamble signal field, a synchronization signal field, an equalization protection field, a switching interval field, and a measurement signal field; Measurement initialization is performed according to the measurement frame type 3.

25. The method of any one of claims 14-21, wherein, The step of measuring the position of the second device according to the measurement configuration information includes: Receive ultra-wideband measurement frames from the second device; The position of the second device is measured based on the ultra-wideband measurement frame.

26. The method of claim 25, wherein, Before receiving the ultra-wideband measurement frame from the second device, the method further includes: Receive narrowband measurement frames from the second device; Initial synchronization is performed based on the narrowband measurement frame.

27. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes a processor; the processor is configured to run a computer program or instructions that cause the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-13 to be executed, or cause the communication method as described in any one of claims 14-26 to be executed.

28. A communication device, characterized in that, The communication device includes an interface circuit and a logic circuit; the interface circuit is used to input and / or output information; the logic circuit is used to execute the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-13, or to execute the communication method as described in any one of claims 14-26, and to process and / or generate the information based on the information.

29. A computer-readable storage medium, characterized in that, The computer-readable storage medium stores computer instructions or programs that, when executed on a computer, cause the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-13 to be executed, or cause the communication method as described in any one of claims 14-26 to be executed.

30. A computer program product, characterized in that, The computer program product includes computer instructions; when some or all of the computer instructions are executed on a computer, they cause the communication method as described in any one of claims 1-13 to be executed, or cause the communication method as described in any one of claims 14-26 to be executed.

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